Hellbilly_Racing

As an E-Firestorm owner, my preference would be to buy the RTR kit off Ebay for about

Having seen my E-Firestorm in action my missus is somewhat interested in the possibility of getting an RC model of her own. She wants a Monster Truck, but not too big, fast or uncontrollable, just good fun and go anywhere I've initially thought about the HPI Wheelyking 4x4, as it is a keen price and sensible size and complexity. Any other ideas? Ta

Ok then; the ongoing saga of the E Firestorm continues... Having fitted the 23t Ansmann motor and swapped the rear wishbones over to increase the wheelbase, I finally got hold of the M2x8 cap screws needed to fit the clutch cover. Took the truck out today, and played in the skate park, tarmac paths, farmyard and in a field The 23t motor is a big improvement for me as the truck is a little slower and more controllable, and puts down the power in a really agressive manner. I'm pretty sure the batteries lasted longer too I think that for most people it would be a great investment to swap the tin 15t Firebolt for a decent racing rebuildable 27t. Although this may sound like a step back, it actually means alot more torque, and some of these Stock motors can get over 30krpm! Had a few disasters though, but I'm getting used to them now:) Firstly, one of the inboard ball joints of the rear upper link arm physically broke off at the stud. I can't see any good reason for this failure, but there were 2 washers under the ball, and the stud sheared at the plane between the bottom washer and the chassis. I got me to the hobby shop and brought a pack of generic balljoints and tie rod ends. They are a smaller diameter than the HPI unit, but the stud is the same size. The rod end is about 5mm shorter than the HPI unit, so I moved the inboard balls to the outermost chassis hole, to ensure there was enough tie rod thread inside the rod end. I also installed the new ball joints without washers underneath. I did both sides as I wanted to retain the symetry. Second problem happened after a few flips and cartwheels; the ESC pcb and heatsink seperated from the lower half of the case, which is glued to the chassis. It clipped back in without fuss, but did come apart a few more times. As for the longer wheelbase, I'm not too sure about the difference, but it's less prone to wheelying, even with the increased torque of the 23t. I think the biggest improvement would be seen on a really powerful motor or brushless system.

Still best to use washers even on flanged bolts. The washer forms a bearing surface and prevents the damage to the component as the bolt is tightened.

With all this talk on Brushless and the ever present pursuit of speed, I might be forgiven for sounding Insane, but I think it's a question no-one else seems to be asking; Is there an advantage to brushless if you want to go Slow? I run a Stadium truck and value explosive acceleration over top end, as I'm about playing in the woods instead of trying to get 50ft of air or racing across carparks. I'm currently running a disposable 21 turn Ansmann and am thinking of upgrading to a rebuildable racing spec 27turn with a top end of about 30krpm. Is it worth me considering a brushless system, and if so, on what merits?

Thanks for the kind words I wanted to achieve something that pays homage to the great General without being a copy. I think the net result is a balanced blend of Hazzard and Firestorm. I didn't want to clutter it up with too many decals, but it looked too 'blank' with just the DoH decals, so I kept adding HPI decals until it looked right. The pictures don't actually do the paint justice, as it's actually darker orange in reality... I painted about three coats of Tamiya orange, then backed with another three coats of Tamiya red. I'm pretty pleased with the finished result and can't describe the feeling when the protective film is finally peeled back Unfortunately, I can't take it out until I get some screws delivered to allow me to refit the clutch cover I was going to do the spoiler but quite liked the look of the shell without. I can do it at a later date, though I'm not decided on how to do it to suit the rest of the car?

Here's my first atempt at painting a shell... It's a DSX2 shell on a HPI E Firestorm. I know the whole Hazzard thing is done to death, but it'll make me smile everytime it gets big air off some skate ramp

I'm interested to find out too! It took me 15 mins to swap everything around, so it's no big deal... I may be new to to RC, but I've been involved in real off-roaders for many years. What I do know is that a longer wheelbase equates to a slower reaction in the chassis when hitting bumps, so the front end isn't bouncing off the ground, although this corresponds to a larger turning circle. In this case it will bring more mass between the wheelbase and make the truck better handling, because there's more dynamic weight on the front tyres. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, though

I just did a google images search with the different paints as the search words, quite a few good hits to actual shells in these colours... Stu

Excellent, thanks for the advice.

As a Service Engineer by trade, my core programing is to take things apart... With this in mind, I disassembled the rear suspension, removed the lower wishbones and swapped them over, L to R and R to L. This stretched the wheelbase out and IMHO makes the truck look more 'balanced'. I suppose the factory short wheelbase is to make the motor hang out more and improve the wheelie capabilities, but considering I want to up the torque, and want a bit more weight on the front wheels and smoother jumps, I thought I'd try the longer wheelbase. I should get my new parts next week and be back out on the jumps one evening, weather and work allowing Over and Out...

Whoa! Don't all reply at once!

My brother has exactly the same car and has suffered no problems... I did tweek the wheel nuts up a bit tonight, and he was out last night, pulling wheelies and said the wheel nuts started backing off. I think the motor screws weren't tight enough to start and jumping skate ramps shook it loose.

Hi Guys, I need some advice about paint effects. What I want to achieve is a redish-orange colour but can only buy red or orange. Would I be better off a) Spraying the shell orange, with a second coat of red Spraying the shell with translucent orange, with a second coat of red I will be experimenting with some scrap lexan before going onto the shell, but I don't want to leave the shop with an armful of paint! Also, how far do Tamiya aresol cans go? Will one tin do a few coats or a few shells? Ta

Bought my car off Ebay, for