How Tos

Custom projects are so much fun because you get to create something that no one else has. Whether you're working on a custom chassis, a one-off body or other fabricated job, you are truly the creator of your project. Since you're not working with an off-theshelf project, you're going to need the right tools to save you time and headaches down the road. These are some of the top tools we recommend for anyone who is going to be working on custom projects.

A quick back story before I get into the painting. I have been running my 8ight-E 2.0 for many years. My friends all wonder why it hasn't fallen apart. I considered upgrading to the 3.0 when it came out, but decided I am most competitive with the car I'm used to. The 4.0 is such a different animal, I was afraid I would have to update to keep up with parts compatibility.

A couple of issues ago, The Vogel (as he likes to be called) did a review on Hitec’s X1 Pro Multi-Charger and 17A ePower Box. This system is great; simply install the pair of bullet plugs into the top of the ePower Box and mate them to the input holes on the bottom of the X1 Pro.

Since the dawn of putting power into radio controlled vehicles, one thing has remained the same for everyone, the desire for more power and speed! Today, many of us use brushless motors to power our vehicles. These wonders of modern technology offer long run-times, low maintenance, and lots and lots of power!

RC4WD Trail Finder2 Hop Up: Our picks for performance, durability, and/or appearance upgrades Here are our accessory and hop-up picks for today’s popular vehicles that can boost performance, durability and or appearance and leave you with a sweet custom ride.

HPI E10 Drift Hop Up: Our picks for performance, durability, and/or appearance upgrades Here are our accessory and hop-up picks for today’s popular vehicles that can boost performance, durability and or appearance and leave you with a sweet custom ride.

Last month I went all the way back to the beginning and demonstrated a basic spray can paint job. This month I’m going to mix things up and bring the airbrush back out to do something for the more advanced painters out there. I know many of you probably feel Parma’s precut paint masks are for beginners and you’d rather create your own graphics.

One of the great things about 1/8-scale cars and trucks is the extended run times that you get. Whether you’re running a nitro or electric vehicle you’ll typically get more trigger time than with smaller 1/10-scale cars and trucks. That extra runtime means extra abuse on your gear, and if you want to avoid the “walk of shame” after a wheel goes bouncing away

I have had a lot going on lately. The wife and I just purchased our first house together and meanwhile Parma is pumping out muscle car bodies for short course chassis faster than I can keep up. I’ve been trying to mix it up and throw other types of RC bodies in the mix, so I am just now getting to the 72 Muscle Baja, and they have already come out with two more, the 66 and 68 Muscle Baja.

Many of us have upgraded from a basic ready-to-run radio system, to an aftermarket system with lots of bells and whistles. Some of us simply installed a shiny new servo for better steering power and control. One of the most overlooked areas is the steering settings in the radio and the basic servo linkages.

Dromida DT4.18 Hop Ups: Our picks for performance, durability, and or appearance upgrades Here are our accessory and hop-up picks for today’s popular vehicles that can boost performance, durability and/or appearance and leave you with a sweet custom ride.

Arrma Granite BLS Hop Ups: Our picks for performance, durability, and or appearance upgrades Here are our accessory and hop-up picks for today’s popular vehicles that can boost performance, durability and/or appearance and leave you with a sweet custom ride.

One of the really neat features about brushless motors is the option to adjust the timing to change the performance of a motor. There are a lot of different ways to adjust the timing on a brushless system. Some motors allow you to adjust timing right on the motor itself; other systems allow you to adjust the timing through the ESC.

The idea for this paint job came together in a kind of roundabout way. I had tried an experiment with some soft masking using Mirror Chrome as the background color. It didn’t turn out as I expected, so I didn’t like it and gave it to my friend. I would rather not look at what I consider my failures. My friend loved it and took it to the track and it was very popular.

In the RC life, it’s all about balance, finding the time to enjoy your RC vehicle in action, keep it running perfectly, and still have time for regular life. But that’s not the balance we’re going to talk about this month. Tech fans, we’re going to dive into the world of balance charging and the core differences in some modes.