Kenny Carlile

After having done some research on RC cars for my girlfriend's son's birthday, I decided to take the plunge today and buy my first RC car. Well, actually I had a Tyco Hammer when I was a kid:

Because there are very few images of this old RC truck and because I no longer have it, I jacked these images from http://dragonhobbies.com/forum/index.php?topic=786.0. Click for full size.

I just had to mention that for nostalgic purposes. Okay, back to my story. I bought a Traxxas Rustler XL5 (3705) (in blue) from Hobby Town USA in Wilsonville. I went with this model because of the brand recognition, replaceable parts, waterproof (or at least resistant) electronics, and styling. I was a little nervous that I was going to be disappointed with it given the cost and since I bought it on a bit of a whim.

Holy crap was I wrong! It is WAAAAY cooler than I thought it would be. It is faster and handles much better than I expected. I realized that it was way too fast for inside the house after we tried running it around the living room a bit. Temporarily, we have two couches pushed together with a skateboard quarterpipe for a temporary indoor "foam pit" that we used for Pax's birthday party. We had tried jumping our RC quad into the foam pit, but it couldn't make it up the steep, slick ramp. The Rustler, however, LAUNCHED off the ramp and nearly hit the window past the couches!

It was raining and nearly dark when we took it outside to try it out, so they weren't the ideal conditions for trying out a new RC toy. Within a minute or two, we had the Rustler zipping around our culdesac. Of course, we nearly immediatly busted out the skateboard/bike/scooter ramps to test out the Rustler's jumping ability. I was shocked at how easily it launched into the air off the ramp. Mostly, I was surprised at how balanced it is in the air. It flies very flat and steady, which, unfortunately, led me to increasing the speed more and more until I was jumping it up to 15 feet.

…which resulted in a crash landing into a curb and a broken left caster block and suspension pin, not even before we exhausted a single charge. Oh well. It's going to be less than $7 to fix, although I think I'll replace them with aluminum pieces so as to not have to repeat this incident. It seems that there are an abundance of aluminum parts to replace the cheaper plastic parts, and I'm all about upgrades and customization (see my motorcycle).

As part of my purchase, I also got a Dynamite Prophet Sport (Part # 4056) 110-volt (120volt DC) charger and a pair of Team Orion Super Duty 2400 (Part # ORI10900) NiMH 7.2V batteries.

Traxxas Rustler XL-5 (3705) (Image from Traxxas.com)

Specifications

• Waterproof electronics permit driving in water, mud and snow.
• Traxxas 2216 4-channel micro receiver.
• New waterproof receiver box.
• High-torque Waterproof Traxxas 2056 steering servo.
• Powerful Titan® 12T 550 modified motor with internal cooling fan.
• Rustler reaches speeds in excess of 35mph using the includedoptional 28-tooth pinion gear.*
• High-performance waterproof XL-5 Electronic Speed Control.
  • Sport Mode Forward / Brake / Reverse
  • Race Mode Forward / Brake
  • Training Mode – 50% Forward / Brake / 50% Reverse (patent pending)
• New large axle carriers with 5x11mm oilite bushings
• Efficient Magnum 272 three-gear transmission with ball bearings.
• Sealed gearbox protects the transmission with beefed up motorguard for extra protection.
• Revo®-spec Torque-Control slipper clutch system.
• External gear cover with easy slipper access.
• Reliable planetary gear differential.
• Telescoping U-joint driveshafts.
• Fiber-composite monocoque chassis.
• Gray chassis components offer a fresh look.
• Speed control and waterproof receiver box are securely fastened to chassis.
• Easy access battery compartment.
• Fully adjustable Ultra Shocks with X-ring technology.
• White powder coated shock springs feature a new responsive spring rate.
• Durable solid camber links eliminate the need for adjustment.
• Captured rod ends won't pop off for superior durability.
• Alias step-pin rear tires and front Alias ribbed front tires offer superioroff-road traction.
• Rustler™s tires include performance foam inserts and they comepre-glued on mirror-chrome 2.8" All-Star wheels.
• New ProGraphix® multi-colored painted body is available in red,blue, black, and white.
  • Wing is securely attached to the body with precision hex hardware
• Rustler is backed by unparalleled Traxxas support and parts availability.

Documents

• Rustler (3705) Owners Manual
• Rustler (3705) Chassis Assembly
• Rustler (3705) Front Assembly
• Rustler (3705) Rear Assembly
• Rustler (3705) Transmission Assembly
• Rustler (3705) Optional Gearing Note
• Rustler (3705) Parts List
• Traxxas Radio Systems Parts List
• Traxxas Retail Order Form

Gathered from http://www.traxxas.com/products/electric/rustler3705/trx_rustler3705.htm