Phoenix looks awesome!! I like that tailgate.
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B-MOW's Garage...Misc. Projects and Random Rig Builds
OSRC
I wanna be Dave
Big THANKS guys! Appreciate the kind comments!"thumbsup"
Got to take 'er out for the first test drive last Saturday at a local event about 30 minutes from home.
The 1st annual RC River Cliff Trails 2023 Turkey Crawl. A group of veteran RC’ers spent the summer preparing a nice piece of land near the Mt. Gilead State Park. They put in a ton of work to make rock trails and different types of obstacles to drive on. It was cool to see Operation 11 Charlie there with there booth setup in support of our military veterans.
This rig did great right from the start. So smooth and nimble. The only issue that I had was the cheapy Amazon servo that I installed. It was noisy and really jerky when turning left. I noticed that is a 270 degree servo, so not sure if that had anything to do with it or not. I'll be getting an NSDRC or Reef's servo on order ASAP!!
This was my first rig that I've built that I've pushed the front axle up for better approach angle. It drove great and was able to crawl up and over obstacles with ease. I also took my Phoenix portal and I could tell the difference in wheelbase lengths. I'm going to be pushing the axle on the portal up as well to see how much better it will drive.
I didn't get too many pics, but did get some good videos. If anybody is on FB or Instagram, check out my channel for some small clips. I'll be posting a new video on YouTube of the event once I get all of the clips rounded up.
Awesome food right here! If any of the chefs at the Bytchn Kitchen are watching, thanks for the great HOT food!!!"thumbsup"
The weather here in Ohio is about to take a turn to the winter side, so not sure when I'll get this rig back out. Hopefully sooner than later!
Gonna go watch the BIG game today! Go BUCKEYES!!
The 1st annual RC River Cliff Trails 2023 Turkey Crawl. A group of veteran RC’ers spent the summer preparing a nice piece of land near the Mt. Gilead State Park. They put in a ton of work to make rock trails and different types of obstacles to drive on. It was cool to see Operation 11 Charlie there with there booth setup in support of our military veterans.
This rig did great right from the start. So smooth and nimble. The only issue that I had was the cheapy Amazon servo that I installed. It was noisy and really jerky when turning left. I noticed that is a 270 degree servo, so not sure if that had anything to do with it or not. I'll be getting an NSDRC or Reef's servo on order ASAP!!
This was my first rig that I've built that I've pushed the front axle up for better approach angle. It drove great and was able to crawl up and over obstacles with ease. I also took my Phoenix portal and I could tell the difference in wheelbase lengths. I'm going to be pushing the axle on the portal up as well to see how much better it will drive.
I didn't get too many pics, but did get some good videos. If anybody is on FB or Instagram, check out my channel for some small clips. I'll be posting a new video on YouTube of the event once I get all of the clips rounded up.
Awesome food right here! If any of the chefs at the Bytchn Kitchen are watching, thanks for the great HOT food!!!"thumbsup"
The weather here in Ohio is about to take a turn to the winter side, so not sure when I'll get this rig back out. Hopefully sooner than later!
Gonna go watch the BIG game today! Go BUCKEYES!!
Axle Scott
Newbie
great paint, detail work ,insert on tailgate, and the list goes on. So, handling comparison on the portal vs straight, much of a difference?
Thanks!"thumbsup"
The portal in its current form is pretty much point and shoot. It does excellent on the rocks and with the portal clearance climbs and walks over many obstacles.
The straight axle does great too. You just have to pick your lines better since it does not have the axle clearance like the portals. Pushing the front axle forward did help with front bumper clearance and the extended wheelbase IMO helped in its climbing ability. It did great on its very first run, but I think some more tuning could make it even better.
Both rigs are great in their own way and both can and are great trail and rock crawling rigs. I believe both should be in everybodys fleet!!!:ror:
surfishjoe
Rock Stacker
Ok you win
Seriously beyond outstanding fj45 lexan body! My dream truck right there
Seriously beyond outstanding fj45 lexan body! My dream truck right there
JimK
Rock Crawler
Truck looks great B and that looked like a pretty great event to attend. The trail guys sure put some nice trails together!! "thumbsup"
Axle Scott
Newbie
I agree with your assessment between the 2 rigs. The most noticeable difference I made on the straight axle was using the lower shock mount from the kit, adding the ssd hubs, and out of necessity moving the front axle forward due to body rub which ended up helping with approach angle more than I expected. Nice.
Hey thanks surfishjoe!"thumbsup"
Thanks Jim! Yeah, the trail crew did a great job. Really looking forward to seeing what all they add for the next event.
Yes, exaclty!"thumbsup"
Wasn't sure where to put this, but right here seems like the best place.
Last year I had picked up 3 Gatekeeper Builders Kits. I used 2 of them in recent builds, but had 1 left over. I debated on building another Ecto out of it, but decided I already had enough of that type of rig in my fleet. So I decided to put the kit up for sale. A good friend of mine that lives close ended up buying it. I had already bought a clear Ecto body for the build, so it went with the build. Also included was my original General Grabbers from my OG Enduro kit and a cheap set of Amazon alum beadlocks. I did a mild cut and sipe on them in the past.
Last year I sold my TRX-4 Sport to the same friend. It had my original orange/gun metal paint scheme on it. He loved it so much that he asked me to paint the Ecto body the same paint scheme. I didn't really mind to since I kinda of retired that scheme and have went with other colors.
Enough rambling, here's a few pics of it before I handed it off to the new owner. I put on the basic decals and told him he can add the rest the way he wants to.
It's painted the way I always paint bodies. All of the black is on the outside with flat clear over top.
Last year I had picked up 3 Gatekeeper Builders Kits. I used 2 of them in recent builds, but had 1 left over. I debated on building another Ecto out of it, but decided I already had enough of that type of rig in my fleet. So I decided to put the kit up for sale. A good friend of mine that lives close ended up buying it. I had already bought a clear Ecto body for the build, so it went with the build. Also included was my original General Grabbers from my OG Enduro kit and a cheap set of Amazon alum beadlocks. I did a mild cut and sipe on them in the past.
Last year I sold my TRX-4 Sport to the same friend. It had my original orange/gun metal paint scheme on it. He loved it so much that he asked me to paint the Ecto body the same paint scheme. I didn't really mind to since I kinda of retired that scheme and have went with other colors.
Enough rambling, here's a few pics of it before I handed it off to the new owner. I put on the basic decals and told him he can add the rest the way he wants to.
It's painted the way I always paint bodies. All of the black is on the outside with flat clear over top.
It’s a sharp looking paint job man
Your buddy will have a great looking and capable rig
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Your buddy will have a great looking and capable rig
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks Tom. Yeah he's lovin' it!
Now we're just waiting for better weather to get it out on the rocks.JimK
Rock Crawler
Oh man.....such a good looking truck Brian. I love that paint scheme. "thumbsup"
There's a very good chance that an Ecto will be added to my fleet in the spring. I've been wanting to get one for a while now.
There's a very good chance that an Ecto will be added to my fleet in the spring. I've been wanting to get one for a while now.
Thanks Jim!"thumbsup"
The Ecto is a great rig right out of the box. I'm not sure if the Gatekeeper Builders Kit is still available, but IMO that is the way to go to build the Ecto. The GK kit comes with a lot of the upgrades like the harder plastics, Factory Team bronze shocks, machined pivot balls and a few other odds and ends that make this kit a great deal. The only thing it needs is the Ecto body and a set of wheels and tires. Don't get me wrong, the Ecto RTR is also a great choice!
And in case you and others haven't seen my old paint scheme, here are my other rigs with the same colors. The TRX-4 in the first pic is the rig I just sold my friend and he wanted the Ecto to look just like it. The ohter rigs are my Vanquish Origins and my Pro.
JimK
Rock Crawler
Thanks for the tip Brian. I'll be sure to check that out when the time comes.
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Things around the garage have been slow lately, but some deliveries have arrived in the past couple days. And a few more are on the way this weekend.
Plans for a couple new builds are currently being drawn up. New build threads coming soon to RCC this Spring.
Rock Pirates RC goodies for an upcoming build that I didn't see coming! These will be going on a chassis that was purchased from @Fricker08 recently.
Also picked up a Vanquish VFD and accessories from @twade984.
Plans for a couple new builds are currently being drawn up. New build threads coming soon to RCC this Spring.
Rock Pirates RC goodies for an upcoming build that I didn't see coming! These will be going on a chassis that was purchased from @Fricker08 recently.
Also picked up a Vanquish VFD and accessories from @twade984.
You certainly like your orange. I can dig that as orange became my new favorite color in the past year or two and really took off when I bought my Harley. That Ecto body is perfect. Nice job! "thumbsup" Still no Element in my stable.
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