THE BUILD
RC10B74
The buggy you see here is a customized version of one of the RC10’S descendants, the RC10B74. This 1/10-scale electric 4-wheel drive buggy started out as a Team Kit but its owner, Laruen Short of San Gabriel, California, decided to do what he likes to do best, which is to tinker with it and heap on a ton of aftermarket parts. His goal was to tailor the car’s performance to his preferences as well as enhance its looks.
Short is a casual RC enthusiast that does some weekend bashing at local tracks. His aim is to eventually compete at area races but in the meantime, he’s been having fun building and decking out his kit with parts from companies that are both wellknown and not. We checked out his version of the B74 and asked him what some of his favorite upgrades were.
UPGRADES
One of the first upgrades he installed to the
B74 was a Center Differential unit from Team Associated. Short explains, “The center diff was installed mostly because it provides a smoother feel on dirt and clay versus the stock slipper unit and is easily tunable with diff fluid. Plastic gears were installed in all 3 diffs, lightening them by several grams each providing less rotating mass.”
He went on to explain that he also added Team Associated’s DCV Driveshafts to the car. Of the shafts, he said, “DCV driveshafts are used for smoother on-power steering response, in theory, but really I just thought the double-cardan design was really cool.” He didn’t stop there, as he also added Team Associated’s FOX Kashima coated shocks. They promise to be smoother because of its slick coating, but he concedes that he mainly got them because he liked the shocks’ color. Style may not necessarily help you win races, but it definitely helps with overall car enjoyment.
He also added a set of Team Associated’s graphite rear shims for the convenience it affords him. It allows the ability to tune the hub position without full disassembly. Less time setting up means more time on the track. He also opted for their machined shock spacers to provide more precise tolerances compared to the box-kit’s plastic parts. Short informed us that 10° caster blocks were installed in place of the original 9° blocks to smooth out the steering for his style of driving. The increased caster helps to smooth out steering response.
A UNIQUE BUILD
It’s clear that Short enjoys searching out independent or lesser-known brands. He favors Avid Racing Concepts bearings and other upgrade parts. For his B74, he installed Avid’s “Revolution” Bearings, Shock Collar & Cap Set, and Avid Shock Standoffs. Of the company, he reports that he’s had a great experience with their parts. He explains why he went with those parts, “Avid’s shock parts were chosen since I really like their design; the collars have notable ‘index’ points on either side allowing for easier collar adjustment on the fly. The Avid standoffs use nylon bushings, providing a bit smoother ‘pivot’ of the upper shock mount. An Avid carbon wing button was chosen for looks.”
He also sourced parts from the other side of the world, literally, from Bezerk RC. The Australian outfit’s parts are designed and made in-house and are made-to-order. Short opted for their 5mm “Extra Camberlink” Front Shock Tower and HD Bellcrank Input Arm to shore up the car’s suspension. Berzerk’s front shock tower is 1mm thicker than the factory part and provides and extra row of outer holes alongside a row of “inner” positions that match the factory tower. “I prefer the outer link position, which is why I opted for that specific tower. I also purchased a ‘mid’ position design, which splits the difference between the factory hole positions and the ‘outer’ holes on my current tower,” Short tells us. Berzerk’s bellcrank arm was chosen for longevity since it’s thicker and a bit more reinforced than the original part. He says that it’s ideal for him, “Since I crash a lot.”
Lunsford Racing has been around for decades; they provide some the industry’s top-notch titanium goodies. He wanted in on the action and installed their Titanium 5.5mm Ball Stud Kit. It keeps things lightweight and strong and have the bonus feature of providing a more “fitted” feel. For surface grip, he uses a mix of wheels and tires. In the pictured configuration, the B74 sports Pro-line wheels shod with Pro-line rubber.
If you haven’t noticed yet, Short’s preferred color is purple. From the looks of the car, this isn’t exactly a shocker. What is interesting is that he went with Klinik RC titanium turnbuckles for weight reduction, and also because they are purple. He also sourced a set of titanium diff screws that he installed in all three differentials to help further reduce mass. Another set of hardware he found is zinc-plated blue-dyed screws that he chose to use due to their corrosion resistance. Zinc plating holds up to moisture much better than a standard black oxide finish. Short adds, “The piece of mind of zinc plating is nice when running the buggy on damp clay, plus the blue dye looks pretty cool.”
The PSM HTC chassis is the latest addition to the car. PSM is a German company that precision crafts upgrade parts for RC cars including the B74. The chassis allows for weights to be added into relief cuts found in the chassis. Of this feature, Short says, “I really like the idea of tunable weight distribution with their weight set; their quality is top notch and that black anodized finish is wicked cool.” We couldn’t agree more.
Revolution Design is another company that hails from Germany. The B74 is outfitted with their aluminum rear hubs. The parts were chosen for the look, plus Short liked the idea of aluminum hubs in the rear instead of plastic. Of it he says, “The weight is kept down low, and although it’s unsprung weight, I haven’t noticed any negatives. The Revolution Design fan mount provides a more solid solution to mounting my motor fan, a 30mm highvelocity fan by Racing Performer made by Yokomo.”
Rounding out the build is a host of electronic upgrades that include a Hobbywing Xerun XR10 Pro 160A Sensored Brushless ESC that helps power a Hobbywing 13.5 V10 G2 Brushless
Motor. Guiding the B74 around the course is a Protek RC 160T Steering Servo. The RC 160T is a high voltage, low profile servo that features metal gears and delivers a respectable 216 ounce-inch of torque and is rated at 0.08 transit speed at 6.0V. Connecting to the transmitter is a Ko-propo KR-415FHD receiver. The car is powered by SMC Racing’s True Spec Premium 7.4V Shorty Battery.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Short’s RC10B74 is a far cry from the RC10 that I had as a kid. His B74 is decked out with plenty of great gear from far and wide. Thanks to the strong support from manufacturers as well as aftermarket companies, there is a ton more things you can do to a kit nowadays. If only I still had my RC10 today, I wonder how I’d modify it. Perhaps I should build myself a B74 instead.
We absolutely love seeing the unique ways that enthusiasts modify their kits. If you have a build that you’d like to see featured, tag us on Instagram: @rccaraction.