First of all I have to say that I didn't build this truck, I bought it from a friend, but I have made some significant alterations and improvements to it. This used to be a stock Tmaxx, believe it or not, but virtually everything has been replaced - lengthened titanium chassis, aluminium bits, longer suspension arms, titanium skid plates, and the all- important OS Hyper .21 engine. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the truck yet, I only got hold of it back on the 11th of August (3 weeks ago at the time of writing) and since then, almost every time I ran it something broke! Since I got the truck I must have spent another 60 odd pounds on new bits for it including a new clutch, hardened steel spur gear, new steering rod ball-ends, and other minor bits which all add up.
The truck at the moment isn't much like the truck it's descended from, the very popular Tmaxx. These trucks are high-riding, fairly narrow, powered by a .15 nitro engine driving all four wheels via a 2 speed forward/reverse gearbox. The .21 (I have to think up a better name for it than that! :) ) sits low and wide thanks to a Pro-Line widening kit and adjustable shock absorbers. This makes the truck more stable but it is still quite easy to flip over especially on tarmac thanks to its extra power and extremely grippy tyres. About the only stock parts left on the truck are the gearbox case (the gears are all replaced with steel ones) and the front and rear bumper mountings, these flex and act like shock absorbers if the truck hits anything while the aluminium replacement ones will just bend, even though they do look very nice. The truck is fitted at the moment with a Proline Peterbilt truck shell, I got a couple of spare shells with the truck - a pickup and a stadium racing truck - but I'm not that keen on either so I fitted the Peterbilt shell which I'd bought for my TXT but never used. In an attempt to help cool the engine, I cut out the rear sloping panel between the roll bars, and also cut out the two square door windows to help air get to the engine. The cutout panel at the back also means I can get to the engine head, pull start, and fuel tank without taking the shell off which saves a lot of bother if the truck runs out of fuel or stalls. The shell is also very tough, as I know from experience (thanks Chris! :) ) and should protect the internals if the truck takes a tumble.
Well that's all for now, I'll update this site with some pics and more info when I get a new film for my camera or if I can borrow a digital camera. I'm hoping to do a really nice paint job on the shell, but it might end up one colour as usual... :)
© Hairy Steve August 2K+2