Monster Truck Madness – Building a Corvair for the Mud
Hello everyone and happy Thursday to you all!
Today is the first day of August, and that means that Summer is nearing its conclusion. I mean, I guess that’s positive thinking- here in the Midwest it’ll probably be hot for at least another two months, but hey, I can dream, right?
Anyways, with the calendar inching towards Fall, I’m very much looking to enjoy the eventual cooler temperatures with a new trail truck. I’ve been wanting to get back into trailing in a big way the last couple years but I’ve just been too busy. That’s changing this year!
Getting back into trailing means it’s time for a new kit build. I’m trying to think of the last crawler kit I’ve built, and I’m having trouble doing so. It probably would have to be a gen 1 Axial SCX10 or Wraith? Yeah, it’s been awhile. I mean yeah, I’ve had a bunch RTR’s and all that, but it’s been close to a decade since I’ve done a true crawler kit.
I started with a body- I thought it would be fun to use a JConcepts Corvair and go from there. The Corvair has a 12.3″ wheelbase, the most popular body size for this segment of the hobby, so there were lots of choices for chassis. Ultimately I went with an Axial SCX10.3 Base Camp Builder’s Kit.
The electronics are a JConcepts 21t Silent Speed brushed motor that will be mated to a Hobbywing QUICRUN 1080 WP ESC. For steering, I am trying out a ZOSKAY 35 kg waterproof servo. I’m locking out the dig, so no servo needed for that. All of this will feed into a Spektrum SR315 3 channel RX (I run all of my non-RTR trucks with a Spektrum DX6C radio).
The wheels are some vintage style Treal 1.9’s with a bronze finish that will be sitting inside a set of green compound JConcepts The Hold 1.9 tires. I LOVE the aesthetics of these things, what with the look of an aggressive hand cut tire.
You never quite know how wheels and tires from different manufacturers will go together, so the first thing I did before anything else was try to mount them up. I’m happy to report they go together (and look) great!
I’ll share the finished rig in a few weeks!
Until next time, keep it on all 4’s!
