Improving Blackfoot 2016 - when i get it?

[Johndenmark]

Hello my friends....

 

I am brand new, in this forum..... But i am a Tamiya-man oh yeah.....

I have, pre-ordered the Blackfoot 2016 - it arrives in august. Without any experience, in the Tamiya-retro-monster-truck-World - i have some questions.

I would like, to know, how does it drive, compared to modern similar trucks?

Can i make, some improvements, to the steering, without changing, largere parts, in the existing steering? (keeping it close to original)........ If not - i just, will love, to drive, as i it - an old-school rc-monstertruck......

At the same time, i ordered the 40 years anniversary TA-02 Porsche 934................ It seems, to be, released a month after the Blackfoot....

 

[racer1]

The Black Foot handles ok as long as you take it easy. When thing speed up is where the problems begin. When you compare it to a modern truck it handles like a loaded dump truck. It's only saving grace is that the tires are so incredibly hard that they don't grip very well so have at least a 50% chance of keeping it on its tires. 

Yes you can make changes to the truck as you go but it all honestly the only thing that will really make a different in the trucks performance is getting a lower center of gravity. 

My recommendation it that you paint and detail the stock hard body. You might even consider getting a set of Repo-Original decals for it and and original grill and use that while the truck is on display.When it comes time to run the truck i would buy a Lexan Black Foot Body and run that. It' about 1/10 the weight and greatly reduces the trucks tendency to flip over. 

It might sound like i'm being hard on the Blackfoot but that is not the case. They are awesome trucks build, restore and own. Be careful or you will quickly find yourself with a bunch of them like me.

Here's a pic of the work bench last week. The 3 on the right are projects but the one on the left is an all original, never run truck that I found and built about 15 yrs ago. It's little dusty and the decals are starting to lift but otherwise it's perfect. Also have another uncompleted one in the garage in a box somewhere. Bought it from a guy that never finished it. 

Yes I know the tires are on backwards.  I was a kid, what can I say......

 

[Johndenmark]

Thank you for great information and a nice Blackfoot-familie-picture....

I will certainly buy that lexan body, for bashing, and improving driving-stabilty.... And of course, so that the abs-Body becomes a display-body. Yes i will go, for the pieces, to make the abs-body close to the original....

[Dangerseeker]

as the rere chassis will be very similar to the original, here are some mods for consideration:

 

 

[Dangerseeker]

and some hop ups for the blackfoot:

 

http://www.rcmt.net/forums/showthread.php?11944-Arcocustom-4X4/page16