Which is your most-improved RC?

[XV Pilot 1936]

I know there are some of us who only build bone-stock models, or sometimes don't build them at all, but I think it is safe to say that the majority of us like to improve our models in some way, even if it is by something as basic as adding a bearing kit or steel pinion.

I was wondering which y'all consider to be your most improved models? They aren't necessarily your best, or the ones that started off worst, but rather the ones that have progressed furthest in terms of performance, reliability and/or looks since they arrived in your fleet.

So, which is your most-improved RC?

[Sandster 285]

My Holiday Buggy.

Went from this

To this

[Klausen 1197]

Of the ones I currently own, this one must be the most improved one.

[Nobbi1977 1793]

I have spent a lot of money but my driving skills are such I cannot describe much of an improvement.

[MadInventor 3884]

My TLT-1 that ended up as a my lunch box 4x4x4. After 3 rebuilds the only bits I didn't replace were the shocks...........

[markbt73 5315]

Well, this technically started out as a Losi Mini-Crawler. Not much left but the axles and gearbox, which, ironically, are completely stock:

[gravetxt-1 84]

My Barbarian-X build aka Gauntlet (CPE Barbarian chassis plates with TXT-2 center gearbox and axles) not keen on spindly Axial transmissions looks real beefy with TXT-2 transmission in there

Sadly I still cant figure out how to post photos in the forum but I have full build details in my showroom for anyone interested.

Gauntlet is a totally unique build only one in the world

[Sayer 742]

This one

[Nitomor 2122]

Mine has to be the Brushless 4x4x4 WT/R01 Blackfoot!

[taliesin 260]

For me it would be the CC-01 and the Axial AX-10. Both have been heavily modified, much more so than anything I've ever owned before or since.

​The CC-01 started out with poor handling and over the years I've thrown a ton of money and time at it. All said and done, I'm very pleased with the result and it was worth it (to me anyway) just to see the improvement with each modification. Not sure if I'm completely done yet either. It still handles pretty poorly TBH but in a way that is strangely okay. It's a CC-01 thing - we CC-01 owners like futility and are willing to pay (and pay, and pay) for it.

The Axial AX-10 rock crawler started life as an RTR just to see if crawling interested me at all. Fortunately there were people interested in rock crawling at my LHS (prior to its sad demise) that helped me out and that rig went from RTR to well-tweaked pretty fast. The difference is stunning, really. I've always been skeptical about "upgrades" and "hop-ups" but man, what a difference the changes made!!! It was literally the first RC vehicle that I started hacking bits off of and adding custom made or non-brand parts to. It was weird at first but now I'm a believer.

[94eg! 834]

I would have to go with my old-school Hotshot. That car was in pieces when it was given to me by uncle. I assembled it with full bearings and drove it as stock with a Kyosho Le Mans stock 05 can motor. I was not impressed. It was sloppy, had wonky steering, and even with a weak Stock 05 can motor, was completely incapable of putting any decent amount of torque to the ground (no punch). Plus the ridiculous 5-piece prop shaft shattered on me. After seeking out and ordering a few choice hop-ups, I set to work rebuilding & upgrading the car.

- Upgraded re-re alloy prop shaft & matching drive cups

- Parma Bump Steer Kit

- Parma upper arm brace

- Anti Wear grease on the Diff bevel gears

- Super Stock RZ motor (Fresh skim & Finishline Racing Brushes)

- 13T pinion

These minor upgrades made a WORLD of difference. The bump-steer was finally under control. The Left & Right steering was much more equal. The car no longer lurched to one side when braking. And best of all, the sticky grease in the diff gears allowed the monster toque of the RZ to propel the car out of turns like a rocket (even on rock-hard 20+ year old tires).

By far the car with the most improvement.

[berman 5315]

I will have to side with Klausen here, this is probably my most improved RC, my Carbon Terminator Clod

[yogi-bear 2321]

my Renault Martini Mk 22, my second attempt at a restore (the first one I am still working on!)

from this:

to this:

[AndyjcClod 389]

Mine would be between two my Tamiya CC-01 and Axial SCX10

My CC-01 as its sooooo customisable and once improved in my personal opinion is really is one of the best Tamiya chassis around and out of all teh R\Cs I have own or ever owned this is one fo my fav go-to cars to use out and about.

How it looked when I first built it.

How it is now as my lovely paint job slowly got ruined..

One of the upgrades which have shifted a lot of weight lower so it doesnt roll over much at all anymore

The second would be my scx10 which is now my all time favorite crawler as its so well balanced to the point that Radshapers indoor rock climbing course it now no challenage at all.

[zomboided 374]

The second would be my scx10 which is now my all time favorite crawler as its so well balanced to the point that Radshapers indoor rock climbing course it now no challenage at all.

That SCX10 is lovely...do you have a build thread/list of hop ups? My SXC10 was challenged at Radshape and very much needs the weight shifted lower

[lupogtiboy 454]

Mine would also be a CC-01 that I bought off a friend for £75. Had a very poorly painted Shogun shell which took an age to strip back, but I could never get it to look how I'd imagined it. The same friend wanted a large Range Rover shell, and I'd mistakenly not read an ebay sale properly and ended up with this NewBright Range Rover that must have been at least 1:5th scale, it was HUGE! I was going to mount it on an extended Clod chassis, but that didn't work out too well either, then my mate posted on Facebook he was after a large shell for an FG Marder type chassis he had, and he had a 1:10th Range Rover shell, so we swapped. Then I set about custom mounting this onto the CC-01, extending the chassis and raising the suspension up. She's not much of a crawler, but definitely one of my most used and abuse and modded cars I own.

[MAD RACER 566]

Well mine has to be my Avante Re re with out doubt.

Was the most woeful 4wd that I have ever driven out of the box.

Took a long time to sort out the handling with new Shocks ,Towers ,Wheels, Tyres, Diffs, Motors ,Gearing, Steering Set Up, Roll Centres ,Wing and still could be improved on but a pleasure to drive now and super smooth.

[chevelle 997]

Mine would be my Super Champ with a very Shabby RR body, all brought back from the brink to be very tidy (IMO )

[pizzachaude 130]

This.... I think the only Axial part left is the battery plate

[Smidsy 46]

Mine would have to be this one......

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=78457

Not so much as improved upon, but more a one of a kind build. Must get some more pics added to that thread.

[ChrisRx718 4470]

I really should take some up to date pictures of this thing -

My TA03F drifter. It has many genuine Tamiya hop-ups, that I'd be scared to start listing them for fear of working out what it's cost me over the years.

There are a few items missing from the TA03 back-catalogue, like carbon chassis plates and aluminium knuckles, but this gets used still and I think with those I'd be too nervous to take it out. The scratches to the underside of the FRP plates don't bother me too much, but if they were beautiful carbon weave....

Performance-wise it's probably not a lot better than the standard car was. Lots of adjustability now however. The ball diffs are my greatest bug-bear. Even when it's out of duty sat on the shelf, the design of these ball diffs is such that they will loosen over time and require constant adjustment. So chances are it won't work as desired when I take it out again in the summer - and it's something like 27 screws to remove at either end of the chassis to access the diff. And most of those screws are pretty blue aluminium items so they get messed up if they see too much action!!

[s howell 28]

For me it would have to be my restored hornet, all built from vintage parts from the bay or most improved must be a standard tt01 that i converted to tt01d spec and then swopped it all out for a 3 racing carbon chassis conversion and a full host of alloy parts, the only original parts are the drive gears and diffs.

[mastino 1085]

My CC-01

and my scx10 dingo

[AndyjcClod 389]

That SCX10 is lovely...do you have a build thread/list of hop ups? My SXC10 was challenged at Radshape and very much needs the weight shifted lower

I don't have a build thread but I have done a list below ..

Proline Comanche Body (it was the only direct fit for a SCX10 Honcho I could find)

To add weight to the front

Alloy Front Hubs

Alloy Steering upgrade

Alloy Radshaper front, centre and read skid plates

Alloy Suspension links front and back.

Most of the alloy parts were from RCmart.

I also bought the rear alloy hubs but its such a good balanced crawler at the moment I do not want to unbalance anything, so will keep using the stock ones until they break.

Hope that helps.

Next think I will do will be brushless it (eventually)

[njmlondon 570]

My Full Option King Tiger ended up being my most improved RC. The KT is nowhere near as good a runner as the Tiger 1 or Pershing and is also less detailed.

Upgraded gearboxes, motors, suspension, steel wheels, steel tracks, track tensioners and that is just the parts inside that you cannot see! Externally quite a few detailing kits and a paint job that pushed my boundaries.