ASK Cubby- Ask Me Anything, Except For That

“Just a question or two from me to you

Hiya Cubby,

My scaling plans involving the TRX 4 and or the Barrage are on hold due to being poor. So instead, I’m dusting off and giving some love to my older RC Cars. I am re purposing my Anza Slash and turning it into an Anza Pro-MT!

The Anza and the Pro Line offerings to upgrade the Slash were pretty similar in a lot of respects, so with a few tweaks and mods my Anza will become an Anza-MT.

The Anza’d out Slash benefitted from a bit of weight up front, so I was thinking of swapping out the stock Traxxas front bulkhead for the STRC aluminum one. So here’s my question, all BS aside, which parts actually gain benefit out of being Aluminum?

Most of the forum advice I have been reading is that while Aluminum parts are tougher, they can lead to other parts failing because they no longer have the benefit of the previously plastic part flexing and absorbing some of the shock of impacts, gnarly running etc. That makes a certain amount of sense, but what does the real world say, for that, I figure who better to give real world, yeah we actually have tested (ok bashed the snot out of) it and this is what we found out, advice.

So if it was your Anza MT which parts would you switch to aluminum? The parts I’m planning on switching that I’m curious about are the front bulkhead, the rear suspension arms and possibly the steering.

If you get some time, lemme know your thoughts.

Genghis Ken”

Cubby- Hey now Genghis, how ya be? Thanks for writing in, be sure to shoot us your mailing info for the hook-up on a sticker pack.

What parts are best made from aluminum? For a hardcore basher, that really depends. Aluminum is typically heavier than the plastic pieces they replace, but then they typically bend instead of completely snap. Aluminum parts sure can add some bling to your rig, but when it comes time for maintenance, they can be a pain to work with or remove.

Personally, I am only a fan of the chassis being aluminum, as well as shocks, pivot blocks, and shocks towers. I can’t tell you how many plastic chassis I have snapped, I would much rather bend back an aluminum chassis. It won’t be exactly straight, but the truck will be good to bash the rest of the day. Plastic shocks always have a tendency to break, especially under hard use, so it just makes sense for them to be aluminum, and I would also rather have aluminum towers bend, than plastic ones snap.

BTW, Anza was a really cool company. They put out some really trick gear, but then never really took off. We still have our Anza Traxxas Slash around the office and it still rocks, even after years of abuse.

What parts on your Anza need to be aluminum? I would skip the aluminum arms. These look great, but do tend to create breakage at other spots. The front bulkhead would be fine to upgrade, while a new aluminum steering rack might also be good. The front rack pretty much depends on slop, if the aftermarket unit has less slop than the steering rack you are currently using, then I would go for it.

“Need some guidance from you guys

Hi. I want to buy my first RC and i don’t know what should i buy. I have some options: Arrma Fury blx,Losi xxx-sct and Traxxas Rustler Vxl.

I don’t know which one is better? I have 350 dollars budget if there’s any other option let me know.

Thanks a lot.

Ali C.”

Cubby- Yo hey Ali, thanks for writing in. I receive a LOT of questions just like yours, so here it goes…

So… you are debating between the ARRMA Fury, the Losi XXX-SCT, and the Traxxas Rustler VXL. Lets see, two are 2wd short course trucks while the third is a stadium truck.

With a $350 budget, you are clearly in brushless powered territory. Are you a first time driver? If so, I would recommend saving the cash on your first truck and buying one that is powered by a brushed motor. These will be closer to the 200-250 price point, but they come with about the right amount of power for a first time driver.

If you already know how to drive, then by all means, get the brushless version. However, if you go BL on your first truck, chances are that you’ll end up breaking more parts, which means more money and more time fixing things. There really is a learning curve for first time hobby grade rc drivers, expect it to take a half dozen runs before your brain starts learning how to compensate for driving different directions.

As far as which one to buy, all three are solid bashers. The Losi and the Traxxas are slightly older designs, but they both drive well and can take some good sized hits. The ARRMA uses a newer design, and if you get the BLX version of the Fury, it will have insane power. The Traxxas has outstanding parts support at most local hobby shops, while the Losi just might be the best handling of the bunch. In the end, what you pull the trigger on paying for is up to you. As all three are good trucks, which one looks best? Does one brand have better parts support at your local hobby shop? Do your friends drive any of these trucks? If so, that can help when it comes to finding spare parts.

Have fun, go fast, and be sure to shoot us an email letting us know what you ended up buying.

So there ya have it, another ASK Cubby is in the books. You too can hit me up- thecubreportrc at gmail dot com. If your question hits the big time you’ll get one of our quite uber sticker packs, or if I proclaim your email as “Letter of the Month” you’ll win a free t-shirt.

YOUR Cub Reporter