Day 6 is the last build day of DuraTrax Evader DT Week. I’m finally getting around to doing my custom paint on my DT. The pre-trimmed, pre-drilled clear body from DuraTrax (Part DTXC6218) looks great and is easy to paint. There’s not much more to say about this one, I’m certainly no artist, but I like the way it turns out in the end. As I say in the video, this week long feature hasn’t just been about putting hop-ups on the Evader DT, it’s also about taking the time to make your truck truly yours, and not just another off-the-shelf RTR. So get out there and get to customizing, no matter what kind of car or truck you have.

If you haven’t already done so go read our review of the Evader DT. As a quick recap, on day one I installed a full set of DuraTrax’s hard anodized shocks, day two saw me installing a few chassis mods with some aluminum parts and the graphite chassis, on day three I put a full set of ball bearings in the truck and an aluminum idler gear in the transmission, and on day four I installed a Castle Creations brushless system and Futaba 4PK radio gear. Day 5 was the beginning of the end, I took the time to clean up and paint some of the detail pieces that are on the body. To follow this feature week just bookmark this link. For a full list of optional accessories that are available for the DuraTrax Evader DT be sure to check out the DuraTrax web site.

Day five of DuraTrax Evader DT week is the beginning of the end.  The last job I’m going to do on my DT is to put a custom paint job and other details onto it.  I’m using a new, clear body from DuraTrax (Part DTXC6218) and I’m reusing the hard plastic detail pieces from the current body.  This is going to be a two parter and in this first video I paint the detail pieces using a combination of enamel spray paint from the hardware store and Testors model paint through my airbrush.  Check back tomorrow when I’ll finish the Evader DT by painting up the clear body with a custom design.

If you haven’t already done so go read our review of the Evader DT.  As a quick recap, on day one I installed a full set of DuraTrax’s hard anodized shocks, day two saw me installing a few chassis mods with some aluminum parts and the graphite chassis, on day three I put a full set of ball bearings in the truck and an aluminum idler gear in the transmission, and on day four I installed a Castle Creations brushless system and Futaba 4PK radio gear.  To follow this feature week just bookmark this link.  For a full list of optional accessories that are available for the DuraTrax Evader DT be sure to check out the DuraTrax web site.

Welcome to day four of DuraTrax Evader DT week here at the Squid.  Today I’m taking out the stock electronics and dropping in some mad power and control.  The stock Sprint 2 ESC, a fine system for beginners, gets the boot in favor of a Castle Creations Sidewinder ESC.  The Photon 2 brushed motor is taken out and put aside in favor of a Castle 4600kv motor.  The Tactic 27Mhz radio is shown the door and replaced with a Futaba R603FF 2.4GHz FASST 3-channel receiver that is compatible with the Futaba 4PK uber transmitter.  Just wait until you see what this combo does for the Evader DT, my initial testing regimen puts the overall speed rating at just above STUPID FAST.  That’s scientific people.  But you’ll have to wait for another video to actually see it in action.  For now, let’s get on with the show.

If you haven’t already done so go read our review of the Evader DT.  As a quick recap, on day one I installed a full set of DuraTrax’s hard anodized shocks, day two saw me installing a few chassis mods with some aluminum parts and the graphite chassis, and on day three I put a full set of ball bearings in the truck and an aluminum idler gear in the transmission. To follow this feature week just bookmark this link.  For a full list of optional accessories that are available for the DuraTrax Evader DT be sure to check out the DuraTrax web site.

We’re on day three of DuraTrax Evader DT week.  Today I’m installing one of the best all around hop-ups you can get for your Evader DT, the full ball bearing set (part DTXC1096).  These ball bearings will not just make your ride more durable, they’ll also make it run faster and last longer on the battery.  Ball bearings are an excellent way of increasing the efficiency of your drive train, and when it comes to driving with electricity, efficiency is key.  I’m also installing the aluminum idler gear from the Nitro Evader series (part DTXC8081) to prepare my DT for the major power that will be coming from the Castle Creations Sidewinder brushless ESC and 4600kv motor.  This idler gear is not compatible with the stock bushings and ball bearings on the electric Evaders.  So to use it you’ll need to provide an additional pair of 5mm x 10mm x 4mm (that’s inner diameter, outer diameter, and thickness), and it just so happens that DuraTrax sells the exact set we need as part DTXC1535.  Other than the different sized bearings, this gear fits like a glove in the Evader DT’s transmission.

If you haven’t already done so go read our review of the Evader DT.  As a quick recap, on the first day I installed a full set of DuraTrax’s hard anodized shocks and day two saw me installing a few chassis mods with some aluminum parts and the graphite chassis.  To follow this feature week just bookmark this link.  For a full list of optional accessories that are available for the DuraTrax Evader DT be sure to check out the DuraTrax web site.

It’s the second day of DuraTrax Evader DT week.  Yesterday I installed some of DuraTrax’s high-end hard anodized shocks.  Today I tackle the blue anodized aluminum front bulk head (part DTXC6807), the blue anodized aluminum transmission brace (part DTXC9640), and the Evader graphite chassis (part DTXC6999). If you aren’t a fan of blue, all of the aluminum parts are also available in purple, check the DuraTrax web site for a list of option parts and the numbers.  The aluminum parts will add to the overall strength of an already tough truck and the graphite chassis will make it lighter, more nimble, and add a bit of stiffness that the plastic chassis doesn’t have.  All of which will be useful when I install the very powerful Castle Creations Sidewinder brushless system with a 4600Kv motor later down the line.  Watch the video for step-by-step instructions.

Make sure to go back and read our review of the Evader DT.  If you missed the first installment, in which I installed a full set of DuraTrax’s hard anodized shocks, then go back now to read and watch.  To follow this feature week just bookmark this link.

It’s a special time here at Big Squid.  We’ve seen how much people want the DuraTrax Evader DT, over the last month it’s been one of the most read reviews we have on the site.  So to help out all of you that are buying this awesome and nearly indestructible truck we’ve decided to do a feature a day.  Every day, starting today and going until we decide to stop, we’ll be posting a new video featuring the Evader DT.  Most of these videos will deal with assembling and installing hop-ups on your Evader DT, making it even tougher and faster.  A few of the mods we are going to make include installing DuraTrax’s optional hard anodized shocks, finding a way to make the aluminum idler gear from the Nitro Evader series work in the DT’s transmission to make it almost bulletproof, and ultimately installing a Castle Creations Sidewinder Sport brushless ESC with a 4600KV brushless motor to make this bad boy fly.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our Evader DT review in the RC Reviews section.  To keep tabs on Evader DT Week be sure to bookmark that link or just keep coming back and checking the front page.

Now that the intro is out of the way let’s get on with the first video where I show you how to build and install DuraTrax’s hard anodized shocks on your Evader DT.  Part numbers for the bags you’ll need are DTXC9223 for the front shocks and DTXC9228 for the rears.

While we were working on the HPI Racing Mini Trophy Truck Review, just like all of our reviews, we are usually shooting some video footage, and below is the result. If you double click the video, it will take you to YouTube where you can watch it in all it’s HD goodness.

Don’t forget to subscribe while your watching so you don’t miss all our new released videos. Don’t forget to check out the full Mini Trophy Truck Review.

I was sent this link recently, and there is a lot of controversy going around about it, so I’d like to state from the beginning that this was a horrible accident with some obvious mis-communications going on. The pilot of the full scale plane did recover from the hit and landed safely. I’m not sure how long the video will be up because it is unlisted and as previously mentioned, causing an pretty good uproar from the RC and FAA/Full Scale pilot people. Take the comments posted in the video for what they are, and don’t get caught up in it.

Just glad everyone was safe, it could of been a LOT worse!

Our Italian friends from HobbyMedia.it posted some info on the video below. It’s from 4 guys who brought two of my favorite things together in one, arcade games and RC! They mounted a camera to a 1/28th scale (looks like a Kyosho Overland) and built a cardboard track to run on. Then using the arcade cabinet controls, race around the track. I have seen this done by a company here in the US that was doing ‘Nascar’ type races, but I don’t think it caught on.

It’s a cool vid though, and it makes me want to build a similar setup here in the office! I’m sure Bill and Cubby would want to add a loop and more jumps! LOL. You can read the full version in Italian with a few more pictures here.

So while bashing at our long jump event where we watched Tim Mohr set a Long Jump record we pulled out the HPI Baja 5B! A lot of people say you can’t bash with a 5B, that too much breaks, but I think this video may prove them all wrong! Nobody could believe the durability that this truck had, and what we put it through! We landed poorly, a LOT, and even hit stuff on purpose, and it still survived! I even gave up at the end, calling it quiets, the Baja was still running fine, I just couldn’t break the darn thing! LOL.
Enjoy the video, and make sure to click it and check it out in HD!

You can hit the HPI web site if you need more info on the Baja 5B!

We added another video to our Big Squid RC YouTube Channel . This was a fun little shoot. We were at our local hobby shop, when a friend of ours from 3DHobbyShopRocks came by with a couple of planes he was looking to ‘retire’. Of course Bill’s eyes got real wide real quick! We grabbed the 4×4 Traxxas Slash, a couple of ramps, and went to work. It was raining pretty good, and was super windy, so you are looking at some AMAZING flying skill there!

Enjoy! Also note, there is a higher res version on YouTube.

I have another video in the works where Bill and I did a little skatepark invasion. Those are always fun, but we always end up with a lot more parts then when we left.

Ok, check this out! Some guy was flying a RC plan around with a rear facing camera on it, when a hawk decides to attack it! LOL. And not just once.. but it really goes after it… watch and enjoy

A while back at a bash we were at, there was a hawk going after one of our 1/18th scale vehicles… it actually hit it once.. and then just eyeballed it for a while.

I read and watch a ton of stuff on the internets every day. Some of that stuff I end up liking a lot and bookmarking for later. This new weekly feature highlights those links.

Build Log: Dumas 19′ Racing Runabout – This will be one to keep an eye on for a while. It’s going to be a long project from the looks of it.

Photo of the Week: Disco’s red hot ride. Forum member and comedian Desmond “Disco” Dailey show’s off his current drag car project. You might have to scroll down a bit if your browser doesn’t take you straight to the post.

Shopping Around: Save some cash, spend it on other stuff… – Check out my previous article about some of the ongoing rebates in the industry.

Video of the Week: Disassembly – A cool parts explosion animation of a non-descript R/C helicopter. The guy made it for his demo reel to show off his computer animation skills.

More Video: The Radio Control Show, Episode 45 – Info about RCX, the HPI Blitz ESE, Florida Jets event coverage, Aeroworks P51 Mustang ARF, new Kyosho products, Off-Road Shootout Sweepstakes grand prize RTR Baja 5T, HPI Vorza giveaway.

Even More Video: RCX 2010 Live Cams – Can’t make it to RCX this weekend? Well you could always sit at home and watch live streams, I mean, that’s almost just as good right? Am I right? Hello?. Three different streams are available, one showing the vast show floor, another showing off-road action on the dirt track, and a third mobile cam that will have interviews and product demos.

Here’s some video we shot while testing out our new Platinum Edition Traxxas Slash 4×4 in the snow! Good times! The video on Youtube is also uploaded there in hi-def!

Enjoy!

For those of you who just want to see good quality video in the player, the ihobby video is now up on HobbyZip.com as well! Their embedded player stuff always looks better, and they have good RC vids there, so make sure to check it out.. don’t forget to rate it!