|
By Moosey
05/10/2006 23:59:04
It is a Bruiser too! What a truck. I can remember back in 1985 when this truck was released thinking how big were those wheels!! And their is a picture in one of the R/C guide books of it going over some rocks at speed, Mouth watering!
You may think it shares a lot of its parts with the original Hilux or Blazer. Not the case. The only parts shared are the front/rear axles & 3 speed gearbox. But even that had been adapted to fit the new 750 motor. A 'big' motor. With a crude type of slipper clutch built into the spure gear.
Although the layout is very simlar to the Hilux. With all the radio at the rear & long but not so good steering rod etc.
Steel chassis rails & cross members make up the main chassis. Then their are all the suspension mounts/brackets for the leaf springs, To give it that lifted look.
Which some people think is a lot better look than the Hilux with the small wheels.
Front & rear bumpers are very soft plastic & look bad when abused. New ones, 'D' parts just don't exist. I paid £80 for some!!
You will find plenty of second hand parts on ebay. Their are many people breaking them up for parts. But still not that cheap.
The body is in two sections again. The front cab being a revised Hilux cab, With the holes to mount the rear section & side nerf bars. Front grill & all the lights are same as the Hilux. one thing I never could understand. Why did this truck never have a driver? Tamiya put them in everything else. Strange.
The rear body section is very simple, With only the rear lights for detail. Again painting this body like it says in the manual is a proper task. The white rear cab section is hard to mask & those decals are a real tester. I found applying them from the bottom upwards helped loads.
Radio/Mech box is a little tight for everything. But a great design. You can also use both types of batteries. The mamouth 6v 4000mha or a normal 7.2v. Just swop around the battery mounts. And if you do run one of these, Make sure the gearbox has plenty of oil in, NOT grease.
A truly lump of a truck. But has a massive fan base, Especially in the USA.
Some of the highest priced NIB kits are Bruiser ones. Some have been known to go for $3000-$4000!! Which makes any condition rather expensive.
|
