Adventures with Associated's CR-12...

[indybama]

I read as well lol. Im wantin to get the f150 as ive got an 84 f150 4x4 stepside. U got a good thread goin here. Very helpful for wen i finally break n get one lol. Keep it comin

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[ironkey]

I read too. Got my wife one and have been tinkering with it and making 3D printed parts for it.

Put some bigger wheels/tires on it, which rubbed on the body, bumper and shocks when turning. I made some adjustable magnetic body posts, wider hexes and a new front piece to raise the bumper, so now no tire rub.

Bigger wheels made the steering geometry worse so made a combined piece to raise the servo and move it back a touch and keep the front bumper raise.

All in all she's happy with it and loves to trail with it alongside my Ascender K5.

 

[high plains drifter]

I really appreciate seeing some interest! I've gotten so much invaluable help on RCC that I at least want to contribute when I'm able.

@ ironkey- I'm assuming that you have the Ford body? Certainly a tighter fit than the FJ40 when going with larger tires. My buddy ran into some issues as well. Yeah it seems that moving that servo up and back is what most people are needing to do with these rigs right out of the box. Glad to see that y'all are getting things dialed in. I also echo the sentiments of your wife and think it's really cool to be able to enjoy running this little rig alongside a 1/10.

Picked up front & rear sets of GPM alum shock towers. I may mess around with a couple different shock mounting positions now that I can. Part# GPM KXS028F/R-GS





Also starting on the true reflectors. These are tough to cut yet necessary to cut precisely. Tedious detail work but hopefully the end result will be worth the effort. Stock decal taillight on drivers side/ upgraded reflective taillight on passenger side.

 

[ironkey]

Yeah its an F150

Here's the servo and bumper mount fitted

Magnetic body posts fitted

Rear indicator stalks with brake, reverse and indicator lights. Still need to tidy the wires properly. Going to feed the wire through the body behind the stalk to hide them as much as possible.

Axle stands for when I'm working on it, they also work with my Ascender Blazer

All 3D files available on my thingiverse

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3458005

No trailing pics as always too busy having fun to get the camera out

 

[durok]

Anyone notice that after releasing the sweet Toyota body, Team Associated went and did this - some kinda shrunken, slightly melted BOM copy:

"The CR12 Tioga Trail Truck"

 

[high plains drifter]

Yeah, I saw that Tioga... kinda reminds me of the Barrage body. I guess they don't look that similar but idk... small, generic, truggy style. That's one of the things that I really like about the CR12 bodies... lots of scale likeness with mirrors, external "light" housings, actual grills, etc.

Really cool what you're doing with the Ford, ironkey. I really like the route you're going with the lights. Nice idea with the magnetic body mounts, relocated servo brackets, and front bumper mount.

 

[EXTREME RC 4X4]

I love my CR12! The c1 guys hate how good it does on the indoor course and it has really changed my mind about what you need for a well performing vehicle! I’ve done tons of upgrades to mine including high clearance transmission, aluminum servo mount, LCG battery tray, and a few other cosmetic things. I also run 1.55 mudthrashers from a tf2 for better axle clearance but prefer how the stock tires look on the truck. Also just picked up some GPM metal gears that I have yet to install.

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[high plains drifter]

Hey, Ethan! I'm not surprised that the comp guys feel that way lol. Like I said earlier... the CR12 can occasionally outdo a 1/10! I really thought that these axles would get hung up a lot more than they do but it hasn't been an issue for the most part. Really satisfied with the way mine's performing atm. Now I just need to raise up the transmission and find some aluminum sliders and I'll be set! My buddy put some GPM gears in the rear of his rig but didn't do the front yet. Not sure if the install went without issue cause his motor was super hot last weekend. Maybe it's all the weight idk. Anyway... good to see your rig and I can't wait to hear what you do next!

 

[EXTREME RC 4X4]

Hey, Ethan! I'm not surprised that the comp guys feel that way lol. Like I said earlier... the CR12 can occasionally outdo a 1/10! I really thought that these axles would get hung up a lot more than they do but it hasn't been an issue for the most part. Really satisfied with the way mine's performing atm. Now I just need to raise up the transmission and find some aluminum sliders and I'll be set! My buddy put some GPM gears in the rear of his rig but didn't do the front yet. Not sure if the install went without issue cause his motor was super hot last weekend. Maybe it's all the weight idk. Anyway... good to see your rig and I can't wait to hear what you do next!

Yes I’ll be having a look at my transmission design to check the gear mesh. I haven’t had a chance to get mine installed yet but if the mesh is too tight with the metal gears I’m sure that’s what would be causing the issue. I don’t think it would be anything in the axles just because I don’t think he has modified them yet. Love the way your rig is look too, he has sent me a few pictures and it’s tempting to buy the FJ body now!


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[high plains drifter]

Yes I’ll be having a look at my transmission design to check the gear mesh. I haven’t had a chance to get mine installed yet but if the mesh is too tight with the metal gears I’m sure that’s what would be causing the issue. I don’t think it would be anything in the axles just because I don’t think he has modified them yet. Love the way your rig is look too, he has sent me a few pictures and it’s tempting to buy the FJ body now!

Thanks for the insight. And yeah... he hasn't done anything to the axles yet so that's probably what's causing the issue. I touched it and almost burned my fingers lol. Both cr12's had been running fairly hard for about the same amt of time and mine was simply warm.

I'm humbled by the compliment... thanks so much! Truly happy with the way it's coming along so far. I've got some 1.55 white Landies that I had intended to put under my TF2 but I think I'm going to have to put them on this FJ instead.

 

[high plains drifter]

Got the GPM aluminum shock towers installed. Fit & finish is absolutely perfect. I was going to paint 'em black but I like 'em okay as is. No pictures but I'm really happy with this mod as it really fortifies each corner nicely in conjunction with the upgraded aluminum shocks. I also made a faux fuel-filler to put in place of the decal and It'll work for now. I haven't finished changing out the f&r reflectors yet but I'll get back on that in the next week or so.

Now for the wheels...

I was dead-set on using the vintage white Landie 1.55 wheels on the CR12. The look is exactly what I'm after for this truck and even though I ran into issues, I wasn't going to go down without a fight. One thing worth noting here is that these 5-lug vintage Landies are supposedly not going to be made any longer and they are already out of stock at RPP in 1.55 scale ( currently still avail for 1.9). I feel SO fortunate to have gotten a set before they were discontinued.

Okay... 1.55 issues:

> The 1.55" hardware is weak! Just snugging the bolts down, I managed to break one.
> The hex-nuts are visible from the outside and don't look at all scale.
> Also the hub is not threaded meaning that you must use the hex-nuts on the outside in order to secure the two wheel-halves together.
> The hub is a pin-drive and the offset causes the wheels to mount up much too close to the shocks meaning potential rubbing issues.
> The center hole is too small for the CR12 axle shafts. You can enlarge them but even using a couple washers/ spacers, the axle nut will not completely tighten down so the wheel wobbles on the shaft.

There may have been more issues too... can't remember atm lol, but that was enough for me to call it quits on using ( or even wanting to modify) these wheels with the supplied 1.55 pin-drive hubs. So I instead acquired some 1.9 5-lug hex-drive hubs.

New 1.9 issues:

> The center hole on these wheels is too small to accommodate the raised center section of the 1.9 hub.
> The wheel's lug-holes are too small to accommodate the larger diameter of the 1.9 hardware.
> The 5-lug 1.9 hubs obviously don't match the 5-lug 1.55 bolt pattern.

Enter the Dremel and the drill-press!

Enlarging the center hole was easy enough and not much material needed to be removed in order for the 1.9 hubs to fit flush against the inner wheel halve of the 1.55 with the raised part of the hub centered perfectly inside the center hole of the wheel. A Dremel equipped with an appropriately sized sanding wheel took care of this task pretty quick.

To enlarge each lug hole ( total of 40) I used a 3mm drill bit on the press in order to accommodate the larger bolts. This is where I ran into another issue and had to proceed cautiously. I wasn't willing to use any larger of a drill-bit because that would mean each lug-hole would be too close to the center hole... potentially compromising the strength of the metal between the lug-holes and the center hole. Ultimate disaster would've been ( during the process of drilling the holes or tightening the lugs) the metal tearing out... subsequently causing the lug holes to open into the center hole.

The solution was to find a Dremel grinding bit small enough to fit into the 3mm lug holes and elongate them outwards. I used a long thin diameter diamond engraving bit to do this and although it took some time to turn the 40 holes into 40 ellipsis, it worked lol! So now I have the 1.55 Landies and 1.9 hex-drive hubs all bolted up and fitting/ working flawlessly on the CR12 FJ!

Modified stronger 1.55 hybrid wheel...






Original problematic/ weaker 1.55 wheel...

 

[high plains drifter]

Now for some pics of today's action with the CR12! I'm absolutely in love with these wheels!! Tires hooked up like crazy on the rocks! The CR12 ran today with it's tiny little sister, the RC4WD Gelande 1/18... part of the day running a highly detailed Ford body and part of the day running the original D90 body. Couple pics of that rig in the next couple posts but mainly I was wanting some pics of the Associated with her new Landies. And as always... no poser pics!

 

[high plains drifter]

Continued pics from today's run...

 

[Shinchu]

Amazing work on these rigs!
I am a huge fan of the "underdog trucks" like this cr12 and the barrage.
My son got the later as his first rig a couple years ago. He brought it to proline and was embarassing grown men with scx10s haha love these little guys!!!

Hpd that 79 ford on gelande chassis is drop dead GORGEOUS.
Might need to copy that for a desk crawler at work
Amd the work you did on those wheels is incredible. I was going to do something like that on my 79 ford ascender, but... I'm actually running cr12 wheels with tf2 tires haha looks great and super cheap!

Anyway yeah I groped one of these cr12s at my nearest hobby town. Gotta say, I likey! As a barrage fan this one is just as cool.
Big fan of the cms servo and the axles look way better than my old v1 barrage grappling hooks lol

Great work fellas. Keep it up!!!

 

[high plains drifter]

Man... Thanks so much for taking a look and for the 'mention' in the other thread! You type enough as it is so your reply is much appreciated lol.

I followed the guys here on rcc that had the Barrage and I was really close to getting one but I simply never pulled the trigger. Then one day my buddy saw the CR12 F150 in that blue and he insisted that we get a couple. I told him that I'd get one but it'd have to be the still unreleased FJ version. I then told him that he couldn't get his until mine was also available lol. Like a true friend he waited and then Associated released the FJ. I think we placed our orders only about a day or two later haha!

Seriously... I can't believe how fun the cr12 is. Between my new Tf2 and the CR12, my TRX4's are really getting lonely! I'm still amazed at what this rig can do. The FJ body really has the advantage over the F150 due to all the wheel-well clearance but both versions crawl well. I've still got plenty to do to this one ( firewall, interior maybe, inner fender liners, etc) but performance-wise, she's extremely capable trailing, on rocks, and on concrete. I'll be adding some rear weight next and maybe to the front but besides that, I think a nicer radio/ esc may be all that she needs... for now lol. The Reedy 380 just slays in this truck btw!

Yeah... those wheels were a labor of love lol. I still need to get some scale-er looking lugs and put some center-caps on 'em but even with just the black cap-head hex screws, I think they look good. Thanks, man.

My buddy really wants me to get a Gelande next. I just might lol! From his notes so far, the worst thing you can do is the 2-motor set-up. Rig moved so slow that he couldn't even bump the smallest of ledges. He's since switched it back to single motor and just with a new set of tires, this thing crawls like crazy. The stock pie-crust's looked great but just didn't hook up on most terrain so that might be a worthwhile mod if you end up getting one. I think he's running the RC4WD Rok Lox now fwiw. He's had to do some fitting to get that Ford body to play nice with the Gelande chassis so it's still a work in progress. But it's getting there. We're both thinking that a little more weight is needed so he'll probably address that soon enough.

Thanks again, bud!

 

[Natedog]

I read and gawk.

Yep, me too, looks great!

What tranny case did you use for the high clearance and did you trim the skidplate or does this replace the hang down part?

RC4WD 1.55 wheels with RokLox looks awesome, really love what you guys are doing! His front bumper isn't my cup o tea either, reminds me of Simon & Simon tv show old Dodge 4x4 front bumper, and he likes it and you're having fun all that matters. I might trim the FJ front bumper little bit more on the ends, they both look better now with trimming and white paint though.

Yes steering servo needs moved up and back as you found out. What did you use to accomplish this? Kinda looks like the tray some guy on Youtube sells.

RC4WD 1.55 wagon wheels on my TF2 came with hex drive hubs, but iirc they are 6 lug, maybe drill new holes in them or they come in 5 lug? Good job modifying your pin drive hubs!

Glad to see some aluminum upgrade parts like shocks and towers available!

 

[EXTREME RC 4X4]

Thanks for the insight. And yeah... he hasn't done anything to the axles yet so that's probably what's causing the issue. I touched it and almost burned my fingers lol. Both cr12's had been running fairly hard for about the same amt of time and mine was simply warm.

I'm humbled by the compliment... thanks so much! Truly happy with the way it's coming along so far. I've got some 1.55 white Landies that I had intended to put under my TF2 but I think I'm going to have to put them on this FJ instead.

Did some hardcore testing about a week or so now and got the transmission all adjusted to fit the metal gears. Would have been nice if GPM had the same tolerances as the stock gears but it’s all adjusted to work properly now. I’m hoping to cut out some custom frame rails before this Sunday so that I can test those at the competition as I wait for the snow here in west Michigan to melt.... not sure why I’m so hooked on these trucks but they are really awesome! Picking up another one this weekend from a friend that isn’t as in love with his as I am lol! That’s alright though as I’m sure my brother will get much more enjoyment out of it.


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[high plains drifter]

Yep, me too, looks great!

What tranny case did you use for the high clearance and did you trim the skidplate or does this replace the hang down part?

RC4WD 1.55 wheels with RokLox looks awesome, really love what you guys are doing! His front bumper isn't my cup o tea either, reminds me of Simon & Simon tv show old Dodge 4x4 front bumper, and he likes it and you're having fun all that matters. I might trim the FJ front bumper little bit more on the ends, they both look better now with trimming and white paint though.

Yes steering servo needs moved up and back as you found out. What did you use to accomplish this? Kinda looks like the tray some guy on Youtube sells.

RC4WD 1.55 wagon wheels on my TF2 came with hex drive hubs, but iirc they are 6 lug, maybe drill new holes in them or they come in 5 lug? Good job modifying your pin drive hubs!

Glad to see some aluminum upgrade parts like shocks and towers available!

Thanks for checking these out, Nate!

Gonna shoot ya a PM about a couple of these mods.

I don't have the relocated transmission housing yet but my buddy's F150 does. He says install was easy, quality is great, and benefit is very obvious. I have to agree in regards to the benefit. It is in fact a replacement for the stock transmission and the low-profile design means no more belly to get high-centered. I'd like to get one at some point.

I understand his fondness of the Ford's crazy front bumper but only from the aspect of nostalgia. It's cool that he helped make this same design for his brother's full size truck many years ago. But aside from that... yeah, a little over the top for my taste lol. Not sure that I'll trim the FJ bumpers any more but mainly because I really like the boxed-in ends. If I cut 'em down any more, then they'll be back to the C-channel look and that's not something that I want.

All my other rigs' wheels are 6-lug ( TF2 & TRX4's) and I like them all but for these little 1.55 Landies, I think that the 5-lug pattern looks perfect... dunno why. Just glad that I was able to adapt the 1.9 hex hubs to be able to work with them. Everything about this wheel/ tire combo is just wonderful... including the weight.

Fwiw- GPM is making some really nice alum upgrade parts that are compatible with the CR12 even though they are listed for the Thunder Tiger/ Kaiser.

 

[rcbliss]

Hello! Couple of packs through my Toyota cr12. Lovely! Changed servo to one with more torque. Looking at Extreme RC Performance Pack, this lil truck deserves it. Anyone thought about a motor with more torque? Or lower gearing? Mainly for better modulation and control.

 

[high plains drifter]

@ rcbliss- I haven't considered a larger motor for the cr12. I don't at all feel as if it would be necessary... at least not for my needs. Gear reduction might be worthwhile but I haven't honestly considered addressing that either. Maybe in the future but at the moment it's not a priority.

Did some hardcore testing about a week or so now and got the transmission all adjusted to fit the metal gears. Would have been nice if GPM had the same tolerances as the stock gears but it’s all adjusted to work properly now. I’m hoping to cut out some custom frame rails before this Sunday so that I can test those at the competition as I wait for the snow here in west Michigan to melt.... not sure why I’m so hooked on these trucks but they are really awesome! Picking up another one this weekend from a friend that isn’t as in love with his as I am lol! That’s alright though as I’m sure my brother will get much more enjoyment out of it.

Howdy, Ethan! Hey... these are great little trucks! What's not to love haha!? For the sake of my other 1/10 crawlers, I hate that the cr12 is such a blast! I may have to PM you about the transmission. I can't say that running these massive tires that I'm getting hung-up often, but anything that adds more capability is certainly a plus! I can't wait to see the new frame-rails. Hope to hear back from you after Sunday's comp! As always, thanks so much for your insight and assistance.