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Today the rear window arrived , its a Tamiya one and I was given to believe they were a direct fit but its not quite , the window was a recessed edge that should drop into the aperture but its a little too wide at the bottom edge and pushes the body out , it also had two tabs at the bottom outer edges that don't fit and need removing , so there's a little fettling to get a snug fit , sadly I painted mine before realising there was a fit issue but I managed to not ruin the paint but its bound to be easier before painting.

It's the sharing of info like this window fitting detail that helps make this topic a good read.

I have run into the same disappointment with the shocks as you guys have pointed out. The compression on the exiting o-ring is too weak to none at all to keep them from leaking. I am going to cut some shims to put inside the exit end caps to see if it will increase the pressure a tad more along with changing to Tamiya red o-rings. If this keeps them from leaking, then they get to stay on board, otherwise i will use shocks from the Bruiser.
The floating disc is like mentioned a novelty at best, but i did test with and without it using 35wt shock oil. The disc as is does give some resistance, but then again these shocks were probably intended to give the modeler some confidence that the truck has shock absorbers.

I have changed the leaf springs to the real Bruiser springs and that has made a difference in bounce.

I wish i had not read the topic on RCGroups about the tranny bearings being junk as they are not. I did buy bearings to switch them out while i was waiting for the kit to arrive, and will not use them as the ones in there are good quality.
The tranny is really a work of art. so many of the pieces are exactly like the Tamiya parts it makes you wonder.
The sub shaft gears are identical to the Tamiya.
The only issues i have heard of is the 17T gear shedding teeth, but the drivers all admitted to shifting on the fly which probably forced the mesh and did the damge.
Good to know too as i will drive it like the video by AMPRO.

The rest of what i find with this kit is that having an original or re re is great for bragging rights, but if i'd known this clone was coming i never would have bought one.
This is one fun investment.

The bearings in the trans I got seem fine -- just a mixed lot.
Before buying replacement shocks, I'm gonna try running the kit shocks without oil.
Virtually all gear failures seem to be occurring with the same gear and it's near the middle of the shaft so I wonder if it's due to the shaft flexing (it's fairly long and only supported at each end). Anyway, who really needs second gear anyway. If mine breaks, I won't be replacing it.

I could be wrong, but I have a feeling most are broken trying to shift while under power, like stated before. When I shift, especially going from 4wd to 2wd, I shift from a stop, then reverse a little before proceeding forward. This seems to give me the smoothest trouble free shift action. Mine is set to go from 2hi directly to 4Lo, so mine may be different from others.
I did play with pinion gears a little today and I'm currently running a 15t. While it is definitely geared lower and top speed is down, I didn't really feel any more power than before. The brakes were much more responsive though. I'm thinking of installing this motor. The old Astro Flight cobalt motors were known for torque. Might work good in a truck.

Basher67 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:49 pm I could be wrong, but I have a feeling most are broken trying to shift while under power, like stated before. When I shift, especially going from 4wd to 2wd, I shift from a stop, then reverse a little before proceeding forward. This seems to give me the smoothest trouble free shift action. Mine is set to go from 2hi directly to 4Lo, so mine may be different from others.
I did play with pinion gears a little today and I'm currently running a 15t. While it is definitely geared lower and top speed is down, I didn't really feel any more power than before. The brakes were much more responsive though. I'm thinking of installing this motor. The old Astro Flight cobalt motors were known for torque. Might work good in a truck.

No, you're dead on.
Shifting on the fly is the main cause reported by the guys that have broken gears.
The way you are doing the shift is how these were intended to be operated. After all, shifting on the fly would only be needed if we were drag racing .....LOL
The gears in these clones is mimic of Tamiya except in metal and different cogging,
The gears on the lower shaft are identical to Tamiya, and Tamiya's 21,17 and 14th are solid steel and a worthwhile upgrade. They are slightly taller too which gives a better mesh.
The screws in the planetary are button heads and stick up to high not allowing the 15/24 bearing to seat properly.
I replaced them with the spare screws i have for my re re, and now the whole shift process is silky smooth.
I really like that this truck isn't perfect out of the box, although it's good enough to just go out and run as is. It leaves me with the usual tinkering that makes this hobby fun.

That motor will be nice in this truck and will have a lot of uphill grunt.

The cheap motors that come in these and many other rtr trucks are quiet and smooth but don't seem to produce much power. When I bought my Ascender, one of the first things I did was replace the cheap throwaway unserviceable 35t motor and replace it with a Green Machine 3 Pro 27t. Even though it was a lower turn motor, it had a ton more power and seems at least as smooth as the stock 35t. I've noticed that when I really jam the HG's tires against an obstacle, there seems to be a real lack of power that simply gearing lower will not solve. With better gripping tires coming soon, this problem is only going to be solved with more power.

Advice taken on motors , I've ordered an Absima 55t motor , quite cheap but I've had Absima Brushless motors and ESC before and they are still going good .
I also did the windows today and I'm pleased with how they came out , I want the driver with an arm out on the sill so I opened it fully but only half opened the passenger window .

Dadio wrote: ↑Mon Feb 11, 2019 8:29 am Advice taken on motors , I've ordered an Absima 55t motor , quite cheap but I've had Absima Brushless motors and ESC before and they are still going good .
I also did the windows today and I'm pleased with how they came out , I want the driver with an arm out on the sill so I opened it fully but only half opened the passenger window .

The side glass looks great Dadio, very convincing. By chance, are you also a member at RCCrawler.com - just curious.

Wow, the way you trimmed those windows turned out really nice!

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By chance, are you also a member at RCCrawler.com - just curious.
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Yes but I've only just joined a few days ago .
I think you can see the interior better with the windows open but that's a two edged sword I guess as I'm going to have to do interior door panels now , found some on sale but the price , I'll make my own !

Found inner door panels on shapeways for £16 , part No 048001-01 that's more reasonable than £45 from RC4WD !

Dadio wrote: ↑Mon Feb 11, 2019 12:08 pm

By chance, are you also a member at RCCrawler.com - just curious.
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Yes but I've only just joined a few days ago .
I think you can see the interior better with the windows open but that's a two edged sword I guess as I'm going to have to do interior door panels now , found some on sale but the price , I'll make my own !
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I just made a set from .060" styrene sheet stock. Not much detail (actually no detail) but they do the job and they're really hard to see when the body is assembled anyway. I got the truck cause it was cheap so I don't want to dump a ton of money into it.

XLR8 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:22 pm

I just made a set from .060" styrene sheet stock. Not much detail (actually no detail) but they do the job and they're really hard to see when the body is assembled anyway. I got the truck cause it was cheap so I don't want to dump a ton of money into it.
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The thing is with the windows open you see the interior much more clearly but I might try making some up , my budget for this month is gone and I have some plasticard laying around somewhere .

Nothing fancy. Wish I'd used regular gray primer rather than gloss gray Testors paint - too shiny. Gotta love the "infotainment" unit in the center of the dash. haha..

Looking good! I need to paint my interior. I'm tired of looking at the orange.