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Ready-to-run (RTR) vehicles are a major part of the RC hobby and have proven to be very popular for not only newcomers, but also seasoned hobbyist. One issue that most of the RTR vehicles have is that they are relatively bland in regards to their scale realism. Luckily we have aftermarket companies like Pro-Line who make parts and accessories that will vastly improve the looks and the performance of a RTR vehicle. Here we will show how the ECX Barrage goes from ordinary to extraordinary with Pro-Line gear.
1966 Ford F-100 clear body — #3412-00
Obviously the quickest way to make a vehicle look more realistic is with a new body. Pro-Line has a very large selection of bodies to choose from. A very handy feature found on the Pro-Line website is the “Pick By Kit” option which is located on the homepage. There you can select the vehicle and then it will reveal the Pro-Line gear that will work with your ride.
We chose the 1966 Ford F-100 body to start the transformation of the ECX Barrage. When hunting for a new body, don’t only use the scale of your vehicle to narrow down the selection. The Barrage is a perfect example of this because it is 1/12-scale yet a 1/10-scale body can fit like this Ford body. The design team at Pro-Line incorporated some great lines and style cues into the ’66 Ford pick-up body and with the right paint job it can look like the real thing. The unique style of the hood, step-sides, massive fender flares and the included detail sticker sheet are the elements that will truly set off the Barrage from a stock version.
Pro-Line also makes it simpler for you to finish the body by including window masks and over-spray film to keep the outside surface of the body protected while painting. To make the body mounting step easier, mark the body post holes before you paint.
Universal LED headlight and tail light kit — #6317-00
Since we are talking about making an RTR more realistic looking, adding a set of functioning lights will further boost the looks of the 1966 Ford F-100 body. Pro-Line’s Universal LED headlight and tail light kit gives you the parts and pieces so that you can illuminate the headlights and tail lights on the body. Along with making the truck look more scale, the lights will extend the time you 
can drive your truck from daylight hours well into darkness.
Included in this light kit are four LED light bulbs with two white lights for the headlights and two red lights for the tail lights. Each are pre-wired so that they can plug directly into your receiver for power. Pro-Line also gives you a selection of five different light buckets that are molded out of black Nylon. It is a nice variety of shapes and sizes that will fit most bodies. To hold the LEDs in place, small screws come with the kit and the light buckets can be held in place on the body with double-sided tape or a flexible adhesive.
Rock Shooter 1.9” aluminum composite internal bead-loc wheels — #2781-00
The stock wheels and tires on the ECX Barrage have a semi-realistic look to them nonetheless they can be improved upon. Pro-Line makes these very scale and cool-looking Rock Shooter 1.9” aluminum composite internal bead-loc wheels. Since the face of the wheels are actually CNC machined from aluminum, they have that shiny raw aluminum look and feel of a real full-size wheel. Pro-Line designed the Rock Shooters with a classic 12-hole design with 6-lug scale detail surrounded by two concentric rings of dimples. Once mounted to a scale tire, the combination looks amazing.
Pro-Line made the Rock Shooter wheels as actual bead-locs which means the wheels come in 3-pieces. There is the aluminum face and then the wheel center and wheel back which are made from high-strength and very durable DuPont Nylon. The actual bead-loc design is a unique internal one developed by Pro-Line and is proven to work incredibly well. This system bolts together in the back and locks on to many of the Pro-Line 1.9” crawler tires. This wheel does not require any hex adapters as the 12mm hex is machined directly into the back of the aluminum face of the Rock Shooter.
Interco TSL SX Super Swamper 1.9” G8 rock terrain truck tires — #1163-14
We love the looks of the tread on these Pro-Line Interco TSL SX Super Swamper 1.9” G8 rock terrain truck tires. They have big meaty side tread blocks that look very tough and definitely come into play when tackling off-road terrain. Down the center of the tire are independent blocks with sipes. Why do they look so scale? Because they are under official license from the Interco Tire Corporation which allows Pro-Line to create this replica design of the real Super Swamper tires.
Pro-Line offers the Interco TSL SX Super Swamper 1.9” in their G8 rock terrain compound and further makes them the ideal choice for this ECX Barrage upgrade article. These tires measure 1.50-inches wide and 4.30-inches in height to give the truck a bigger overall presence. Along with the tires, foam inserts are included. Once you have these mounted on the Rock Shooter 1.9” aluminum composite wheels, you will have one sweet tire package that will look like something you would see on a full size 4×4.
Pro-Spec scaler shocks — #6316-00
The finishing touch to give the Barrage a more scale appearance are these Pro-Line Pro-Spec scaler shocks. They essentially kill two birds with one stone in that they offer a realistic look and assist in off-road handling. Since there are so many black parts on the chassis of the ECX Barrage, the bright chrome and blue anodizing of the aluminum components on the shocks will positively stand out. Even though you will not fully see the entire shocks while driving around; it will be those brief glimpses that will add to the cool factor of this revised Barrage crawler.
Now these shocks are not all show and no go. Pro-Line ensured that these shocks would function as good as they look. They feature CNC machined 
aluminum shock caps, shock collars, shock bodies, bottom caps and hard chrome coated steel shock shafts. Pro-Line put in the effort and manufactured these parts to exacting tolerances. X-ring seals are used as the main shaft seal to keep the movement smooth with low friction and prevent leaks.
The Pro-Spec scaler shocks come pre-assembled so all you have to do is fill them up and mount them on your truck. You will need to use the mounting hardware from the stock truck to install them.
Want to see everything Pro-Line has to offer? Click HERE!
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