Devil’s Lake RC Crawling GTG 11/16/08
With a late fall RC Crawling GTG at Devil’s Lake scheduled for mid-November we were hoping for a good turnout. In the end just 3 of us showed up. Slick, Thumbman and I but that was fine, the rest of y’all missed some super crawling.
It was about 35 degrees most of the day but the wind was blocked for the most part and it was really quite comfortable.
With Thumbman as a guide, since he had more experience crawling at the lake than either Slick or me, we started out on the west side at the lot just before the ranger station and spent a battery pack’s worth of time working our way down towards the lake finding plenty of good lines through the rocks and a couple of sections that look promising for future comps. The best spot in my opinion was near the bottom of the path near the lake where, with a bit of debris cleaning, we should have a decent spot.
After a stop back at the vehicles for a snack and battery charging we made our way over to the East Bluff area. The walk up wasn’t too bad and when we got to the top we found some excellent crawling. The rocks at the top on the east side are much bigger than the rocks at the bottom on the west side and there are several areas that remind me of castle ramparts or parapets. Each had a slightly different character but all were really great. I was constantly amazed at the traction available even though the rocks and tires were cold. Judiciously placed in amongst the good grip were plenty of worn sections that were slick and treacherous. A hundred or more years of hikers sure do wear rocks in some places. It was easy to see where folks have been sliding down rocks for years. Oh, I suppose Mother Nature does Her part too.
I’d changed my wheels/tires from the Axial/Hammer combo to a Pro-Line/Rock Claw combo and liked the performance of this set up better than the earlier combo.
Overall, my Scorpion based MFM Black Widow performed really well. I am stocked that with just a bit more tuning it will make me look good despite all I can do to the contrary!
Slick and I had a bit of driving with the Losi Minis too. Slick had his working the big rocks really well. Boy, those Losi memory foam inserts sure do stiffen up in the cold but the blue compound tires rule the rocks!
Don’t miss the GTG at Devil’s Lake! I am now even more convinced that it is the best rc rock crawling in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Dells RC Crawling
Besides Devil’s Lake, which is about 12 miles south of the Dells and has awesome rc rock crawling areas, there are some intriguing crawling possibilities in the town of Wisconsin Dells itself. The sheer number of man-made structures that look appealing for crawling are enormous. Think waterparks! Unfortunately, most are not accessible or may involve a trip to the offices of the local constabulary for a visit.
On the main drag, amongst all the waterparks and other attractions, I did find a readily accessible wall that was fun for a couple of passes at the Flamingo Motel. The motel was already closed for the winter but the wall is right along the sidewalk so it would be accessible anytime. I got several looks and one guy who stopped to ask the usual questions all in the 20 minutes or so I spent working the wall.
Lake Delton, WI Crawling
There is a cool crawling spot near the Wisconsin Dells in Lake Delton. It is located behind the newish Kohl’s Department Store on I-90 and HWY 23. There is an exit from 90/94 right there but I don’t remember the exit number. I just parked in the parking lot right at the base of the hill.
The crawling area is a 300 foot-plus long and 15 foot high stretch of some kind of sandstone/limestone. It was uncovered when the builders excavated the hill to level it for the Kohl’s. I assume it is the same rocks that the river cut through to make the Dells. It is cut at about a 45 degree angle so you can practice your sidehilling and while it is grippy in some spots it is crumbly and slick in others. In addition there is some erosion on the rock that makes nice rills to work.
In addition there is a section of rocks that were put in for erosion control from the parking lot that is above the one that I was working. They worked well too.
MFM Black Widow Chassis with Scorpion Parts
I made the swap over of gear from my ARTR Axial Scorpion to the MFM Black Widow chassis today and I am impressed with the rig so far. It went together very easily and the quality of the chassis is very good.
I took it out to the rocks we used last week for our comp in Milwaukee and ran both courses that I used my somewhat modded ARTR on last week and had a much easier time clearing sections that I had trouble with last week. I know part of the ARTR’s problem was that it was too stiff so when I made the switch I removed the external springs from the Losi shocks and just went with the internal springs. It seems to be working well.
I have the Losi shocks set up with internal springs and the chassis sits at about 2.75 inches but there is about another .75 inches of travel available when a wheel drops.
The wheelbase as currently set up is just over 12.25 inches.
Here is how my rig is currently set up:
- MFM Black Widow Chassis
- Axial transmission
- Axial Comp Universal Joints
- STRS Steering Knuckles
- HR C-Hubs
- JR 8711 bad boy steering servo
- TCS 4 link front and rear
- Losi shocks all around with internal springs and 80 wt oil
- Revo lower links on the Delrin links.
- Proline 8 Shooter wheels
- Losi Rock Claws
- 7-cell NiMh battery
- Integy 60t Lathe Motor
- Novak Goat Crawler ESC
- KO Propo EX-1UR 2.4 GHz Tx & Rx
- JConcepts “Stage Killah” body is on the way! Using the XC-1 for now
Devil’s Lake RC Crawling Halloween 2008
I made it to the North Shore of Devil’s Lake near Baraboo, WI for an hour and a half or so today while the kids were waterparking in the Dells. Couldn’t have asked for a better day. Mid-60s and sunny. The trees in the park are way past peak but still have some leaves however most are already on the ground.
I hit a spot before you get to the main entry gate at the head of the West Bluff Trail and then another at the end of the parking lot after the East Bluff Trail. Both were really good with some HUGE rocks and the ability to string a few together if you don’t mind leaves.
Is a battery powered leaf blower appropriate? If not, next time I’ll bring a broom to shoo a few of the leafs out of the way and open up some transition routes between he big rocks.
Some very experienced RC crawlers have called Devil’s Lake the best RC rock crawling in Wisconsin. At this point I am inclined to agree!
Duratrax Cliff Climber
Duratrax first crawler entry is a bit of an odd duck in that its size is in between the currently popular 2.2 rigs that are nominally 1/10th scale and the Losi Mini Rock Crawler that is nominally 1/18th scale. The Cliff Climber comes in at approximately 1/14th scale and boasts some pretty impressive features that should appeal to the sport crawling crowd. Just don’t expect to compete in USRCCA events as the design falls outside the newly adopted 1.9 Comp Class rules. Don’t let that deter you though there is a lot to like in this interesting crawling rig.
Like:
- Dual high-torque 380-sized motors
- 4-wheel drive — 4-wheel steering
- Hardened steel axles and drive shafts
- Suspension geometry designed for maximum crawler performance.
- Ready-To-Run — fully assembled and ready for action!
- Easy to drive — this truck is all torque!
- Drivable anywhere — 1/14 scale means you can drive in smaller areas!
- Built to take on the most unforgiving conditions and come back for more!
The Broncoish scale-like body resembles full-size crawlers, and is available painted and trimmed in one of six different color schemes. I like the unique combos that go beyond the traditional Red, Blue and Black that seem to dominate color schemes.
Here are three of the more unique:
The Cliff Climber is available as both an RTR and a Prebuilt which lets you use your radio and ESC; the clear body of the Prebuilt allows for total paint customization!
In addition to being a decent rig in its own right the Cliff Climber has been lending some of its parts to modifying other crawlers.
Specifications:
- Length: 14.2 in (360 mm)
- Width: 9.0 in (230 mm)
- Height: 7.9 in (200 mm)
- Wheelbase: 9.5 in (240 mm)
- Ground Clearance: 3.5 in (90 mm)
RTR version (DTXD18**) Requires:
- (2) 6-cell 2/3A NiMH batteries (DTXC2194)
- charger (DTXP4240)
Prebuilt version (DTXC0018) Requires:
- 2-channel radio
- (2) standard servos
- dual motor/dual battery ESC
- (2) 6-cell 2/3A NiMH batteries
- charger
- Y-harness
- paint
October Milwaukee Crawling Comp Report
We had a good day and great weather for late October at the 2.2 Comp crawling event at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee. 7 guys showed up from some fairly far flung spots in Wisconsin with 2 from the Appleton area, 2 from the Whitewater area, and 3 from the Milwaukee area.
The courses were set up on the BIG rocks on the south side of the Bradford Beach parking lot and looked deceptively easy. While all sections were doable several spots on each course took their toll on the drivers.
Here’s how it panned out.
- 30 - Uber dominator Eddy
- 48 - Appleton Dave (By way of faster times over Slick!)
- 48 - Slick
- 52 - OICU812
- 75 - Gozer
- 77 - Schmenzer
- 132 - Kasper
A couple of pix below
More Pix on Flickr here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gasmith/sets/72157608406255317/
Kyosho 2.2 Rock Force Crawler
Recently introduced as a preview and scheduled for availablility in December 2008, Kyosho is entering the 2.2 Comp Crawler Kit fray with the Rock Force 2.2. This rig was designed from the ground up as a competition level base kit. The Rock Force is the first production crawler in the industry using worm gear technology. Worm gears give you the benefit of a lower gear ratio and a smaller diff case area, which comes in handy when maneuvering over a difficult course that calls out for ground clearance.
- Motor & Battery Placement - The placement of the motor and battery gives you low center of gravity.
- TVC Chassis - Twin Vertical Chassis (TVC), another chassis form abbreviation not withstanding, this design makes for a rigid chassis designed to clear any space that is required.
- Super Compact Drivetrain- Front and rear gearboxes are supper compact thanks to the new Kyosho Worm Gear Technology, this translates to better ground clearance.
- Worm Gears - Worm gears gives you the benefit of a lower gear ratio and added strength by use of hardened steel gears.
- No Special ESC - By using the worm gears in the Rock Force’s diffs it eliminates the need for a special ESC. You can buy a standard ESC and go compete and not worry about being docked points for sliding backwards because that problem has been eliminated completely.
- Standard - The Rock Force is user friendly and is meant to be use with standard radio equipment. No need to buy a special ESC or transmitter.
- 4WDS - 4 Wheel Drive Steering allows front steering and rear steering simultaneously or individually though apparently this cannot be combined with rear drive disconnect functions or rear drive lockout functions. Probably OK for 2.2 Comps though since 4WS is not allowed!
- Dig System - The dig system in the Rock Force is activated by and optional linkage system, this system will come in handy during those tight turn scenarios.
- Suzuki Jimny - The Classic Suzuki Jimny Rock Crawler body is included with the Rock Force Kit.
- Wheels - The rock force will come with industry standard 2.2 wheels.
Required For Completion/Operation
- R/C Radio System *3ch. radio with reverse function is recomended.
- Motor (27T-20T)? Lower gearing may mean Lathe motors need not apply
- 7.2V 6cell stick pack type battery
- ESC match motor spec
- Shock Oil
- Grease
- Paint (Lexan)
We’ve got several on pre-order so look for a test run when the rigs hit the States!
