Ebbet's Trailwalker

[ebbet]

I already had an Element Sendero with the IFS kit. I was quite impressed with it. The deal Team Associated had on the Trailwalker, 2 for $499, caught my eye and I started looking into the Trailwalker more closely. Always been a big fan of 4.19 OD tires and smaller so the Trailwalker became even more intriguing. So, I pulled the trigger, bought 2 and sold one of them off. A Trailwalker for $250? Why not!?

I went ahead and ordered the black Trailwalker wheels at the same time and changed them out pretty much as soon as it all came in the mail. I also trimmed the body as so many have suggested and also tucked the front bumper in a bit more.

Also ordered the brass hex adaptors and the SSD brass knuckles and rear bolt on weights.

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[ebbet]

Once the brass hex adaptors and SSD good came in, I got to work. Started with the brass hex adaptors. Nothing exciting to report but they are a nice fit and finish.

The SSD knuckles are an impressive upgrade! Fit and finish are spectacular! They look fantastic and add a good deal od unsprung weight.

Next were the rear SSD bolt on weights. Again, fit and finish are superb. Easy install. They just barely clear the inside of the 1.55 Trailwalker wheels.

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[ebbet]

I'm never one to leave a stock body alone or keep the stock body at all. So I went to work weathering the stock body and adding some details to the stock front grill. Didn't realize I was missing the front headlight cover at the time.

Also got her out for a short run the same day. Did pretty good, especially for 3.85 OD kit tires. Only took one photo. Wish I had taken more.

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[JatoTheRipper]

Congrast on the new truck. That 2 for $499 deal was great.

 

[NCRon]

I almost did the same deal but I was afraid that I could not sell one. I also tucked my front bumper today and I ordered the Element hex brass adapters as well, still waiting on parts to arrive. The weathering effect and the grille is awesome. Rig looks great keep up the great work as well as posts. I guess you air brushed the effects?

 

[ebbet]

I almost did the same deal but I was afraid that I could not sell one. I also tucked my front bumper today and I ordered the Element hex brass adapters as well, still waiting on parts to arrive. The weathering effect and the grille is awesome. Rig looks great keep up the great work as well as posts. I guess you air brushed the effects?

Thanks!

I did not use air brush. It was kind of a quick job. Masked the windows and sprayed Tamiya flat clear polycarbonate paint all over the outside. Then took watered down Tamiya acrylic flat black and "washed" it. Used Tamiya weathering master orange rust to simulate the rust around the mirrors, etc. Then used some light tan Tamiya paint and kind of just misted it to give a dusted look. Hit it a little heavier in some spots. Not sure that shows up as much. You can kind of see it in these photos. The bad news is the flat clear will rub off when scratched by rocks, as you can already see in the photo.

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[NCRon]

Well it looked good and weathered. I am going to put flat black in the bed, and trim fender wells some for tire rubs. Thinking about painting wheels, door handles, tailgate latch wiper blades all flat black. Might as well paint the bottom flat black while I am painting. Might go to 1.9 wheels as well? When parts arrive I will tear down the tranny. Did you change to the overdrive gears?

 

[ebbet]

Well it looked good and weathered. I am going to put flat black in the bed, and trim fender wells some for tire rubs. Thinking about painting wheels, door handles, tailgate latch wiper blades all flat black. Might as well paint the bottom flat black while I am painting. Might go to 1.9 wheels as well? When parts arrive I will tear down the tranny. Did you change to the overdrive gears?

The truck comes stock with 5-6% front overdrive. Gearing to go to about 12% is in the box. Yes, I did install the gearing for 12%.

I thought about painting the door handles and tailgate handle flat black as well. Not off the table just yet.

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[ebbet]

A few obligatory garage shots. Wish the lighting was a little better. Gonna have to work on that.

Last one is with a cartoon effect.

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[Sherman]

Weathering looks great! Yeah, the only disadvantage of painting on top of the shell is anything scratches off on rocks and trees.

I'm considering buying a clear Element Sendero shell and painting the inside silver and then putting all the rest of the paint on the outside so as I damage the paintjob it scratches down to "metal".

Keep up the good work on yours so far!

 

[ebbet]

Weathering looks great! Yeah, the only disadvantage of painting on top of the shell is anything scratches off on rocks and trees.

I'm considering buying a clear Element Sendero shell and painting the inside silver and then putting all the rest of the paint on the outside so as I damage the paintjob it scratches down to "metal".

Keep up the good work on yours so far!

Agree! I painted up a Proline 4Runner for my IFS Enduro and painted on the outside. Silver underneath. Copper, then a light blue, then metallic blue on the outside. Over time the rock rash looks kinda cool!

Photos below show newly painted versus a few weekends of rock crawling.

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[Sherman]

Nice! Just the effect I was expecting!

 

[NCRon]

Great work on the effects, and once I got online on my laptop vs the phone I could really see how nice and detailed they were. The effects are nice and the Toyota has sure seen the rocks but it adds character.

 

[ebbet]

Last night I got to looking at another rig I have that had the RC4WD 1.55 white wagon wheels on it wrapped in Pitbull Rockbeasts with same OD as stock tire, 3.85. I think I like the white over the black, but I lose about 20 grams per wheel, so total of 80 grams. The white wheels also narrow the track width by maybe a quarter inch on each side. But I do like the overall look with the white wheels. Gonna go with that for a while. Can always revert back to black if desired. The Pitbull Rockbeasts are a better tire, as well.

Also added a few stickers to the rear window and tailgate.

Also got out on the trail today for a bit. A lot of photos and thoughts to come.

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[djr01974]

The white wheels look better. Kinda brings out the 80’s old smelly truck look.

 

[NCRon]

White wagon wheels for sure, brings back old memories for me. Looks great and more like the older design of the truck.

 

[Sherman]

I like the white wheels, the black wheels end up looking like one dark lump. The white pops a bit more.

 

[ebbet]

Thanks, folks! I think I'm gonna stick with the white wheels for a while. I like the way they look, as well.

So got the Trailwalker out the other day for a proper day on the trail and rocks to really see what this rig is made of. Following are my thoughts on a few things.

Stock Trailwalker body

I like the looks of this body, especially after weathering it. Has a nice old truck feel and look. I'm usually one to always go with a licensed body for the scale appearance. I'm OK with this one, though.

I'm not fond of the grill. Just too damn flat. I've seen a 3D printed grill that has a kind of Jeep J10 look but been unsuccessful in making contact with the vendor.

The side mirrors are susceptible to coming apart or just falling off in a tumble. I see now why a lot of people just remove them.

You have to trim the body. Otherwise it just gets hung up (rear bumper) or rubs terribly on the wheel wells.

I've got a clear one waiting in the wings. Gotta figure out a paint scheme, etc.

Stock ESC and Motor

The stock ESC is ok. Certainly not terrible and is plenty usable. The selectable drag brake is nice. 100% drag brake is a bit much and a bit harsh on a sudden stop. 50% seems to be the sweet spot. Good downhill control without going ass over head. Reverse on the ESC is a bit abrupt and jumpy.

The motor was surprisingly good! Low end control and creep is excellent and smooth for a RTR motor. Impressed!

Overall on Trails and Rocks

Overall a very capable rig even with the 3.85 OD tires. You certainly need to choose your lines more wisely. You can't just blow over obstacles like you can with some 4.75 OD tires. But having to choose your lines more wisely is what makes small tire rigs fun!

There were times it seemed the diffs would get hung up on things. Not sure if it is the shape of the diff covers or what. Could also be the lower positioning of the diffs due to smaller tire size. I wonder if an aftermarket diff cover like SSD's might hang up less? Sounds like a future purchase!

There were also times it seemed the rear axle would get caught on a rock or point of a rock. It would wedge between that area outlined by the rear axle, the lower link and the driveshaft. I did put the bent links on prior to the run and I feel as though they are contributing to the problem. Might need to throw the stock straight links back on and see if it changes anything.

Now for some photos of the outing. I'll need to load more at another time. I've apparently hit my photo upload cap for the month. Didn't know such a thing existed.

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[bionicbear]

have you looked into a sendero grill for the trail Walker body i made one fit for mine and I think it looks awesome

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[ebbet]

have you looked into a sendero grill for the trail Walker body i made one fit for mine and I think it looks awesome

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I have a Sendero grill and considered doing that mod. I do think that grill looks better on the Trailwalker. Also considered making my own out of styrene. The J10ish grill I mentioned above is my preference.

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