Monster truck fun: the Black and the Yellow

[markbt73 5316]

So yesterday was my birthday. Three weeks ago, my wife asked me what I wanted, and of course the answer was going to be some sort of RC kit. After much deliberation, I decided on a G6-01 King Yellow, as I've never had a 6x6 before, and I like the school bus body more than the Konghead's semi truck shell.

So she ordered one for me... and then Fedex lost the package. Tracking says "delivered," but we were home, and outside, at the date/time when they say it was delivered, so there's no way we could have missed it, it couldn't have been left with a neighbor, or stolen off the porch, or anything. They just messed up and lost it. We've contacted Fedex, and opened a claim, but that still means no King Yellow for me yet.

But yesterday, my dad called me to wish me a happy birthday, and asked me what I wanted. I've been thinking about another Clod ever since the Black Special came out, and as luck would have it, it's back in stock at most places now. So I asked him for one of those, and a bearing set for it. Dad agreed, and it's on its way. Hopefully whatever carrier handles that package doesn't lose it, too.

The plan is to keep the Clod stock, paint it nicely, and just use it for some low-key bouncing around the yard fun. I've done the mod Clod thing more than once, and while it's fun, this time I'd like to take things easier, and just enjoy puttering around with a cool-looking big monster truck.

The King Yellow, once it finally shows its face, will probably get driven more spiritedly, and I have high hopes for it involving a muddy patch of ground left over from some recent landscaping work. Plenty of room for a waterproof electronics box under that big body.

And yes, I'll post photos of both trucks in this thread when they're ready to go.

At the moment, however, I'm at the mercy of shipping companies. The waiting, as Tom Petty so eloquently put it, is the hardest part...

[J@mes 2326]

That is a great couple of kits & to be given makes them even better! You are a lucky man.

[Dakratfink 967]

31 minutes ago, markbt73 said:

 

The King Yellow, once it finally shows its face, will probably get driven more spiritedly, and I have high hopes for it involving a muddy patch of ground left over from some recent landscaping work. Plenty of room for a waterproof electronics box under that big body.

I run waterproof electronics in mine and it is brilliant in mud ( even with open differentials)  

15T brushed Dynamite motor with a Hobbywing Quicrun on 2s lipo. 
It is one of the most fun RCs I have ever run. I also bought the pre painted Bus body version because it was $2 cheaper than the clear one and I would have painted it yellow anyway, lol 

[markbt73 5316]

Can't do much with it yet, because the bearings haven't arrived. But that's OK, I'm in no hurry...

[Dakratfink 967]

Do I see I Gen 1 T Bird and A C1 vette in the shop ? 

[markbt73 5316]

5 minutes ago, Dakratfink said:

Do I see I Gen 1 T Bird and A C1 vette in the shop ? 

Yep, early '80s Monogram kits. Have duplicates of both in my collection, so I decided to build one of each. Just getting started on the Vette.

[87lc2 2663]

56 minutes ago, Dakratfink said:

Do I see I Gen 1 T Bird and A C1 vette in the shop ? 

I was looking all over for 1:1 cars and thinking where does he see them???...then realized the models were right on the table 

Have fun with the Clod build @markbt73!

[Mad Ax 9312]

Looks like a couple of great builds to enjoy.  I'd really love to build another clod, so I will enjoy this build through your photos

[Dakratfink 967]

7 hours ago, markbt73 said:

Yep, early '80s Monogram kits. Have duplicates of both in my collection, so I decided to build one of each. Just getting started on the Vette.

Very cool builds . 
I have a few unbuilt ( modern ) re-issue kits I still need to build . I’ve also got a 1980 Ramcharger I’m torn between building but the kit full to or using the body as a hard shell for a 1/24 crawler 

[markbt73 5316]

4 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Looks like a couple of great builds to enjoy.  I'd really love to build another clod, so I will enjoy this build through your photos

I'm really looking forward to it. This is my fourth Clod, but I haven't built one from new since the late '90s. And even that one I didn't build stock. This one will be by-the-book except for bearings. I can't say for sure it will stay stock, but it's certainly going to start out that way.

Update on the King Yellow, for those keeping score at home: Fedex has given up and declared the package "lost," so Tower is supposed to be sending out a new kit. (Note to self: never trust Fedex with anything actually important, or irreplaceable.) It's a bit frustrating, because I have bearings for the King Yellow but no kit yet, and I have the Clod kit, but the bearings are on a slow boat from somewhere. Good thing I have other projects to work on. All I can say is, I hope the G6-01 is as much fun as everyone says it is, after all this hassle and run-around...

[Mad Ax 9312]

My G6-01 has been my absolute favourite backyard basher since I first stuck a motor in it a couple of years ago.  It's small enough to work around the tight space where my race buggies are a bit too fast, but has enough tyre and ground clearance to work well over turf (which is way too rough for rally cars and a bit too deep even for flat-bottomed buggies).  With a mild brushless combo it can drift on the paving slabs and is plenty fast enough for the space available, and with all that weight low down it very rarely rolls over unless I'm being brutal with it.  Handling is best described as "odd" - that extra set of wheels in the middle makes it understeery - but there's a reassuring predictability to it that gives me the confidence to really throw it around the garden in a way that almost nothing else gets run.

My diffs are unlocked and I still have the pogo shocks, but the only thing is sometimes gets stuck on is a piece of 2x4 timber that ties the bottom of the climbing frame legs together, and even then, only if I beach it at the wrong angle.

[markbt73 5316]

Look what showed up today! Wasn't expecting these for another week at least. Guess I can start building it any time now.

[87lc2 2663]

18 minutes ago, markbt73 said:

Look what showed up today! Wasn't expecting these for another week at least. Guess I can start building it any time now.

 

Time to get to work!  

[markbt73 5316]

So there's one thing I was afraid of with the Super Clod, and it is in fact the case: I hate the hideous "4x4x4" grille in person even more than in photos. If they had just made it a simple "JC Whitney" style tube grille, it would be fine, but that huge chrome lettering... ugh. Has to go.

I could, I suppose, seek out a Chevy-logo grille, or a plain one and add a Chevy logo to it. But I don't really want to spend the money on it. I could try to make one, but Chevy grilles from that era are pretty complicated, with lots of bars and levels.

But GMC grilles aren't...

So I think I might take a stab at making a GMC grille (and corresponding tailgate letters) for this. And I note that they still include the old small hood scoop on the parts tree, so I'll use that too. I like it better. And there may be a two-tone paint job in the works... black and red is a natural choice, I think.

[Dakratfink 967]

I’d love to see more people turn Chevy square body models into GMC.

Any old school Stage 1 era monster truck fans know of any famous trucks that ran GMC bodies BITB? 

[markbt73 5316]

1 hour ago, Dakratfink said:

I’d love to see more people turn Chevy square body models into GMC.

The town I grew up in had a Pontiac/GMC dealership downtown, and half the town bought cars from there. Sooo many Grand Ams and Sunbirds on the streets when I was in high school, and if you saw a square body truck, nine times out of ten it was a GMC. So the GMC grilles make me feel all nostalgic.

[DaveBuildsRC 210]

2 hours ago, markbt73 said:

So there's one thing I was afraid of with the Super Clod, and it is in fact the case: I hate the hideous "4x4x4" grille in person even more than in photos. If they had just made it a simple "JC Whitney" style tube grille, it would be fine, but that huge chrome lettering... ugh. Has to go.

I could, I suppose, seek out a Chevy-logo grille, or a plain one and add a Chevy logo to it. But I don't really want to spend the money on it. I could try to make one, but Chevy grilles from that era are pretty complicated, with lots of bars and levels.

But GMC grilles aren't...

So I think I might take a stab at making a GMC grille (and corresponding tailgate letters) for this. And I note that they still include the old small hood scoop on the parts tree, so I'll use that too. I like it better. And there may be a two-tone paint job in the works... black and red is a natural choice, I think.

You can get a 3d grill for like 20usd. More on the site. 
 

http://teamcpe.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=33_169&product_id=2194

 

[markbt73 5316]

3D printing? Pfft. Where's the artistry in that?

[87lc2 2663]

I totally agree, the 4x4x4 grille is awful, I'd never use it on one of mine either.  Most of mine have Chevy grilles, but I have ground down the 4x4x4 with a Dremel and just cut straight bars where the logo used to be.  Only problem with that is by that point the chrome i gone and you'll have to repaint the grille.

@Dakratfink - There were a lot of cool square body GMC monsters back in the day.  Bearfoot, Buffalo Tremor, King Krunch, Sudden Impact, Swamp Rat, Star Monster, Mr. Bad, and I'm sure quite a few others that currently escape me.  I always thought the square body GMCs were some of the coolest Stage 1 monsters.

[tamiya_1971 615]

12 hours ago, markbt73 said:

3D printing? Pfft. Where's the artistry in that?

I think he was being helpful. Pfffft.

[markbt73 5316]

2 hours ago, tamiya_1971 said:

I think he was being helpful. Pfffft.

You're right; I didn't mean for it to sound so harsh. I would just never waste $20 on something I can easily make myself from things I already have.

[tamiya_1971 615]

38 minutes ago, markbt73 said:

You're right; I didn't mean for it to sound so harsh. I would just never waste $20 on something I can easily make myself from things I already have.

I wish I had that skill set!!

[markbt73 5316]

Update on the King Yellow: supposed to be arriving Monday. I'll believe it when I see it.

[markbt73 5316]

A little grille work:

A little paint and some Bare Metal Foil, and it should look the part...

[markbt73 5316]

Posting this photo to answer the eternal noob question about grease... the tube on the left came with the Bigwig kit I built last month. I built the entire Bigwig, and now both Clod gearboxes, and the tube is still half-full. The two (!) tubes that came with the Clod kit are untouched. One little dab on each meshing surface, and a quick spin by hand to distribute it, is all you need.