RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

Apparently I've exceeded my photo limit so I'll continue the previous post here.


MST’s Toyota body is a bit larger than Tamiya’s – perfect! The design and proportions are identical to the Tamiya body.
Here are the body dimensions:
MST: 17-¼” x 8” x 4-15/16”
Tamiya (TBG): 16-1/16” x 6-9/16” x 4-5/16”

I first tried to order just the body set, but they’re out of stock everywhere so I went ahead and got the complete MTX-1 kit. Again, I didn’t set out to build a monster truck but I can use this body for a more scale accurate 2wd chassis more in keeping with the off-road racer theme.

Build photos are next…

When you get into the build, it’s actually quite impressive. Everything is well organized and the quality of the parts is outstanding. In fact, having built a fair number of kits lately from a variety of different manufacturers, I’d still rank Kyosho number one for parts quality, fit, finish, etc. but I’d place this kit from MST a close second. It really is that good. The plastics feel right and are molded super accurately. The axle gears and other metal parts are also made to a very high standard. The only real design flaw I found was with the position of the motor screws – access to one of the screws is blocked by the spur gear. Perhaps the suspension links are a bit thin as well. Another problem for me is that the gears are M0.6 so my 32dp and 48dp pinions won’t fit the spur.
I’m also not a fan of the yellow shocks but their nylon material should accept dye. The wheelie bar assembly is removable.

Notice how the C-hub hinge points are stacked so that neither pivot screw is in tension. I’ve never seen this before but it should make for a very strong front axle.

Here’s the exact livery I was going for...
… and this is what is supplied with the kit:


This is an unlicensed body so I’ve replaced the TH-1 and rc-mst.com stickers, making the Toyota, Ultra Custom Wheels and Joe MacPherson logos using a vinyl cutter. This meant that the red on the rear fenders and tail gate area had to be painted and the color match with the red stickers isn’t perfect.
Including the Joe MacPherson logos, there are a total of 10 Toyota logos on this truck. Obviously, Toyota wants everyone to remember who made it.

The goal here was to build an Ivan Stewart replica not a monster truck so, for the more scale accurate 2wd chassis, maybe I’ll re-lengthen that RC10 chassis and add suitable wheels and tires or I could build something from scratch.
Actually, I think I’ve already found the correct wheels. I have these aluminum bead-locks on the Bronco and they look like a good match to the wheels on Ivan’s desert truck. They’re not terribly expensive so I’ll go ahead and order another set.
As for the MTX-1 chassis, I could paint-up a Ford pickup body to make a Big Foot model – I believe MCI has the decal set. I’ll probably want to change wheel color to white however.
Anyway, I’ll post photos of the finished Toyota with its little brother later. Meanwhile, here’s what I have so far.

Well shoot. It’s been snowy here and I’ve been thinking about a coldbuster or even just locating my old stampede but then this thing keeps popping up in my head so i ordered one. Should be fun to actually have a runner.

That's great Jeff. With its big tires and 4wd, I think this truck would be tremendous fun in the snow.
A couple things to watch: the driveshafts are very loose and flop around and the suspension links are a bit small and perhaps could fail if the truck is pushed hard - especially in extremely cold temps. Both items are easily upgraded if necessary so I don't see them as obstacles.
As a bonus, I think the truck is fun to build.

I had already planned to upgrade the linkages as I hear they are weak but while I sit here waiting for it to be delivered I am unable to find parts… anywhere. At least in the USA. I can’t believe they aren’t supporting these at all.

Yeah, Amain has a few parts listed but half of them are out of stock.
I get the feeling MST isn't heavily marketed in North America so maybe this could explain the lack of parts from domestic sources.
To be honest, I never even consider parts availability when ordering this model. The truck is assembled much like other manufacturers' trail trucks/crawlers so I just figured I'd mix-n-match parts as needed.
If suspension links break, I can make them. If drive shafts fail, I have some from Traxxas (Slash or 1/16 E-Revo I think) that should fit.
Having said that, I really bought this truck for the Toyota body - the monster truck chassis was just a bonus. Apart from the links and drive shafts, I really don't anticipate other failures unless I drive it like Kevin Talbot.

XLR8 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:13 am
Tamiya (TBG): 16-1/16” x 6-9/16” x 4-5/16”

I'm comparing this to the Prerunner (TA02 version) in my Tamiya catalogue, and the dimensions are off - the TBG version is smaller than what is listed in the catalogue (and I'm pretty sure the catalogue is correct). So it looks like TBG accidentally shrunk the body...or the TBG version is a copy of the Monster Racer version and that one is undersized.

EvolutionRevolution wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 3:57 pm

XLR8 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:13 am
Tamiya (TBG): 16-1/16” x 6-9/16” x 4-5/16”

I'm comparing this to the Prerunner (TA02 version) in my Tamiya catalogue, and the dimensions are off - the TBG version is smaller than what is listed in the catalogue (and I'm pretty sure the catalogue is correct). So it looks like TBG accidentally shrunk the body...or the TBG version is a copy of the Monster Racer version and that one is undersized.

TBG lists length as 415mm and width 165mm so my measurements are a slightly off (408mm x 166.7mm).
It is a very small body, that's for certain - I was stunned when I first pulled it from the box. Apparently, it's not uncommon for TBG bodies to be undersize - this has been mentioned numerous times on this message board.

Your comment prompted some research. TBG lists Prerunner and Monster Racer as same bodies so I had assumed the Tamiya originals were also same. However, I just had a look at the manuals and Tamiya identifies Prerunner body as 1825113 and MR as 1825064 so they are not the same. Looking at the illustrations in the manuals, they appear identical.

Anyway, I have a chassis that will fit the TBG body and I think maybe it will look okay.

I just received an email notification that the TH-1 body set is back in stock at Amain.

Part number: MXS-720008

Well poo. Was playing in the snow- she is a wheelie monster. Lot of fun, lot of tumbles too. Unfortunately it’s front wheel drive now as it spat out the rear driveshaft and it’s nowhere to be found. So now we start to modify.

I’m fairly certain the HPI Flux 5900kv is a bit spicy for it, but hey it’s what I had laying around

GoMachV wrote: ↑Sat Jan 08, 2022 4:43 pm ... I’m fairly certain the HPI Flux 5900kv is a bit spicy for it, but hey it’s what I had laying around

"Spicy" is a good word.
Beats anything I have.

hahaha...

Got to play in the snow today, need to install a little more tame motor. Can’t keep the wheels down. Still, it was a blast. These IKEA boot trays for $4 work well for defrosting

GoMachV wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 5:17 pm Got to play in the snow today, need to install a little more tame motor. Can’t keep the wheels down. Still, it was a blast. These IKEA boot trays for $4 work well for defrosting

Well, that looks like fun!!

What did you find to replace that broken drive shaft?

I robbed a joint from one of my traxxas rigs. Held up great on the snow but I have a feeling I’m going to need to upgrade if I keep running a hot motor