RC Car Action Summer 2020

We hope you’ve been hanging in there. It looks like the pandemic is on a downward slide and that the world is opening up once again. If you do venture out, we encourage you to support your local hobby shops and RC tracks. They can use the support and we can all use the track time. Speaking of tracks, we’ve been playing in the dirt so much lately that we felt like we were neglecting another surface that we love to run our cars on… the pavement. In this issue, we get off the dirt trails and roll strictly on hard surfaces. We sit in the driver’s seat so to speak of four drastically different builds that all call the on-road realm their home. We drive a quintessential on-road basher, the Traxxas…

1. Reefs RC 400:SCv2 Racing Servo This high-torque high-speed brushless servo is water resistant and features a magnetic angle sensor as well as pulse width modulation control and is fully programmable with Reefs Software. MSRP: $119 reefsrc.com 2. Pro-Line Racing Impulse 1.9" Black/Silver Plastic Internal Bead-Loc Wheels Made with rock crawlers in mind, these two-toned 1.9-inch beadlock wheels can be used on the front or rear positions. These wheels are sold two-per package. SKU: 2769-13 Price: $26 prolineracing.com 3. Hobbywing XeRun 3652 G2 Sensored Motor (3800kv) This ROAR approved brushless motor features an innovative 4-pole-8-magnet "staggered pole" rotor with low cogging effect and torque pulsation that greatly improves control feel around corners. SKU: 30401058 MSRP: $80 hobbywingdirect.com 4. Hobby Burger 3D Printed Coke Machine If you’re looking for a great way to decorate your scale garage or diorama, look no further than Hobby Burger. The…

A NEW WAY TO SUBMIT YOUR RIDE! We now have an easy new way to submit your Readers Rides to RC Car Action online. Just go to Rccaraction.com/readers-ride-entry-form/ to fill in your vehicle’s info and upload your pix directly to us! As a bonus, it will generate a shareable link that you can send to your friends or share on social media to show off your ride to everyone! CHEVY BLAZER WHEEL-STANDER MATT TOPAS « KAPOLEI, HI Matt has sent us pix of several of his custom vintage dragsters, but this one is designed to put on a show like few others. Patterned after the exhibition dragsters of the ‘60s and ‘70s this square-body Blazer replaces its front-mounted small block with a blown alcohol big block hung way out back. That plus the RC4WD…

We may all use similar tools and gear at our workbench, but no two are ever completely the same. Some people base their pit equipment on price, preference, experience and even brand loyalty. That makes look at different TDCs that much more fascinating. In this issue, we catch up with a local racer who we met up with to see what he uses trackside. 1 ProTek RC TruTorque Team Tool Bag SKU: PTK-8102 MSRP: $24 amainhobbies.com 2 SKU: PTK-8102 MSRP: $24 amainhobbies.com SKU: #107855 MSRP: $101 hudy.net 3 Pro-Line Racing Roll-Up Pit Mat SKU: 9908-01 MSRP: $29 prolineracing.com 4 Traxxas Master Kit SKU# 8710 MSRP: $160 traxxas.com 5 MIP Tools Hex Drivers MSRP: starts at $16 miponline.com 6 Thingiverse 3D Printed Bit Holders thingiverse.com 7 unknown Thin Long Nose Pliers Bought for: $1 from pawnshop 8 Flambeau Vintage Mini Twin Tackle Box Bought for: $12 on eBay flambeauoutdoors.com 9 Futaba Repurposed Receiver Package For Loose Parts MSRP: none futabausa.com 10 Harbor Freight Storehouse…

HUDY Pit LED SKU: #107855 MSRP: $101 hudy.net Features: This compact, lightweight lamp has 3 brightness adjustments with a high-sensitivity touch dimmer for easy control, and the anti-glare light diffusor reduces visual fatigue. What the user says: “One of the older pit lights but it works great and folds up small.” MIP Tools Hex Drivers MSRP: starts at $16 miponline.com Features: There’s a reason why you see MIP tools at every RC track you’ve ever been to. They are high quality and work really well. What the user says: “These are a staple in most racer’s arsenal, its easy to see what you are looking for with the colored labels.” Traxxas Master Kit SKU# 8710 MSRP: $160 traxxas.com Features: Traxxas premium tool kits feature precision-ground, hardened-steel hex tips that fit just right, to prevent wear, rounding, and screw damage. What the user says: “This is quickly becoming my favorite tool set, having to work with…

Details Most scale parts come molded or printed in a single color. To add much needed detail to the part, an easy way to spruce up your parts is to take a paint marker to it. Using a black paint marker, we quickly and easily added some detail to this Hi-Lift jack. Panel Lines Filling in the panel lines on your RC body with permanent or paint marker is a good way to add extra detail and realism to your vehicle. We are using a Gundam Marker made for plastic model kits here, but a thin tip Sharpie would work too. Weathering Adding scrapes and other wear marks can add much to the scale appearance of your kit. Using the appropriate color for the weathering effect is important too. Brown would be good for the…