I could not find a review or write-up on this truck that didn’t just rave about it. Those reviews were spot on! What a beast! You all know the good stuff on this truck, Synthesized radio, .26 Roto-Start engine, enormous shocks, and a high / low range 2 speed forward / reverse tranny.

The only upgrade this truck “needs” is the aluminum diff cases. It’s under $20 for both cases and they are easy to install. After a while I got the bug to upgrade some more. I added an R/C Solutions Aluminum roll cage. If you read my review of this upgrade you will know how I feel about it. These roll cages are worth every penny! I also added the titanium nitride gears which are indestructible, look cool, but by no means are they a necessary upgrade.

Spend a little more up front and reap the benefits! Team Losi has shown the R/C world that they know how to build a class dominating R/C vehicle. The LST is their 1st at bat with a 1/8th scale monster truck and they hit a home run!

Team Losi Mini-T
1/18th Scale Electric 2WD Stadium Truck

I kept my Mini-T in stock format longer than most cars I own. Other than the rechargeable battery pack this truck was stock for many months. As time went on I finally got the bug and put in a Baja Mod motor. To me, this was a worthwhile investment for the gain in speed.

I got the bug again and really tore into the truck this time around. I added Integy threaded shocks, Novak Spy Micro Speed Control, JR 330 receiver so I can use the radio from my LST to run both trucks, Integy CVD drives, Losi foam tires, ball bearings, Hummer body, and an RPM front bumper. The only things left to upgrade now are the chassis, shock towers, and tranny case. I prefer to keep the arms stock plastic versus aluminum. For looks aluminum arms are great but for weight and performance I like the plastic arms. Plus when they break it is really cheap to replace them!

Project “Ultimate E-Maxx”
1/10th Scale 4WD Electric Monster Truck

After fighting with my T-Maxx for too long to keep the engine running (it was an OS motor I put in there), I thought an E-Maxx electric truck would be the way to go. To this day I don’t regret that decision one bit. Granted I have the LST now but I still love to run my E-Maxx whenever I get the chance and the LST is going on the auction block sooner than later.

After a while I started making minor upgrades to the E-Maxx until it suddenly got out of hand. The truck got to a point where it was too nice to use anymore (sound familiar?)! So I went and picked up another E-maxx fairly cheap (it needed some work). That became my basher and the original E-Maxx turned into a full on project show truck!
Where do I start? Let me put it this way, the only stock parts left on the truck is the speed controller.

Here are the upgrades:
Integy aluminum shocks
Trinity Monster Maxx Motors
Integy aluminum body mounts
Integy aluminum wide arms lower & upper
Fastlane Aluminum Transmission
Robinson Spur Gear
Integy Aluminum Diff Cases
MIP CVD's Front / Center / Rear
Gorilla Maxx aluminum chassis (coolest upgrade for this truck!)
Pro-Line 40 Series wheels and tires with spinners
Custom Painted Hummer Body (Darrin Leist / Venture Hobbies)
Varad Neon Lighting – Antenna, under body, front rear lights
HiTec Metal Gear Servos

This truck photographs well and probably scoots even better. I ran it once in a parking lot up to about 10mph and that was it! Once I bought my 2nd E-Maxx I never had any intention of running this one. It just became "The Ultimate E-Maxx" project truck. I thought about selling it recently but decided for the return on my investment I would enjoy keeping it more than having the money right now. I guess I could put a brushless set-up in there but $300 in a truck that just sits on a shelf is not in the cards right now.

Traxxas E-Maxx - Brushless / LiPo Bashing/Racing
1/10th Scale 4WD Electric Monster Truck

As you may have read under the Project E-Maxx section, I picked up a 2nd E-Maxx on eBay since my original truck was becoming too nice to bash with. I think I paid $230 for it, sold off the extras I already had that came with this one, replaced some plastic parts that were broken, and ended up owning a full RTR E-Maxx for about $160.

One thing I have to say about the E-Maxx is the stock motors are great. Since they are standard 540 size it is tempting to want to upgrade them. I wouldn't though. Mod motors require regular maintenance and can put a lot of strain on the drivetrain. In stock form, this truck just goes and goes. If you were to do any motor upgrade the only logical choice IMHO would be a brushless setup like the Novak HV-Maxx 4.5 or 6.5 system. This requires beefing up the drivetrain to handle the power so don't assume that $300 for the electronics will get the job done. Steel gears, aluminum diff cases (no flex), CVD's, etc. should be considered.

I have made many upgrades to this truck. Installing hop-ups is fun for me almost as much as driving these vehicles. Who can argue with stronger, faster, and of course nicer looking cars? I installed Integy red anodized threaded piggy back shocks which not only look sweet, they significantly improve how the truck handles. The piggyback reservoirs help keep the shock movement smooth. The shocks remain very linear when compressed. Did I mention they look sweet too? I installed red anodized aluminum lower chassis braces. I had them from my original E-Maxx. They are not needed with the Gorilla Maxx Chassis so I had them just sitting around. I also had some aluminum shock towers, also not needed with the Gorilla Maxx set-up, which were installed on my 1st E-Maxx but I had them so I used them. I also have the R/C Solutions roll cage installed. It is a little more difficult to work on the truck with the cage installed. Since the cage does such a great job of protecting the truck I am rarely fixing anything anyway. The most common thing I break is the axles so the next upgrade will be CVD's.

For batteries I was fortunate to get a nice deal on (8) 3200mAh packs from a hardcore racer who was upgrading to a slightly better battery at the time. These have served me well for the past few years but the time has come to switch over to LiPo packs. I ordered MaxAmps 5000Ma packs, Hyperion charger, balancer, and LiPo cutoff switch. I also have theNovak 4.5 brushless system coming so my e-maxx will be brushless & LiPo powered. Let the high speed crashes begin!!!

When it comes to painting a body on a scale of 1 to 10 my skills settle around a 3. That doesn’t mean I don’t try though! I think I have 2 or 3 bodies for every car & truck I own. Some have been painted, some are waiting to be painted, and a few are even covered in liquid mask waiting for me to come up with a design and start painting. I think I could build a car from scratch faster than I could paint a body. There are several guys in the Chicago area that are excellent painters. Darrin Leist from Venture Hobbies and John Hauser from HobbyTown Oak Park come to mind. You might pay $50 or more to have a body custom painted but the end result is worth it. For a full time basher or racer I would stick with a single bright color and maybe a few decals. That takes no time to do. When the body starts to get torn up you won’t feel bad tossing it. I remember racing my touring car with a ripped up body and refused to replace it knowing how much time I had spent painting it and putting every single decal on it. Rookie mistake! Don’t be the ‘street guy’ with the super ratty body, no spoiler, and ½ the body cut away around the wheels and exhaust header in an attempt to keep it alive!

Team Associated Brushless TC-3 Factory Team Kit
1/10th Scale Electric Touring Car

I started this hobby about 5 years ago with an HPI Nitro RS4. That’s what got me into R/C. I eventually sold it to buy a Mugen MTX-2. That car could keep up with the big dogs, as long as I wasn’t behind the wheel!

Following the same logic I used when I bought the E-Maxx, an electric touring car seemed like a good idea. Again, a decision I am glad I made. Once you own an electric car or truck it isn’t too expensive to add more. The batteries, charger, soldering iron, and discharger hit the wallet hard with the 1st electric you buy. After that it’s mainly the cost of the kit and maybe motor.

I was in the hobby shop one day and starting asking about brushless motors. The next thing I knew I had a brushless TC-3. WOW! This upgrade is a NO BRAINER. Here’s why:
- Longer runtime
- Faster, way faster, car
- Maintenance free (no brushes!)
- Easy to adjust performance via speed control
- Costs just a little more than a mod motor & speed control (About $200)

Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised with this upgrade. The TC-3 Factory Team Kit that I bought already came with a lot of upgraded components. I did buy some different colored springs, a one-way diff for use on high traction surfaces like carpet, a nice M3 body, a few different compounds of foam tires, and an assortment of pinion & spur gears.

There was a racetrack not far from my house, RSJ Raceways in Libertyville, so I had a place to race. Wednesday night racing was a regular thing for a while. RSJ’s eventually closed their doors, something we see way too often with racetracks. That was in the winter. In the summer I made it down to Tinley Park a few times to run on the asphalt with the really fast guys. I think my best finish was 3rd out of 11 and a B main win. As of April 2006 the closest track to the NW suburbs is Intense Raceway in DeKalb and Leisure Hours in Joliet. Over an hour each way which makes for a full day when I decide to go and race.

These are my current vehicles and a little background on each of them. If I had to get rid of everything and keep just one of them it would be the E-Maxx. Bewteen LiPo batteries and brushless motors the E-Maxx gives me long run times and excellent performace. I know with nitro you can just keep filling the gas tank but I have been there many times before and it doesn't take long before the engine quits for one reason or another. I like the idea of simply flipping a switch and bashing.

The Mini-T is great too since it gets cold in Chicago and the 1/18th scale size makes it perfect for running indoors. For any type of parking lot racing the brushless TC-3 is a blast. I have enjoyed it much more than any of the nitro touring cars I have had (HPI RS4, Mugen MTX-2, Nitro TC-3) because it is so consistently reliable. As long as the batteries are charged up all I do is flip a switch and I am ready to run. With the brushless motor it was faster than all of the nitro cars I raced at Tinley park other than the fastest A main guys. Lap times were on par with the slower A main runners! If the track had a shorter back straight it would have been even closer to the nitro cars.