R/C Wreck GIF

New GIF posted, this is a classic tank slapper or fish tail in slow motion. The TL-01 with the Lotus body on top gets pushed out of shape and the GoPro goes tumbling. Hilarious :)!

Stay tuned for more GIF's and tell us what you think, comments are always welcome.

Need to get your R/C Drift GIF fix? Check this out

Based on the popularity of the previous GIF, here is another. This was shot on the same day as the famous Bash Brothers Video. There is something about watching an R/C car drift through the pine needles which is just clean fun. Enjoy!

Bash Brothers GIF? Sure you got it

Just loading a quick mini-project. Set out to create a simple GIF and see if it works on the blog. Well...

Bash Brothers RC Big Squid Pro-Line Racing Big Bash Video Contest

Been busy lately working on this project so haven't had much in the way
of new posts in a while. Good news, MulkeyFilms has entered it's first
film contest! How exciting! The R/C hobby has given us lots of hours of
entertainment and now it's our time to give back. Sit back and enjoy the
clip. If you have any friends over at BigSquidRC or Pro-Line let them
know this video is worthy of a first place finish.

TT-01 Top Speed Testing 2S

Today, I set out to clock the top speed of the TT-01 with the new 2S battery. Previously I was able to acheive about 34 to 39 mph on an old LiPo battery. With the idea in my head that a newer battery should equal better performance I went out to find out if it was faster.

After a nice smooth run around the parking lot to warm up the tires I decided to give it all she had. Much to my surprise the first high speed pass recorded 42 mph! Not bad I thought, a newer battery can eek out a little bit higher top speed.

Tangent: A few weeks earlier I was showing a friend of mine, Mr. Scott, (longtime R/C Buddy and friend of the blog) the new battery and did a short test run before losing some pieces from my driveline in a spectacular rollover wreck. Before the wreck Mr. Scott commented that with the new battery this car seemed faster than before (he was right!).

Well, after a few high speed passes today I decided to look at the GPS and here is what I saw

44.4 mph! Nicely displayed on the GPS was a new top speed and if you look at the odometer you'll see that I was able to run for 1.1 miles. I was nowhere near having a dead battery but since I didn't want to totally drain the LiPo I decided to head in. I got to thinking, I wonder how far a battery could go. Speed is one measure, distance could be the next measurement to track. Is it possible to run an R/C for 5 miles? Is it possible to run for 3 miles? Would a higher gear ratio/lower speed gear make it more efficient. (Perhaps an upcoming blog post could answer these questions).

In my quest of 50 mph I may try the TL-01 with the new battery next and see how close I am to the next level. I may also switch to a smooth body and smaller tires to achieve 50 mph from the TT-01. If that doesn't do it? Bring on a 3S LiPo and we'll see what happens.

HPI Nitro MT Top Speed Flat Out and rollover

After perhaps 14 years on a shelf we ran this Vintage HPI Nitro MT. Doing a little tuning on this R/C in the video. More coming soon, including showing the new heatsink being put on. Great short clip.

Arrma Raider XL GoPro Footage with Jumps

New Footage! Arrma Raider XL BLX Running with the Venom Atomik. Great weather and an even better run, enjoy the footage and follow us as more footage gets uploaded. Hope to have some good jumping videos added soon as the Arrma Raider loves to jump!

Arrma Raider BLX Shake Down Run #1

As with any new R/C, I find it takes a couple of shakedown runs to have everything tuned and setup to one's liking. In this case, this was a quick shakedown run of the Arrma Raider BLX with a sport LiPo pack.  Run was cut short with a rear shock which was requiring some attention. So far very pleased with the Raider BLX. It handles the big stuff without any issue and can be tossed around without any fear of a busted A-arm. Check out the video below

Arrma Raider BLX Unboxing

Arrma Raider BLX 1/8th Scale Unboxing



It's the newest addition to the fleet of R/C's at MulkeyFilms.  It's also the
biggest and the first buggy to be tested in over 7 years (wow!). That's
right it's the ARRMA Raider BLX 1/8th scale buggy. It's quite a setup
with a brushless system right out of the box, metal gears and a 2.4ghz
radio system. Oh and there's a NiMH battery pack and charger included.



Now if the weather would hold long enough for me to get out and get some
runs in. Preliminary testing around the neighborhood proves this buggy
is a very good jumper and very stable when it lands.



Here is the unboxing, more videos soon to come. Stay Tuned...

Tamiya TT-01 Neutral Setup

Check out the Tamiya TT-01 running with a Neutral Setup


This chassis setup this way is a great way to entertain. Hanging the tail out and drifting too close to curbs is the best fun. This is only the second run with this setup and I'm very pleased with the result. Next step is to increase the speed a little bit. With this gear ratio the TT-01 pushes out quite a bit of torque and the 4600kw brushless motor handles the task. Motor temps were nice and cool. Battery stayed cool too.

The tires did get a little stickier as they warmed up, naturally. This builds driver confidence even more. Can't wait to drive this again. Coming soon is a 26T pinion upgrade. Stay Tuned!

Tamiya TL-01 Maximum Gear Ratio Top Speed GPS Verified

Check out this video of the tuned TL-01



The TL-01 has been an excellent choice for budget and beginning r/c-ers. Along the way
some of us get the bug and start modifying the ole chassis. This quickly becomes a fun experiment of what to change and what the benefit is. The first is usually an upgrade to oil filled shocks, tuned springs and a speed-tuned gear.



After that came lightweight parts and an anti-roll bar. Then (for some) upgrading a diff. Well, here
is a heavily modified and tuned TL-01.



Not bad for a 15 year old chassis which was designed in the days of ESC's and brushed
motors. Pretty impressive that this chassis can even handle the power from today's modern brushless systems and LiPo batteries.



Runs pretty quick, video in the link below. GPS verified top speed in the 40 mph range

Tamiya TL-01 Maximum Gear Ratio Top Speed

Here is the finished result of the TL01. Running on a wide open parking lot the TL hit just over 40 mph. Not bad! Good handling up around the top speed. Next time I hope to run this on a warmer day and get the steering trimmed in a little better. This should result in perhaps a little higher top speed. Hope to get another speed run in soon, stay tuned!

Pt III Venom Atomik Shortcourse Truck

The latest and final installment of the Venom Atomik Truck from the last run is now posted. Slick editing and some great motion footage are included. 

Check it out here

Venom Atomik Big Air

On an uploading binge as we push more and more videos of the insane Venom Atomik 1/8th Scale shortcourse truck. Rainy weather here means more videos to post online. Check it out and be sure to leave us a note.

Venom Atomik Shortcourse R/C Off-Road Test

Check out the new Video of the Venom Atomik ShortCourse Truck in action. Stay tuned until the end of the video as the fun really gets going as the jumps get better. This is the 1/8th scale Short Course Truck that refuses to get stuck. It's very impressive in person and is quite insane in speed and the sheer size of the truck.

Special thanks to the owner who let us shoot this video. He is a long time friend of the author and blogger :)!

 Enjoy!

Watch a Lexus Drift years before the Superbowl Lexus RC Drift Commercial

Yup, an olde but a goodie. Here it is, the original Lexus drifting video :). @Lexus probably needs more R/C drivers. Consider this my informal application. What are the odds it would even be the same color?

Throwback Thursday Grasshopper Truck Conversion

This converted Grasshopper with a Team CRP truck conversion kit is an oldie but a goodie. Really like how the paint job came out on this one. This truck is affectionately known as "The Frankenstein."
Planning on a brushless or modified brushed motor for this one soon. Stay tuned for more R/C stories.

Want to see a video of this truck? Stay tuned, this truck is a motor and esc away from being famous.

Mazda Mazda6 Mounted on the TT-01

Shown below is the completed Mazda6 body mounted on a slightly different chassis. Testing the mounting holes on the TT-01, surprisingly the holes lined up very well despite the switch from the TL-01 chassis.

 Really like the glare on this shot for some reason

 Tip: The number decals came from a scrapbooking sheet and stuck really well. Sizing and scale also seem to be right on target.

The verdict? Very controlled and balanced body. The TT-01 chassis handled smoothly with the stock gearing setup. The tire and wheel combo proved to deliver some very controllable and long drifts. Straight line and launch was very good.  Stay tuned for some videos showing the TL-01 running after the rebuild.

Have something to add? Leave us a note below.

Tamiya TL-01 Pretune Brushless

Here is a clip showing the TL-01 before the latest tune. Note that this longtime r/c driver needed to dial out quite a bit of steering to keep control of it.  On this day I was driving, without realizing it,
with 3 good wheels and a wheel with a rounded hub. This was putting power to the ground with 3 wheels, which is less than ideal for balance and handling.

While driving I noticed I was spinning out a lot and eventually spun it underneath a fence (shown in the video). Good way to break parts and discover it's time to rebuild and upgrade!

TL01 Mazda6 Build Pt II

Little bit more

Close to the finished product

The next step is "finishing" the body. Lots of decals followed by some time with the scissors and dremel smoothing out the rough edges. Finally have some dry weather coming our way. Stay tuned for a test run.

Although the color wasn't quite close enough I was able to get it a little closer with a little photo editing. Close to answering the question of what would a Mazda6 look like with a 787B paint job?

TL-01 Mazda 6 Build

The Mazda 787B race car was the inspiration for this paint job. The paint I received seems to be a little more on the red side than the orange of the race car. Oh well, the results seem to get better with more decals.

Here is a look at what this build entailed. Lots of parts and a totally clear body

With some masking

With the first coat of paint

 Check back soon for more photos on the TL-01 Mazda6 build. More pictures and video's coming soon!

Maybe my next R/C should be a sleeper?

Who doesn't love a great sleeper?  Check out the video below for ideas for your next R/C project.  I don't know about you but I am leaning towards the farm truck.  Imagine what people would think down at the R/C track!

TL-01 Tuning PT I

Step 1: Fixing the Broken Upright

A good drive followed by a good crash will sometimes break parts on even the best touring car. For this repair, I'll be fixing the right side front upright.

Here is a picture of the carnage. Shown is the broken upright and greasy drive shaft.

It is important to take apart these pieces carefully, as the pin which holds the hub likes to slide out and into tiny, dark, hard to reach places.

Step 2: Putting It Back Together

Once you have everything taken apart, it's time to start putting it back together with the new parts. In this case, the old broken upright (top) is shown next to the new upright (bottom). The old upright is usually missing a substantial amount of hardware. It's amazing how clean the new parts are and how dirty the old parts get!

Here is the driveshaft in the new upright with bearings installed (2). 

The second bearing is inside the upright and out of view. Next step is to put the pin through the hole on the driveshaft and then slide the hub into place.

This is what it looks like with the hub in place.

With the wheel installed.

 My Lego assistant makes a good stand and helps while I put the nut on the end of the driveshaft.

 Assembled from a different view.

Almost ready to install.

 Step 3: Installation
Well, it looks like this step might have to wait until the rest of the hardware gets here. We are going to need a new grub screw to hold the top and bottom of the upright onto the suspension arms.

Top view, notice the hole on top of the center of the upright.  

This is where the top grub screw goes.

Thanks for viewing, more updates will be coming along as the parts come in. Stay tuned!

Plantraco Nano Blimp Review

While waiting for my R/C parts to arrive from towerhobbies.com, I decided to shoot a quick review of our new Plantraco NanoBlimp. What a blast to fly. As mentioned in the review this thing is quite a bit different from flying a quadcopter. Enjoy! For more product information see http://www.microflight.com/.

Pacific Northwest R/C Blog is up and running!

Pacific Northwest R/C Blog is up and running!  Here is what you have coming up in the next few weeks:

• Mazda 6 Protoform Body Project
  First project is underway. Just ordered a Protoform Mazda 6 body and plan to paint it in a Mazda 787 race car paint job. I don't know if it's ever been tried, interesting to see what it looks like.
  
• Project TL-01 Update:
  Also ordered some new hex hubs that lock.  This should help the Tamiya TL01 get very finely tuned. Had to order some new front uprights as the TL01 went for a tumble the other day while testing out some sticky tires.
  
• Project TT-01 Update:
  New gears are on the way. Here is a picture of the best paint job to date on the TT01.
  
•  Plus I'll be showing off some of my favorite RC's.  In the meantime, check out my YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/MulkeyFilms) for some great RC footage. Stay tuned!