HG-P407 "Bruiser Clone" Arrived Today!

[Basher67]

I should have looked at this one before suggesting it. I tried it today and that aluminum bushing is a lot thinner than I remembered. I tried the wire insulation which was about the right size, but it really had no effect. At this point, if I want more articulation, I would probably have to taper the spring ends or install twist shackles. Personally, I'm happy with mine right where I have it, although some different shocks will be considered in the future. My attention will be on my steering next. The high torque servo with no servo saver makes it drivable, but that plastic frame pivot is a sloppy weak point that needs to be addressed. I see there are aluminum ones online with bearings for under $20, but I'm considering relocating the servo to the front of the frame.

[XLR8]

I'm pulling together a couple new builds that will be posted on this forum during the coming months. I'll re-post my comments related to P407 in the appropriate build post.

[Dadio]

Loosening up the shackle bolts has added to the articulation quite nicely , thanks for the tip .
I'm thinking of a lower tooth pinion , stock is 19 t so I'm thinking of 17 t or lower , what do you recon ?

[Basher67]

No idea off the top of my head. I was thinking maybe see what is the smallest one I could fit, and then find the sweet spot from there. I'm completely reworking the steering system right now. I'll post some pics when I'm done.

[Basher67]

Finished the steering this afternoon and what a difference! More steering, rock solid and more scale appearance. I understand that in the time of the original bruiser release, electronics and servos were not exactly waterproof and it made sense to protect them by having them in splash proof box, but these days, there is just no good reason I could think of to mount the steering servo in the rear of the truck. The required linkage and dreaded pivot point required to connect this rear servo to the steering knuckle borders on ridiculous and is inherently sloppy and weak. I cannot claim the idea for this mod since it came from a few youtube videos. The end result is, imo, the way these should have been designed originally. I removed the steering knuckle/hubs and switched sides they were on, moved the lower shock position to the rear mounting point, fabbed up an aluminum bracket to mount the servo up front, and bolted it all back together. By far, the best mod I've done to this truck yet.

[mikem65d]

What is the screw quality like on this kit?
Am anxiously waiting for mine to arrive

[Basher67]

I haven't had any failures or stripped heads, but they do feel soft. Anything but high quality tools or heavy handed use will most likely lead to stripped heads. Dadio mentioned that he had some problems with this.

[Dadio]

What is the screw quality like on this kit?
Am anxiously waiting for mine to arrive

I'd have to say the screws are not too good , mine was an RTR and 5 of the screws were stripped out at the hex on arrival , I've been eyeing the stainless screw sets on eBay .

[Dadio]

That's a tidy bit of work Basher , can the hub to hub track rod ball joints be mounted on top of the knuckle instead of under ?

[Dadio]

I just ordered a 16t .6 mod pinion , hot racing offer a few upgrade parts so I had a look and they list pinions down to 16t in .6 mod for bruisers so that might be the smallest without grinding motor mounts .

[Basher67]

That's a tidy bit of work Basher , can the hub to hub track rod ball joints be mounted on top of the knuckle instead of under ?

I don't believe so. The leaf springs are in the way.

[mikem65d]

My kit arrived today. Only had a few minutes to look thru it.
I’m like, are you kidding me?
169 bucks for what you get is ridiculous.
Tonight i will compare to my Tamiya re re.
At first glance tho i can say i am super impressed.
Makes me want to buy another one just to have.

[Basher67]

I remember thinking the same thing when I opened mine. I couldn't believe what you get for the money. Makes me wish HG would clone some other stuff. Maybe the Avante or a Blazing Blazer would be awesome.

[Dadio]

An original hilux or a blazer would be awesome and sell like hot cakes ! It might stir up Tamiya though .

[Dadio]

The 16t pinion arrived and .6 mod is correct for sure , its cold ,wet and windy out so I only gave it a short test drive , its got more control at low speeds for sure but its probably held back by the RTR ESC being fairly basic . You can probably go down to a 15t pinion without modding the motor mount .