Innehållsförteckning för September 2022 från RC Car Action

Alec tells us that he’s been a huge fan of Herbie since he was a kid. When he saw that FMS/RocHobby was releasing a Beetle, he knew he had to build a Herbie out of it. Alec goes on to say, “I saw your recent review of the version done by RC Patina Guy, who did an amazing job on his Kommandeurwagen. Mine is a little cleaner, for now. I customized the bumpers, the paint and decals, but kept some artifacts from the source material that I appreciated, like the stealth light, split rear window, interior and rolltop color. The plates are from RC Plate Shop and the emblems are from Giuseppe Musumeci at rc-crawler.it. I hope you like it!” We sure do Alec, it’s a great looking Herbie. Great…

James reveals that this is only his second RC car and his first speed run truck. He was inspired to build this truck by seeing fast Traxxas Slashes on YouTube. He noticed that no one seemed to run the stock bodies on their speed run Slashes so he set out to keep it on his build, but with several modifications. We’ll let James fill us in: “So far I have learned a lot and seem to have the aerodynamics figured out. The truck is super stable and arrow-straight at speed. I spent a lot of time developing the underbody. It’s not easy and it took a lot of testing and flipping and crashing, but once you get it, it’s amazingly stable and straight. Now I need to upgrade the power…

Rally racing has captivated my interest since I was young, and though that may be true for many other forms of auto racing, with rally there is something a bit extra to it. Like other forms of auto racing, rally has cool cars, lots of skill involved and sheer speed. The extra bit with rally racing is the fact that drivers are ripping through forest trails, country backroads, and even the sides of mountains at break-neck speeds, and that just always seems like such a rush. It’s because of this extreme approach to racing that rally has always cast a spell over me. Now, I couldn’t tell you exactly who’s who in modern World Rally, but I will always be a fan of anything rally-related which, of course, extends to…

What’s your favorite RC activity? Racing? Bashing? Building? Collecting? If we’re talking about the hobby’s driving aspect, we’d have to say that we’re more partial to bashing over racing. On road, off road, low speed or high speed, if it’s bashable, consider it bashed. When Arrma dropped a large-scale, on-road, restomod, pickup-truck-bodied basher that was specifically designed to go fast and is built to last, we knew we had to get our hands on it. No, Arrma’s Infraction 6S isn’t a race vehicle that was converted to become a basher. It’s a purpose-built basher through and through, designed to take whatever the driver and road can throw at it—and still ask for more. There are two scales of Infractions available from Arrma; one is 1/8, and the other is 1/7.…

FEATURES The Spektrum Smart ESC Programmer V2 is a purpose-built programming unit for Spektrum’s Avian and Firma line of Smart ESCs. Compatible with a wide range of Spektrum Smart ESCs, the programmer allows for the adjustment of different options and parameters, all accessible through the bright LED display. The Smart Programmer is designed for ease of use and connects quickly and easily via the Smart ESC’s programming port with the provided cable. The programmer also allows for easy ESC firmware updates through its onboard USB link when connected to the ESC and a PC using the Spektrum SmartLink app. Spektrum also includes a handy LiPo voltage checker on the side of the programmer that is compatible with the balance lead on your LiPo pack. The compact design of the programmer…

Quick, reliable and easy to drive. These are some of the attributes we look for when shopping for an RC basher. One of the vehicles that has all that in abundance, along with a heavy dose of good looks, is Traxxas’ Rustler. Easily one of the most popular bashers that Traxxas offers, the off-road stadium truck is so popular that it is available in no fewer than nine variations and counting. Rustler is offered in two- or four-wheel-drive and is motivated by your choice of a brushed motor, brushless motor, and even a nitro engine option. It’s a versatile and fun vehicle to drive for sure. Traxxas has been on a vehicle-updating roll this year, refreshing its most popular platforms by including even more options on its already feature-rich offerings.…

Hello RC Car Action readers! My name is Mike Ortelli, but my friends call me Mike RC Guy, aka MuckBoots. I have been in the hobby for over 10 years and would like to say it is an honor to be featured in an issue of RC Car Action. It all started when I went to my first RC event, which happened to be Axialfest Badlands 2020. It was at the event that I realized it was time for me to add an Axial crawler to my ever-growing fleet of RC cars. Before the event started, I hit up the Horizon Hobby booth to see what show specials they were offering. Out of the wide variety of rigs, the gray-colored RTR SCX10 III Jeep Wrangler Rubicon JLU with portals was…

Small-scale RC has been on the rise in recent years, with every major player releasing miniatures of their most popular models. Mini crawlers are an especially hot ticket, as you’ll find 1/18, 1/24 and even 1/27-scale models from the likes of Axial, RC4WD and others. Smaller than 1/10-scale crawlers do have their drawbacks, but we must admit, they are tons of fun and have plenty of benefits you can’t get from a “full-size” RC. FMS has been making steady inroads into the surface RC market in recent years. The brand is well-known amongst RC airplane enthusiasts for their exceptional RTF (ready to fly) aircraft, but their unique yet highly detailed off-road vehicles are still a relatively new sight to ground-bound RC enthusiasts. What any casual observer will notice about FMS,…

FEATURES The Scosche PowerUp 32K is a versatile portable power pack for outdoor and on-the-go activities, and something that we felt was a perfect fit for the active RC hobbyist. The PowerUp 32K features a rechargeable 32,000mAh/115Wh lithium-ion battery housed inside a rugged external case. It provides up to 30W of power through its two USB-C ports, up to 12W of power through the single USB-A port, and up to 100W of power through its 110V AC outlet. The USB ports are ideal for smartphones, tablets and laptops, while the AC outlet can power lots of small portable electronic devices and chargers. The PowerUp 32K also features a built-in LED flashli1ght with three brightness settings and a carry handle built into the side of the housing. A molded carrying case…

What is a rat rod exactly? You’ve seen them before, maybe even around your town, and it’s undeniable that they look cool, very cool. A rat rod is a customized car that features a purposefully worn-down, unfinished appearance. It’s more than just a style of car, however; rat rods are essentially the kit bashers of the 1:1 world. Taking inspiration and parts from anything and everything, rat rod building requires creative thinking and use of what’s available. Clad with plenty of patina and rust, you’ll see rat rods sporting a wide selection of cast-off and repurposed parts. These “found” parts could include inspiration from outside the automotive world, such as the use of a spanner wrench for a gear shifter or a pistol grip as a door handle. Rat rods…

Glenn started with an Axial Wraith Spawn RTR rock crawler and converted it to a monster truck. He tells us that he chose a Pro-Line ’80s Blazer body to complete the look. It features homemade links to get the wheelbase right. The Behemoth is also outfitted with an ESS Sense sound system that gives the monster truck realistic V8 sounds. Glenn reports that it took a while to get the truck’s suspension, including the sway bar, limiting straps and shocks, dialed in. It looks like it was well worth the effort, fantastic job Glenn! BUILD HIGHLIGHTS - Chassis: Axial Wraith Spawn - Body: Pro-Line 1980 Blazer - Motor: Axial 27T - Speed Control: Axial AE-5 ESC - Battery: Turnigy 5000mAh 2S LiPo - Wheels and Tires: JConcepts Tribute wheels, GoldenYears…

Michael has been buying, building and customizing hobby-grade RC vehicles for over 30 years. He’s also been building and racing full size (1:1 scale) entry level drag cars since he was a teenager. Michael further informs us, “My grandfather, my father, a few of my uncles and myself were all mechanics. And even one of my sons is a mechanic now. So, naturally we’ve all been involved in auto racing, but I am brand-new to the RC drag race scene. I’m a Ford and Mustang guy myself and I currently own two Fox body Mustangs. So it was pre-ordained that all of my RC vehicles would have to include a Mustang or other Ford body, lol. For this current project, I converted a Traxxas Jato chassis over to electric power…

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Monster trucks, monster trucks, monster trucks! Everywhere you look you see monster trucks towering above the sea of people who gathered for the Monster Jam World Finals XXI at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. It’s a child’s dream come true to see these powerful machines gathered outside the stadium, and if I’m completely honest, it’s my man-child’s dream come true as well. I was invited to compete in the RC Monster Jam World Finals event that takes place during the two pit parties held at the weekend festivities. It was my first time competing in this event and first time attending a Monster Jam World Finals event, and I was pumped up because my attempts the past 10 years had been thwarted by work trips and then the pandemic.…

Cutting and placing decals is one of the finishing steps that can make or break the look of an RC model. Those final finishing touches go a long way to showcase the detail of an RC body, bringing it all together. Trimming those decals, however, can sometimes be a daunting task, requiring hours of time to properly complete. I used to dread this process when I was young, but as I’ve grown with the hobby, and with experience, I’ve come to find trimming decals to be a truly enjoyable process, made more worthwhile when seeing the final result. The key to properly trimming decals, like all finish work, is time and practice. With time and practice comes experience, and with that experience you learn what works and what doesn’t. In…

I was introduced to hobby-grade RC cars and trucks at around six years old by my cousin via RC Car Action magazine. We would read it from cover to cover hundreds of times every month. To us as kids, RCs were the ultimate toy, and it would be amazing if we could have any that we saw in RCCA. After a year or so of drooling over the cars and trucks in RCCA, my parents got me a Tamiya Lunchbox. They took me to the LHS (Local Hobby Shop) about a half an hour away and I got to pick the truck, radio, charger and batteries. My dad and I spent an hour or two a night building it for a week after he’d get home from work. What a…