What to do with a Juggernaut 1?

[davidsen]

I recently acquired a Tamiya Juggernaut 1.

 

EDIT: I've managed to get all the required parts to ugrade to Jugggernaut 2  axles and transmission. Now I can go on with my resto. 

 

The lot came with a full set of eight wheels and tires, though two are unfortunately broken. It's clear this beast has seen some action, but not too excessive. 

A funny thing happened when I checked the contents of the box: it contained the manual for a Juggernaut 2.

Naturally, I assumed that's what I had and began disassembly. As I worked, I recalled hearing about a significant design flaw in the original Juggernaut 1.

This prompted me to investigate further. A quick inspection of the axle and gearbox housings confirmed my suspicion – the "2000" and "2001" date markings were absent, meaning I have a first-generation Juggernaut.

This discovery has put the project on hold. If I want to run this monster truck, I know I need to address its inherent weaknesses. At a minimum, the axles should be upgraded to the Juggernaut 2 specification, and ideally, the gearbox should be replaced as well.

I've had some luck sourcing parts, finding a set of Juggernaut 2 axles and all the required internal gears for the upgraded gearbox. However, the crucial Juggernaut 2 gearbox housing (A-Parts / Part No. 5759) has proven impossible to find.

Everything on the truck is currently in good shape; nothing is damaged or excessively worn, and even the differentials feel smooth.

Yet, the thought of running it brings a sense of impending doom – the fear that I will inevitably damage the fragile original axles or gearbox.

So, I'm left with a tough decision. What should I do?

 

• -> Keep it as an Original Juggernaut 1  (a big fat shelf queen)
  • what means getting Decals

 

• -> Upgrade the Axles and Run It with Fingers Crossed 
  • and stock some gears of the Jugg 1  gearbox

 

• ->Trade It for the Re-Release Honda City Turbo

 

What do you guys think? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mouc-RC]

Clearly a Jugg 1.

Maybe an e-mail to "Switzerland"?

https://arwico.ch/fr/a-parts-for-58256-910-10005759

Never worked with them, but I may try. Spare parts are a good things for Juggernauts, 1 & 2. Thanks for the idea ;)

[davidsen]

14 minutes ago, Mouc-RC said:

Clearly a Jugg 1.

Maybe an e-mail to "Switzerland"?

https://arwico.ch/fr/a-parts-for-58256-910-10005759

Never worked with them, but I may try. Spare parts are a good things for Juggernauts, 1 & 2. Thanks for the idea

Thanks for the link.

Unfortunately, the shipping from Switzerland, plus customs and fees, is usually so expensive that for the money you pay for a single parts tree, you could almost get a whole new DT-03 kit.

That's something I just can't seem to wrap my head around.

I'll have to think about that.

[scoobybooster]

1 hour ago, davidsen said:

Thanks for the link.

Unfortunately, the shipping from Switzerland, plus customs and fees, is usually so expensive that for the money you pay for a single parts tree, you could almost get a whole new DT-03 kit.

That's something I just can't seem to wrap my head around.

I'll have to think about that.

No way you are charged for customs for this as the value is below 50Euro. Also shipping a single parts tree is not a big deal, just stick it in an upholstered envelope. It's between 4 and 9 Euros, depending on the weight.

[davidsen]

34 minutes ago, scoobybooster said:

No way you are charged for customs for this as the value is below 50Euro. Also shipping a single parts tree is not a big deal, just stick it in an upholstered envelope. It's between 4 and 9 Euros, depending on the weight.

You are correct, I may have used the wrong term. For goods with a value of less than €150, no customs duties are due.

However, the first problem already arises with shops in Switzerland: the shipping costs for deliveries abroad often exceed the actual value of the goods. I assume this is because the shops incur additional costs for the correct customs declaration, for which I have full understanding.

In Austria, 20% import turnover tax (VAT) is levied on all imports from non-EU countries, which is calculated on the total of the product price and shipping costs. On top of that, the postal service charges a service fee of €5 for handling the customs duties.

In some cases, one is lucky and the origin of the package from a non-EU country is not noticed. Furthermore, some platforms like Aliexpress and Ebay now handle the VAT payment directly at the time of purchase, which means the additional €5 fee for the postal service is no longer applicable.

 

For example Planet-RC.ch : they charge 54,33 CHF for the part incl. shipping  = 57,9€ today 

plus import VAT 20% : = 69,48€ 

plux 5€ (Austrian Postal service) : 74,48€ 

 

 

[JimBear]

Without getting bogged down in politics, a world of free trade seems somewhat off in the distance I think ...

I'd love to have a Jugg, but I am not up to the hassle to trying to find pieces at unobtanium prices - so for me personally, I am thinking:

How badly do you want it?

And how quickly?

Maybe the middle way - upgrade, drive carefully and in the meantime, wait for the 005759 sprue to show up. Maybe have a look at Buyee?

[davidsen]

11 minutes ago, JimBear said:

Without getting bogged down in politics, a world of free trade seems somewhat off in the distance I think ...

I'd love to have a Jugg, but I am not up to the hassle to trying to find pieces at unobtanium prices - so for me personally, I am thinking:

How badly do you want it?

And how quickly?

Maybe the middle way - upgrade, drive carefully and in the meantime, wait for the 005759 sprue to show up. Maybe have a look at Buyee?

I'm totally okay with paying taxes, but in this case, it's getting a bit crazy. I found the parts tree on eBay UK, and including shipping and taxes, I'll pay €35 for it, that feels better. 

So it will get a full Jugg 2 conversion. 

Considering I only paid with a sixpack for the Jugg, it's still a bargain even with needing to order some parts.

I liked the idea of keeping it original, but it makes no sense to have a monster truck that I can't use.

[JimBear]

2 minutes ago, davidsen said:

Considering I only paid with a sixpack for the Jugg, it's still a bargain even with needing to order some parts.

I liked the idea of keeping it original, but it makes no sense to have a monster truck that I can't use.

Then it's just getting on the train and riding off into the sunset ... great!

And a monster truck that you can't use sounds ... aah ... useless. 

[Heavy Duty TLT]

I would keep it, and make a shelf queen for now, until you can get the upgraded axles.  I checked out Tamico for you, it seems that they currently don't have the upgraded axles kit.  I have one, but sorry I'm not letting it go, unless maybe for a set of TXT-1 wheels, and that's a maybe.  I also looked if they have the TXT 6mm yoke shafts for the gearbox and axles, but they are also currently out of those.
The gearbox has a weak shaft post.  You could try and brace it like how I did here so it won't break off under load.  Yeah it looks ugly, but it's functional.  I used ABS slurry (ABS plastic melted in acetone), you could try JB weld or something similar.

 

They braced it from the factory for the Juggernaut 2 and TXTs.  Other than that, the gearbox will hold.  Go with full ball bearing upgrade to reduce drag.

 

My build is too extreme for most...  LOL!

 

[GTodd]

Ive got a Jugg 2 that I drive the wheels off of with 2 super stocks, ball bearings, and some RC4Wd shocks replacing the pogos.  My rec was going to be swap to the Jugg2/TXT/TXT2 Axles and trans.  I went to Tamiya USA where I had ordered those parts a year ago, and now their sold out! If you want a runner wait for some Axles and Trans to show up, search for TXT/2 as they are the same parts.  Before I hit send I checked Scam Bay.  The Axel upgrade and Trans Upgrade kit are currently on Ebay, you should get those!

[davidsen]

Thanks for your replies. I was able to order the necessary parts from various sources. It came to about €100 in total, so it's not too bad.

Perhaps I should offer a Juggernaut 1 downgrade kit when I'm finished ;-).

I'll of course report back here on how it goes; it's going to take a while.

I spent two hours disassembling it, and it feels like I'll be working on it for a while longer.

When I imagine how long it will take to clean the parts and put them back together, it looks like I can look forward to many enjoyable hours of model building.

[urban warrior]

Funny enough, at Modellbau Seidel the parts for the first Juggernaut seem to be still available. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[GTodd]

9 hours ago, davidsen said:

Thanks for your replies. I was able to order the necessary parts from various sources. It came to about €100 in total, so it's not too bad.

Perhaps I should offer a Juggernaut 1 downgrade kit when I'm finished ;-).

I'll of course report back here on how it goes; it's going to take a while.

I spent two hours disassembling it, and it feels like I'll be working on it for a while longer.

When I imagine how long it will take to clean the parts and put them back together, it looks like I can look forward to many enjoyable hours of model building.

Awesome!!!! Its a fun truck and build! 

[Mouc-RC]

So cool that you keep & restore it Welcome to the Jugg Owners Club.
For me the Jugg is even a bit more enjoyable than a Clod because of its leaf springs & chassis-mounted motors (love "realism" in an RC car design). It may be a bit more fragile, but with today's "smooth programmable" ESCs I'm not even sure

Hope you'll keep us updated with pics & movies! Several people here have Juggs, but not so many show them, sadly...

 

[davidsen]

 

30 minutes ago, Mouc-RC said:

So cool that you keep & restore it Welcome to the Jugg Owners Club.
For me the Jugg is even a bit more enjoyable than a Clod because of its leaf springs & chassis-mounted motors (love "realism" in an RC car design). It may be a bit more fragile, but with today's "smooth programmable" ESCs I'm not even sure

Hope you'll keep us updated with pics & movies! Several people here have Juggs, but not so many show them, sadly...

 

Many thanks for the great welcome in the club! 

I see it the same way, no other monster truck is closer to the 80s original than this one (even if the body doesn't fit the era).

There's something I haven't told you yet. I had a Juggernaut 2 three years ago, same condition, but I sold it because I desperately needed money for another project and simply didn't have the time to make it look nice. I was given so much money for it back then that I couldn't say no. I see this as my second chance, and I'm excited to take it.

[Heavy Duty TLT]

On 6/24/2025 at 3:31 AM, urban warrior said:

Funny enough, at Modellbau Seidel the parts for the first Juggernaut seem to be still available. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I wished they would ship to the U.S.! 

Maybe I'd ask my Mom for her cousin's address who lives in Germany and have the parts sent there and then sent to me.  

On 6/24/2025 at 1:57 PM, davidsen said:

 

Many thanks for the great welcome in the club! 

I see it the same way, no other monster truck is closer to the 80s original than this one (even if the body doesn't fit the era).

There's something I haven't told you yet. I had a Juggernaut 2 three years ago, same condition, but I sold it because I desperately needed money for another project and simply didn't have the time to make it look nice. I was given so much money for it back then that I couldn't say no. I see this as my second chance, and I'm excited to take it.

If I was really desperate for money, otherwise it'd be really hard to pry my Juggernaut off my hands.  

Off topic, many dubbed the Clodbuster the King of RC monster trucks, it's still in production today through many re-releases, and has many aftermarket support.  I've built 2,  one slightly modified and one in stock form, and building 2 more.  Although the Juggernaut didn't get much love, I think the initial launch didn't help and that the TXT-1 came out shortly after, I still say that it is the King of Kings of RC monster trucks.  And I hope more and more share their build and videos.  

[davidsen]

I'm happy that the car has a fan base. The first parts arrived today. Unfortunately, I didn't get any further with the dismantling, but my daughter (5 years old) helped me clean the tires, rims and body.

4 minutes ago, Heavy Duty TLT said:

If I was really desperate for money, otherwise it'd be really hard to pry my Juggernaut off my hands.  

Back then, I had lots of buggies (2WD and 4WD) in the attic to restore or build new. It was almost like an assembly line and it took up a lot of money to get everything ready, and the tuning ideas just kept getting wilder. At some point, the idea of owning all the (non TRF) buggy chassis came to me, and I stuck to it. Since it was unrealistic for me to get all the monster trucks, I sold it... with a big profit... I know that's a strange way of thinking, but that's how I felt back then. This time I'll take the chance to get it running and will keep it. 

[Heavy Duty TLT]

21 minutes ago, davidsen said:

I'm happy that the car has a fan base. The first parts arrived today. Unfortunately, I didn't get any further with the dismantling, but my daughter (5 years old) helped me clean the tires, rims and body.

Back then, I had lots of buggies (2WD and 4WD) in the attic to restore or build new. It was almost like an assembly line and it took up a lot of money to get everything ready, and the tuning ideas just kept getting wilder. At some point, the idea of owning all the (non TRF) buggy chassis came to me, and I stuck to it. Since it was unrealistic for me to get all the monster trucks, I sold it... with a big profit... I know that's a strange way of thinking, but that's how I felt back then. This time I'll take the chance to get it running and will keep it. 

Oh trust me, I'm not bashing you for what you did.  I'm just saying it'd be really hard for me to sell my Juggernaut now.

Back then, I bought a T-Maxx over a Juggernaut 2, I wanted the longer run time with the nitro powered vehicle, and that was before I knew about brushless motors and LiPo batteries.  Would I have made a different choice knowing what I know now?  Absolutely!  I sold my T-Maxx for TLT-1, and my love for solid axle monster trucks grew.  Now, I don't even consider others as monster trucks that don't have solid axles and 4WS capabilities.  

Please share lots of pictures of this build!  

[davidsen]

After all the parts for the new gearbox arrived, I started assembling it.

 

The pinions in the old gearbox were high time to be replaced; the teeth looked more like saws than gears. Otherwise, nothing was broken here either. 

 

The labeling on the motors is a bit puzzling. One has an "SD" sticker on it, the other has an "RW" sticker. Could it be that these motors come from the Clodbuster?

Both have to rotate in the same direction, so it doesn't make sense to have two different motors.

In the end, there was one part that was missing: an MA18 disc. I quickly made it out of aluminum on the lathe; it should work.

I didn't completely disassemble the frame; it was just very dusty and could be made sparkling again with a shower and a little brake cleaner.

[Mouc-RC]

Nice to see a (re-)build thread!
No idea about these markings on both silver cans... But if you're not sure, you can opt for twin Torque Tuned or Sport Tuned motors for this re-built gearbox. When tightened properly, with the heat-sink (do you have it? It really helps), it can handle them well. I found the Sport Tuned are a bit too much for the leaf springs (or maybe it's my driving). But Torque Tuned are really a good match.
You didn't ask for my opinion, but I strongly recommend to use a programmable ESC, to save your universal joints by reducing the "punch"

 

 

[davidsen]

11 hours ago, Mouc-RC said:

Nice to see a (re-)build thread!
No idea about these markings on both silver cans... But if you're not sure, you can opt for twin Torque Tuned or Sport Tuned motors for this re-built gearbox. When tightened properly, with the heat-sink (do you have it? It really helps), it can handle them well. I found the Sport Tuned are a bit too much for the leaf springs (or maybe it's my driving). But Torque Tuned are really a good match.
You didn't ask for my opinion, but I strongly recommend to use a programmable ESC, to save your universal joints by reducing the "punch"

 

 

I then did some more research using Google Image Search. They all have these additions/markings, perhaps a batch number? It's probably just a coincidence that my two motors have the seemingly meaningful letter combination 'SD' and 'RW'.

I was also thinking about torque-tuned motors. First, I like the motor, second, it's inexpensive, and third, I just ordered two more, so that would be ideal. I also had steel pinions in the right size and quantity, and I also have the two heat sinks, but I have to install them first. Of course, everything was fully ball-bearing mounted.

I have an old Conrad TRUCK-60WP speed controller with two motor outputs. Maybe I'll test it out (it's easy to plug and play) and try to set a moderate acceleration curve on the transmitter. The axle parts are supposed to be shipped today. I've already disassembled the old axles and still need to thoroughly clean the parts I'll be reusing. 

[Heavy Duty TLT]

Don’t use brake cleaner, I used it on one of my kid's tv remote, it was covered with syrup, and now the plastic is discolored white. 😅

You are better off with simple green and warm water.  😬😅

[MadAnt]

On 7/1/2025 at 11:26 AM, Heavy Duty TLT said:

Don’t use brake cleaner, I used it on one of my kid's tv remote, it was covered with syrup, and now the plastic is discolored white. 😅

You are better off with simple green and warm water.  😬😅

True.

There are also electronics cleaners that don't harm plastics.

Most of the time I use dish soap with hot water.

Dawn, Simple Green, Goo Gone, sould be safe for cleaning.

[davidsen]

Maybe I have been lucky or my cleaner does not affect the plastic material but I mainly used it on the aluminum parts and rinsed with water after that. 

[Juggular]

I'm so glad I was lucky enough to get the upgrade parts for free.  I think Tamiya should be selling the upgrade kit at low cost, even now.  

Back in 2002 or so, I built a brand new Juggernaut.  I was so excited.  But in the maiden voyage, I heard the dreaded clicking noise.  I didn't even drive 1 minute.  Taking it apart, this was what I found.

Did they sell it without driving it once?  Keeping to release date is meaningless if they sell failing gears.    

I only ever called Tamiya America once.  The representative was accusatory; "how did you not hear about this for 2 years?"  As if I was trying to milk them for free upgrade kit (I'm sure there were bad actors like that).  In my defense, I restored 10 vintage cars in 2 years, I wasn't into new kits (except for the Mad Bison and Hummer).  Unlike the rep, the manager was very easy-going, "sure, we'll send you one."  He probably could tell that I was desperate after spending like $500 (which is about $850 in today's money).  If they hadn't, I might not have been into Tamiya for the next 28 cars.  

I always choose to make things run.  Not running, but original stuff does not excite me. (I'm sure there are people who want the original stuff.  It's a hobby, everybody should do whatever makes them happy. It's all valid.)  

And then there was the Terra Crusher.  Who thought putting 2kg of weight on tires was a good idea?  The entire Grasshopper weighs 0.8kg.  With lighter HPI tires (below), the Terra Crusher could fly. For a nitro to have 2 gears wasn't unusual. But this could reverse too on a 2 channel radio, which was cleverly done. All that was wasted by massive weight of the tires.  (The thing behind it is the Wild Willy 2 which has the same tires as the Lunchbox.)  

And Mad Bison's counter gear would always bang on tree roots.  Sometimes, with a big "thwack" it would come to a dead stop. 

Without this ghetto deflector, you can break the counter gear.  It should have gone up. There is enough room up in the chassis.  Instead, the executives chose to simply make a hole on the chassis and just give it a gear cover.  These 2 failed to steal customers away from T-Maxx.      

I joke about Kyosho planting some executive to sabotage Tamiya about 1998-2002.  I was in my mid-20s and even I could tell the Jugg's bevel gear, Mad Bison's counter gear, and Terra's tires needed to be changed.  There was no way engineers didn't know about these problems.  Probably the executives ignored them to push the Juggernaut out in time, to make the Terra the biggest nitro, or cheaply turn TG10 into a truggy.  Those 3 big failures on the 3 of my biggest investments (probably over $2000 in today's money) put me off Tamiya for a dozen years until Pajero wheelie in 2017 (for $80).  

Anyway, I'm glad you got that sorted.  Even though I'm not an avid runner, it eats me inside if I can't get something to work.  

I hope you get something sturdier than those pinions made out of cheesium. They don't last long.  I prefer coated aluminum pinions, since they are light and strong.  But steel pinions would do too.  The 2 motors could never have the same RPM.  The small difference means more wear on the pinion (at least on the leading motor).  

Best of luck to you. Juggernauts are hard to find, so I'm always glad to see one restored.