ASK Cubby – Solid Questions, Questionable Answers

“Scale Basher?

Dear Cubby,

I’m looking to diversify my RC’s a little and try out a more scale rig (want to see what the fuss is all about). My concern is… I really enjoy “sending it” and I don’t think I’ll be happy slow-crawling over obstacles.

So what is the traxxas slash of the scale/crawler world… the swiss-army knife per se where depending on how you build it you can do just about anything? I’m looking pretty hard at a Yeti XL or a Bomber – but it would seem both need a ton of upgrades to bash without breaking every run. The UDR is interesting but seems like a 1 trick pony (basically a scale SCT). Is there something else you’d recommend?

No budget…. just want to get the right one the first time if possible.

Current stable: Slash 4×4 (converted to MT), Stampede 4×4, Arrma Kraton, Talion, Senton.

Love the site – you guys helped get me back into something I loved as a kid and now I get to share it with my kid!

Thanks in advance!

Rob L.”

Cubby- Hey ya Rob, thanks for writing in. I haven’t given away a t-shirt in forever, so shoot me your shirt size and snail mail for the hook up.

Ya know, a lot of “basher” type hobbyists are just now getting interested in the scale movement. Most held off because they thought the scale thing was a fad that would quickly go away. IMO, all our vehicles will migrate that way, yes, even race vehicles. I expect the scale movement to get even stronger in upcoming years across all genres.

With your current stable of vehicles, you have some legendary bash machines. Therefore, to give you a taste of whats really going on with the change in the industry, I think you should try a Traxxas TRX-4 of some sort. Why? You already have some Traxxas vehicles at home, so you are comfortable with the brand. But, I recommend the TRX-4 to you for a couple of other reasons. One- it is a prime example of what is taking over the industry right now, so you should try one. And two- you can get it with a two speed transmission, thus giving it a lot more top speed than most scale crawlers. That is something that you, a hardcore basher, will really appreciate. You can crawl with it, or you can throw in a serious BL system and catch some pretty crazy air with one. It is also fairly durable, so you can “send-it” a bit without breaking a bunch of parts like you would on some of the other scale crawlers on the market.

Just go with whatever looks cool to ya and send me some pics and info on how you are liking it. Go fast, turn left, break lots of parts my friend.

“Muddin

what is the best ALL OUT mud tire that you know of? down here in Louisiana, we got plenty of mud and monster trucks.

Darin R.”

Cubby- Well hey there bud, thanks for writing in. A snail mail for a sticker pack as per the norm.

So, Darin, you like getting dirty do ya? Sorry, I am not a mud specialist, so I can’t give you much info on tires made specifically for mud racing. However, I do a lot of general mud driving with monster style trucks, and with those, here is what I truly prefer.

For extra deep, sloppy conditions, that would be Pro-Line’s Sand Paws all day long. Those things love chewing up wet, sloppy, mud, and are a huge improvement over any type of stock tire in those conditions. Now, the Sand Paws are the bomb for loose surfaces, but you won’t want to use them on harder surfaces.

For stickier mud conditions that aren’t so deep, and for use on harder surfaces as well, I prefer Pro-Line’s Badlands series of tires. In medium to very thick/sticky mud, the wide gap between knobbies on the Badlands easily allow mud to escape, thus allowing a fresh edge to get a good bite on the next rotation. The Badlands truly excel in certain types of mud, but also love grass, and aren’t bad on pavement if you aren’t concerned about wear.

So there ya go Mud Man Darin. Shoot me some pics of your mud rig, I might need to schedule a trip to do some mud bashing down south (actually sounds like a ton of fun)!

Have an insane question? Need a crazy answer? Have a potent rant that you just have to get off your thumping chest? Email me- thecubreportrc at gmail dot com.