Saito2

Its a Traxxas XL5. Training mode gives you 50% power for forward and reverse but retains 100% braking. The stock 12T Titan was very quick for my yard so I had already installed the 23T version. This brought it down to the a speed roughly that of a stock-ish Blackfoot (a drop from roughly 25 mph to 15 mph). With that cut by 50% in training mode, speed is down around 380 powered Grasshopper levels while still retaining some of the 550 torque to allow it trundle about the grass fairly uninhibited.

We're heading that way with our daughter. A personal smart phone is not going to happen. She uses the tablet and PC to play games (monitored, of course) and do virtual schooling, but that's it. That's a very tough break with you're daughter. I'm sorry to hear that. We do the best we can for our kids with the best intentions but in the end, its up to them once they leave the nest.

After running the postal challenge (poorly! lol) with the Super Boomerhotshoterang yesterday, my daughter wanted to race me around the yard today. I brought out the Monster Beetle and she has since commandeered the Stampede so we gave it a go. With a 23T Titan replacing the 12T version and the ESC set in training mode, the Stampy is nice and slow now (plus less likely to punch a hole through my fence with my eager but novice daughter's hands at the controls). I let her win .

I finished the documentary up last night. ****htening stuff. It left me with little hope honestly. The whole thing is a vicious cycle and since profit and monetary gain is involved (with some over the biggest companies on the planet), I don't quite see how it can be broken. Most people are oblivious to it and even if they were alerted, I don't feel they could break the addiction. Legislation is about the only way but I feel its so far behind the curve (especially with the pace of tech) that its hopeless. It did shred some light on the current state of affairs. I surmised for years that groups like the flat earthers had sprung up thanks to the internet bringing them together. What I didn't know was just how expertly social media did that process for them. It created customized echo chambers, reinforcing beliefs rather than questioning or challenging them. Critical analysis and thinking disappear and people are left thinking they're right about everything while subtly be guided to other conspiracy theories. The ramifications of possible mass behavior modifications are staggering when you think about it. It explains how some people could come to the conclusion that an opposing political party is part of some larger "new world order" preparing the world for the coming of the devil and that wearing mask and social distancing is somehow intertwined with the secret microchips that will supposedly be implanted with any Covid vaccine to control us (I know actual people that wholeheartedly believe this with utter conviction). If one gets sucked into that loop (and the "ai" has deemed them "vulnerable" to that type of thought pattern) how could those people ever see through all that? People like to be right about things and this tech is just reinforcing these fictions for them. Truly disturbing. Anybody have suggestions on possible solutions?

Does that pic bring back memories! I've done some jobs like that over the years and boy oh boy, I don't miss it a bit! Imagine trying to do the whole job in a day and then having 4 or 5 more days worth of work like that before the week's up. You're right, they're all about packaging and ease of manufacture. Service is an afterthought. Looks like you're doing pretty good there though.

Welcome to the forum! I too know the sting of losing some RC cars while away at school.

I agree. I don't care for the 2001's different wing nor the added on portion of the body by the front of the rear trailing arm mounting points.

Its a good question because, in varying degrees based on the type of news outlet, Accel is right. In the case of this election its made somewhat easier. I just listen to the words and watch the actions of the current president. In so doing, you can eliminate hearsay or ambiguity. I don't mean to drag us into a huge political debate but I can sight examples that work for me currently, popular of otherwise. Trump has been accused by multiple sources of referring to fallen soldiers as "losers" and "suckers". Do I personally believe those stories are true and he said those things? Knowing Trump (he is not a complex individual), yes, I believe the likelihood he made those remarks is high. But, there is room for argument, so while I believe it, I don't expect everybody else to as well, and I think that's fair. In this situation, decide for yourself. Then there's the case of downplaying the virus. This is a textbook example of what I'm referring to. You can remove media involvement and just look at Trump's words and actions. They are all facts and his own words. Trump is on tape in February admitting he was aware of the seriousness of the virus, how it was transmitted and that he "liked to downplay it". In his actions and words in the months following, he did just that. That's not being truthful to the American people about a serious health threat. Dead bang. His words. His actions. It can't be misconstrued or spun any other way. Just the facts. I can use that (and many similar instances in the past 3.5 years, let alone his entire life) to base an opinion on without media involvement. There may be those that argue whether information should be kept from the people "for their own good" and that's another argument. But, I ask, if he downplayed it to not cause fear in the American public, why does his whole campaign revolve around inducing/preying upon fears for his own gain?(again all caught on video at his various speeches) Are we supposed to be scared into reelecting him but not recognize Covid 19 as a legitimate danger?

I just realized that pic of Samson 1 is somewhat reminiscent of the old iconic Clod Buster ad.

The Crimson Giant and Samson 1 come to mind.

They are different chassis generation 4wd buggies. The Bigwig is from the original Hot Shot series and the Thunder Dragon is from the later Thundershot series. They share virtually no parts. From a technical/competitive/performance standpoint the Thunder Dragon is better. The Bigwig holds more importance being the 10th anniversary car for Tamiya though the recent re-release has probably affected values to a degree. The Thunder Dragon is the only Thundershot series buggy not to be re-released but is technically identical to the Thundershot except for the body.

The metal front knuckles are aftermarket. The SS had red plastic knuckles originally like the Hot Shot. The FRP rear shock tower and battery door are factory parts although the battery door looks to be an odd color in the pic.

I'll echo that. After a string of Tamiya restorations where the plastics had crumbled from age and plasticizer loss, I began to think about which Tamiyas would be particularly long-lived. The SRBs and 1st gen 3-speeds came to mind being mostly die-cast (though this can corrode too). The Frog was a touch less archaic but also deemed long lived in my mind. I've never seen deteriorated Frog plastics. The chassis is very strong. The front arms, rear trailing arms and gearbox center are all easy to source. Most of the attachment points are all stamped metal. The trick is getting all the flaws out of the chassis like the gearbox issues, etc. In the end, I'm a bigger Fox fan, regardless of being mostly plastic.

What axles are those @Butler?

Yeah, I guess when I posted this topic, I wasn't purely thinking about parts availability, but it was somewhat in my mind at the same time. There are other "safe" brands in my mind for one thing. Traxxas is one, though I don't like to spend money with such an unscrupulous company. Associated, on the other hand, seems to constantly update their buggies to stay on top so I wonder if they keep things for the older models. They used to, but that seems to have changed. There's a lot of RC10 owners that were lucky to have some parts available for a long time that are now left out in the cold. Tamiya parts (and Kyosho for that matter) can be hit or miss depending on where you live. I guess, in the end, that safety factor I feel is more about both an established company that will be around for decades to come as well as established design practices. I don't know MST or CEN and I don't know how long they'll be around so despite having a "better" product at times, I shy away from them. If I want a change of pace, I like Kyosho too. Its nice to have a company's product you can pretty much just buy and be done with it. The internet opens up so many reviews and opinions that I often wonder how anybody bought anything before it. Either A. stuff was better quality back then or B. the internet just gives voice to anyone who has complaints to make even if they are unfounded. Its probably a combination of both.