SMT10 - My first solid axle monster truck build

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marauder

Hardcore RCTalk User
Messages
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Location
Tampa, FL
RC Driving Style
  1. Racing
So recently I’ve gotten into solid axle monster trucks. Thought I’d share my first build. Started life as a new Max-D SMT10 from Axial racing. Still a work in progress waiting on a lot of parts orders. Feel free to ask any questions. Thanks!

Electronics:
  • Removed axial esc/motor
  • Savox SA1230SG
  • Mamba X esc and 1406-5700kv running on 2s lipo

Drivetrain:
  • Replacing as things break which is fast
  • HR trans gears
  • Axial HD bevel gear set stock ratio for front and rear to be installed
  • Axial cvd’s for front to be installed
  • Proline Brawler wheels
  • Prolibe Destroyer tires
  • Axial flat 12mm hex (stock hex will not work with these wheels unless you drill the wheels or grind off the step).

Body:
  • Modified new rear body mount
  • Justin’s Customz wrap Hot Wheels body

Trying to keep as much stock and plastic as possible to keep the weight down. I really like the quality of the axial parts (excluding stock driveline). I believe the driveshafts will hold up and are a cheap weak point.
 

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Good looking Axial SMT10 @marauder! Every time I see one of these I have a huge itch to get one. I know my son would love it and even more so fitting a Grave Digger body on it.
 
Justin does some sick digger, Sonuva digger, etc. thinking about doing a mad scientist body through him as well. The Grave Digger axial actually looks nice and scale. The max d didn’t look right with the stock tires. I attached a pic of how it would look with the maxd body. Not my pic though.

I really like how this one turned out though. Even bought a diecast version. Hahahahaha

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How much was the wrap from Justin @marauder? I think my son would get a kick out of the Hot Wheels wrap too.
 
Was $135 shipped since it’s paint and wrap. He does a lot of the hot wheels paint schemes, but can replicate almost any scheme. Hardest part is the bodies to be similar. He’s on Facebook but I recently joined the delete Facebook movement. A casualty is losing all my rc groups but oh well.

Here’s his website. He’s out of Ohio. Currently I think he’s busy, but typically is a quick turnaround. He does sell the wraps you can install on your own if you already have a body.

http://justinscustomz.com/
 
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Glamour shots from him prior to purchase.
 

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Here’s a pic I had snagged of a digger he did for someone...

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Because I’m geeked...
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@marauder you're not helping my itch. I think I like that Hot Wheels body better than a Grave Digger. I don't need another RC, but I sure do want one! :D
 
Haha I know. It’s a bad addiction. It brought out the kid in me when I held the diecast. Where was this stuff when I was growing up? We had micro machines knock offs and match box cars we couldn’t afford the hot wheels on lawn mowing budget.

I must say, this hands down is one of the coolest looking rc I’ve built, I can only do basic bodies and it was worth every dollar having one made for the truck. It’s going to be hard to bash on this one, but that’s why I built it, to send it. I am generally not too hard on my rigs though.
 
Man that’s a sick lid on your SMT-10, I want one, but I’m holding back until I finish my burly mud truck.

When I was little the match box cars were the more expensive ones, now when I take a stroll through the toy section I look for the little cars that are movie replicas, I have several batmobiles, a back to the future car, a smokie and the bandit trans am, and a few from that movie “dazed and confused”
 
Got the body mounted, steering servo installed, put the planetary covers on the wheels after installing Traxxas locking serrated wheel nuts, adjusted gear mesh on motor again, then ran a pack through it and so far all seems to be very smooth on stock axles. Need to raise the front of the body a touch. Decided to take a few pics of the monster trucks. Enjoy.
 

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also a model that you may be able to use ideas/parts from is the XTM X-Factor. god i remember seeing that in my rc magazine and wanting one so bad.
 
These have ended up being shelf queens for me, once I got them built I really couldn’t bring myself to drive them. Debating selling them though, moving to Florida this year and will be starting on my next project with a 4-rotor RX8 build soon. If anyone is interested let me know I’ll dig up a list of all the goodies included. Still not sure if I can let the one from Bari go though, but I might.
 
In the words of Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar .. "WE ARE NOT WORTHY... WE ARE NOT WORTHY"
Looks amazing!!!
 
Man you went all out. That is a great looking truck. I haven't even got to drive mine yet so I am super jealous. I drove it when it was still a wpl but all that is left of that is the cab and chassis. I he'd a set of plans with the wok oil tank and all electrons for safely took away inside the town but things just didn't go exactly the plan due to the weather Amazon and everybody else wasn't getting my packages here in time so I had to change plans a little bit I like you I wanted my truck to be a little lighter so I went with the roll cage back end but then I ended up making it heavier by putting a 540 80t motor in it. I got it all put together and ran it the other day for the first time just upside down let the wheel spin to make sure the drive shafts and everything was spinning freely but I did was just like a battery to the motor and let it spin.I wanted to see if the motor needed a fan to keep it cool and I wanted to see what kind of speed the tires return at and see if I needed a reduction gear on the motor or not the new controller I'm getting has speed control setup on it so I don't think I'm going to need a reduction gear and the motor seems to run pretty cool.this is only one of my builds though I have another build with dual 570 motors going into it it's going to be a 6x6-6 wheel steering.it's going to be a monster if I can get the traction I'll be pulling houses off of foundations.with those two 570 motors in the size and weight of the wpl 6x6 the weight to power ratio is insane. I'll install 2 reduction gears on the motors and drive shafts directly to the axles. One motor will run the front and one for the rear axles. I have a friend who challenged my kids and me and we'll I always have told my kids go big or stay home so I have to live up to that. Well that is two of my builds I'm working on 4 all at once and they all have there special quality's but I think your truck has alot of potential it'd be fun if you lived close by and we can actually put one against the other all for fun of course.if so I started buying the kids a bunch of cheap RC cars and watching them break within a month's time and then I end up with a whole bunch of boxes for the broken RC car so I decided well let's do something with them then Amazon came in the picture and from then on just like you said just like a kid again.what's going on with kids we didn't have all this cool crap these RCs. Gotta go I do like your truck though no guestions I think you're pretty descriptive with all the details and photos good job
 
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