Is a stadium truck what we want?

[simalarion]

Sure, but i started to think for me to let go and really have a basher i think it would help to to just buy a RTR meant for just that, then i probably will not Gringe everytime it rolls but just go a bit crazy with it.

Yes in general it is easy to build/paint a kit but it takes a pro to get your end results @Willy iine with all your personal touch and small finess & details. Much off the point off this hobby is about this for me, incl Hop-ups etc etc, i believe this is what BuggyDad want to share with his son, the hole ecperience

But then again, as i wrote. I now started thinking to Really enjoy some modern RC driving with a modern setup (stil havent touched brushless hehe) with zero hazzel straight out off the box maybe i should just buy a Mad Van and drive the badword out off it 

[RC_FunLand]

11 hours ago, BuggyDad said:

My lad is enthusiastic about building another kit, so some time in the coming months we'll probably do that. But what? It's not an imminent purchase, rather just kicking ideas around. 

I fed in the idea of a rally car but it didn't really take (and to be honest, I think that's right anyway, much as I'd love to build an XV-01 with him we'd have to leave home to run it). The idea of some sort of truck did though, or some other bigger wheeled machine. Not so much a tall traditional monster truck, more your stadium truck type of thing, or something else usable in the same sort of running. So I'm thinking:

- it'd be run like we bash with a buggy, so could take speed, needs OK stability

- but needs more ground clearance and wheel size for grass and the rough hard old surface of our yard (which is basically old sharp 50mm gravel long since bedded down into a hard surface; bumps a little on the big side for a 1/10 buggy)

- needs to be a good build experience and I'm minded to go 4wd both to differentiate it from his truggy wheeled DT-03 in driving terms and for a bit extra in the build. Also wary this seems to be headed towards a class of vehicle that is again RTR-dominated. That's definitely not for us. 

- I think it'd be the car to take our worst abuses, so toughness is important. We aren't going to be sending it into orbit like skate park you-tubers but experience tells me I want a quite different level of toughness for this than DT-03.

- decent ish dirt/water resistance, so no exposed gears for example. 

There are obvious answers, like Traxxas Stampede which I see comes in kit form, although I don't want proprietary electronics or particularly to support Traxxas, and perhaps irrationally I'm a bit off entering a world which looks a bit generic/characterless/dumbed down. But I'm also early in my thinking. I don't know that we want this class of vehicle at all even, and I'm interested in whacky ideas out of left field too. 

I was thinking the TL-01. It’s stable until you put a 5700kV brushless into it.

I drive my monstrosity (b/c the body I painted for it is hideous) around the garden with no issues, albeit performing slightly worse than more equipped cars such as dual-motors or monster trucks. I would only recommend 4WD trucks for garden running though.

 

just my two cents. Hope this helped.

 

EDIT: attached an image of ‘er.

[BuggyDad]

7 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Thinking outside the box, there's no reason you couldn't add truggy wheels to a 4wd buggy.  The rolling radius on a stadium truck tyre isn't much different to a 2.2 buggy tyre, so gearing should be fine.

TBH this is really where we need a simple 4x4 stadium truck / fake monster truck like the Stampede, but made by Tamiya.  

Looking at the Mad Van, and at my truggified B64, I can't help but feel that the TT-02B might be a good candidate as a base for a Tamiya version of similar. Very similar basic layout. They produce it cheaply so could run another vehicle from the same platform for which I'd wager there's plenty of demand. Or maybe it just needs a 3d print of some longer lower arms to suit some commonly available CVD size to get the width right out there for a homemade version. Hmmm. 

(Realise I've gone way off topic here, maybe) 

[BuggyDad]

20 minutes ago, simalarion said:

Sure, but i started to think for me to let go and really have a basher i think it would help to to just buy a RTR meant for just that, then i probably will not Gringe everytime it rolls but just go a bit crazy with it.

Yes in general it is easy to build/paint a kit but it takes a pro to get your end results @Willy iine with all your personal touch and small finess & details. Much off the point off this hobby is about this for me, incl Hop-ups etc etc, i believe this is what BuggyDad want to share with his son, the hole ecperience

But then again, as i wrote. I now started thinking to Really enjoy some modern RC driving with a modern setup (stil havent touched brushless hehe) with zero hazzel straight out off the box maybe i should just buy a Mad Van and drive the badword out off it 

I certainly think that if I was to buy a RTR the Mad Van has leapt to the number 1 spot on that list. It's got bags of character alongside all the good design and balance of driveability and silliness. 

[RC_FunLand]

47 minutes ago, El Gecko said:

Traxxas lawyers are probably salivating at the mere suggestion

Freaking hate the soulless corporation behind the Traxxas name… they play bully on the playground just cause they can.

and the saddest thing about all of this is that they sell a bunch of characterless plastic. If you see 2/3 of their cars, you’ve seen the essence of their entire lineup.

[RC_FunLand]

4 hours ago, ChrisRx718 said:

Add a skateboard ramp to your garden and it opens another dimension to running a basher that you can't really appreciate with the Tamiya lineup (sorry). 

Challenge accepted.  Time to launch my 50mph Hotshot into the asthenosphere!!!!

[Frog Jumper]

Body type shouldn’t be a question. Many bodies can be used on many different cars with some body mounts and some ingenuity.

The real question to ask is what chassis?  2wd or 4wd?  Solid axle or independent suspension?

I recommend getting a Scorcher/Dragon and putting a truck body on it.

[Willy iine]

1 hour ago, BuggyDad said:

You are of course right, in all those regards.

But (irrationally, some would say), you're also wrong. It can't be an RC car unless it arrived as a box of bits, in 150 little plastic bags.  I didn't make my giant plywood shock holder for nothing you know. 

And it isn't 2023. It's 1987. Get with the times, man. 😉

I joke, obvs, but in this case my 9 year old gotta learn to earn his fun!

 

Yeah, if your focus is to teach your kid, RTR is not the way to do it.  I agree.   Kids need to understand the intricacies of stuff how they work, how they were assembled to understand the concept and why we do it (and why it’s so fun).  

RTR for lazy boneheads like me is okay.. cause I already know how these things work.. or do I?!     

[BuggyDad]

2 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

The front end will only break off with heavy nose diving abuse or driving directly into a kerb I think, having said that AMPRO make a really nice set of reinforcement braces. 
 

If you'll humour me for a minute to continue my wild diversion on the Falcon chassis and its later derivatives (because I really am giving this Falcon rehash idea some moderately serious thought. It's funny how these threads lurch off into the wild blue yonder isn't it)... 

The Blitzer(s) front end screws to the same old points on the Falcon tub I believe, so are the Blitzers substantially stronger in this area than the Falcon was? It was notoriously weak. This notwithstanding the AMPRO parts, which do look good. Presumably it remains advantageous to drill right through and nut and bolt it as I did with my Falcon BITD and I note now so did others. I wonder also whether a slim full length front to rear chassis brace would work as well (except it'd get in the way of battery removal). 

Blitzer transmissions good enough, like as tough as say a DT-03? Any way of tightening the diff a bit? 

Blitzer parts availability generally good and likely to continue? Little bit wary it's an old model. 

Do the Blitzer share suspension parts (arms, and therefore width) with the Bear Hawk? 

[BuggyDad]

9 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

 

Yeah, if your focus is to teach your kid, RTR is not the way to do it.  I agree.   Kids need to understand the intricacies of stuff how they work, how they were assembled to understand the concept and why we do it (and why it’s so fun).  

RTR for lazy boneheads like me is okay.. cause I already know how these things work.. or do I?!     

Well, if you don't, there's not much hope for the rest of us!! 

[El Gecko]

38 minutes ago, BuggyDad said:

the TT-02B might be a good candidate as a base for a Tamiya version of similar.

I had the same thought once! Have not made it back to that particular build yet, though. Spending too much time driving my vintage rides to have any lust for anything new.

But IMHO the concept is sound, assuming you could free up the suspension a bit. As @Frog Jumper mentioned, you can put a truck (or van!) body on any chassis with the roughly right wheelbase.

[BuggyDad]

3 minutes ago, El Gecko said:

..... you can put a truck (or van!) body on any chassis with the roughly right wheelbase.

Indeed! 

To go full Blitzer you might need to give those arms a stretch though. Part of what's so cool about the Mad Van I think is that it sits so low without having to chop out huge wheel arches. 

[Badcrumble]

Can't help with the Blitzer but if you fancy something Tamiya and silly, how about a CR-01?

Bear with me here....

A Rock Socker would be a good start.

A fantastic in-depth build with crazy cantilever suspension.

Then you ditch the suspension for 90mm dampers, throw on some mahoosive tyres and add a 3S pack and you have a monster truck 

(We do need a wider ramp )

Oh, and swap the wheels and tyres back over again and you have a crawler - two cars in one!

[Grumpy pants]

11 minutes ago, BuggyDad said:

If you'll humour me for a minute to continue my wild diversion on the Falcon chassis and its later derivatives (because I really am giving this Falcon rehash idea some moderately serious thought. It's funny how these threads lurch off into the wild blue yonder isn't it)... 

The Blitzer(s) front end screws to the same old points on the Falcon tub I believe, so are the Blitzers substantially stronger in this area than the Falcon was? It was notoriously weak. This notwithstanding the AMPRO parts, which do look good. Presumably it remains advantageous to drill right through and nut and bolt it as I did with my Falcon BITD and I note now so did others. I wonder also whether a slim full length front to rear chassis brace would work as well (except it'd get in the way of battery removal). 

Blitzer transmissions good enough, like as tough as say a DT-03? Any way of tightening the diff a bit? 

Blitzer parts availability generally good and likely to continue? Little bit wary it's an old model. 

Do the Blitzer share suspension parts (arms, and therefore width) with the Bear Hawk? 

I’d forgotten all about the long bolt and nut method, I would probably this route 1st as it is easy and low cost, I’d add the Ampro kit if I was feeling flush - which is rare these days 

I thought the chassis was then same for the Falcon, the Stadium Thunder, Stadium Blitzer and the Blitzer Beetle. I’ve never owned a Bear Hawk though to compare. 

Between the Thunder, and both the Blitzers I’m pretty sure the only differences will be wheel colours, body shells and the rear body mounts. Other than that the Thunder had red plastics for the gearbox from memory. 

The DT03 is a great option, but they are more prone to snapping the chassis at the front, however cheaper to buy and maybe spares will be more readily available as it is a much newer release. 
 

 

[SlideWRX]

1 hour ago, BuggyDad said:

Looking at the Mad Van, and at my truggified B64, I can't help but feel that the TT-02B might be a good candidate as a base for a Tamiya version of similar. Very similar basic layout. They produce it cheaply so could run another vehicle from the same platform for which I'd wager there's plenty of demand. Or maybe it just needs a 3d print of some longer lower arms to suit some commonly available CVD size to get the width right out there for a homemade version. Hmmm. 

(Realise I've gone way off topic here, maybe) 

Wow, this is the first time I've seen the "HOT!" icon on a thread here.  Three pages of replies in 12 hours!

Anyway, I thought I was going to come in here and stir things up with the TT-02B suggestion, but apparently not. Truck/Truggy wheels/tires and a truck/van body.

Is there a way to lower a Lunchbox 1-2 inches?

[BuggyDad]

1 hour ago, SlideWRX said:

Wow, this is the first time I've seen the "HOT!" icon on a thread here.  Three pages of replies in 12 hours!

A product, perhaps, of my meandering and poorly worded initial question that had no idea where it was going?! 

1 hour ago, SlideWRX said:

Is there a way to lower a Lunchbox 1-2 inches?

Sure, you put it on a TT-02B chassis! 

You set 'em up... 

[BuggyDad]

 

1 hour ago, Grumpy pants said:

I’d forgotten all about the long bolt and nut method, I would probably this route 1st as it is easy and low cost, I’d add the Ampro kit if I was feeling flush - which is rare these days 

I thought the chassis was then same for the Falcon, the Stadium Thunder, Stadium Blitzer and the Blitzer Beetle. I’ve never owned a Bear Hawk though to compare. 

Between the Thunder, and both the Blitzers I’m pretty sure the only differences will be wheel colours, body shells and the rear body mounts. Other than that the Thunder had red plastics for the gearbox from memory. 

The DT03 is a great option, but they are more prone to snapping the chassis at the front, however cheaper to buy and maybe spares will be more readily available as it is a much newer release. 

Thanks. It's an idea that could have legs then (for another thread - irrelevant to this one). If I could pick up a low value Blitzer chassis because I don't want shell or wheels, i could have some real fun with this*. 

I wasn't considering the DT-03 as an option, rather a comparator because I have one. DT-03 overall level of robustness would be a reasonable benchmark. 

*Scratches chin wistfully

[Willy iine]

14 hours ago, BuggyDad said:

Well, if you don't, there's not much hope for the rest of us!! 

So true!  

 

[Killajb]

12 hours ago, bavee said:

Right on. We need a modern Nissan King Cab / Toyota Hi-Lux Monster Racer.

Stadium Blitzer could work too. Add some Schumacher Vee Truck Tyres.

 

EDIT: Dyna Blaster... 

Made my own (sort of) and I love it.  

[Mad Ax]

8 hours ago, BuggyDad said:

Blitzer transmissions good enough, like as tough as say a DT-03? Any way of tightening the diff a bit? 

Blitzer parts availability generally good and likely to continue? Little bit wary it's an old model. 

Do the Blitzer share suspension parts (arms, and therefore width) with the Bear Hawk? 

As far as I know, the Blitzer series and Bear Hawk chassis share the exact same plan.  The tub and arms are identical (although colours may be different, I think the Bear Hawk has some red parts, I forget as I replaced some of my Bear Hawk parts with newer anyway).

The Bear Hawk has different front stub axles for the narrower buggy wheels, if memory serves these are the same as or similar to a current part, so you can still find them.  I think the rear axle stubs are the same, as they're just regular hex fitment, but I could be wrong.

I'm pretty sure the Blitzer series has slightly different gears, because the original Bear Hawk had the older smaller dish wheels (2"?  2.1"?) , and the Blitzer has 2.2s with low profile truggy tyres.  But if you're building a Fake-on from parts, and you wanted the smaller original wheels (if you can find them), you have the option of running a hotter motor to make up for the lower gearing.  Or if you run modern 2.2 buggy wheels it'll be about right anway.

8 hours ago, BuggyDad said:

Looking at the Mad Van, and at my truggified B64, I can't help but feel that the TT-02B might be a good candidate as a base for a Tamiya version of similar.

I'm going to claim this, since I mentioned putting truggy wheels on a modern 4wd buggy on page 1 

Yes - absolutely.  In fact I'm not 100% sure why Tamiya haven't done this, since broadly this is what a lot of modern truggies are.  I guess there was the Vajra, which was a truggified Avante, but since it was an expensive purchase and had a fragile chassis, nobody bought it.

TT02B is probably the cheapest way of doing this, especially since older TL-01Bs are harder to find now (there was a time a Baja King could be had for peanuts).  The DF-02 wouldn't be a bad shout either if one came up for a good price.

Now I'm going to go a bit left-field - and this is where my brain gets carried away and starts coming up with ways to spend money I don't have - if you bought a Top Force, you could use the chassis plates as templates to make a shorter chassis, so you can fit the wheelbase to a body of your choice.  I think the only other part you'll need to modify is the propshaft.

[bavee]

5 hours ago, Killajb said:

Made my own (sort of) and I love it.  

That looks great! Is it a DT02 Nissan Titan with bigger rims and tyres? If so, what rims and tyres?

[Killajb]

@bavee  Thank you kindly.  Yes, it is a DT-02  with wheels from the street rover and Kyosho tires from the Fazer Mk2 Rage.

[BuggyDad]

2 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

As far as I know, the Blitzer series and Bear Hawk chassis share the exact same plan.  The tub and arms are identical (although colours may be different, I think the Bear Hawk has some red parts, I forget as I replaced some of my Bear Hawk parts with newer anyway).

The Bear Hawk has different front stub axles for the narrower buggy wheels, if memory serves these are the same as or similar to a current part, so you can still find them.  I think the rear axle stubs are the same, as they're just regular hex fitment, but I could be wrong.

I'm pretty sure the Blitzer series has slightly different gears, because the original Bear Hawk had the older smaller dish wheels (2"?  2.1"?) , and the Blitzer has 2.2s with low profile truggy tyres.  But if you're building a Fake-on from parts, and you wanted the smaller original wheels (if you can find them), you have the option of running a hotter motor to make up for the lower gearing.  Or if you run modern 2.2 buggy wheels it'll be about right anway.

Did the Bear Hawk drive decently enough, or does it have the potential to? Blitzer Fake-on (like what you did there. I should do this now just because so many names have come up for it) would, as you said before, just be a Bear Hawk with cosmetic additions then (and slightly lower gearing), until I find other mods I want to do. I'd use 2.2 wheels anyway, and would be pretty relaxed about finding or making something to suit for front stub axles - probably even try to find a front hex axle solution (3d print an option).  

I'd definitely go for it if I picked up a cheap Blitzer as a base, but not sure it's worth doing from new. 

I have bought very little second hand stuff in RC, because whenever I do think to have a look I struggle to find anything I want that looks like it saves enough vs the new price. Eg - Blitzer Beetle kit can be had for about £120 from Fusion with discount and excluding ESC. Second hand stuff is tending up towards £100. I guess it's because I don't ascribe much value to odds and sods electronics left in things. Or because I never find quite what I'm looking for and therefore would waste money on parts I don't want. I never was one for buying and selling stuff. 

Yellow shocks a necessity though. Looks like I'd have to scour the bay for those. 

2 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

I'm going to claim this, since I mentioned putting truggy wheels on a modern 4wd buggy on page 1 

Yes - absolutely.  In fact I'm not 100% sure why Tamiya haven't done this, since broadly this is what a lot of modern truggies are.  I guess there was the Vajra, which was a truggified Avante, but since it was an expensive purchase and had a fragile chassis, nobody bought it.

TT02B is probably the cheapest way of doing this, especially since older TL-01Bs are harder to find now (there was a time a Baja King could be had for peanuts).  The DF-02 wouldn't be a bad shout either if one came up for a good price.

Truggies out of buggies - I think because of the extra height of the bigger wheels one ought generally to increase arm length for corresponding extra width. At least, on my B64 I did and it maintained quite good stability. Then again, that's what 3d printing is for. 

It really surprises me Tamiya haven't made a TT-02 Truggy. So easy to do and such a big market. And the chassis is considered robust. 

2 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Now I'm going to go a bit left-field - and this is where my brain gets carried away and starts coming up with ways to spend money I don't have - if you bought a Top Force, you could use the chassis plates as templates to make a shorter chassis, so you can fit the wheelbase to a body of your choice.  I think the only other part you'll need to modify is the propshaft.

Also, the Top Force is lovely (and pricey). If I bought a Top Force I think I'd build a Top Force out of it!

[Mad Ax]

1 hour ago, BuggyDad said:

Did the Bear Hawk drive decently enough, or does it have the potential to?

I really like how mine drives.  In fact I love mine so much that I regretted selling my first one back around 2011 (with a BNIB bodyset, no less) so I went and found another one on ebay.  I regretted selling my Stadium Thunder, also around the same time, so I bought a new Blitzer Beetle.

The Bear Hawk was outdated as soon as it was released, but it's still a great basher, IMO.  The independent suspension is smooth, standard car came with friction shocks but if you're using a Blitzer as a donor you'll have oil shocks anyway.  Simple upper arms are easily replaced with turnbuckles, if that's your thang.

The gearbox is strong enough, I've run and raced my Blitzer with an Acto Pink motor and never had a single problem with the gearbox.  I haven't even had trouble with my chassis breaking at the front, even the used ones I've owned (one came with giant wood screws holding the front end on, I ran it like that for a while before replacing the chassis tub just because I wanted it proper, not because it actually broke).

The only reliability problem I've had with the Blitzer Beetle is the rear left end - mine seems to be cursed.  First, it had a terrible habit of spinning off the rear left wheel nut, and losing the drive pin.  Then one time it completely shredded the hex on that corner.  Then one time it actually snapped off the stub axle at the thread.  Then one time it completely ripped the middle of the wheel out.  Then one time I just picked it up and dropped it down on the ground, and the rear left upright snapped.  Always the same corner.  Neither of my Bear Hawks, nor my previous Stadium Thunder, ever had any problems like that.  In all seriousness, it's probably a mix of coincidence, and maybe a defect in the original stub axle on that corner which weakened all the other parts so they gradually failed in sequence.

1 hour ago, BuggyDad said:

Truggies out of buggies - I think because of the extra height of the bigger wheels one ought generally to increase arm length for corresponding extra width. At least, on my B64 I did and it maintained quite good stability. Then again, that's what 3d printing is for. 

If you're going with conventional truggy or stadium truck tyres (as opposed to monster truck tyres) then the rolling radius isn't much greater than a 2.2 buggy tyre.  Plus the wider wheels already give you more stability.  I'd just throw on the wide wheels and run it  

[simalarion]

BearHawk = Its a simple matter off weight ratio