The King Blackfoot is an example of the classic 2wd MT. It's a very durable truck and can withstand lots of abuse. I know because it was my first car and I drove it hard for about 5 years without any maintenance. It always wowed the neighborhood kids and their parents and was a hit at parties. Through all that time I drove the stock truck hard and nothing ever broke. The only incident I had was a melted battery on my bedroom floor thanks to a defective charger! Even after all that time with unlubed plastic bushings, daily beatings and general lack of maintenance, the truck never faltered. When I finally learned about hobby R/C I still drove the KBF regularly, and even today it's my favorite car. I'm currently in the process of restoring it to better than new.
The stock truck doesn't handle well. It's not really made to. However it is super tough, has lots of power for wheelies with any motor, and is reasonably fast. Don't bother putting low turn motors in, because there's only one pinion choice. The simple front suspension and the rather lame steering setup are strong but not exactly something you'd want to take to the track. Rear gearbox is has massive, strong gears and uses TGX shafts to transmit power to the wheels. The shafts will wear down over time if unlubed but I got away with my first 5 years without having any trouble with them. They're cheap and when you replace them it's actually satisfying to see that the truck has twisted them 90 degrees. The truck comes stock with good looking 2.2 wheels and chrome ones are available. Stock Monster Spike tires last forever and are good all purpose meats.
As others mentioned, the body is its best point. Undamaged bodies are expensive and somewhat rare, and they look great on any car that fits them properly such as a Twin Detonator. Don't be surprised when it's cheaper to buy the whole truck than to find the pieces for and assemble a new body.
Overall, the truck is just a fun basher. Good for kids to learn on and makes a great looking show truck. Sure to turn heads wherever it goes, people always overlook the poor handling for the cool looks.
This is a great truck. Standard shocks are terrible, but replace them with CVA's and it is transformed. Wheelies fantastically with a hotter motor, but the rear chrome does get damaged as a result.
Fantastic handling but weakest point is slop in steering. Even though I've glued up the servo saver there is still so much slack that it flaps around in reverse. I have 2 KB's and new steering parts and still the same. Also suffers from bump steer. Overall off road though this is not a problem and the truck is a joy to run.
My recommendation - CVA shocks, ESC, ball race and super stock or sport tuned motor.
Based around the standard ladder type Frog chassis, with upgraded gearbox, the car is a joy to put together. Strong, well built and designed. Out of the box, the only flaws I have are the friction shocks (unless you want your back end slapping about and rear dogbones getting worn to bits), and the front steering geometry and bumpsteer - try driving one toward you at full tilt over rough ground, the wheels look comical!
The stock 540 motor gives torque, but I dont find this particularly quick, so upgraded to 23 turn and ESC with full ballrace. Nice speed now.
The shell is a real tour de force. Strong, and really really well detailed. This is a chunky bit of kit and goes together wonderfully. Lovely chrome on the grill and rear bumper (though shame the roll bar isnt chrome as standard). Front light cluster is designed to take LED kit, so that is a great hop up, although sadly the rear isn't and will need holes drilling
Overall, great fun to drive, witha real 'presence' when it is out. This thing turns heads and looks the business. Much better in my opinion than the flawed Blackfoot extreme.
I like this car. I've upgraded it with a 13 turns motor and esc and it runs like lightning. I recently made a standard TB-01 (with cpr unit) bite my dust... It's also really durable and tough. Less pleasing pieces are the crappy shocks, whobbly front wheels (I think that may be solved by adding some spacers) and the one-way diff which makes you have absolutely no traction when one of the rear wheels comes off the ground. However it's quick and excellent for use on tarmac or medium-heavy off-road running because of its durability.
After having just built a new King Blackfoot I must say I was pleased with the ease of assembly of this kit. I am also pleased with the quality and fit of the parts. What a pleasure to build. The only shortcomings I found were a hole that was blocked by plastic and the awful friction dampers. Other than that the KBF is a great value for the money. As pointed out by Miramar the body is a truely nice thing. I gem in my opinion. Very realistic, exquisitly detailed and a wonderfuly realistic look when completed. This is one of those trucks you really should have in your 'monster' collection.
A patchwork of parts on the ORV-chassis. Nothing wrong about that! I suppose this will be the last car based on the Frog-chassis, and with bullet proof gearbox and a front suspension that deserves its name, it's to my opinion the only well engineered car in the "series".
It's easy to build, and there really are nothing that needs special attention. It's just important to remember to include all parts "inside" the frame to avoid having to disassemble it again when you discover you left something out. The friction dampers isn't the nicest feature of the King Blackfoot, but it keeps price down and makes the model easy to build ever for the beginner.
The hard plastic body is the icing of the cake, and though Tamiya pretends it to be generic , it's unmistakeably a Ford F-series pickup. With transparent headlight lenses and provisions for the Tamiya # 50320 Light Set it's one of the better hard bodies from Tamiya.
After the release of the Wild Dagger, the King Blackfoot isn't the best choice among Tamiya's entry level Monster Trucks anymore, but that realistic body is still a winner.
Reviews
rhenbelz
The King Blackfoot is an example of the classic 2wd MT. It's a very durable truck and can withstand lots of abuse. I know because it was my first car and I drove it hard for about 5 years without any maintenance. It always wowed the neighborhood kids and their parents and was a hit at parties. Through all that time I drove the stock truck hard and nothing ever broke. The only incident I had was a melted battery on my bedroom floor thanks to a defective charger! Even after all that time with unlubed plastic bushings, daily beatings and general lack of maintenance, the truck never faltered. When I finally learned about hobby R/C I still drove the KBF regularly, and even today it's my favorite car. I'm currently in the process of restoring it to better than new.
The stock truck doesn't handle well. It's not really made to. However it is super tough, has lots of power for wheelies with any motor, and is reasonably fast. Don't bother putting low turn motors in, because there's only one pinion choice. The simple front suspension and the rather lame steering setup are strong but not exactly something you'd want to take to the track. Rear gearbox is has massive, strong gears and uses TGX shafts to transmit power to the wheels. The shafts will wear down over time if unlubed but I got away with my first 5 years without having any trouble with them. They're cheap and when you replace them it's actually satisfying to see that the truck has twisted them 90 degrees. The truck comes stock with good looking 2.2 wheels and chrome ones are available. Stock Monster Spike tires last forever and are good all purpose meats.
As others mentioned, the body is its best point. Undamaged bodies are expensive and somewhat rare, and they look great on any car that fits them properly such as a Twin Detonator. Don't be surprised when it's cheaper to buy the whole truck than to find the pieces for and assemble a new body.
Overall, the truck is just a fun basher. Good for kids to learn on and makes a great looking show truck. Sure to turn heads wherever it goes, people always overlook the poor handling for the cool looks.
3doorpete
This is a great truck. Standard shocks are terrible, but replace them with CVA's and it is transformed. Wheelies fantastically with a hotter motor, but the rear chrome does get damaged as a result.
Fantastic handling but weakest point is slop in steering. Even though I've glued up the servo saver there is still so much slack that it flaps around in reverse. I have 2 KB's and new steering parts and still the same. Also suffers from bump steer. Overall off road though this is not a problem and the truck is a joy to run.
My recommendation - CVA shocks, ESC, ball race and super stock or sport tuned motor.
pauljmuk
Very nice bit of kit this one.
Based around the standard ladder type Frog chassis, with upgraded gearbox, the car is a joy to put together. Strong, well built and designed. Out of the box, the only flaws I have are the friction shocks (unless you want your back end slapping about and rear dogbones getting worn to bits), and the front steering geometry and bumpsteer - try driving one toward you at full tilt over rough ground, the wheels look comical!
The stock 540 motor gives torque, but I dont find this particularly quick, so upgraded to 23 turn and ESC with full ballrace. Nice speed now.
The shell is a real tour de force. Strong, and really really well detailed. This is a chunky bit of kit and goes together wonderfully. Lovely chrome on the grill and rear bumper (though shame the roll bar isnt chrome as standard). Front light cluster is designed to take LED kit, so that is a great hop up, although sadly the rear isn't and will need holes drilling
Overall, great fun to drive, witha real 'presence' when it is out. This thing turns heads and looks the business. Much better in my opinion than the flawed Blackfoot extreme.
zyrkon
I like this car. I've upgraded it with a 13 turns motor and esc and it runs like lightning. I recently made a standard TB-01 (with cpr unit) bite my dust... It's also really durable and tough. Less pleasing pieces are the crappy shocks, whobbly front wheels (I think that may be solved by adding some spacers) and the one-way diff which makes you have absolutely no traction when one of the rear wheels comes off the ground. However it's quick and excellent for use on tarmac or medium-heavy off-road running because of its durability.
Twmaster
After having just built a new King Blackfoot I must say I was pleased with the ease of assembly of this kit. I am also pleased with the quality and fit of the parts. What a pleasure to build. The only shortcomings I found were a hole that was blocked by plastic and the awful friction dampers. Other than that the KBF is a great value for the money. As pointed out by Miramar the body is a truely nice thing. I gem in my opinion. Very realistic, exquisitly detailed and a wonderfuly realistic look when completed. This is one of those trucks you really should have in your 'monster' collection.
miramar
A patchwork of parts on the ORV-chassis. Nothing wrong about that! I suppose this will be the last car based on the Frog-chassis, and with bullet proof gearbox and a front suspension that deserves its name, it's to my opinion the only well engineered car in the "series".
It's easy to build, and there really are nothing that needs special attention. It's just important to remember to include all parts "inside" the frame to avoid having to disassemble it again when you discover you left something out. The friction dampers isn't the nicest feature of the King Blackfoot, but it keeps price down and makes the model easy to build ever for the beginner.
The hard plastic body is the icing of the cake, and though Tamiya pretends it to be generic , it's unmistakeably a Ford F-series pickup. With transparent headlight lenses and provisions for the Tamiya # 50320 Light Set it's one of the better hard bodies from Tamiya.
After the release of the Wild Dagger, the King Blackfoot isn't the best choice among Tamiya's entry level Monster Trucks anymore, but that realistic body is still a winner.