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DallasRob's Proline Baja aka Angry Herbie

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DallasRob

Member
Messages
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Tekno RC's
  1. MT410
Driving Style
Basher
Howdy

I was going to post a question about body mods when I realized that I never did an intro post.

About a year and a half ago, for my 54th birthday (yes, I'm an old man), I bought myself my first RC car: a Slash Ultimate. It's primary use was to torment, I mean exercise, the dogs. They love chasing it away. Things were great for a while. I broke small things and it ran a bit hot in the grass, but all-in-all, it's a good toy and parts are very easy to find. That is until I got bored an put monster truck tires on it. Everything started breaking at that point. It got to the point I was fixing it more that using it and throwing some serious cash into it. When I put normal tires back on it, all was good again but I really did miss the wheelies. A true monster truck was in order. I wanted to build a flipper. There's just something about the standing backflip.

I did some research and liked the idea of building a kit so I decided to go with a MT410. My build:

Castle Monster X w/ 1515 Sensored 2200kv + Blink Bluetooth
Savox SV-1270tg
Tekno 25t alloy servo horn
Proline MX38 Badlands
T-Bone bumpers/ skid plate/mud guards (Go with the stunt rear and buy the extra wheels)
M2C Rear brace kit
M2C Alloy center diff
Traxxas transmitter/receiver (i had spares from the slash)
Dusty motors M+ cover (that one may be a bit too long)
SMC 6500mAh 4S
Robinson 15T Hardened pinion
44t Hardened spur
Some other bits and pieces

IMG_3084 - Copy.jpg


The thing is a beast and delivers back flips on demand so, for me, 4S is all I'll ever need. The tires balloon so much now that I can't imagine what 6S would do.

Nothing too out of the ordinary. I mounted the ESC in that position to avoid crossing the motor and battery wires. The harness wires tucked nicely under and looked clean. I added some wires to the esc battery connector to drive lights. I could have pulled the power from the receiver and the esc's bec but I think that isolating them is a better option. I managed to pack the receiver, blink module, light controller and traxxas temp and charge telemetry into the receiver box. It's a tight fit but keeps them out of harm's way. I do most of my runs at night so lights were a must. The controller is on channel 3 so a flip of a rocker switch on the transmitter turns on/off the lights.


IMG_3089 - Copy.jpg



I had a couple of baja bodies left over from the Slash monster tire days and I really like that look so was pleasantly surprised when those bodies fit.

IMG_3082 - Copy.jpg


That's what I'm shooting for. A Herbie the Love Bug look except with attitude.
 
And that's when the problems started. I never really did trash a body with the slash since I reinforced them all with ShoeGoo and drywall tape but this truck is something different. For some strange reason, the bodies don't like a 10 foot turtle landing (accidents happen).

59751541125__13AA3DA0-B2C4-4B4B-A101-690848C12A7B - Copy.JPG


It was failing at the a pillars as well. Also the rear fenders were catching on the grass so they were failing as well

59632022063__600783C4-1E8A-413A-94A6-E687FD1C7228 - Copy.JPG


You can see in that pic how the fender folded over and it's tearing where it meets the body. When I looked at the damage, the drywall tape was failing. The ShoeGoo held, but the tape tore.

I built up the a pillars and they seem to hold now

IMG_3091 - Copy.jpg


But that trick isn't going to work on the back.

I bought a cheapo Graffiti pig body off ebay to test with (slash parts are *easy* to find) and a Proline baja from the LHS for when I get something workable.

IMG_3092 - Copy.jpg


It seemed to me that the drywall tape wasn't cutting it anymore. It was there for tear resistance and it was failing. To address that I'm trying ShoeGooCF:

IMG_3094 - Copy.jpg


That's carbon fiber cloth from Banggood attached with ShoeGoo. That should never tear (i hope). To keep it from unraveling, I'm using packing tape on top to hold it together while the ShoeGoo underneath dries. That's working out ok and peels right off.

What do you think? Am I going a bit too far? I plan on layering that at all the stress points.
 
To take care of the roof landings, I'm going to try mechanically attaching Kydex strips to the underside of the body from mount post to mount post. I made a wood pattern:

IMG_3095 - Copy.jpg


I've got some 0.093 Kydex coming so my plan is to cut it into strips, heat it in an old oven that I use for powdercoat and then mold it. Once molded, attach it to the body with screws so when it lands on it's roof, it'll have to deform the Kydex as well as the body. Hopefully that will be sufficient to protect it. I've never worked with Kydex so I have no idea if it will work. Anyone got any tips?
 
Welcome Dallas! That looks like a great setup you have going. I like the idea of that CF cloth. You will have to report back on how that works.

I think we need some photos of how the lights look :) I have an mt410 coming in the mail that has lights. Should be interesting!
 
Sorry, busy time of year.

The Kydex came and carnage ensued. More later.

The lights? Well running the slash taught me that lights on bumpers just don't last. If they can make first contact with something, they will not last long. I tried a bunch of different ones and none lasted for more than a week of bashing. Commercial products or ebay sellers, it didn't matter.

That's why I'm going with body mounted lights now. They seem to be out of harm's way.

I'm using these:

IMG_3102 - Copy.JPEG


Those are 12v COB (chip on board) LEDs in a metal housing built for cars/motorcycles. There are a couple of different styles and sizes. Here's the other style and size:

59831014664__2B1842C3-2889-4F91-8636-3F1F0959174C - Copy.JPG


The small one is a 18mm the large a 23mm.

These things are bright

IMG_3113 - Copy.JPEG


The red is so bright I felt the need to smoke them with Liquid tape (it dries translucent) to be easier on mine and the dog's eyes.

I only run one red because you don't need two and I'm not trying to be scale.

Even though they are listed as 12v they work at a range of voltages. They'll do 2s to 5s straight from the battery but the more volts, the more bright but the more heat which means the less life. I've been running a set for three weeks now on 4s voltage just fine. I'm probably going to end up using a Banggood 12v bec to try to prolong them and the 16v that a fully charged 4s gives is a bit too bright.

Here's a red one with liquid tape at full 4s:

IMG_3104 - Copy.JPEG


Notice how many amps it's drawing. at 16.8 it's .2, at 12v it's only .075 amps and at 9v it's .02

eBay and Banggood have tons of these for sale.

https://www.banggood.com/12V-3W-18m...992.html?rmmds=search&ID=233&cur_warehouse=CN

Here's the banggood bec. Be sure and get the 12v one
 
https://www.banggood.com/DC-DC-Conv...8.html?rmmds=search&ID=49553&cur_warehouse=CN

The wires coming out of these come in two styles. One is two silicone encased wires the other two really thin wires in a black sheathing.

The silicone ones are far better but I've only found those in the 23mm lights. The smaller lights seem to do a bit better because they don't seem to get dinged as much.

You can see the two different styles here:

IMG_3101 - Copy.JPEG


The fronts are the silicone ones and the rear the small ones. When I say small I mean small. 28ga probably. Very hard to crimp the JST connectors on those. I'd probably be better off splicing in my own wire.

Home depot and lowes sell some nylon washers that I ShoeGoo on the back side of the hole to protect the body. The nut keeps them very secure. Be sure and leave some extra wire for slack otherwise you'll pull the wires out when the body flexes.
 
Then there's the controller. Part of my game with the dogs is to turn off the lights while moving then hide the truck behind a tree. The dogs will go find it, bark at it and then I'll turn back on the lights and tear off again. Unless you have a real need to switch them on/off, skip the controller since it's a bit of a pain to wire. If you must I've found these on Amazon to be fairly robust:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FJZ67QM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They require a separate power input (which I like) but others will run off the receivers power. I can attest that they work with channels 3 & 4 on my traxxas 6533 receivers but don't know about other brands.

On eBay guy (rc-lighthouse) had an interesting way to power these. He supplied a female balance plug connector and wire so you didn't have to add anything extra. You just have to hook that up when you mount the body. His was only for a 3s but one could do the same for 4s/5s/6s and then put that 12v bec before the lights.

Finally, if you want to build your own wires instead of splicing, here is what you need:

Connector kit: https://www.amazon.com/Hilitchi-Hou...n&qid=1577284420&sprefix=jst+,aps,180&sr=8-16

Crimper: https://www.amazon.com/IWISS-Profes...KH1SMDJMJA0&psc=1&refRID=AGA9K85FZKH1SMDJMJA0

Small gauge wire stripper: https://www.amazon.com/Eclipse-CP-3...ords=wire+stripper&qid=1577284478&s=hi&sr=1-9

Some flush cut micro pliers: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=micro+flush+cut+pliers&i=tools&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

And some wire: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K4TMA1I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The 24ga is plenty and the silicone jackets are tough.


Rob
 
How do you like those road rages?
 
How do you like those road rages?

They are Badlands MX38's. They are huge (which gives a great monster look), provide a lot of cushion on landing, and are very grippy on the grass. It really is a back flip machine. These are the ones with the replaceable hubs. I've had to throw out almost new pre-glued's because I stripped out the hub. I've learned to keep the wheel nuts tight but should that happen again, I have a spare and it's a cheap part.

On the downside, they are huge. All that weight has to be stressing the suspension. I've broken two rear driveshafts so far. They broke at the wheel hub (the shaft was fine):

59753591198__EFFEB49A-6D35-4645-B737-1DF7A5D3254D - Copy.JPG


which I hear is unusual. That time it even broke the retainer inside the hub. Maybe I need to adjust the control arm stops a bit more?

And I've bent two rear turnbuckle standoffs:

59831586402__71726475-5118-4DD4-B445-F50BFD250FA0 - Copy.JPG


You can't see it but the screw is bent and can't be removed. Aluminum ones may be great for racing but I would love for them to start making the steel ones again.

They balloon like crazy. There is no way I'll ever be able to get it up to full speed even on only 4s. This is with a 15t pinion and 44t spur and 2200kv motor.

If I keep breaking axles I'll probably tone it down to the dBoots backflips that I hear are a good compromise. If I fix the axle thing, I'd get them again because I like the grip and look.

Rob
 
Oh wow, that must cause some serious stress on those to break like that. Never had that issue but I only run backflips. I do have some 3.8 Proline slingshots on their way though :)
 
I gave the set of Road Ragers away I had on my truck (in the picture) yesterday. Never used them. They came on another truck I bought used.
 
@DallasRob
On those replaceable hubs are you running the plastic replaceable hubs and how do they hold up?
 
I think that the driveshafts are my fault for landing while on full power. I guess the standoffs are my fault as well for landing skewed but I think that they could be a bit tougher.

I misspoke when I said that it broke in the hub. They broke inside the stub axle.

The plastic hubs have been fine. No issues there.

Here's what I've been doing for the torture test. Did about 30 of these the day before yesterday. Most landed better...

 
Howdy

I was going to post a question about body mods when I realized that I never did an intro post.

About a year and a half ago, for my 54th birthday (yes, I'm an old man), I bought myself my first RC car: a Slash Ultimate. It's primary use was to torment, I mean exercise, the dogs. They love chasing it away. Things were great for a while. I broke small things and it ran a bit hot in the grass, but all-in-all, it's a good toy and parts are very easy to find. That is until I got bored an put monster truck tires on it. Everything started breaking at that point. It got to the point I was fixing it more that using it and throwing some serious cash into it. When I put normal tires back on it, all was good again but I really did miss the wheelies. A true monster truck was in order. I wanted to build a flipper. There's just something about the standing backflip.

I did some research and liked the idea of building a kit so I decided to go with a MT410. My build:

Castle Monster X w/ 1515 Sensored 2200kv + Blink Bluetooth
Savox SV-1270tg
Tekno 25t alloy servo horn
Proline MX38 Badlands
T-Bone bumpers/ skid plate/mud guards (Go with the stunt rear and buy the extra wheels)
M2C Rear brace kit
M2C Alloy center diff
Traxxas transmitter/receiver (i had spares from the slash)
Dusty motors M+ cover (that one may be a bit too long)
SMC 6500mAh 4S
Robinson 15T Hardened pinion
44t Hardened spur
Some other bits and pieces

View attachment 3635

The thing is a beast and delivers back flips on demand so, for me, 4S is all I'll ever need. The tires balloon so much now that I can't imagine what 6S would do.

Nothing too out of the ordinary. I mounted the ESC in that position to avoid crossing the motor and battery wires. The harness wires tucked nicely under and looked clean. I added some wires to the esc battery connector to drive lights. I could have pulled the power from the receiver and the esc's bec but I think that isolating them is a better option. I managed to pack the receiver, blink module, light controller and traxxas temp and charge telemetry into the receiver box. It's a tight fit but keeps them out of harm's way. I do most of my runs at night so lights were a must. The controller is on channel 3 so a flip of a rocker switch on the transmitter turns on/off the lights.


View attachment 3636


I had a couple of baja bodies left over from the Slash monster tire days and I really like that look so was pleasantly surprised when those bodies fit.

View attachment 3637

That's what I'm shooting for. A Herbie the Love Bug look except with attitude.
Nice job! I did the same. Just not herbie lol. More like the Monster Beetle. These combos rip on 4s! If you break the steering top plate, aluminum ones are on ebay. I stay away from proline tires. Too many issues with drive train. Backflip lp, backflip 6s or copperhead 2 are awesome and can be had at Jenny's rc for $65 a set. Nice work man?
20191115_220347.jpg
20191122_155740.jpg
 
I’m very happy with the Backflips LP too. Best value for the money and very reasonable size & weight, which I learned is key for handling and reliability.

For the body, I do bash-race (race at the park) weekly my ET48 and EB48, and stock bodies can’t sustain that amount of stress. On the ET, it is not the bad landings, the sheer amount of chassis flex the body has to absorb will eventually kill it.

I went with the unbreakable body and stop worrying about it. Check your body equivalent here:
http://probodyrc.ru/short-course/sc10-baja-bug/

I always hear a wing is a good way to protect rear elements of the truck, body and rear tower. You should consider sacrificing the rear part of the body and running a wing. It’s just a suggestion, but could be your alternative to the ugly unbreakable and actually look pretty neat.
 
Nice job! I did the same. Just not herbie lol. More like the Monster Beetle. These combos rip on 4s! If you break the steering top plate, aluminum ones are on ebay. I stay away from proline tires. Too many issues with drive train. Backflip lp, backflip 6s or copperhead 2 are awesome and can be had at Jenny's rc for $65 a set. Nice work man?

Justin, love the Baja! I couldn't tell, did you remove the engine piece? What I was finding was that if I kept it high enough to not interfere with the rear bumper, the body mounts were very tall and would bend and eventually fail. The other thing was the rear fenders catching the ground and tearing out the mount. See below.
 
I’m very happy with the Backflips LP too. Best value for the money and very reasonable size & weight, which I learned is key for handling and reliability.

It sounds like I'll have to give them a try when these go since I'm worried a bit about the weight. JennyRC is out of stock at the moment but I'll keep watching.
 
Here's my carnage update.

The Kydex came on the 23rd and I played with it on the 24th. The .093 isn't very stiff so I'm afriad that I'm going to have to find some .125. There's plenty at 12" x 12" but I need 16".

The wooden mold was a bust. I had the shape generally correct but it didn't have the correct contours to hug the body. I did 5 ramp hits with the molded ones and I could see that it wasn't going to work.

Instead I cut some new strips, heated them for 90 seconds at 300 and then molded them directly on the body. I was a bit worried that the heat would damage the lexan but my worries were unfounded. Here's a shot of the wood molded one vs. the direct body molded one:

IMG_3122 - Copy.jpg


You can see how the one on the left has a bit of curve at the top. Those worked out much better so the mold went into the fire pit.

I could attach the new ones to the body with screws and that made things much stiffer.

I launched it off the ramp about 25 times letting it land as it may. The rear fender caught and caused a stress mark or two but no real damage. Was pretty pleased at that point but then I took it to the backyard and my little flipping mound. (You can see the mound in the picture showing the strength of the lights) I was trying to get a triple off that when it landed on it's left rear corner, pulled that body mount out and twisted the body in the mid right front.

IMG_3118 - Copy.jpg


IMG_3119 - Copy.jpg


Total failure. Oh and you can also see that perhaps I have the front a bit too low since the shock mounts are damaging the body.

I figure that this is my chance to see how well ShoeGooCF works. If it can fix that damage it's worth keeping:

IMG_3121 - Copy.jpg


Here's what I have now. I did the non-damaged side as a precaution. I had some screw heads pull through the body so I'm waiting on some washers before I can assemble again. I should be hitting the ramp again tonight.

I've pretty much removed the bulk of the rear fenders and the motor piece.

More later.

Rob
 
I went with the unbreakable body and stop worrying about it. Check your body equivalent here:
http://probodyrc.ru/short-course/sc10-baja-bug/

I messaged the probodyrc guy on eBay a while back. He said his Baja would fit (I think it's based on the slightly larger discontinued Proline one). I told him to let me know when he has one in white. He said OK but I never heard back.

The problem for me with those bodies is that they are like looking at a fuzzy picture. The details just aren't there and the won't take graphics well. I'm not ready to let go of Herbie quite yet. I may get there one day though.
 

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