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Many people get by with basic tools to keep their vehicles rolling. Some basic hand tools are all that you need like screw and hex drivers, pliers, wrenches and a hobby knife. If you want to level-up, there are a bunch of tools out there that will make an enormous difference when building and maintaining your rides. We at RC Driver sat down and came up with a group of key RC tools to go from amateur to pro level. Once you get your hands on these tools and put them to use, they will quickly become invaluable to you.
DURATRAX TRAKPOWER TK950 SOLDERING STATION—#DTXR0950
When you decide to get yourself a soldering iron, get a quality unit like this Duratrax TrakPower TK950 soldering station. The key is getting one that can reach high enough temperatures so that you are not spending extra time heating up the parts to be soldered, which can lead to damaging them. The TK950 has a heavy-duty 60 watt design that allows it to heat up quickly to the selected temperature. It has a temperature range of 392-896 degrees Fahrenheit and it can hold that setting within 1.8-degrees while sitting idle. The slender and insulated handle is comfortable to hold and to control. Included in this soldering station is an iron stand to hold the iron while not in use and has a sponge for cleaning the soldering tip. Additionally there are two tips: a chisel point that increases surface contact for stronger joints and a pencil tip for precise applications.
DYNAMITE BODY SCISSORS: CURVED/STRAIGHT—#DYN2517
Trimming polycarbonate bodies is a task that you will most definitely need to do in this hobby. Whether it is tweaking the wheel well opening on your RTR to accommodate larger tires or trimming out a new polycarbonate body, having the right tools on hand will make all the difference. This Dynamite body scissors combo pack includes both a curved and a straight blade body scissor and is designed to cut effortlessly through tough material without ruining it. The curved scissors are perfect for trimming out wheel openings and tight areas while the straight ones can handle the straight cuts.
DYNAMITE SHOCK SHAFT PLIERS/MULTI-TOOL—#DYNT1260
We really like RC tools that can do more than one RC chore and the Dynamite Shock Shaft Pliers/Multi-Tool is a great example. Along with being able to securely hold 1/10-, 1/8- and 1/5-scale shock shafts, this tool can also grip shock bodies without damaging or distorting them. Additionally these pliers were designed so that you could pop the shock end pillow ball in and out and at the opposite end from the joint is a tire hole punch. Over time these aluminum pliers should last since Dynamite gave them a hard anodized black finish.
DYNAMITE TAPERED BODY REAMER—#DYNT2110
Like the aforementioned body scissors, the Dynamite Tapered Body Reamer is intended for polycarbonate bodies and makes it possible to easily and perfectly make holes of various sizes. The replaceable steel reamer tip is tapered and features a double edged cutting head along with a scale printed on one side to allow you to precisely measure the size of the hole you are opening. Design attention was also given to the red anodized aluminum handle. There are lengthwise channels machined into the surface of the handle to provide grip while a rotating plastic end cap will swivel in your palm when making a hole. And to keep the cutting reamer tip protected, there is an aluminum cap that slides over it.
DYNAMITE ULTIMATE E-CLIP TOOL—#DYNT1107
Tiny E-clips are a common fastener used on RC cars for things like securing hinge pins or pistons onto shock shafts. If you have ever worked with E-clips, you will know that they can be a huge hassle and a cause for a lot of frustration. Pick up this Dynamite Ultimate E-Clip Tool to which can make installing and even removing E-clips easier. Constructed from durable steel, it features six fold out tools to work with 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 size E-clips. The folding design is a space saver and keeps the tools covered.
LOSI CAMBER GAUGE—#LOSA99172
There are numerous tools out there that are used specifically for tuning a RC chassis and one that can make a big difference in the way a RC car handles is a camber gauge like this one from the crew at Losi. Camber is the amount of angle a tire had in relation to the ground. If the camber is out of whack, it will drastically affect performance. The Losi Camber Gauge is very easy-to-use and understand. It is molded from durable plastic and ruggedly constructed so the user won’t have to worry about special handling or storage.
LOSI SHOCK MATCHING TOOL—#LOSA99170
The more and more you run your RC car or truck, you will find that making subtle changes to the chassis will yield improved performance. One place to focus is the suspension, specifically the shocks. If shocks are not assembled correctly, chassis “tweak” will effect handling which will be especially evident if you are racing. The Losi Shock Matching Tool are for 1/5, 1/8 and 1/10 racers and is just the tool to ensure your shocks have matching length and damping rate. To check lengths are equal all you have to do is make sure the gauge at the bottom of the tool is centered. The matching gauge swinging in the direction of the “weaker” shock during compression will indicate any difference in dampening rate. Losi nicely constructed this tool with machined anodized aluminum and utilizes a ball bearing to support the pivoting gauge at the bottom for maximum precision.
LOSI TUNING SCREWDRIVER—#LOSA99167
Nitro owners, this beneficial tool is for you. This may look like a ling shaft blade screwdriver, however it is more than that. The Losi Tuning Screwdriver is a 2-in-1 tool where the long shaft can easily reach the carb through a car or truck body and the other end it fit with a special high-temperature tapered silicone rubber “stopper” tip. This tip is intended to kill the engine by plugging the hot exhaust stinger.
PRO-LINE TIRE RUBBER BANDS—#PRO629800
Gluing tires is one of those RC tasks that hobbyist don’t typically like to do. You can make the process a bit easier with Pro-Line Tire Rubber Bands. These bands can fit on 1/10-scale buggy, truck and short course tires and even larger 1/8-scale buggy tires. Use these rubber bands to hold the tires against the wheels during the gluing process. Four bands come in one package so you can glue a complete set of tires and they come colored in blue with the Pro-Line logo.
PROTOFORM CROSSHAIR MAGNETIC BODY MOUNTING KIT—#PRM603200
Don’t let a perfectly painted RC body get screwed up because the body post holes were put in the wrong spot. The Crosshair Magnetic Body Mounting Kit (#6032-00) from PROTOform can keep this from happening. This very clever tool ensures that a painted RC body will be mounted perfectly straight and positioned properly over the tires on the chassis. The Crosshair Magnetic Body Mounting Kit uses high-powered magnets to pinpoint the exact position of your vehicle’s body posts. It is made from high-quality red-anodized aluminum and includes a convenient storage box. This is a simple system, yet it is wicked effective.
SPEKTRUM SOLDERING JIG—#SPMX-1009
Soldering can be a bit tricky and takes some practice. A way you can keep the learning curve from being flat is to pick-up the Spektrum Soldering Jig which will make your life easier. Attached to the base of the jig is an adjustable and movable alligator clip so that you can position wire exactly where you need it. Located in the base itself are both male and female ends of IC2, IC3 and IC5 connectors. They are embedded in the jig so that you can simply plug the connector that you need to solder into one of them. The connector being soldered will be securely held in place to accept the wire being soldered onto it and that is the genius in the design of the Spektrum Soldering Jig. Plugging your connector into the opposing style connector keeps your connectors from warping or moving due to heat and this will give you a precisely soldered connector. As a bonus, the jig holds 2mm to 7mm bullets.
TEAM LOSI RACING SHOCK SHAFT PLIERS—#TLR99101
Shock shaft pliers is not one of those tools to be overlooked. They perform a very specialized job that can pay off dividends in the long run. When assembling a shock, it is critical to not damage the shock shaft. Even a scratch, can make the shock leak and therefore be inconsistent. Using these Team Losi Racing Shock Shaft Pliers will securely hold the shock shaft in place while you screw on the shock end. They are very nicely constructed out of hard anodized aluminum and offer different openings in the pliers. They will accommodate shock shafts with 1/8-inch, 3mm, 3.5mm and 4mm diameters. TLR gave these pliers large handles to make it easier to hold and to be able to apply enough force to tightly hold shock shafts.
TEAM LOSI RACING TURNBUCKLE WRENCH—#TLR99102
If you are new to RC, you may not see the value of this Team Losi Racing Turnbuckle Wrench. Turnbuckles are typically utilized on suspension and steering components and make adjusting the length of things like camber or steering links easy. The threaded ends of a turnbuckle are opposite from one another so that all you have to do is rotate the turnbuckle and it will either shorten or lengthen it; and you don’t have to remove the link from the chassis. This specific turnbuckle wrench has openings that perfectly fit over 3.5mm, 4mm, and 5mm turnbuckles and will make tuning adjustments of turnbuckles easier. Made from aluminum, it is lightweight yet very durable thanks to its hard anodized finish.
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