RC Car Action August 2021

There’s plenty of ways you can build and RC kit. In the case of RTRs, there’s also unlimited ways to customize them. Are you a box art, as the factory intended it to be kind of enthusiast? Or are you into changing up your RC to suit your style and tastes? In this issue of RCCA, we fully embrace individualism and feature only fully customized RC. Starting with the cover car, the Arrma Felony is a beast of a muscle car right out of the box. Yet we modified ours along with some custom paint help from our friends at RC Patina. Another fully customized ride we get to examine is Scale Rat’s Suzuki Samurai. He tells us about the RC4WD Trail Finder 2 JS Scale Suzuki Samurai project he made…

1. Pro-Line Racing 1967 Ford Mustang Clear Body Mustang fans, your time has come! Pro-Line brings the iconic ‘67 Mustang Clear Body to the No Prep Drag Racing scene. The front end features a massively inset grill and headlights just like the full-size muscle car, which is only made possible with Pro-Line's proprietary molding technology. P/N: 3573-00 MSRP: $64.95 prolineracing.com 2. Spektrum Firma 85A BL Smart ESC/3300Kv Sensorless Motor Combo Like every component in the Spektrum Smart ecosystem, Firma Smart ESCs combine "plug-and-play" simplicity with the ability to communicate with other Smart electronics. Firma Smart ESCs function like a virtual engineer inside your model, providing a direct path to the vital operating data you need to reach peak performance. This combo comes with a powerful 3300Kv sensorless motor. P/N: SPMXSEMC01 MSRP: $99.99 spektrumrc.com 3. Traxxas High-Torque 330 Blue Servo The High-Torque…

Angelo built his tribute to the Mech-Tech College Corvette dragster starting with a retired Associated SC10 he had tucked away from years ago when he raced short-course trucks. Angelo, who operates of Unik Kustoms RC, watched with interest the increasing popularity of guys turning SC trucks into drag cars. He always enjoyed building custom stuff himself, so he decided to dust off his old SC10 and remake it in the image of the Mech-Tech C7 Vette since Pro-Line had the perfect body for it. He got a custom carbon fiber chassis and sourced a bunch of parts from Integy, updating some things since the SC10 stuff is no longer available; for example the rear end is now out of an Associated B5 with some DR10 parts. Angelo keeps that rear…

Ken tells us the Blazer started life as a run-of-the-mill Tamiya Highlift he got for Christmas when he was little, After beating it to death for 15 years he restored it with a RC4WD Blazer body wearing PPG paint. He installed a high/low engine and trans mod for more ground clearance, replaced the running gear with Traxxas stuff, and capped the K5 off with a set of RC4WD wheels and tires. The Sand Scorcher that the Blazer hauls around started as an original 1980s parts chassis Ken picked up off of eBay. He sourced all-original parts and rebuilt it with some body mods and full Traxxas running gear for this one too. The trailer he custom made from aluminum using a TIG welder and another leftover set of Scorcher wheels. BUILD…

Rob tells us this build was inspired by the Black Out POW/MIA Freightliner Classic built by Chuck Timbrook, which makes the photos of the two he took in Martinsburg W.V. all that much cooler. Like the big rig, Rob’s RC rig is a tribute to the US Military and its fallen heroes. The chassis is Axial’s SMT10 monster truck topped by a 2005 Chevy Silverado 1500 from JConcepts. Powerhobby’s 13-turn motor and PH-1060 ESC supply the power while JConcepts Firestorm tires provide the grip—mounted to black tribute wheels with 3d-printed white beadlock rings (also from JConcepts.) Getting the black-out look required Tamiya gloss black paint while the crowning touch—the distinctive graphics—were custom made by Rob’s friend Lauren Armstrong, paired with POW/MIA flags from J.B. Scale Graphics. You can follow the…

Chase tells us his truck started off as a lunch break parking lot basher, but that life lasted about a week. While visiting King Cobra RC for a track day Chase was drafted into the 4x4SCT class his buddy was running because the field was one entry short to make a legal race. Chase figured he'd get some practice laps and stay out of the way while the other guys raced it out, but the Baja Rey was fast—fast enough to win! His friend told Chase he wasn’t allowed to upgrade to another platform until it got beat! Chase spent the next few months refitting the Rey to be 4x4SCT legal. The biggest issue was the wheelbase, but Chase found that swapping on Axial Yeti-length trailing arms get him close,…