Force RC Muckraker

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Jimbobjr

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Well, with the coupon and sale price from tower I got one for $220.00 shipped. Too cheap to pass up. Looks like most parts can be found on the horizon site. Need it like another hole in my head...When it comes I will post some pics next to my Kraton and try to give some impression. Looks to be a nice entree level truggy. Even at retail it’s not too badly priced but their are a growing number of nice cars at the $300 range.
Jim
 
Keep us updated on this one! I was tempted to grab one also.
 
Force would sell more cars if their names were different. Outbreak, (that sounds like another truck I know) Epidemic, now Muckraker. Could we try and be a little more positive? We’re talking toy trucks here...any way it looks like it will be here tomorrow but I’m sure my XT90 connectors for it will take a week to come...
 
It came today along with my xt90 connectors. Nice looking layout with a few features I like and some not so muck. Decent shocks, 100amp esc, 3 difs, nice receiver box with just one clip extra 15t gear. Some things aren’t great like the front arms flex, (everyone already knows this thanks to JayTee), assembly quality:

So right away see the mesh is set too loose. Okay no big deal right? Like the arrmas every screw has too much locktight on them. Motor mounts, grub screw and pinion (or is it the spur...) stuck on the motor shaft after the setscrew was removed. Needed to heat it up to get it off as there was no way ever to get the bottom motor mount screw loose with it in the way. Not a huge problem but a teenager with just a few tools and no extra hardware would have a tough time sorting that out or worse he would strip his gears out in just a few runs. Pillow balls were way too loose again no problem but should have been ready to go. So NOW ready to go, let’s clean up the dog pooh in the yard and take it for a test run.

Runs really nice with good power. Flies through the air really flat, light compared to the arrmas. Steering is not great. I’m first going to play with the servo saver as it is too loose. (May just tighten it all the way as the plastic the front arms is made out of will give enough and act like a saver.) Raining now and all day tomorrow so it will be some time until I run this again. I have some ideas on making the arms stiffer with a cross brace wire tied on each arm but may change the servo to one of my JX’s and try a few other things before that. To be fair my Kraton had steering and build quality issues out of the box too.

So is this worth the $220.00 bucks I spent on it? I think so. Nice extra car to have when we have kids over and they want to run some cars. Is it worth the 300 retail? Well I think used Arrma from eBay may be a better deal. But some will not buy used and used has its issues as well. The Zombie and Maximus from dhk are pretty cool but only 80amp esc and no center diff. (At least I don’t think they have one but could be wrong.) They are similar price. Tower is now advertising the Muckraker $250.00 as the regular price and has parts for it on sale very cheap.

I’ll add to this post if I sort any of this out and get some miles on this thing. Here are a few pics. 784CAA8B-1F27-4CF4-AB5B-AB752FF74CAD.jpegA11CB317-8A3D-4452-A8D2-B5008E00B9B7.jpeg3F5F35BB-A2B3-49A1-915B-7A3901933173.jpeg662DCA8F-A8A8-47A4-90AC-C60ADC220339.jpeg00093156-DA97-4928-8840-5AF0734EE4AC.jpeg9CEC7D5D-1CA5-494A-BE7A-E7150F2D3561.jpegBC9EB64B-3BAC-40E1-80B0-8C2659737AD1.jpeg3ECAFFD7-34EA-4C7B-B06E-876531689B64.jpeg47C52F40-ABD9-49D9-8A0F-D96B8EC05797.jpegDD5A5611-A8A7-4D67-AB66-A8125E166DAB.jpeg
 
Yeah, really not a bad truggy. The top arms are a bit flex but the truck is steering far better since I cranked down on the servo saver. Truck runs very cool stock so I’m going to try the provided 15t gear. Stock servo is holding up well and I feel there’s no reason to changed it until I break it.
 
Sereral packs through this thing. Really a nice easy driving truck. Steering is pretty good now. Full throttle in grass it still likes to go straight but not really worse than some trucks. No breakages yet and have done some full throttle jumps at my bash spot. The size of this truck is almost in the middle of the Kraton/talion and Typhon/Outcast chassis. Would be a fun project to by a Muckraker/Epidemic chassis and build an arrma model. Most holes will not line up but I think it could be done without too much trouble. I think I would use the force rc layout for electronics as it puts the esc in the rear and the on/off button right where it’s supposed to be. Also the servo mount/receiver box is nice and tidy.
 
So far I’ve managed to break a front shock rod and the rear suspension arm mount. Made a new one of those out of aluminum. Also fitted a non drilled t-bone basher for the front. Ordered a typhon one without holes. Everything still pretty solid, run a few packs a week through it. Probably could use wheel bearings. Looks like the inners are bushed and otters are bearings. Should be able to find a bearing that will fit where the bushings are.
E6C8BC0B-377B-46E4-87C2-AE8B7238B289.jpeg1E85C3B8-8F9B-4BDB-9AF4-0CEC338AD79C.jpeg5C23C0F1-9052-4FD1-9C9D-90C89755B9F4.jpeg
 
Still having some fun with this at my bash sites. In an attempt to take some slop out of the front end I’m changing out the upper suspension arms for some arrma ones. The stock ones are too narrow at the hing and lack material in the middle to prevent flex. Had to make a new mount to accommodate. Also made a top plate, some bushings for the arms and will be shortening them a bit. It will all make sense when I get a picture of it all together. Too cold in the garage to go any further today but will try and get this together and work the bugs out soon.
09A3764A-1C76-4F36-A3AA-5E0736D677FA.jpegCAB7D56A-7A8C-41D6-B3EF-E91F46A992E7.jpeg
 
I got this together and it’s around 100 times better. May need to make new pins and thread them all the way through the new mount if the thread locker doesn’t work. This was really the only thing that was holding it back. Has around 1/3 of the play of my arrmas. I want to take the diffs apart and take a look at how they are made and service them.
49BF8653-9849-424F-82D3-076C16F4B4CD.jpeg9469EA2F-D192-4E1D-8AD6-3B1A1440EB5A.jpeg344F5F0A-A43E-4B95-BE19-561036DB1FFB.jpegB2F36427-A50F-445E-B126-E2DB20F31AE4.jpeg0B9BDEAD-B0F6-49B5-952B-D862B299C3A6.jpeg7538FE34-90C2-446C-BDC4-C378103C5E81.jpeg
 
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There is nothing that is just a parts swop. I spent a lot of time and thought into getting the arms to work. They needed to be moved back and the mounts widened. Doing this with spacing the original back 3/8” will work but you are increasing the likelihood the plastic will break. An aluminum mount imo had to be used. The arms had to be cut around 5/16” back redrilled and tapped for the pillow balls. The hinge pins for arrma are 4mm and the force rc are 3mm. Had to make 4 spacer/bushings on the lathe and press them into the arms. Could have redrilled the shock tower for a bigger pin but then would have had to make new pins which would have been more work.
 
it looks very similar to an arrma..like a budget version..
It’s similar in design to all the other 3diff truggies. Closest thing we will get to a 4s Kraton. If they would have come up with a stiffer front end these would be hard to beat for $ on 4s.
 
Hi jimbob I just got one after checking out your forum. Thanks for forging the path, now to learn how to use a lathe and solder some different battery connectors
 
I think you will like it. The truck handles pretty good with the stock front end. I just like to tinker and have the equipment in the garage so it doesn’t cost anything. The battery connectors are fine I just have all xt90 on all my other stuff. Good luck with it.
 
Looks like the Force Rc stuff is on clearance at Tower. I guess they are done, too bad...
I'm in process of making braces for this as the plastic ones are clapped out. Too flimsy and once they are flexed a couple hundred times they are permanently bent. Also throwing in a BLX system I have as a spare so I can run 6s. the difs in this thing are very stout (next time I have them out I will take a pic...) and the drive shafts and cvds are the same diameter as my 6s arrmas so it should take it.
 
I bet they are not going away. HH seems to do a price cut about6 months after a new car rolls out. So $50 off these now seems about right. $250 for a 1/8 monster truggy, I may need to get on just to try...
 
They will take the coupon as well. At least it worked back in October when they were on sale. I wish the parts went on sale again too. I got a full set of shocks for 20 bucks.
 
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