When my son and I started racing our TR-SC10E trucks earlier this summer, we were quite poor drivers and damage was a pretty common occurrence.  That's why I ordered these T-Bone Racing front bumpers.  Now that our driving skills have improved, it's rare that anything breaks on our trucks but now that I have these new bumpers, I'll give them a try.

In the photo above, the bumper on the left is called the "Racer".  It's a little narrower and has some large holes drilled in it.  I'll install this one on my personal TR-SC10E. 

The bumper on the right is called the "Basher"  It's a tiny bit wider than the "Racer" and has smaller holes drilled in it - T-Bone Racing says you can install LED lights in these holes if you want to.  This one if for my son...he's still a little rough on his truck.

T-Bone also offers a rear bumper for the TR-SC10E but I decided no pass on that for now.
​
Here's the "Racer" installed on my truck:

The bumper sits rather low when compared to the stock bumper.  I prefer the look of the stock bumper and how it tucks nicely under the front lip of the body.  This T-Bone bumper is just kinda sticking out from the front of the truck.

Here's the side view of the "Racer" bumper installed.  It looks a little odd with that big gap between the bumper and the body.

Note the "Racer" bumper's narrow brace with single screw vs the "Basher" bumper's wider brace with two screws.  This "Racer" bumper is also slightly narrower than the Basher and has four large holes drilled in it - presumably to lighten the bumper slightly.

Here's the bottom view of the "Racer" bumper installed.  I do like how this T-Bone bumper also forms a skid plate under the chassis.  The bumper is also nice and smooth so may help settle the truck down on a nose first landing.

Here's my son's stock front bumper vs my newly installed T-Bone "Racer" front bumper.  I like how the stock front bumper tucks up tight to the body.  When I rub my hand along the T-Bone bumper, it feels nice and smooth while the stock bumper has a sharp edge where it transitions under the chassis.  This sharp edge was often packed with dirt after a race.  Maybe the smoothness T-Bone will help smooth out bad/nose first landings.

Here's the "Basher" bumper installed on my son's truck:

Unlike my "Racer" bumper, my son's "Basher" actually tucks up nicely to the body.

And here is a side view of the "Basher" bumper installed.  It fits much better than my "Racer" bumper

The "Basher" bumper's support is a little wider than the "Racer" bumper and has two mounting screws vs the "Racer's" one screw.  The holes in the "Basher" bumper are also smaller and the bumper is a little wider than the "Racer"

Here are our two trucks side-by-side.  My son's is on the left with the Basher bumper and mine is on the right with the Racer bumper.

I really don't like how my bumper looks but I don't mind my son's.  Perhaps the difference in fit is a quality control issue or maybe it's by design, I'm not sure.

If you are in the market for a big ol' front bumper for your TR-SC10E, check out the Basher by T-Bone Racing.  It's not the best looking bumper on earth but, I think it will do a good job of protecting your truck and as they say, you can win a race if you don't finish.

'till next time

​Rob

Here's a quick shot from Redcat Racing's Facebook page that shows the full lineup of Team Redcat Vehicles.  From top left:
​

• TR-MT10E 1/10 4X4 Monster Truck - Grey
• TR-MT10E 1/10 4x4 Short Course Truck
• TR-MT10E 1/10 4x4 Monster Truck - Orange
• TR-MT8E BE6S 1/8 4x4 Monster Truck / Truggy - Red and Black
• TR-MT8E V2 4x4 Monster Truck / Truggy - Red

Looking good Team Redcat!  Now, maybe it's time for a competition level 1/10 buggy or stadium truck to go with the SC10E....come on....please please please

As a Redcat Racing Dealer, most of my time and most of my RC projects are Redcat related.  I also own several Tamiya kits however and have done so since the early 80's.  I've also recently started racing and was super excited to discover the Tamiya Euro Truck Class!  Enter my latest Amazon purchase, a Tamiya Team Hahn Racing MAN Semi Truck!

Follow along as I build the truck.  I'm not sure yet but I may also talk about some of my race experiences and set-ups as I learn about them.

As a new racer, one of the things that interested me the most about the Tamiya Truck Class is the simple rules.  Each club is a little different but essentially the rules are that the truck has to be box stock with the exception of bearings.  The ESC and motor have to be the stock units from the kit but most clubs will allow the addition of a Deans battery connector.  2s "round case" LiPo batteries are permitted but some clubs have pretty strict rules as to what pack can be run so be sure to ask around.  I'll be using ​a Peak Racing PowerMax 4200 pack as this is what my club recommends.

Getting started
I started the build by pulling everything out of the box and having a look through.  It was interesting to see that the instructions were for the TT-01 touring car chassis with a second smaller instruction book for the parts specific to the Euro Truck

Steps 1 and 2 - Spur Gear and Drive Shaft
It took me a moment to remember how to find everything but once it came back to me, steps one and two were a snap.  I opened up Bag A as indicated in the left column of the instructions and quickly found everything needed.  Step one also required that I open up my FastEddy bearings

I also forgot momentarily that part numbers such as "B8" for the body posts meant plastic tree "B", part "8" but once I remembered, I quickly found and installed the two body posts.

Step 3 and 4 - Motor
Next up was the installation of the motor.  Because I'll be racing this truck, I decided to break-in the motor before installing it.  There are several tutorials online talking about how to break-in a brushed motor so I won't talk about it here.  After breaking-in the motor, I added a touch of oil to the motor bushings then installed the pinion gear.  It wasn't called for in the instruction manual but I added some blue thread lock to the pinion grub screw and motor mount screws to help ensure they do not come loose.  I finished up this step my adding a small amount of the included grease to the pinion and spur gear then covered it all up with the gear cover.

The kit allows for different sized spur and pinion gears but the Euro Truck Class Rules only permit the use of the stock 19t pinion and 61t spur

Step 5 - Rear Diff
The truck includes gear differentials.  If you run the stock motor, I don't see any reason why you'd ever have a problem with these diffs.  The build of the rear diff was simple, I used the included grease on the gears and a #1 Phillips bit to secure the three small screws.

Step 6 - Rear Diff Installation
Next up was the installation of the rear diff into the chassis.  This was straight forward as well but I had to add some pressure to the plastic bevel gear to get it to snap into place.  Once the gear clicked into it's spot, everything dropped nicely into place.

Step 7 - Rear Suspension Arms
This step confused me a little bit.  The manual shows an option for a short wheelbase and a long wheelbase.  I had to stop to do a little research to see what option the Euro Truck should use and discovered that the long wheelbase is correct.  Simply ignore the grey call out boxes and follow the picture in the center of the instruction manual....like I have in the photo below

***I realized after assembly that I had the left upper arm flipped in the wrong direction - don't follow my picture - flip the upper left arm to match the right upper arm****

Step 8 - Rear Axles
The rear axles went together easily.  My kit only came with the C2 axles, not the C7 so hopefully those are the correct ones.  I also used ball bearings in place of the RB1 bushings so I didn't have to grease anything.  Be sure to give your axles a quick test spin before moving on to the next step.  One of my bearings wasn't perfectly seated into the hub so the axle had a slight wobble.  A quick press on the back of the axle snapped the bearing into place and everything rotated perfectly after that.

Step 9 - Rear Skid Plate / Bumper
The rear skid plate is nice and smooth.  I'm sure this will help the chassis glide along the carpet without any snags

Step 10 - Rear Dogbones and Axles
Next up was the installation of the rear dogbones and axles.  I added a little of the included grease to each end of the dogbones then bolted everything up as directed.  I snugged up the hinge pins then backed them off a very small amount to ensure the suspension moved freely.  I ignored the body posts at this point as I'll be adding different posts in a later step.

Step 11 - Front Arms
The hardest part of step 11 was finding part P7.  These pivot balls are located in the small plastic bag that also contains the servo saver.  My Tamiya soft jawed pliers worked well for snapping the pivot balls into place.

Step 12 - Front Diffs
Time to open Bag B and build the front diff.  This one assembles exactly the same as the rear diff so no surprises here.

Step 13 - Front Diff Install
The front diff install was nice and easy.  Once again, I used my FastEddy bearings instead of the kit's plastic bushings.  I added a little grease to the differential pinion and ring gear.

Step 14 - Front Arms
The front suspension arms installed just like the rear.  I added a little grease where indicated then moved on to the next step

Steps 15 and 16 - Front Skid Plate and Axles
The front skid plate drops quickly into place and the front axles are also a breeze to assemble.  Just be sure to fully seat the bearings into the spindles

Step 17 - Front Suspension Arms
The next step was to install the front suspension arms.  The only challenge here was the fact that I started to run low on the Tamiya supplied grease.  Thankfully I had some Associated black grease on hand so used that.

Step 18 - Shocks
The shocks were comically easy to assemble.  These are simple friction dampers.  They don't contain any oil and all four took less than two minutes to assemble!

Step 19 - Shock Installation
The shocks installed quickly and easily.  Ignore the grey call out box that talks about short wheelbase and just use the MB2 screws to secure the shocks

Step 20 - Steering Arms
My only tip here is to "note the direction" like it says in the instructions.  Each D11 part has a small dot on it to help indicate the where to mount the steering arm.  I missed this initially and had to remove one of the arms and re-install it in the correct position

Step 21 - Front Bumper
No issues here, just drop the bumper over the posts then secure it with the top plate

Step 22 - Attaching Steering Arms
The steering assembly dropped nicely into place.  It worked well to install the grub screws into the metal steering post first, then screw them into the chassis by passing my hex wrench through the steering post.  The mechanism is surprising smooth and free of slop.  The use of ball bearings here likely helps.

Step 25 - Checking Electronics
In keeping with the spirit of the Tamiya Euro Truck Spec Class, I chose some affordable electronics including a HexFly HS-15CS 15kg metal gear servo and a FlySky FS-GT3C transmitter / Receiver Combo.  The Futabo servo horn fits the HexFly servo perfectly.

Step 25 - Install Electronics
This step took a little longer than the others but it wasn't difficult.  The servo bolted in without a problem, the ESC is held in place with kit supplied double sided tape and the receiver is also taped into place on top of the servo.  An additional bracket is included if your transponder requires a body post / body clip to secure it but I'll be using a MyLaps RC4 transponder so didn't need the bracket.

The Tamiya Euro Truck Spec rules don't allow the removal of the bullet connectors from the motor so shortening the wires is not an option.  The best I could do was strap them to the upper chassis brace with the included cable ties

I have heard of some people choosing to not install the motor cover but, my understanding is that the class rules require it to be installed so I've done so.

Tools I used for the build
Whether you are building a Tamiya Euro Truck for spec racing or building a house, having good quality tools always helps.  Here's a list of tools that you'll want to have on hand for your build - I recommend having the best quality tools you can find

• #2 Phillips Screwdriver (Wera)
• #1 Phillips Screwdriver (Wera)
• Side Cutters (Tamiya)
• Needle Nose Pliers (Tamiya)
• Blue, Medium Strength Thread Lock​

Please check back again soon...I'll be updating this post as I progress through the build

'till next time.

​Rob

Great news if you've been waiting to buy some Gen7 Pro wheels or tires.  They are back in stock and shipping now!

You can check out all of the Gen7 Pro wheels, tires and other parts here.

Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it.

​Rob

I've been avoiding upgrading the transmitter in my TR-SC10e for some time.  Primarily because I like to test the stock items as much as possible then report back to you with how well (or not) they work.  I've tested the stock transmitter/receiver enough now and although they function perfectly, I'd like to have more adjustments such as EPA and Exponential so it's time to upgrade.  I've decided to go with a FlySky FS-GT3C.

Why I chose the FlySky FS-GT3C over other FlySky transmitters

1. I prefer how it feels in my hand vs the cheaper and heavier FS-GT3B
2. I don't need all of the extra channels or telemetry features that the pricier FS-GT5 and FS-IT4S offer
3. The price is great for all of the features it offers

I've actually been using an FS-GT3C in some of my other vehicles for about a year now and it has been great.  The shape of the handle and position of the steering wheel feel really good in my hands and I've always been a fan of foam steering wheels vs plastic.  I also like the fact that it has 10 model memory so I don't have to keep track of so many different transmitters.  I plan to start replacing all of my stock transmitters with this unit.

If you read my race report earlier this month, you may remember that my stock servo packed it in at the start of my A-main...grrr.  Oh, well...Amazon to the rescue.  I ordered a Savox SC-1267SG Black Edition to replace the stocker

Why I chose the SC-1267SG:
Price was a consideration in choosing my new servo but durability and reliability was my primary concern.  With so many servos on the market it was a bit of a difficult decision. 

My first option was to use the Savox SW-0231MG1 from the TR-MT10e truck as these are durable, cheap and I have them in stock.  This is what my son is running in his TR-SC10e and it works great.  This option probably would have been fine but I wanted to go with something a little more race oriented.

My second consideration was to go with an ultra high end servo like a ProTek or Tekin but I'm not a pro racer and I doubt the high price tag would be worth it for me.

I settled on the Savox SC-1267SG Black Edition because it fell right in between these two price points, it looks good in the Black Edition and all of the reviews and information I found online made me think it should be a reliable choice.

The Savox SC-1267SG Black Edition comes in a nice plastic box that will come in handy for storing spare parts / screws etc.  I also picked up a Protek RC PTK-7819-BK Aluminum Servo Horn while I was on Amazon.  It looks okay but for the price, I think any cheap Amazon/China special would have been a better value.

The Savox included some plastic servo horns, mounting hardware and a couple of sticker sheets.  Oddly, the servo horn screw was a phillips head rather than a hex head so I chose to use the Redcat servo horn screw.  I also used all of the stock mounting hardware.

Here's the Savox installed in my TR-SC10e.  The install was simple and I think it looks great in the truck.  It dropped right into place with no issues whatsoever.  

I did however have to turn my dual rate down to around 73 or 74 to ensure the servo wasn't trying to move the steering linkage beyond it's limits.  When I upgrade my transmitter at a later date, I'll use the EPA adjustments to do this properly but for now, the stock transmitter only offers dual rate adjustments so that will have to do.

I also decided to use the stock plastic servo horn for now (will I regret this decision?)  So far, the stock servo horn is working well and I figure the little tiny bit of flex in the horn may help protect the servo and other steering components.

​I'm looking forward to giving this new servo a real test but for now, I'm quite happy with my choice and would recommend the SC-1267SG.  

By the way, if you found this helpful, please do me a HUGE favor and support me by purchasing your TR-SC10E parts and hop-ups from me and also by using my Amazon links if you make any purchases at Amazon (servos or otherwise - they'll pay me a small commission)

You can also check out some of my other TR-SC10E project posts here:

Part 1 - New Body
Part 2 - ESC Mount
Part 3 - Front Bumper
Part 4 - Wheel Nuts
Part 5 - Aluminum Rear Hubs and Aluminum Steering Knuckles
​Part 6 - Rear End Upgrades
Part 7 - Front End Upgrades
​Part 8 - Ball Cups
​Part 9 - Battery Tray
Part 10 - Tires

'till next time

Rob

More great news today for Everest Gen7 owners.  A shipment of 180009 Aluminum Diff Gears has just arrived and they are shipping now.

I have them on sale for a great price as well so perhaps grab a couple of them while you can.

Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it.

Rob

Great news if you've been waiting for a set of 18006 Plastic C-Hubs for your Everest Gen7 Sport or Pro.  An order of 50 pieces has just arrived and they are shipping now.

I have them on sale for a great price as well so perhaps grab a couple of them while you can.

Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it.

Rob

​My son and I just finished our second club race with our Team Redcat TR-SC10E trucks and for the most part, the day went well for both of us.

Here's how my son's day went:
His TR-SC10E is 100% stock other than Lunsford Upper Suspension Links, ProLine Hole Shot tires on all four corners and a Savox SW0231 handling the steering duty.

He entered the novice class and joined a couple of Traxxas Rustlers, some 2wd Traxxas Slashes, an Associated T5M, a TLR 22T and even a fully decked out Teckno SCT410.3 complete with a Tekin RX8 and Pro4.

He managed to qualify for the 2nd spot in the B-Main and finished his B-Main in 2nd spot which immediately bumped him up to the A-Main where he finished 4th overall.  Not bad for his second race ever!

My day started quite well.
I started the morning by chatting with a fast local driver who suggested I raise the ride height of my truck to around 30mm.  I took his advice (and borrowed his ride height gauge) then managed to take the TQ and have the fastest lap in qualifying.  I was running in the same novice class as my son.

During my warm up lap in the A-Main I managed to tag a wall pretty hard and damage my steering servo.  It was still working intermittently but was clearly having issues.  I started the race on the pole but quickly dropped to last place as I simply couldn't steer with the damaged servo.  I managed to finish the race but it was a pretty embarrassing performance.

I just ordered myself a Savox SC1267SG Black Edition servo to replace the stock servo and a ProTek aluminum servo horn.  I'll let you know how they works out once I install them.

My son and I are still honing our race driving skills but are starting to improve and the SC10E trucks are doing great so hopefully we'll both improve for the race that's taking place in a couple of weeks.

'till next time.

​Rob

As I learn more and more about the TR-SC10E and about racing in general, I've learned the importance of tire selection.

After speaking with some of the more experienced guys at my track, everyone told me that ProLine Hole Shots were the hot ticket.  I didn't think it would make much of a difference as I thought the stock TR-SC10E tires were pretty decent.  Boy was I wrong!  

I installed some Hole Shots on a set of stock TR-SC10E wheels and by the time I had finished the first turn (a long sweeper) I knew everyone was absolutely correct about the ProLines.  My truck performed like an entirely new vehicle.  It was much more in control, the rear end was more planted and I could cary way more speed through the turns.

If you are a racer, new tires would be my number one recommendation for improving your truck.  Talk to the local guys and see what works well at your track then get yourself some ASAP...you won't regret it.

​Here's a link to the parts I used:

Here's that stock wheels and tires:

And these are the ProLine Hole Shots mounted to the stock wheels:

Not only do the ProLine's make a dramatic improvement to the truck, I think they look great on the stock wheels too.

By the way, if you found this helpful, please do me a HUGE favor and support me by purchasing your TR-SC10E parts and hop-ups from me and also by using my Amazon links if you make any purchases at Amazon (they'll pay me a small commission)

You can also check out some of my other TR-SC10E project posts here:
​
Part 1 - New Body
Part 2 - ESC Mount
Part 3 - Front Bumper
Part 4 - Wheel Nuts
Part 5 - Aluminum Rear Hubs and Aluminum Steering Knuckles
​Part 6 - Rear End Upgrades
Part 7 - Front End Upgrades
​Part 8 - Ball Cups
​Part 9 - Battery Tray

'till next time

Rob