ASK Cubby- Your Questions, Me Mashing More Keys

“Long overdue shootout!

Stampede 4×4 VXL vs
Losi Ten MT
Vaterra Halix
ECX Ruckus 4×4
HPI Bullet Flux
HPI Jumpshot MT Flux
Helion Invictus
Redcat Racing Volcano EPX Pro
Team Magic E5 Monster Truck
FS Racing Victory Brushless
JLB Racing Cheetah

Either out-the-box, lightly modded, or fully upgraded and in terms of value and all-out performance. Who comes out on top from this list of 1/10 scale brushless 4×4 monster trucks? Only one way to find out who’s the best!

Erick G.”

Cubby- Hey ya Erick, it looks like you are quite a fan of 4wd monster trucks. And yes, we dig your list. There are a ton of truly kick-rear bash machines that you have named. It would not only be a blast to get them all together in one place and have a go at it, but I’m sure thousands upon thousands of readers would like to see them tested side-by-side as well.

That is truly the only way to know which is best. It is amazing to me how we can test one truck, then 6 months later forget exactly what it drove like when we test another in its class. That is why, whenever we can, we bring a direct competitor along when testing new machines. It isn’t possible all the time of course, but we do it whenever possible.

So… thanks for the list Erick, we’ll do what we can to make your shootout a reality. Oh and, be sure to shoot us your snail mail for a free BSRC sticker pack.

Drifting

Hi,

What would it take to turn my Traxxas Bandit into a drifter? How much do you think a conversion would cost?

Thanks,

Jack H.”

Cubby- Ya know Jack, while some people might laugh at your question, I do not. In fact, your question kinda reminds me of how cool this hobby is. Nope, a Traxxas Bandit buggy was never, ever, EVER, designed to be a drifter, but being a hobbyist, a big part of the fun is turning one thing into another.

Hey, I am Not a drift guy one bit, but this is what I would do if I had to turn a Bandit into a drift machine.

1. Wheels/tires (around $15)

Actually, it might not be wheels and tires, it might just be wheels. The drift guys just love to run on ultra-hard pvc style tires, so I would probably buy a new set of rims, sand/cut off the beads, and run on those.

2. Power system ($174 ESC/motor, $5 pinion, $100 3S LiPo)

Whatever power system you have in there now would probably suffice, but then I am a lunatic for power and melting a set of wheels down on pavement would probably be a lot of fun. Therefore… you are going to want a Castle Mamba Max Pro 6900kV system, a 3S LiPo, and the smallest pinion gear that you can fit on your buggy. Oh yes, I can smell the burning plastic now.

3. AVC stability control ($140)

Ya know, I have zero clue why drift guys have all the hate for a gyro. Seriously, I have driven multiple drift cars and they simply have no traction, At All. This makes them impossible to drive at any sort of speed. Heck, even “good” drifters have a hard time controlling their cars around a track. I say skip the dumb stuff and put a Spektrum radio with AVC in your Bandit. With AVC turned on you can do some tuning and soon you’ll be able to gracefully slide around corners in full control, without unnecessary spin outs.

So there ya have it, do the mods then shoot me a link to a video, I would love to see how your Bandit turns out.

Yup, another ASK Cubby is a WRAP! If you have what it takes, send me an email with your question/rant/whatever, thecubreportrc at gmail dot com is the email address you want. Until next week, go fast, destroy everything in your path.

YOUR Cub Reporter