Truck Advice

[astute77]

Hi,

I am thinking that some kind of truck might be next on my list of RC cars to acquire (or maybe a M03 or possibly a Tamtech Fox, but we won't talk about them for the moment ). What are the pros and cons of the different trucks that are available? I'm after something that is interesting to build, has good ground clearance, looks good and will be fun to drive. I've always found the Midnight Pumpkin to be fairly appealing, at least in photos (I've never seen one "in the plastic" before), and it seems to be pretty good value. However, it seems like the build may be a bit simplistic and it only has friction dampers. If I buy one of these, will I find to be disappointing? Are there any hop-ups available, like oil shocks?

Also, I never really notice before that this is a 1/12th scale truck. Is it much smaller than the 1/10th ones? Can anyone recommend what the next step up would be in a truck? I guess back in the day it would have been the Monster Beetle/Blackfoot next and then the Clod Buster after that. What are the modern equivalents? The CR01 and High Lift both look great, but are probably more than I want to spend...

Cheers!

[angel wings]

The e savage just looks great but i wish it wasn't the dreaded RTR

[angel wings]

If your after a tamiya truck i still love the super clod buster sold at stella for 92.40 or if you want to go cheaper theres always the Dualhunter at 64.40 ( these prices do not include postage)

[Mad Ax]

The Pumpkin is designed to be a "stunt truck" - and it was designed many years ago, so compared to today's stunt trucks (like the Wheely King) it's quite basic.

However - it has a huge following on TC. The best advice is to decide what you want to do with your truck, then pick a truck to match.

The Pumpkin's friction shocks and hard shell make it very bouncy to drive. It's very difficult to control on bumps - bump steer is terrible, it flips upside down easily, it understeers badly on power and rolls over off power. You can't "race" with this truck. Nor can you go truly off-road - the 1:12 scale wheels are a bit smaller than most 2.2 moster wheels, so it doesn't have huge ground clearance. The rigid rear axle also makes it quite difficult to control.

On tarmac or fine gravel, however, it's a different animal. It wheel wheelie on demand, bounce around, roll over, and generally be great fun - if that's what you want. You still can't corner too quickly (unless multiple barrel-rolls are your thing) but you can go fast in a straight line, do donuts, jumps, and generally have a laugh.

With oil shocks and the 5th shock conversion the Pumpkin becomes easier to handle over bumps, but it will never be as capable as a 1:10 monster or stadium truck. I know some people converted to oil shocks and then reverted back to friction shocks because the oilies took out the bounciness and made the truck a bit dull.

If you want to go properly off-road, and you want to keep it Tamiya, then check out the Dualhunter and the Blackfoot Extreme. Both have independant suspension, reasonable ground clearance, 2.2 wheels, and plenty of scope for upgrades. The Blackfoot Extreme is fun to drive with its rear-wheel-drive handling, and the Dualhunter has rugged four-wheel-drive mud-mashing ability. In stock form neither truck is fast (about the same as a Pumpkin, I'd say) but with 20T pinions and hot motors (I recommend the Super Stock BZ) you have enough pace to keep it fun while not too badly affecting your run-times. 4" oil shock conversions are possible using alloy parts - these give greater ground clearance and better handling.

If you wanted to spend more money, Traxxas have a fantastic range of stadium and monster trucks that blow Tamiya's rather lagging monster truck range out of the water...

[GRIGGY]

I'm a Tamiya addict & have been for many years & currently have a modded King Blackfoot & Super Clodbuster in my collection. They are both great trucks & put a smile on my face every time I run them but I do find myself being drawn to the performance of the Traxxas trucks. The Traxxas Slash would be my choice especially when they bring out the brushless VXL version.

[DudeWalker]

Is anyone ever really disappointed with the Midnight Pumpkin? It's simple and fun. I (and my three year old daughter) drive our Lunchbox more than anything else in my fleet.

[Mad Ax]

Is anyone ever really disappointed with the Midnight Pumpkin? It's simple and fun. I (and my three year old daughter) drive our Lunchbox more than anything else in my fleet.

I was quite disappointed with mine. I wanted one as a kid, and was told by everyone that Tamiya trucks were so much better than "toy" trucks because they were fast, powerful and hi-tech. While this is true to an extent, the re-release certainly didn't match my childhood expectations of a fast, well-handling truck. This is more a case of me not understanding what the truck was for than the truck actually not being any good - which is why I always describe the Pumpkin as a "fun and bouncy primitive stunt truck" so people can make up their own minds.

[mymonsterbeetleisbroken]

I'd highly recommend a Pumpkin or Lunchbox.

Out of the box they are fun, especially if you are not used to driving an rc truck.

The "pogo stick" springs (i call them springs because there is no shock absorbers in sight!) are totally useless but provide plenty of suspension travel for general messing about. On road they cause the truck to roll pretty badly.

I'd recommend, in this order:

Ball Bearings

Oil Shocks

"3rd shock mod" (search the forums for that term, or check my pumpkin in my showroom if you like)

Faster motor - a sport tuned will liven it up and work with the standard tamiya esc. Fit a better esc and a 19 turn motor and the truck will wheelie on demand.

Different tyres, with foam inserts. You'll need proper 2.2 rims to fit most types of tyres - I recommend Imex Claw Dawgs as they have the same profile as the standard tyres, when mounted to 2.2 rims. You'll be surprised how much better the truck is on proper tyres!

There are a whole host of other mods I can recommend to you if you decide a pumpkin is your thing.

[RCH_Blackfoot]

Is anyone ever really disappointed with the Midnight Pumpkin? It's simple and fun. I (and my three year old daughter) drive our Lunchbox more than anything else in my fleet.

I have yet to have VLB, but I did have a Chrome MP that was stollen from my home, along with tons of other RCs and other not so important stuff, like TV, DVD Player, Sterio and junk. I loved it but havent gotten a replacent one yet.

Sadly nobody has mentioned the fun of the WW2 yet. I scored one for a song and dance off feebay and Im loving it so much. The all around best RC to play around indoors with on rainy days.

[astute77]

Thanks to everyone for your input! Based on the feedback here, I am considering the following trucks:

- Midnight Pumpkin

- Blackfoot Extreme

- Dual Hunter

- Wild Willy 2

I don't know a great deal about any of them, but they certainly appear to be very different vehicles with very different characteristics. All of them are pretty reasonably priced, so it will be a matter of working out exactly what set of characteristics best meet my needs (err, did I say 'needs'? I guess 'desires' is probably a better fit)...

[Bag Of Badgers]

I can give my opinion on 2 of them if that helps?

I have a VLB. It has full bearings, 4 oil shocks and a BZ motor. It always puts a big smile on my face as it bounces about its business. Its about as stable as a child after 2 litres of fizzy drink and a bag of sweets!

The little lady has a Blackfoot Extreme also with full bearings, oil shocks and 19x2 motor. It seems to be good at most things and not disappoint at much. If you want to see it in action just look at the Ogmore part1 video http://www.tamiyaclubmovies.com/movies/9788/m0X5493WB0V.wmv. With the mods it taken it from humdrum to a good basher that just keeps on going.

I sure others will be along with their help but to add, if I was to buy an all round truck now it would have to be a Traxxas E-Maxx (4WD) or a Stamped VXL (RWD) they are BEASTS! I have a Traxxas Bandit VXL running 8.4V and can say that you would be very pleased by the Stamped VXL or Rustler VXL. Mental speed, very strong, it killed a TT01 in a crash, no damage to mine, but dont worry I am repairing it for the lad, as it was my fault! The front comes up on demand and you can limit the power to 50%. Im another who loves Tamiya but just wishes that they would see what others are doing and take notes.

[pmdparts]

I have an original Pumpkin that was purchased new by my brother wayyyyy back when. I recently "restored" it for use as a runner for my 7 yr old daughter. She loves it, and after running it with a silvercan for a while, we bolted in an old Trinity Midnite 2 Pro that I had laying around----WOW! Since it is still running the stock friction shocks, it is crazy. Wheelies on demand and impossible to drive on rough terrain---it does fine on our backyard track though (smooth dirt), and can handle some jumps even though the front suspension frequently bottoms out.

I highly recommend it for the "fun factor"!

I also have a 10+ year old Traxxas Stampede that I run often (the new VXL must be awesome!), and an original Blackfoot (purchased new by me back in about '85) that I use quite a bit as well, but for the money and current parts availability, you can't beat the Pumkin/VLB.

[astute77]

I will probably stick with a Tamiya on this one - it looks like I could get any 3 of the Tamiya trucks for the price of one Traxxas E-Max. I'm sure its a great truck, but I'd rather experiment with something that is a bit more affordable first. If I decide that trucks are "the bomb" and they supersede my buggies and touring car (unlikely), then maybe I will look at one of the Traxxas vehicles or other high-end racing trucks, stadium trucks or "truggies" (****, I hate that word).

Also, I tend to enjoy the building and upgrading of my RCVs at least as much as driving them, so I would prefer a kit over a ready-to-run.

[markbt73]

Just another piece of information: The Blackfoot Xtreme is essentially half a Dualhunter. The rear end is the same; the BFX has an empty piece of plastic where the DH has its front gearbox. So if you get the BFX and decide to go 4WD at some point, just buy a second gearbox and the appropriate axles, and upgrade to a speed controller that can handle 2 motors.

The Pumpkin/Lunchbox is a ton of fun, but it's sort of a one-trick pony. If you really like the trick (which I do) then it's cool, but if you want something better-rounded and with more potential to become more things, the Blackfoot might be a better choice.

[taliesin]

have you considered a dual hunter, twin detonator, wild dagger, etc?

they are fun, reliable and pretty tough. they are ok in stock form, but are improved by an esc, bearings and better shocks. you did say you like to upgrade.

there are several nice hop-ups available and you can make them fast if you upgrade to good motors and a good quality esc. some bling for the chassis and such is available.

driven the wheels off mine and love it. it required several repairs for broken parts over many, many hours of driving, but nothing so pricey that i wanted to throw in the towel, and nothing hard or unpleasant as far as maintenance goes either. i've considered a VLB myself, but i liked the versatility of this truck better. just a thought.

[mongoose1983]

If you like doing wheelies, jumping and GOOD looks, then the Midnight Pumpkin is the right one for you. The Pumpkin was my first love. Never dissapointed me. Everytime I put the batteries on it and turn it on there is a grin on my face. I now have six different Tamiya models, but no matter what, I always come back to what was my first love, the Midnight Pumpkin.

[Skysaxon]

Its not realy a truck or is it? Did you thought about a ReReBrat? I love mine more then any other car I have. It could take so much, even if you go crazy like me and put a brushless inside which gives wings to the thing.

Good looking and nearly every driving mistake forgiving the Brat will allway paint a smile on your face.

And you get to fantastic shells with the ReRe - the ABS for the Shelf and the Lexan for running it. so what you waiting for?

[astute77]

The more advice I get, the more difficult the decision becomes It looks like all of the trucks in my price range get some positive reviews from other forum members.

Someone also suggested that I might want to try just sticking some big wheels and a small pinion in my Baja King (which I don't much like anyway), and running that as some kind of truck. Apparently you can get truck bodies to fit the TL01-B chassis as well. That might be an option as well. Not sure how much it would cost for the wheels - but it may end up only slightly more expensive to just buy the Pumpkin!

I love the look of the Brat, but it isn't really what I'm after, since it is essentially the same as the Frog (my brother has an original Frog, waiting to be restored). I want something with a bit more ground clearance that can drive on more versatile terrain. In particular, I'd like to be able to drive on lawn. My buggies can do the job, but they clearly aren't made for it. The bigger wheels and extra bit of clearance should make running on lawn a more viable option.

[TA-Mark]

Someone also suggested that I might want to try just sticking some big wheels and a small pinion in my Baja King (which I don't much like anyway), and running that as some kind of truck. Apparently you can get truck bodies to fit the TL01-B chassis as well.

This works suprisingly well. Chassis has a 257mm wheelbase the same as most tourers. Oil shocks instead of the Baja King friction shocks help it a lot too.

HBX sell this as a RTR.

[GRIGGY]

The more advice I get, the more difficult the decision becomes It looks like all of the trucks in my price range get some positive reviews from other forum members.

To be Honest no matter what truck you go for you won't be dissapointed. Out of all the RC cars I own my two trucks are my favourite runners due to the fact that they can go anywhere & are quite tough also.

[Mad Ax]

Thanks to everyone for your input! Based on the feedback here, I am considering the following trucks:

- Midnight Pumpkin

- Blackfoot Extreme

- Dual Hunter

- Wild Willy 2

My tuppence on each of these:

Midnight Pumpkin

As already stated, this is a great fun truck if you want something to bounce around - but it's not really an off-road truck and can't climb or do all-terrain racing.

Blackfoot Extreme

A tough, sturdy 2wd truck that can tackle most things. In stock form it's slow - but budget for an uprated ESC, faster motor (I used a Super Stock BZ with the original TEU101 speedo) and 20T pinion and you'll be laughing. It's a bit bouncy with its friction shocks - you can upgrade to oil shocks of the standard size, or buy a set of 4" shock towers (very cheap from Hong Kong) to give you greater ground clearance.

Dual Hunter

A twin-motor, 4wd version of the Blackfoot Extreme. A little heavier and better-planted, this truck will handle most terrain. Again, in stock form it's a bit slow - this time you have to budget for two zero-timed fast motors (or be prepared to re-time an advance-timed motor) and a dual-motor speedo, as well as two 20T pinions, to get any speed out of it. You'll also find the battery life is significantly reduced so budget for higher-capacity packs (or more of them).

Lots of bling is available if that's your thing, or you can even fit a twin-battery chassis to allow you to run 550-size motors at 14.4 volts - awesome.

Wild Willy 2

I've never driven one of these - although I am frequently amazed at how tiny they are. Wheelies on demand and great fun, by the looks of it, but in a similar league to the Pumpkin - a bit of a one-truck horse. I think you have to see one in action before you can understand it.

TL01-B with Monster Wheels

The TL01-B suspension is very similar to the Blackfoot Extreme and the Dual Hunter. In standard trim they use the same arms, hubs, driveshafts and shocks. The only difference is the wheels. You can fit big wheels to your TL01-B and stick on a truck shell for Instant Monster Truck.

You may have to change the pinion to get the gearing right, and the TL01 chassis doesn't have many positions to choose from (bearing in mind it was designed for 1.9 wheels with low-profile touring tyres, not 2.2 truck rims with huge tyres). Overall you won't get an unusable truck - it should be quite good fun, if a little primitive. Oil shocks would be recommended (4" shock towers for the Blackfoot Extreme / Dualhunter will NOT fit without modification). I don't know how will the propshaft and bevel gears will hold up to hard off-road driving, although the TL01 has pretty tough gears.

I hope that helps

[Bag Of Badgers]

What that man said above. It all depends on what you want to do.

Have fun deciding on what you want .

ATB Matt

[astute77]

Mad-Ax: Great summary! At this point I'm leaning towards buying a Pumpkin, but I am also keeping an eye on ebay for some cheap monster truck wheels for my TL-01B. I saw a few of the HBX branded TL01-knock-off monster trucks on ebay as well, and they look okay, so maybe I will give my Baja King a bit of a makeover...

[taliesin]

killer price on midnight pumpkins at stellamodels and you get a discount as a member. check it out:

http://www.stellamodels.net/catalog/produc...roducts_id=2256