Reader’s Rides
We now have an easy new way to submit your Readers Rides to RC Car Action online. Just go to
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!
AARON BAILEY « BRUNSWICK, ME
Aaron’s main focus over the last few years has been customizing scale crawlers and we’ve featured a couple of them. But he was feeling the need for speed so he picked up one of brawny Unlimited Desert Racers from Traxxas. The stock 6S power the UDR delivers is good for 50+mph already so Aaron focused his first round of upgrades on improving looks and scale realism. He had
RCP Designs spray a custom paint job on the stock UDR shell, and he hand-painted all of the factory scale accessories. He upgraded the wheels to CNC aluminum rims (the tires are stock) and front suspension arms, but the real star addition is a custom CNC aluminum rear axle—all by Vitavon.
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BASED ON AN AXIAL SCX10 II RTR BUILD HIGHLIGHTS
DAN RHOADES « STERLING HTS, MI
The plans for Dan’s vintage Chevy wrecker started back in 2016 with guidance from his wife, who was also into RC. They decided on a custom tow truck for their local track, but as the build was underway she fell ill and eventually passed away and he set it aside for a while. But he felt the need to finish the project, and took it up again and dedicated it to her. It’s based on an Axial SCX II RTR which he disassembled down to the rails and then rebuilt using RC4WD HD R44 axles and steel underdrive gears, an Integy aluminum transmission case. He fabricated new links and reworked all the geometry for no bump steer. The cab body tilts forward on a custom bumper hinge and is retained at the back using magnets mounted on custom brackets. The back half of the body is built entirely from scratch using styrene for the box and soldered brass for the boom. A winch raises and lowers the boom and a second winch works the sling so that it operates just like a real tow truck with the tow bar rotating as the truck turns. Power comes from a Castle Creations Mamba X controlling a 2850 Slate motor. A Savox 230WP servo turns the front wheels and a second micro servo turns the steering wheel. A pair of Yeah Racing winch control PCBS handles the tow boom and sling with a separate battery to power them. Originally he planned to build his own rotating lights but found a set on Amazon that saved time and money so he went with them instead. The rest of the lighting uses a mix of Axial and Traxxas parts, and he finished it off with a set of RC4WD chrome steel wagon wheels wrapped in MT Claw 1.9 tires.
JASON WOLF « DOWNERS GROVE, IL
If you’re thinking these photos—and the Tamiya truck they depict—look a little old-fashioned, you are not wrong. Jason snapped them more than 30 years ago (check out that ‘80s Ford Escort in the background for proof of their vintage!) and scanned them in from period prints, which is why they have that old-school look. Jason tells us that his Blackfoot had hop-ups that were cutting-edge… for the day. He replaced the stock mechanical speed control with a Novak Rooster reversible ESC controlling a Trinity Green Machine 2 motor and putting power down through a Thorp Burners transmission with a telescopic shaft. And he controlled it all with a Futaba Magnum Junior controller. His collection has become more modern since, and he now shares his passion for RC with his two sons.
BASED ON A TAMIYA BLACKFOOT BUILD HIGHLIGHTS
PHIL REIBEL « HOBART, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA
Phil had an alloy SCX10 clone frame that he decided to build up, but he really liked the locking/unlocking diffs from the Traxxas TRX-4 so he decided to adapt them to the project using a 4-link setup. He added a set of Gmade Transition shocks and connected up a Hitec 985 steering servo. For power he chose a Speed Passion 10.5 brushless running on 2S Lipos. To make sure it could maintain traction everywhere he installed a set of Traxxas Traxx treads and topped it off with Axial’s Jeep Forward Control (FC) body. He tells us he built it mainly for crawling but it can get airborne when he really puts the power down.
Larry had his sights set on Pro-line’s 2014 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab body, so the first mod he made to his Axial SCX10 II chassis was a set of custom length links for the 4-link with Integy rod ends to stretch the wheelbase to the required 13 inches. Also added were a set of SSD double-bent titanium steering and Panhard links. Integy blue shock towers hold KYX shocks in place. He installed an alloy servo relocation bumper mount and a separate Traxxas receiver box and wiring harness to hold
LARRY CHERRY « HERKIMER, NY
a mini Lipo to power the rock lights. The headlights, fog lights and taillights all run off the main battery, which is a Zee Power 4600mah shorty pack on a low-cg relocation plate. He upgraded the motor to a Holmes Hobbies 35T Trailmaster with a Hobbywing 1060 controller. The silver bead-locks now wear 1.9 RC4WD Goodyear Wrangler MT/RS for their scale look. Larry finished it off with Tamiya Pearl White accented by black, and installed an Axial ’69 Blazer rear bumper.
BASED ON AN AXIAL SCX10 II BUILD HIGHLIGHTS
MIKE ANGELOFF « CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI
Mike tells us that he’s been into RC since the early ‘90s but surprisingly this Axial SCX10 II Jeep Cherokee is his very first crawler. Living in Wisconsin this time of year he needed something good in snow and ice, and he reports that the Cherokee just keeps kicking with a mostly stock setup. He added a custom tire carrier for looks, and Axial’s light kit (complete with turn signals) for realism. He controls it all with a Flysky FS-GT2B radio and he upgraded the power system to a Goolrc
35T brushed motor with a Hobbywing ESC. He runs it on old-school Nicads in the winter time because they hold up better in the cold. He tells us he’s almost finished with a custom snow plow for it—that should really test those Nicad packs!
BASED ON AN AXIAL SCX10 II BUILD HIGHLIGHTS