Wrench To Drive RC Car Resource

Hi guys, I don't have any skin in the 3D printer debate.  To me, it's a tool, nothing more.  I like mine just fine but I would consider a different one if I had to buy another one tomorrow. I chose the Creality Ender 3 in 2018 because there was lots of info about it, everyone seemed to agree that it was pretty good and it's reasonably priced (about $300 US). Ender 3 Upsides: affordable common lots of people post info and helpful bits and files Check out Chep on the YouTube and be sure to download his Ender 3 bed leveling file if you buy this printer easy to get parts (I haven't needed any) very easy to assemble (I'm a DIY guy so it's hard to judge) relatively easy to use lots of info out there no need for glue/hairspray voodoo to get prints to stick to the build surface DO NOT USE GLUE with the stock build surface (IMO). Ender 3 Downsides: Bowden setup, so some filaments are not ideal (PETG and flexible may not work well) PETG was ...

Hi guys, The topic for today is a question:  Does 3D Printing RC Car Parts Make Sense? Everyone who has an old car that's hard to find parts for or has ever had to pay way too much for a trivial RC car part asks this question.  The answer is that it depends.  That obviously leads to another question - depends on what? Let's begin with an example:  My most recent surprise is the durability of the rear suspension parts I made for the Kyosho Fazer MK2.  They have held up really well.  Well enough that I consider them a huge success.  That said, the shock tower I made for the Fazer was a miserable failure.  You'll break it for sure and probably on the first time out.  So there you go, a success and a failure on the same car.  Even worse, I guarantee that some guy will print them because I said this and the dang things will break much too easily.  3D printing is like that.  It's very hard to get consistent results.  I ...

Well guys, the Kyosho Fazer Mk2 Charger gets a big thumbs up right from the get go because of the huge smile it puts on my face.  This bad boy is like visit back to a warm summer day in my youth.  Yes, you guessed it, I was a Dukes of Hazzard fan so a bright orange Charger is something awesome.  And yes, you can see I'm going full General Lee with this car.  It's a little different than most because I replaced that 1970 Charger grill with a 69 Charger Daytona nose and slapped on a wing to match.  That kinda makes it my own but still pretty Dukes. My first impression on the quality of the car is that it compares very favorably with the Tamiyas because it is on par with the high end TT-02 chassis not the bottom end one.  It's also pretty similar to the Vaterra V100 based cars.  The suspension is nice and tight so the car should handle predictably.  The rest of the chassis is well designed and built with no obvious defects out of the bo...

One quick note guys, and it pains me to say this, the WLToys 12428 has gotten REALLY expensive lately .  If you want my advice, this is NOT the time to buy one.  It is simply not worth $150 US (used to be available for $100 US easily).  If you want to build a crawler, do an SCX10 clone instead.  If you want a budget RC car, my choice would be the SG1602 .  I don't have one but it's brushless, fast, durable, cheap and looks pretty nice, so what more could you want?  The only downside is that there really isn't anything to wrench on it.  The other cheap car that is really slick is the WLToys 144001 , but the battery life of a brushless is the decider for me.  Do what you want, that's my 2 cents worth. Parts list for 12428 and SCX10 versions of the 3D Printed Budget Honcho Crawler conversion There's also a build video . One thing to note, guys, the SCX10 skid plate and chassis rails that I ordered came with screws.  I did a poor job keep...

Hey guys, I'm a fan of the WPL C24 for a number of reasons but mainly because it's a really fun kit to build.  The main problem with the truck is that the overall quality isn't very good if you actually want to drive it.  If you want to upgrade it so that it runs a lot better, it is going to end up costing you about 4 times the price of the kit.  That's a lot, in my opinion.  There are a lot of rigs out there for around $100 US so spending a lot more to upgrade this one seems a bit crazy to me.  Anyway, here's a brief summary of how I got to where I am. If you want to watch a video about getting this little truck working really well, here it is . Guys, I make no money off of BangGood links.  When you're a new affiliate marketer, the only stuff they let you market for them is stuff nobody who knows better would want.  I'm posting the links purely because it's the best value right now if you want a C24 and/or parts.  Take that any way you want...

Hi guys, This is an easy build, guys.  I used a few non standard parts, mostly screws. If you don't have a WPL already, you probably want to start with the C44KM .  Why?  It comes with the 2spd transmission, metal axles and metal driveshafts right out of the box.  Those parts are getting silly expensive right now, so just pick up a complete kit and cut out the middle men driving up the prices.  Links to the C24 and parts I used below. Guys!  You can build this project using the stock WPL C24 or C14 but you probably know that there are a lot of upgrades available.  Build it however you want.  This chassis is a lot lighter than the stock one so it will probably be more durable than the stock WPL.  No promises, print quality is a big factor.  Mine hasn't broken a 3D printed part yet. If you don't want to read this guide,  check out the build video. A few cautions: Take apart your RTR WPL Crawler at your own risk. Follow ...

Hi guys, If you think my advice and recommendations are solid, please consider using my links when you buy stuff like filament and RC car parts because you pay the same price but I get a little bit of cheddar to make all this effort worth my while. If you want to watch a video instead of read, click here.  Like and subscribe if you find the YouTube channel helpful. My NEW favorite filament is Solutech . PLA: easy to print strong flexible Flexible filament: strong (like wow) bendy, maybe a bit too bendy The best way I can describe this stuff is that it's a lot like Hot Glue, and you know I love me the hot glue Orientation of your part when you slice it is the most important factor, guys.  Whether it's a beard on a part you want to look nice or a weak part that you want strong, the first thing to ponder is whether rotating it or flipping it or tilting it might make the print work better. 1) Pay attention to the direction of the printed lines and layers.  ...

Hey guys, This is a guide for putting together the WLToys 12428 solid front axle for the WLToys 12428 crawler conversion project.  The main difference between this axle and an Axial SCX10 clone axle is that the shock mount points are on top of the axle not on a shared screw with the four link mount.  This lowers the axle about 15mm and moves the shock mount forward about the same. A few cautions: If you don't know what you're doing and feeling nervous, get help from someone more experienced in the ways of DIY. Take apart your RC vehicle at your own risk. Follow these instructions at your own risk. Use common sense and review instructions before you follow them. Knives can cut you.  Use caution. Hot glue can burn you.  Use caution. Brad nails can stab you.  Use caution. Rubber bands can shoot you in the eye.  Use caution.  Please tell me if this happens to you, I can always use a laugh.  It's funny if you aren't the victim. ...