Old school Bandit

[Saito2 6686]

Edit: If you like this or it inspires you, great. Please try to buy used vehicles if seeking something out from the Trashxxas model lineup. They don't deserve your money.

There's a sweet spot in land of 2wd buggies for me that is characterized by rear motors and aluminum or flat graphite chassis. Once we moved into the land of fully molded chassis in competition buggies, I lost interest (don't even get me started on mid-motor). I've had the desire to built a durable runner that would fit into this category for me. While I have a Tamiya-based project brewing along these lines, parts will always be an issue. The same my be true of the Kyosho Ultima considering the shaky ground upon which they sit as a company. This project was initially gearing up to be an RC10-based one but parts have been discontinued in droves by their parent company, Thunder Tiger, and the values of RC10s have risen quite a bit. 

When it comes to parts supply and longevity, few companies can claim such a long lifespan of a product than Trashxxas with their Bandit/Rustler/Stampede trio. While I abhor current day Trashxxas business practices (evil, lawsuit-happy bloodsuckers that they are) , they do have their positives and I was always a fan of their vintage stuff, namely the upstart TRX-1 2wd buggy. Anything that could break up the Losi/Associated monotony at the track in those days was a welcome addition. One of the aspects that makes the afore mentioned Trashxxas trio so decent was that their roots lie in the old Trashxxas comp vehicles, albeit in diluted form. The Bandit seemed to have all I needed to get started. Parts, both new and aftermarket, are abundant here in the States. Strong transmission with many gearing options and a slipper? Check. Bellcrank steering? Check. Tough plastics? Check. It just had more going for it than the DT02 I was also considering. The only problem was it was a little too plasticy and thus quite toyish (being RTR, certainly doesn't help in the eyes of the hobbyist).

The inspiration finally came by looking in a trash can at my work. (ok, there's a joke in there for Trashxxas haters and we all should hate them or at least their legal team). Someone had thrown out a carbon fiber arm-board which, in this rare case, was actually the ideal thickness for a chassis plate. I am a man of limited means, financially (and skill-wise, IMHO) so much of my building materials are sourced from work-scrap. Some time later I came up with this:

 

Already, things are looking better to me. The fact the kick-up is part of the bolt-on front bulkhead and not molded into the chassis made this an easy affair. The Bandit suffered two problems in the chassis-department. It was very long (as was the original TRX-1) and my running area isn't overly large. The other issue is they are relatively heavy buggies. Bulletproof, but heavy. My little homemade chassis helps blunt both of these issues by being lighter and shorter (more akin to an RC10 Worlds Car). I will say this, working with hand tools is less than ideal. I have many ideas but will definitely need to consider having more than a Dremel,, hand drill and jigsaw at my disposal. This project is making me lust for a mini-mill, lathe and a 3D printer (if my limited intellect can grasp using design software beyond my typical pencil and paper). More to come.

[Saito2 6686]

The Bandit uses a front chassis brace which also doubles as a mount for the steering components all in one tidy package. Fortunately, Trashxxas gray parts can be dyed so I dyed mine black. While I was at it, I drilled some lightening holes where they wouldn't compromise strength. Trashxxas offers a very nice ballraced, aluminum bellcrank assembly as an upgrade however I went a cheaper route. I was pleased to see the stock parts were at least bushed with metal bushings. To save money and weight, 850 bearings proved to be an inexpensive and easy upgrade here.

 

[bavee 1032]

Seems like a real nice job on the chassis! Keep us informed on your progres please.

[El Gecko 1344]

What's the wheelbase difference with the new chassis plate? I'm sure it's much lighter than the molded plastic as well. Will you be adding an upper deck for strength?

I love my old Hawks which are similar to the Bandit/Rustler setup (DT03 also), it's basically just an evolution of the RC10 which as we all know was a fantastic car.

[Saito2 6686]

34 minutes ago, El Gecko said:

What's the wheelbase difference with the new chassis plate? I'm sure it's much lighter than the molded plastic as well. Will you be adding an upper deck for strength?

I shortened the wheelbase down by about 5/8". The original TRX-1 chassis plate was known as the "limo chassis" for its long length. It wasn't alone though. My JRX-Pro has an equally long wheelbase. The TRX-3 follow-up buggy brought things down into RC10 territory dimensionally. I'm going to hold off on an upper deck for now, but I'm already re-designing the project in my head so who knows what the future will bring. I will say the carbon fiber I used is unbelievably stiff for its thickness, but then again, it was originally meant to support the weight of a patient's arm with minimal flex.

Sitting on my disastrously messy work bench is the Bandit with a few things added. The front brace and steering is now in place as well as a battery holder I conjured up. Normally, I just grab an RC10 battery cup (one of the most useful tidbits ever) but they are gone from Associated's parts catalog so I was left to my own devices. More scrap material from work (gray ABS this time) was used to inexpensively fashion a batter box. I wasn't happy with its weight so it got cut down and more lightening holes added. If this all works to my liking, some of this might be trashed in favor of some fancier material.

[El Gecko 1344]

Nice, I would think the CF would be robust enough for RC usage, but I guess there's only one way to find out!

With that much scaffolding on the front end already, clearly the weak point is where the battery holder and gearbox meet. Maybe just a pair of angled struts there instead of a full on second deck? From near the top of the gearbox down to either the battery holder or all the way to the CF plate.

[Nikko85 3450]

I'm also not a Traxxas fan, but the Stampede and Rustler were the trucks of my childhood.

 

 

[Saito2 6686]

One of the benefits of Trashxxas, here in the States at least, is parts supply. Replacement and hop-up parts (both factory and aftermarket, but please, don't buy Trashxxas parts, support the aftermarket companies) abound. Unlike the big T, these aren't limited runs of parts that can prove tricky to get at times. These parts are everywhere, all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if my local grocery store had Trashxxas parts. Here, the front end will get some classic RPM upgrades along with turnbuckles and a fiberglass front tie bar. 

[87lc2 2663]

12 hours ago, Saito2 said:

 I wouldn't be surprised if my local grocery store had Traxxas parts. 

Very true.  I don't have many Traxxas models, but the few that I do get run hard since I know I can replace the parts easily & cheaply. 

This is a cool looking buggy, the slightly shorter wheelbase helps a lot in the looks department.  If that chassis is real carbon fiber then it will be plenty strong at that thickness.  I make as much as I can from carbon sheet, so strong and light it nearly defies physics (in my mind at least).  It's also very easy to work with as far as cutting, but I've always found drilling it a challenge.  Have worn out quite a few bits going through carbon fiber.  Is there a secret to drilling this stuff that I'm missing?  

[Saito2 6686]

9 minutes ago, 87lc2 said:

It's also very easy to work with as far as cutting, but I've always found drilling it a challenge.  Have worn out quite a few bits going through carbon fiber.  Is there a secret to drilling this stuff that I'm missing? 

I was surprised how easy it cut but like you said, drilling was another matter. Even with something clamped firmly to the backside and slow drilling, it was a 50/50 shot of splintering the hole on the backside. The material I have isn't woven so that might contribute to my issues.

[87lc2 2663]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has trouble drilling this stuff.  Have tried quite a few different bit materials and they all take forever.  I typically work with woven carbon so splintering isn't too bad, but it takes so long...Great material though. 

[Saito2 6686]

One of the quirks I discovered of the brushed Bandit model is the use of small 850 bushings at the hubs/knuckles (bearings are found throughout the gearbox however). Rather than just replacing these with 850 bearings, I purchased parts from RPM which allow the fitment of standard Tamiya-sized 1150 bearings. RPM has been producing durable replacement parts since the good ol' days and make a whole line of goodies for Trashxxas vehicles. Sometimes their parts are even lighter than stock.

One RPM part I always install on this chassis line is their gear cover. Trashxxas (bottom of pic) leaves a hole in the cover to clear the universal shaft which lets dirt in. With just one test run under its belt, dust can be seen starting to enter. RPM managed to make a cover without the hole, keeping the spur and pinion nice and clean.

 

[markbt73 5316]

I like where this is going. And yeah, that is the advantage of a Traxxas-based build; parts are cheap, plentiful, and varied.

Actually, a Bandit wouldn't be a bad base for an idea I've had kicking around for a while. Have to do some thinking about that...

[Saito2 6686]

The front end, half done. I thought about alloy shocks but the stock Trashxxas Ultra Shocks, like Tamiya CVAs, work pretty good. They also keep weight down. The shock caps popping off in extreme situations seems to be their only issue. Blue Traxxas alloy caps fix this while (hopefully, in my mind anyway) evoking the old shocks found on the TRX-1 which featured blue caps on gray, hard anodized shock bodies. The trick with reducing weight with a lighter chassis is not to put too much back on with alloy bits. Some things like the turnbuckles are inevitable though.

[OldSchoolRC1 983]

Excellent build going on here! Nice work on the chassis!

I agree 100% with the sentiments  - I won't take my Wild One out and beat on it, but I have no such qualms about Traxxas. I've got a low slung Funco Bandit build going on that's been stalled for a bit - this thread is great motivation to get cracking on it!

[Saito2 6686]

She's all together now. RPM front and rear arms in black and hub/knuckles in blue. Trashxxas turnbuckles, shock caps and front tie bar complete the rest. I'll have to replace those since the company sucks. I'd like to ditch the plastic shock towers at some point but that might lead into more of a redesign of the whole project which is brewing in my processor. I purposely tip-toed around the cost issue, trying to keep in mind, its just a Bandit. Plowing too much into it might defeat the purpose. On the other hand, if I'm happy with how this runs, I have lots of ideas to expand the parameters of the project. Guilt-free modification and plentiful parts availability has proven to be great fun. Next: wheel selection. Those stock chromey 5 spoke wheels look too Walmart/New Bright RTR for my taste. Thankfully Trashxxas has a solution for that too as we'll see...

[87lc2 2663]

Looks awesome, really nice work!  I was hoping you'd be ditching the stock wheels, they're a bit bilngy for my taste.  With some proper wheels it's going to look perfect. 

[Saito2 6686]

All done. Trashxxas fortunately still has some older parts in their catalog including these old school dished pin-dive wheels and tires to fit them. I might consider dyeing them blue or green or just leave them alone. Undecided. From the day I first saw the TRX-1 (initially called the Talon and Vector) I always thought of the blue/green/white color combo. Traxxas driver, Scott Mongomery's ride featured similar colors IIRC. The position of the rear shock tower meant fitting RC10-type bodies was tricky but the stock Bandit body fit fine with minimal trimming. I'm reasonably happy with it but will probably go over things I'd change in a project autopsy next.

[87lc2 2663]

They look great in white.  Blue or green would be nice too...I usually go crazy trying to make decisions like that on wheel color.  

[Saito2 6686]

The project autopsy...

The Bandit project came out ok but I'm not happy with it. I keep skirting the line between cost/investment vs. return. I could make it a lot better but do I really want to plow a bunch of money into a Bandit? This autopsy is a bit premature because, heading into winter, a true testing of this new Bandit's performance potential will have to wait until spring at best. The graphite was incredibly rigid and strong, even as a mono-plate. It also splintered at every opportunity when drilling holes. Rather than woven "cloth", this carbon fiber was 3 layers thick with strands running perpendicular to the layer adjacent to it. The perils of free materials I suppose.

If I still keep an eye on cost, I might re-do the chassis as a double deck fiberglass/FRP unit. I'll maintain rigidity while working with an easier (and cheaper) material. Interestingly this is what Trashxxas themselves did moving from the TRX-1 to the TRX-3. Weight will go up so maybe some aluminum screws (a la RC10) and titanium might be utilized but with those kind of upgrades, nicer carbon fiber for the chassis could cost about the same. I'd like to ditch the plastic shock towers for fiberglass too. 

I'm in love with the details and stories surrounding the development of the original RC10. Being in the States the story is out there if you research it and its amazing. Associated isn't the secret mystery box the Tamiya tends to be, where a lot of development theories are guesses and conjecture. I've always wanted to build my own car and learning how they did it back in the day fascinates me (I also work in manufacturing and have some interest in that process too).

This leads to my next big picture decisions. Tools/machinery. I only have hand tools and honestly my stuff looks like utter garbage compared to the amazing things people do in the world of RC at home nowadays. It was probably fine by 1988 standards, but not today. I'm a moron with computers and don't feel home 3-D printing is quite suitable for my taste in terms of finish and durability yet. Still, I need to learn how to use design software if I wish to progress to a small CNC machine/engraver. The other option is and benchtop mill like a Sherline. The RC10 Stealth car was basically done on a mill as are many prototype parts and I'm more at home with them. On the other hand, its tedious and not easily repeatable if a part breaks and needs a replacement whipped up. All of this cost money and my fear is my mental condition my cause me to lose interest for long breaks at a time. The idea of investing this kind of money only to have stuff sit while I get my head together scares me. No matter what I do, improvements need to be made. A hand drill and Dremel aren't cutting it anymore for the level of professionalism I'd like to attain.

 

[87lc2 2663]

Don't sell yourself short, the buggy looks great.  I think I'm one of the few that prefer plastics (quality plastics thats is) to fiber materials in most cases, but I definitley understand where you going with that as far as 90s nostalgia RC development.  

I sometimes feel the same way you do, I do everything with hand tools (hacksaws, Dremel, mini drill press, etc) and see some builds where I think, "I could never do that..."   I'm also not big into 3D printing.  I have one at work that I use often for RC parts, but only as a last resort for something I can't make out of real material.  I find 3D printed parts to look incredibly cheap and they often do not work well for anything that requires structure.  Yes, you can use nylon and some other stronger materials and I've had success with that,  but I think they still look like crap.  

It's awesome that you're looking to expand your abilities/equipment to get a more professional level build, but to my eye this buggy looks great.  I guess it's all about what you're expecting from your own work.  For me, as long as it works well and looks the part I'm happy.  I have to be perfect for 40 hours a week making 1:1 car parts, so for my hobby I try to keep things in perspective a bit.  As long as it looks good on the shelf I can overlook some rough edges