Vaterra 1986 Chevrolet K-5 Blazer Ascender 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.
This article was originally published in RC Driver’s June 2016 issue.

HOP-UP: Gear Head RC Trail Rack roof rack
PRICE: $29.99 (GEA1138)
The Trail Rack roof rack from Gear Head RC makes the Ascender more look its part as a scaler and can be a spot to mount a light bar and other scale gear. It is constructed of durable black Delrin plastic and measures 5.9 x 4.4 x .88 inches (LxWxH).

HOP-UP: SSD chrome front and rear bumpers
PRICE: Front $49.99 (SSD00031) / Rear $49.99 (SSD00033)
Ready to run scale trucks like the Ascender scream for even more realistic upgrades and SSD has produced two items that will definitely dress it up chrome bumpers. They are CNC machined from aluminum, chrome plated and use steel mounting plates that bolt right onto the chassis.

HOP-UP: MIP X-Duty C-Drive kit
PRICE: $55.99 (14295)
Although the Ascender is a scale truck, it has the capability to put down some power and MIP’s X-Duty C-Drive CVDs are an excellent choice to further bulletproof the drivetrain. Since this hop up comes from the likes of MIP, you can rest assured that you are getting a quality product that will easily install and perform as expected