I bought a new off road rig.

[blazinlow89]

I got it last July, have not really played with it as it has been cold, and I have been busy.

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It is a Redcat Racing, Caldera 10E short course. This think is pretty damn fast. Running the stock NiMH, with GPS I hit 35.5 MPH. With the LiPO it was over 45. I want to upgrade the ESC and the motor for more power.

I have ran Nitro in the past and while it is fast, it was really expensive, time consuming etc. This I just plug in and go. I can Gens Ace batteries for about the same price as a gallon of Nitro, so to me the brushless was a smart decision.

I know it doesnt have the suspension travel of HARDTRAILZ, but it does what I need it to do.

 

[drwfaulk]

That's a pretty cool rig, you got a website I can do some research on?

 

[blazinlow89]

Best Gas Powered RC Trucks, Electric RC Cars/Crawlers & Nitro RC Cars - Redcat Racing

I picked this up from hobbytron.com if I remember right. Price was $189.99 shipped. Which for me is a great price, as a comparable one from most other brands will run at least $300. I did have to buy a new servo as the old one was plastic geared and did not stand up well to some good bashing. New servo was $12 off ebay from one of the 1/8 scale models.

 

[Juicy K]

That reminds me, its getting warm out. I need to get my Nitro RS-4 out, :wootwoot: looks good man, Still thinking I need to get an electric because like you said, nitro cars are more expensive, plus they can be a little finicky... Trust me I know all about that.

 

[keepontruckin]

looks good

its amazing how fun these little things are

i have to get my RCs working again...some friends and i were really into it before we got our licenses, funny how things change.

Ive got a T-Maxx 3.3, 4-tech 3.3, HPI firestorm, custom axial crawler, and some japanese drifter...sadly none of them run right now, but im sure with a little TLC they'll be ready to beat on in no time

 

[Juicy K]

I guess is has been about 2 years since mine has been out... I stripped out first and second gear (all 4 gears). I still have to find the aluminum gears for the bell housing, when I ordered them from HPI they went out of stock... So maybe I need to check EBAY, I still even have an un-used, freshly painted WRX body ive never used...

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

My Losi Strike got traded to my buddy for his step-son and apparently has been kicking ass at the local places. Makes me wish I kept it, but I did not have time to race it.

Nice new toy!

 

[DARKASS04EXT]

I have a shelf full of Traxxas RC. Havent ran them in about a year or so now. I do mostly bashing/destroying. I cant go inside til i break something....lol
My RC-
T-Maxx 2.5(short) w/ 3.3 upgrade
T-Maxx 3.3(extended)
Jato 3.3
Stampede (brushed motor)
"Hybrid" VXL - started life as a Stampede VXL then converted over to a Rustler and then did the Jato "wide arm" conversion.

Currently my Maxx 2.5 has turned into a parts truck for the time being. The Maxx 3.3 needs a new steering servo (last winter snows killed it). The Jato learned how to fly over the TB EXT (went twice the height and length) but landed on the cooling head and cracked the block. Stampede needs new speed control from my stepson going through a puddle the size of a small pond, and my "Hybrid" VXL was destroyed by my then 5yo son smashing into a cement wall @ full speed.

Since they all need work, i gotta clean the basement again before i can work on them since my work bench is covered in misc crap.

 

[NewfieEnvoy]

The Redcats are pretty good for the price. I bought the RS rock crawler, mainly because of the 4wheel steer but its a nice cheap setup to start a mod. I have a couple of brushless lipos and their a blast, charge and go. However, my baby is a Savage XL and I agree the nitros are a real PITA but its so satisfying when everything is tuned right and all hell breaks lose

 

[gsf1200m]

Here's my nitro Savage with a Picco 28-

 

[blazinlow89]

I am glad to see more people playing with RC cars.

One thing I do like about the Caldera series, is that they have 3 vehicles. The "monster" truck, the short course truck and a buggy. They all share the same frame with some minor differences, so I can buy a set of the off road tires and have and instant extra inch or so of clearance, and be better for some really good bashing. I am really impressed with the fact that it has steel drive shafts stock, I have seen alot of the more expensive ones with plastic ones. There is alot of plastic in the subframe and other chassis components, but this thing takes a beating.

 

[gmcman]

This thread is giving me the itch to fire up some toys....

Been messing with R/C since I was a kid, as far as off-road goes I have the original T-Maxx that I have given a facelift but not too extensive. Mainly added a .21 chassis but at the time was the only one I could get but needs another 1/4 inch now. With the chassis came the .21 engine but needed more power so I swapped for the RB Concepts TM 523 which started breaking more parts. Had to go with the forward-only trans mod and then changed the arms and shafts to the 3.3 version. It will pull the wheels in 2nd gear with that motor but has been sitting for awhile....kids are getting older and are gaining interest every time they see the toys.

Time for the kid to come back out. :wootwoot:

 

[blazinlow89]

Bringing an old thread back.

I bought a Traxxas Stampede from a guy at work, brushed motor, and needed a new dif installed so it was only $50. Installed new dif and it worked good. Not fast enough for my blood though. So I took the brushless motor, ESC and transmitter/receiver from the Redcat truck and put them in the stampede. All I can say is wow, with the 16t pinion and 86t spur gear it had been tracked on police radar doing 58mph with NIMH. I have a smaller gear which can net an extra 10-15 mph with the right tires etc. But here she is after my rework

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I will get some more pics of the motor swap and everything. So far for the what I paid for this and what a new Redcat motor and everything would cost me, I would say about $150. Much cheaper than the $350-$400 for a factory brushless stampede. And mine is faster.

I had to tear it down as I thought I stripped the diff again, the clutch discs actually went bad, polished like glass. Clutch will no longer be an issue . Now I have an excuse when I break more plastic stuff.

 

[NewfieEnvoy]

Nice Stampede. I'll try to get a few photos up of my rigs. Here's a pic of my RS10 doing a little crawling.

 

[blazinlow89]

A rock crawler may be one of my next purchases, (looking to get a pistol first). We used to have a few nice hobby shops with tracks but they all closed. Closes track is about 2 hours away. Might just build one in the back yard

 

[NewfieEnvoy]

Rock crawling is a nice hobby because it can generally be cheaper. You tend to break less stuff, if its not slow speed your doing it wrong Also because you can get started with a fairly cheap rig its easier to get a few friends into it. You don't need brushless, lipo, spectrum radios, etc. Basic gear and your crawling. Building a track is like being a kid again, grab some rocks, an old shelf, tires, etc what ever sits behind the shed, put it all in a pile. We'll take turns leading the group. One person leads and the rest will try to follow the same path. Relax and have a beer while watching your buddies try the same route. One battery will last the whole night.

 

[blazinlow89]

Here are some pics.


Redcat Chassis after cannibalization for the Stampede.
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Stampede with skinny Caldera Tires (she just wants to flip over), and other pics of chassis components and motor. The front bumper is from another redcat truck, added it as the stock bumper is a small plate in the front. Helps alot when I run into stuff. Also my clutch deletion solution, 3 bolts running through the spur gear, into the clutch plate. No slippage.
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Pics with the body back on and the right wheels and tires, and something for size comparison. Its usually about 2-3" shorter without the mods I did.

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[dannyoaks]

Oh yessss, a rc car thread muhahahaha

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[blazinlow89]

Man you just have a little bit of everything. Mine have been sitting on the shelf since early spring, I tore the Stampede a new a**hole and I need some parts, and the Redcat was back up with a Castle Momba 5700KV motor, however my ESC had been giving me issues. Besides I had to do work on the truck that gets me around.

Nice looking stuff, wish I had more time I would have alot more hobbies.

 

[dannyoaks]

The little silver truck with yellow wheels is a traxxas mini slash, powered by a 10th scale castle sidewinder 4600kv motor nd esc combo, that thing is ignorantly fast