Hello Komodo

KOMODO Review –
So as luck would have it, I have in my possession, not one but two Gmade Komodo kits. One RTR, and one half built. I have wanted one of these RC’s for a while now, and I have two. Today I’m going to dive into first looks, and first run.

When I look at the Komodo I am impressed first off with the body, and the attention to scale detail. Gmade provides you with most scale items you’d find on a weekend warrior, mild trail truck. All ABS style plastic scale parts, as the body is a thick lexan mold. The frame is chrome, and shiny, not my favorite, but what can you do? The axles are light, and smaller than your SCX10 axle housings which is a benefit to wheelers that drive on big rocks. The links are short, but provide ample articulation for such a short set up. The wheel base is about 11″ from center hub to center hub.   

The electronics box is a great scale idea looking like an engine. There’s an enclosure to keep dirt and dust off you RX, and a platform to mount your ESC. The back has two braces and reusable zip ties to hold your battery into place. The drive shafts are that plastic you’ve come to know very well, and look like they maybe the first upgrade in my opinion. The transmission is all enclosed with plastic gears, with out an option for metal ones, this maybe the breaking point of this RC.
 
So, with both Komodo’s the shocks that came with the Komodo kit were swiped, and stock Axial shocks and RC4WD Kings were left on the frames, so I can not tell you about how good the Komodo stock shocks are or not. The stock tires and wheels came with one kit and none on the other. I have not used the stock tires or wheels as I write this, as they are sitting on the bench under another project. I decided to use the best stock set-up I had to give the Komodo a true honest review. I prefer to have traction, so I threw on my favorite Pitbull tires the Rock Beasts wrapped around Boom Racing’s Krait wheels.
 
For electronics I used the Axial AE-5 and my Spektrum. I charged up my 3S 2200 and headed to my wheeling spot at Hard’ack. At first first pull I knew I had a little speedster on my hands. She snapped the left front tire up, and I sighed as I knew I was in for a long day of learning how to drive with extreme torque twist again. I didn’t let it bother me to much, as I jumped the Komodo off the rocks and dirt mounds, and watching it launch with ease made me smile. I tooled around some of the usual spots and watched it struggle where I normally crawl right up. I had a few spots I wanted to hit to see how it faired in a wheelers play ground. 
  
I had some fun trying to get that long Ford body through the steep spots as the bed dug holes where you normally don’t deal with on a wheeler. Once I learned how to drive with a big body, lots of power, and torque twist I found myself smiling, as this little Komodo impressed me more and more. I was climbing spots very well, getting through area’s I shouldn’t have been able to go through. I think the extra horses may have helped with that! But alas, it was those same horses that ended my first run with a stripped gear. Whoomp whoomp. 
I have a list of upgrades that Gmade makes for the Komodo and will get them as soon as I can. I also will be trying the transmission flip to get the motor up front rather than in the rear to help eliminate the torque twist. It really is worse than any other rc’s I have wheeled. The only down fall that I have seen, and possible draw back is there are no metal transmission gears…. So, we shall see.   

First impressions are this is a cool, and stable rc! On a scale adventure rig I’d give it an 8.5 with a combination of scale appeal, rock solid performance on mild trails, and fun factor is why I give it a higher rating. 
For wheelers I give it a solid 4.5, it would be a 5 but not even a full battery and it stripped a gear. 
My plans are simple, take this adventure scale style rc and turn it into a capable wheeling machine. A few subtle changes and I think this Gmade Komodo can be a force on the big boy terrain. That is all based on hoping the transmission can handle the abuse. If not, another makers transmission may find it’s way onto this RC. 
Overall rating is a 6.5 I would recommend the G-Made Komodo to any RC’er beginner to vetran wheelers. I feel there is a ton of potential with the Komodo, and plan on proving that this summer! I’ll be posting updates and more reviews in the coming months. 

  

Boom Racing’s Knuckle Conversion.

Hey gang!! Well, it’s very rare that I blog about a part, or parts, but I feel that is going to change! I have a new product that I was excited to try out, loved the results, and decided it was blog worthy!

Boom Racing has delivered on a product that I think everyone needs to take a look at! I was trolling their website when I saw this little no big deal picture of some funny looking hubs, and links. I clicked on the description and all it said was, Front Hub Conversion for SCX10. So, I said. Well, that looks like it may be a sweet setup and may give me more steering. In the cart it went, a week later it arrived at my door step!

 

Boom Racing’s C-Hub Comversion

 
As you can see in the picture, I am attaching these new knuckles to my PHAT axle and aluminum C-Hubs. The install was harmless, as most are, and went together without an issue. The links, ball ends, all fit perfectly. I had them mounted up and ready for servo hook up in less than twenty minutes.

Oh, she can steer alright

Up next was installing the wheels and tires. I chose to use the new Krait Sandstones’s for this build, and Pitbull RCX Rock Beasts. “Smaller tires make better drivers” – Desmond Mooney 

One thing you want to remember is that the new knuckle arms are straight out, so your tire may rub the rodennds. To help offset that rubbing; using a wider hex hub may be on the list of needs. Check Traxxas, Axial, Boom, KNK Hardware, for some wider hexes.

Here below in this picture is the Boom Racing Knuckle Conversion, and the coveted XRMOD. The steering angles are close with XRMOD edging out with a full spring to spring touch, while Boom’s is just a touch shy of the full spring to spring touch.  Plus, the XRMOD has many more advantages than most steering set ups. 

Boom conversion on left, XRMOD on the right.

First impressions are everything with me.If anything these new Boom Racing Knuckles do, is help over stock steering and for a great price. I have used these hard, and at one competition already and they have not failed me yet. I am very happy and would recommend them to anyone looking for a budget benfit steering up grade! 

48 Hour Challenge part 2

Second update coming to you from the Vermont Scale RC Studio!!! Progress?? I think so!! I have been slacking hard this month, but with a new shipment of parts, I have been forced into build mode!

There have been a few changes, and with that comes new challenges! The best part of building a custom chassis, is figuring out where everything will go, and how it will all work.

  
  
With the CBE RC FAB Switchback chassis and Shock Gear towers on, and Boom Racing Transmission in and the Holmes Hobbies 13t Crawl Master bolted up, we move onto hanging the axles. 

For this years 48 Hour Challenge I decided to use some new products and see how they hold up to 48 Hours of constant abuse. I decided to use the PHAT™ axles from Boom Racing. Weighing in at 180grams, these steel axles will give me a forced COG. I am making this build a belly dragger, and to have a high center of gravity is a no go. 

  
For suspension I decided to run 90mm & 100mm Type I shocks from Boom Racing as well. I have used this shock setup once on another build and it has served well on the trails of Vermont and the Griptastic rocks in Nevada. I’m not 100% sure why this set up works well for my driving style, but it just seems to work well for me. 

We have the ride height set, and the shocks are exactly where I want them. The CBE RC FAB shockgear towers just rule the tune-ability factor! Digging them a lot, and I like that I can easly get to them to change shock postion if need be. 

  

Up next is battery the battery plate. With all the options on locations from the Switchback Chassis I was able to mount my battery in a place I normally couldn’t. I actually dig this spot a lot. Keeps the balance centered, and low. The BPC battery mount is my favorite by far and is staple piece in all my RC’s. All I did was mount the tabs from the plate too the top of the integrated link risers on thr chassis! Easiest mount to date!  

 
In the next install, we cover body, lights, and accesories!! The 48 Hour Jeep is coming together and ready for some action!

454

I wrote this in 2010, and thought I’d share it with you all .

 

454

I can tell you to the day to the time to the year why 454 is such a significant part of my life. It brings me to a moment in time where my father and I enjoyed a common interest and a love for machines, horse power, and we got along.

My father and I didn’t have a lot in common when I was younger. I mean we watched some football a little bit of racing and that was it.  He was from the old school and I wanted no part of it. Stubborn should have been his name, to this day he still holds that line. Though as miserable as his moods can be, he was always there for me, no matter what. As I write more and more I recover more memories of my father, good memories. Dad always made time for us, whether it be for practicing for baseball, taking us swimming at Metcalf pond, keeping us outdoors with fishing and hunting, playing with us or making us warm chocolate pudding on random nights. My father was the ONLY one that wrote to me once a week when I was sent away to Job Corps for 2 years at 16, but, that’s another story all together.

When I was living with my mom, dad would try and keep me involved in his life and keep me out of my mother’s hair for her sake. He always brought me to the Johnson Mud Boggs (JMB). This truly was the one thing I enjoyed doing with my father. There were no stupid questions, there was no stress, and we had a good time. The very humble beginnings of the JMB were amazing. Just a bunch of good ole boys and girls hanging around the mud pit in the middle of a corn field watching the competitors try there best to trudge their way through the 150ft pit of quagmire. There were some real intense moments of watching these trucks claw their way through the mud. Very few made it through, an occasional big tired high horse powered truck would make it through. This was an event one should truly witness first hand, up close and personal.

So the ensuing years at JMB changed, I can remember the first year they put up the fence. Just a bunch of telephone posts sticking up out of the ground about 4ft. This was our new place to watch the trucks. We were now about 20-25 yards from the actual mud pit up on a bank. This year there were some other changes as well. The truck-pits area where the competitors conveyed was across the mud pit parallel to the bank we sat on. It was a wall of RVs and tents. You really couldn’t see any of the trucks like you used to. The one thing that didn’t change was the mud pit. The pit was still an unruly slop pile for these trucks. We watched the competitors go as hard and as fast as they could. Try as they might they couldn’t make it through the pit. One by one they got the chain attached to the bulldozer and dragged out. It was getting a little stale; it looked like no truck was able to claw there way through the big mud hole. Some made valiant efforts with some high-speed attacks and earth throwing tires.

I hear a mumbling over the crowd as the announcer started talking over the loud speakers excitedly. My father leans over to me, slaps my head playfully as he was sitting behind me and says, “Get ready.” “Ok.” I replied goofily. I was not really paying attention, I do that a lot according to my father. The announcer was saying some kind of gibberish over the loud speakers, and then I heard it. WHOOM! Rumble, rumble, rumble, WHOOM! Echoed through the air of the field we all sat in. My eyes grew wide with curiosity. I’ve heard some loud trucks, but never like this. “What is that?” I ask excitedly to my father. He replies with a cool smirk, “You’ll see.” WHOOM! Rumble, rumble, rumble, WHOOM! Rumble, rumble, rumble, as it coasted through the pit area. I couldn’t see it, I could only hear it and see the dust clouds it caused as it drove through the pits. WHOOM! Rumble, rumble, rumble. My anticipation level was rising with every sound of that engine. WHOOM! Rumble, rumble, rumble. I was shaking now I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to see that truck, and the excitement was almost too much for me. I was 16 and I never got goose bumps and chills like this. What is it?! I knew my father was getting excited as he slapped me on the back with a hoot. WHOOM! WHOOM! WHOOM! Around the corner she came, WHOOM! As she announced her presence, the crowd responded with a thundering howl! This truck was beautiful, Candy Apple Red 32’ Ford Deuce Coupe body, chrome pipes coming off the side of the engine, exhaust flying out of the pipes, WHOOM! She stated with authority. I have never seen anything like it before, it looked like a drag racer with paddle tires. The rig affectionately named “Deuces Wild” came to the staging line, WHOOM!! WHOOM!! You could not hear the announcer over the noise of this truck and the screaming from the crowd. My fathers screaming at me, “Don’t blink Trevor, Don’t blink!” “Why?” I said to myself? I wasn’t going to blink either way. WHOOM! WHOOM! Rumble, rumble, rumble, as she cleaned out the carburetor. The flag man called her up to the line, WHOOM! WHOOM! Rumble, rumble, rumble. She was set and ready to go. What was this truck going to do, it’s going to be bad ass either way! The flag goes up, and like slow motion in a movie he dropped the flag.

I honestly can’t put into perfect words as to what happened next. That truck took off like a rocket! WHOOOOOOMMMMMMM! WHOOM! Rumble, rumble, rumble rumble, rumble, rumble, WHOOM!! The pass was done!? Deuces Wild was through to the other side in seconds. My first words were “HOLY SHIT!” (Which I’m not sure my father heard.) As the whole crowd went ballistic! I looked at my father with disbelief on my face and that fool was on the ground laughing his ass off. “That was amazing!” I screamed over the crowd at him. He just shook his head in agreement while laughing. Rumble, rumble, rumble as Deuces Wild went back to the pit with her head held high. Not a spot of mud was on that truck, just the rear tires, the front ones were not even on the ground. As the crowd settled back down into a low roar the announcer came over the big speaker and said, “Did you see that? What just happened?” The announcer went on to tell us that Deuces Wild just set a new world record with that run. 3.2 seconds in 150ft of mud. Everyone screamed at her success in Vermont. We had claim to the title for awhile anyway. I return my attention to my father, he had a big ole grin on his face and I say to him, “What was that?” He replied with a glisten in his eyes, “That was a 454 big block with some serious motivation.” I just shook my head with uncertainty as to what a 454 big block was. He explained to me that it’s one of the biggest Chevy engines ever made and they were made to haul ass. I smiled at that, I told him someday I will have a 454 in my Chevy.

I guess on that day I looked up to my dad in a new way. Like a friend I guess, we were able to just talk and there was no awkwardness. The rest of the day he explained to me about all these new types of mud trucks that were there. He brought me down to the pits and we got to see some of the big trucks. Took some pictures and met some of the drivers. It was an amazing time. One I will always remember. The year they cancelled the JMB broke my heart on so many levels. That great bonding experience I had every summer with my dad was gone. All the conversations, friendship and goofing off we did were going to suffer greatly. I knew what was going to happen next. We would grow apart, I would become disinterested in spending time with him or any family member for that matter and want to spend more time with my friends. Now as an adult, I find myself reliving all the good times I had with my dad through writing. I will sit hear and type while I’m crying, laughing or getting mad and all the nice emotional releases that come with writing. This will be the first time I will let any of my family members read anything I write. It’s a start and maybe I will open up a little more and let some more family in.

In closing I want to thank you dad, Calvin (Butch) Norris Rushford for giving me life and freedom. You may have had a hard time with me growing up, you taught me valuable lessons that I use for my kids today that I didn’t see until I got older. You were firm and impossible at times, we may not have seen eye to eye, ever, but you are my father and I love you.

Ps Thanks for all the great times in the mud, be it in Johnson, Essex, hunting or trips in your old Jeeps. My heart lies in off-roading because of you. Love ya dad.