Ah yes, my favourite YT series returns! The progress continues - surely there’s a win coming soon. I don’t need one and sadly I have nowhere to race one but man, this series really makes me want a yellow wheeled Bandito of my own 😂
That was awesome.....and yes.....I got a Bandit.....just cuz of your videos.....gonna see how it handles on turf.....keep 'em coming.....your gonna 🏆.....have fun and be safe 👍
Those caster blocks are the #3632 and are for slash, stampede, and rustler 2wd. I made the same mistake, had to buy strc bandit caster blocks that are #2432.
Love it. I never was any good at off road, and haven't raced in awhile, but the Bandit is so cool! Obviously being able to drive makes a huge difference. Years ago I had just purchased a new XXXT and I let a friend of mine, that COULD drive, enter my son's Traxxas Rustler. Stock, tires and all, except I did have a legal 27 turn motor in it and a good (at the time) 2000mah NIMH battery. Long story short, he qualified in the A main and I didn't! Anyway love your videos can't wait to see more of the BANDITO!
I'd also like to add to help you out, RPM arms are more flexible than the stock Traxxas arms. Which is good for traction but bad because they can mess with suspension settings due to the flexibility. Also take out all the bearings, remove the seals and put them in a ultrasonic cleaner, oil them up, and reinstall seals. The bearings will spin more freely. I did this to my spec slash for racing at my LHS and the truck drives better! 👍👍
The caster blocks are for the rustler/stampede. I also found this out the hard way. For some reason the bandit uses a bigger diameter outer pin compared to the rusty/pede. Loving the bandito videos. I purchased one to mess with at my LHS Astro turf track. Keep'em coming 👍👍👍
@@mxacres if you're still looking for aluminum castor blocks, someone makes them for a drag bandit in aluminum.....I think it was STRC.....but don't hold me to it. I can't wait to get my "Bandito" on my LHS Astro track to try it out next week. I normally race 2wd off-road with my Yokomo 3.1, 17.5 and spec slash class. Keep the bandito videos coming! I subbed👍👍👍
That Bandito saga is getting really really interesting. Kind of frustrating for those who likes to show off with big brands and thousands dollar machine. Keep on the good work, just suscribed
Reakky enjoying your series on the Bandit and racing it. I been talking about doing what you are doing for a few years and always kids my buddies that I might come back to racing but if I did I was going to run a Bandit and just have some fun and not take every so serious like I use to. Great job on the Bandit.
Really good series thanks for creating and posting! Nice to see a rear motor car running so well. Might be worth sticking a gear cover on it though to potentially protect a Marshall in a crash scenario from getting their fingers caught. Keep up the good work.
This! I remember the stock banding gear cover had a little hole designed specifically to vacuum up extra grit from the track as a favor to other drivers. Can't remember the part number, but remember an after-market replacement that was fully enclosed.
A good upgrade is STRC Hingepin/kingpin set. It's much stronger than stock with a locknut on one end. You'll never have to worry about them backing out. Plus it makes the up and down motion of the a-arms much more fluid. No sticking points.
Awesome video series! Traxxas has racing DNA in their blood, ask Jeremy Kortz! Traxxas is making money with the RTRs and bashers! It would be nice if they got back into competitive racing! Oh yeah your lucky you got 93 at the pump! Lol!
@@mxacres last year I build a 2wd slash for racing and it was just way heavier than the competition cars. So corner speed was horrible. Can’t recommend that. I now am driving a SC6.2 and drives like a dream.
It's a real pleasure watching this series evolving. Never thought this car would be so competitive and I would love to see it on a carpet/astro track, as we over here in Europe mainly drive on that surfaces. Ah by the way, where did that german license plate came from? :D
Bandit was my first track car 20 years ago because of the low cost of entry. Hindsight, yes, would have saved more in the long run if total cost was the only thing I cared about. But, I feel like I learned so much more and had more fun wrenching and hacking to make a "slow" car go fast, than I would have had in making a "fast" car go just a little faster. Thanks for the great content!
That rodeo joke was top shelf material dude. Hilarious. If it wins, give this car the body it deserves! No longer the bandit, it has transcended its beginnings and is the Bandito!
Stay away from RPM. Their plastic is too soft. I dumped RPM's and went back to stock Traxxas plastic. I keep 3 sets of caster blocks and steering knuckles/hubs (whatever they're called) in my toolbox. They are a quick change if broken.
RPM is not designed for racing, they are designed for bashing because they are soft. Only thing RPM I would use on a race car would be front and rear arms. No caster blocks or hubs.
always always always, go RPM caster blocks, rear hubs, and arms, the aluminum bell crank is a must, along with tow links, M.I.P hardware with locking nuts. itll be bullet proof and everything meshes together nice, no binding. my rustlers were always my favorite rc.
You did get the right screw kit, I had the same "not enough of what I needed and plenty of what I don't" problem when I converted my rustler screws to all steel. But now I'm looking into converting my Rustler into a Bandit thanks to this series.
I kinda want to try doing something similar with an XB Dual Ridge TT02B at some point. Honestly, I'm starting to see just how overrated the top-end racing platforms are. They do definitely have an advantage but it's not anywhere near as big as people make it out to be. It's not enough of an advantage to be the determining factor in a club race at least.
I haven't watched this one yet but I'm very much enjoying your films, keep it up, very entertaining and insightful to say the least. Why so fee views? You deserve many many more. Also it's refreshing to see a bunch of lads having fun , too many of us take our sport/hobby too seriously. Kick some!!!
The rpm steering setup for slash/rustle/ bandit is tighter than any aluminum setup I've tried( aluminum ends up floppy after a half a dozen runs.) I Run the rpm arms, caster blocks, shock towers. Just tighter than the aluminum..... but run the aluminum rear bearing blocks.
Watching the car, it looks like it needs a bit better off corner steering with better rotation as well. I would suggest less caster(20°) if you can get it and loosen the diff a touch. It looks like it's got good initial turn in but lacks in center-off steering. Reminds me of a Losi XX
I picked up a slash to bash with, two months later and I’m getting it setup for racing instead. My local track is going to force me to race 2wd for a bit, soo I’m going to get a bandit to do it with. Thanks for showing that you can do it and not spend college tuition money on it.
alloy upgrades are so common, but whether for racing or bashing, they are not always really an upgrade. Flex is certainly important for a basher...if the outer parts can't flex, then the force gets sent to the inner parts of the chassis, parts often harder/more expensive to replace. For racing, the rigidity should be a good thing, but the weight might not be. Weight can be your friend, but it all depends on where the weight goes...a little weight out by the wheels is equal to more weight on the chassis. Those alloy hubs add weight that the suspension has to dampen. For racing, alloy adds more strength than it does performance. The racing adage goes "simplify, then add lightness. The Bandito is already pretty simple, so adding lightness is the way to go, not to add weight.
I never understood aluminium hubs unless they are known to break, your adding alot of weight (compared to plastic) and on the very outside aswell which will limit rotation.
Nicely done in regards to proving that the car doesn't need hundreds spent on it. But... with the money spent on it, I think you could get a RB10 RTR to do the same job? I do get the reason for this video series though....a low cost car with upgrades, can beat some of those current day built cars. Love it!
I get the aluminum steering rack for durability. But on the caster blocks, wouldn't that just add metal? Everybody loves metal but I'm assuming all that's doing is making your rig heavier which is bad right?
Always figured Al hubs would just increase unsprung weight, havent broken any of those parts. id recomend the better shock shafts, bend the stock ones a lot
This is awesome! Your probably still under $500 when the buggy ia good to go, i was looking into getting into 2ed but just to build the stupid thing was $1k plus entrance fees hard pass jumped into the mini z thing instead. This though at $500 and under is very temtpting
The front caster didn’t work bc the front bandit arms are also the same on the nitro rustler. They are not the same arms that the electric rustler or slash uses.
Its funny how you sometimes «over upgrade» a car and sometimes need to dial it back a bit. I like the simple, less is more attitude on your build with this one. After getting a Bandito myselfe I started driving in a club on a carpet track . First time for me but so much fun. The car works really good after a few adjustments and some of the hardcore members is just like «is that a traxxas??» Looking forward for more upgrades / adjustments on your build. Maybe the win will come with the custom body ??
Taking it from the stock version, what upgrades have you made? Tires, servo, ESC, engine, shocks? And then some? And you are not using the stock controller either? It was a long time since I was racing RC cars, but as I remember you can always buy a cheap car and make it run well with upgrades. But in the end, the total price level compared to buying a kit competition buggy is not that high and usually durability will be worse for the cheaper car. What I mean is that you seem to make a great job with he Bandit, and it seems to be a fun project, but in the end will it be faster and will it be much cheaper than going expensive from the start?
Yo please put a stock 17.5t with timing in the bandit and do it right. I really wanna know if I can use this platform at my track. They are gonna make me use a true 17.5t. Those 12t titan motors are much quicker I think….
I could be wrong. However I think you jut made it more expensive. Not faster. Isnt keeping it stock the point of running a value priced car? Having to spend 1000$ turns ppl off
Everybody is sponsored now... 17.5 class and ur puttin on heavier parts. most buys are paying $$$$ to make their cars lighter. Thus stock class cars are more $$$ than mod. Sad. -U10
Ah yes, my favourite YT series returns! The progress continues - surely there’s a win coming soon.
I don’t need one and sadly I have nowhere to race one but man, this series really makes me want a yellow wheeled Bandito of my own 😂
Thank you!
Literally just picked up a Bandit as my beginner race car just because it looks like it will be a fun way to learn racing. All because of this series.
That’s awesome! Have fun with it
That was awesome.....and yes.....I got a Bandit.....just cuz of your videos.....gonna see how it handles on turf.....keep 'em coming.....your gonna 🏆.....have fun and be safe 👍
Same here. 👍👍
Thanks dude! And good luck to you!
You The Man......👍
Those caster blocks are for the Rustler arms. Bandit uses Nitro Rustler arms and has a different caster block.
couple of us in our club are trying to work out a spec 2wd buggy class. the Bandit was a consideration.
This is an awesome underdog story. Love it!
Those caster blocks are the #3632 and are for slash, stampede, and rustler 2wd. I made the same mistake, had to buy strc bandit caster blocks that are #2432.
Thanks
Great series. Impressive Performance. I might have to buy a Bandit.
Go get one. Tons of cheap fun.
Love it. I never was any good at off road, and haven't raced in awhile, but the Bandit is so cool! Obviously being able to drive makes a huge difference. Years ago I had just purchased a new XXXT and I let a friend of mine, that COULD drive, enter my son's Traxxas Rustler. Stock, tires and all, except I did have a legal 27 turn motor in it and a good (at the time) 2000mah NIMH battery. Long story short, he qualified in the A main and I didn't! Anyway love your videos can't wait to see more of the BANDITO!
Thank you!
I'd also like to add to help you out, RPM arms are more flexible than the stock Traxxas arms. Which is good for traction but bad because they can mess with suspension settings due to the flexibility. Also take out all the bearings, remove the seals and put them in a ultrasonic cleaner, oil them up, and reinstall seals. The bearings will spin more freely. I did this to my spec slash for racing at my LHS and the truck drives better! 👍👍
What do you mean by suspension setting?
The entertainment part is a hell yes.
The caster blocks are for the rustler/stampede. I also found this out the hard way. For some reason the bandit uses a bigger diameter outer pin compared to the rusty/pede. Loving the bandito videos. I purchased one to mess with at my LHS Astro turf track. Keep'em coming 👍👍👍
Yes I believe you are correct. Just made the same mistake with rpm caster blocks😂 this is getting expensive.
@@mxacres if you're still looking for aluminum castor blocks, someone makes them for a drag bandit in aluminum.....I think it was STRC.....but don't hold me to it. I can't wait to get my "Bandito" on my LHS Astro track to try it out next week. I normally race 2wd off-road with my Yokomo 3.1, 17.5 and spec slash class. Keep the bandito videos coming! I subbed👍👍👍
@@mxacres integy makes alu caster blocks that actually fit the Bandit. We put them on after a stock plastic one snapped in half.
Just the comment I was looking for. I also had this issue between my vxl rustler and ba dit and had to learn lol
The Bandit carries the racing spirit of the Traxxas TRX1! Great job and yeah it was very close.
That Bandito saga is getting really really interesting. Kind of frustrating for those who likes to show off with big brands and thousands dollar machine. Keep on the good work, just suscribed
Ha ha! Thank you!
Yes. Liked before watching. I know this will be good.
To quote Clarkson..."MORE! MORE OF THAT!!"
this series is actually soooo good! love seeing an under dog car sticking it to the big dogs.
Reakky enjoying your series on the Bandit and racing it. I been talking about doing what you are doing for a few years and always kids my buddies that I might come back to racing but if I did I was going to run a Bandit and just have some fun and not take every so serious like I use to. Great job on the Bandit.
To me that’s the entire appeal. After taking racing too seriously I lost interest. Now I’m like dude let’s just run stock traxxas and have fun !
BANDITOOOOOO. I am late to the party, but never too late.
I’m really enjoying this upgrade journey and the honesty that sometimes the bling doesn’t seem to do much for the race pace!
Awesome !!! Keep up this Bandito racing
Bruh this series has been super entertaining and fun... I gotta get a bandit
That sounds like the slot cars we ran. RC Ghost.
Dude, LOOKING at someone wrong can cause cancer in California apparently lol 😆
Yes. They passed that law this year. But only if you think of them by the wrong pronoun.
As a native Californian, I can confirm this.
@@mikeluther60 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆
@mike luther bahahahaha
Really good series thanks for creating and posting! Nice to see a rear motor car running so well. Might be worth sticking a gear cover on it though to potentially protect a Marshall in a crash scenario from getting their fingers caught. Keep up the good work.
This! I remember the stock banding gear cover had a little hole designed specifically to vacuum up extra grit from the track as a favor to other drivers. Can't remember the part number, but remember an after-market replacement that was fully enclosed.
A good upgrade is STRC Hingepin/kingpin set. It's much stronger than stock with a locknut on one end. You'll never have to worry about them backing out. Plus it makes the up and down motion of the a-arms much more fluid. No sticking points.
Just a reminder, the bandit uses different arms, cblocks, and pins up front. Not all of those captured pins will fit👍
Awesome video series! Traxxas has racing DNA in their blood, ask Jeremy Kortz! Traxxas is making money with the RTRs and bashers! It would be nice if they got back into competitive racing! Oh yeah your lucky you got 93 at the pump! Lol!
I like this siries
Love the Bandito video series. What's next in the Traxxas challenge?? Rustler or Slash VXL? They both have adjustable turnbuckles and tunable diffs.
2wd sct has suddenly taken off locally. I may have to purchase a slash?
@@mxacres last year I build a 2wd slash for racing and it was just way heavier than the competition cars. So corner speed was horrible. Can’t recommend that. I now am driving a SC6.2 and drives like a dream.
at this rate Traxxas should be sponsoring it all!
It's a real pleasure watching this series evolving.
Never thought this car would be so competitive and I would love to see it on a carpet/astro track, as we over here in Europe mainly drive on that surfaces.
Ah by the way, where did that german license plate came from? :D
I plan to try some carpet racing very soon . I can’t remember where I got the plate. I was hooked on old vws years ago.
Bandit was my first track car 20 years ago because of the low cost of entry. Hindsight, yes, would have saved more in the long run if total cost was the only thing I cared about. But, I feel like I learned so much more and had more fun wrenching and hacking to make a "slow" car go fast, than I would have had in making a "fast" car go just a little faster. Thanks for the great content!
Thank you!
Thanks for doing the testing for me, mate :D
😂 your welcome
That rodeo joke was top shelf material dude. Hilarious. If it wins, give this car the body it deserves! No longer the bandit, it has transcended its beginnings and is the Bandito!
Ha ha! Bandito Indeeto
Technically aluminum is heavier. Any weight is a time killer in 2wd buggy racing. Probably would have went with RPM.....
All ur merch is making me wanna come ride mx acres haha
The caster blocks were probably meant for the slash. The bandit hinge pin is thicker then the slash pins.
This is starting to make sense now. Thanks.
Stay away from RPM. Their plastic is too soft. I dumped RPM's and went back to stock Traxxas plastic. I keep 3 sets of caster blocks and steering knuckles/hubs (whatever they're called) in my toolbox. They are a quick change if broken.
Interesting. RPM parts are great for bashing because of the softness but I can understand that may actually be counterproductive for racing.
RPM is not designed for racing, they are designed for bashing because they are soft. Only thing RPM I would use on a race car would be front and rear arms. No caster blocks or hubs.
wish we had a track like this near by
always always always, go RPM caster blocks, rear hubs, and arms, the aluminum bell crank is a must, along with tow links, M.I.P hardware with locking nuts. itll be bullet proof and everything meshes together nice, no binding. my rustlers were always my favorite rc.
Dude, I love the bandit videos
You did get the right screw kit, I had the same "not enough of what I needed and plenty of what I don't" problem when I converted my rustler screws to all steel. But now I'm looking into converting my Rustler into a Bandit thanks to this series.
Awesome! I believe I got the wrong kit. I’ll use them eventually somewhere.
That aluminum caster block doesn't fit the RPM arm either, actually. I had the same issue while building a street stock.
So tempted to buy one now. Great videos dude. Following 🤘
Thanks!
Great work. This series has been awesome. Keep it up!
Thank you!
You can use 2531a arms with those alum parts and upgrade the transmission to the magnum 272r for the better diff and topshaft.
I kinda want to try doing something similar with an XB Dual Ridge TT02B at some point. Honestly, I'm starting to see just how overrated the top-end racing platforms are. They do definitely have an advantage but it's not anywhere near as big as people make it out to be. It's not enough of an advantage to be the determining factor in a club race at least.
I haven't watched this one yet but I'm very much enjoying your films, keep it up, very entertaining and insightful to say the least. Why so fee views?
You deserve many many more.
Also it's refreshing to see a bunch of lads having fun , too many of us take our sport/hobby too seriously.
Kick some!!!
The rpm steering setup for slash/rustle/ bandit is tighter than any aluminum setup I've tried( aluminum ends up floppy after a half a dozen runs.)
I Run the rpm arms, caster blocks, shock towers. Just tighter than the aluminum..... but run the aluminum rear bearing blocks.
Watching the car, it looks like it needs a bit better off corner steering with better rotation as well. I would suggest less caster(20°) if you can get it and loosen the diff a touch. It looks like it's got good initial turn in but lacks in center-off steering. Reminds me of a Losi XX
Awesome series!
Thank you
Everyone is rooting for the Bandit!!!
I've got every RPM part made on my bandit.
They can definitely be competitive.
Also have aluminum shock caps on stock shocks
I picked up a slash to bash with, two months later and I’m getting it setup for racing instead. My local track is going to force me to race 2wd for a bit, soo I’m going to get a bandit to do it with.
Thanks for showing that you can do it and not spend college tuition money on it.
I hope you film your progress too!
Have fun with it! It’s actually a great buggy
alloy upgrades are so common, but whether for racing or bashing, they are not always really an upgrade. Flex is certainly important for a basher...if the outer parts can't flex, then the force gets sent to the inner parts of the chassis, parts often harder/more expensive to replace. For racing, the rigidity should be a good thing, but the weight might not be. Weight can be your friend, but it all depends on where the weight goes...a little weight out by the wheels is equal to more weight on the chassis. Those alloy hubs add weight that the suspension has to dampen. For racing, alloy adds more strength than it does performance. The racing adage goes "simplify, then add lightness. The Bandito is already pretty simple, so adding lightness is the way to go, not to add weight.
Great series! Keep up the good work and the win will follow soon!
Thanks
I am envious that you seem to have a track so close to where you live. Looks like a lot of fun. Keep the videos coming please 👍
I never understood aluminium hubs unless they are known to break, your adding alot of weight (compared to plastic) and on the very outside aswell which will limit rotation.
Just having fun and I wanna try lots of options on this buggy.
Awesome, entertaining video! Definitely subscribed and watching more! Cheers.
Someone share this series on Traxxas' social media
You got this ribble lol
Ha!
Nicely done in regards to proving that the car doesn't need hundreds spent on it. But... with the money spent on it, I think you could get a RB10 RTR to do the same job? I do get the reason for this video series though....a low cost car with upgrades, can beat some of those current day built cars. Love it!
Thank you
Want me another bandit too because of your series
I too bought a bandit because of your videos
That’s awesome! Enjoy it!
I get the aluminum steering rack for durability. But on the caster blocks, wouldn't that just add metal? Everybody loves metal but I'm assuming all that's doing is making your rig heavier which is bad right?
I’m actually going back to plastic, but it can definitely use some weight up front.
I am entertained and have therefore subscribed. 😊
Need to get some ceramic bearings
I’ve really enjoyed these videos
Thanks
I use RPM hubs and shock towers
The aluminium hubs wear out .
Always figured Al hubs would just increase unsprung weight, havent broken any of those parts. id recomend the better shock shafts, bend the stock ones a lot
Yes. Already have one that’s tweaked a bit.
@@mxacres we put the traxxas GTR shocks on our race bandit and never had a failure after.
Great video series!
Also, the aluminum caster blocks are compatible with the Traxxas HD arms for the Drag Slash/Bandit. No need to drill with the HD arms.
This is awesome! Your probably still under $500 when the buggy ia good to go, i was looking into getting into 2ed but just to build the stupid thing was $1k plus entrance fees hard pass jumped into the mini z thing instead. This though at $500 and under is very temtpting
If you want a big improvement in the cars rotation, see if you can find a NOS set of MIPs. Made a world of difference back in the day.
keep the aluminum front hubs. They are literal glass
Upgrade to a Rustler rear arm wide setup
The front caster didn’t work bc the front bandit arms are also the same on the nitro rustler. They are not the same arms that the electric rustler or slash uses.
Shanks Phalanx Jason. It's been awhile Since Pitt Ohio. BTW, I still have the Shadow !
Ha ha! Dude! Good to know you’re still alive.
Its funny how you sometimes «over upgrade» a car and sometimes need to dial it back a bit. I like the simple, less is more attitude on your build with this one.
After getting a Bandito myselfe I started driving in a club on a carpet track . First time for me but so much fun. The car works really good after a few adjustments and some of the hardcore members is just like «is that a traxxas??»
Looking forward for more upgrades / adjustments on your build. Maybe the win will come with the custom body ??
Custom paint HAS to make me a better driver!😂
Don't use rpm, cool for bashing but as a racer I can tell you it sucks. Go with the proline bits, if you need the part numbers let me know.
Joe!
Used integy had no issues
The bandit has different outer front hinge pins compared to the rest of the trx 2wd line. Those c blocks are not 4 the bandit
Maybe try slash arms, not sure if they are as narrow as bandit front arms
Taking it from the stock version, what upgrades have you made? Tires, servo, ESC, engine, shocks? And then some? And you are not using the stock controller either?
It was a long time since I was racing RC cars, but as I remember you can always buy a cheap car and make it run well with upgrades. But in the end, the total price level compared to buying a kit competition buggy is not that high and usually durability will be worse for the cheaper car.
What I mean is that you seem to make a great job with he Bandit, and it seems to be a fun project, but in the end will it be faster and will it be much cheaper than going expensive from the start?
I’ll list everything so far in the next episode. Thank you 👍🏻
I'm building a bandido, I have associated 12 mm shocks, associated turnbuckles and ball cups.im putting on it.
Let me know how it works out!
Do the caps fail in thus video. It should be the first upgrade. We'll on the slash anyway. A+ for production grade
Everyone says to replace them, but so far I haven’t had any trouble with them 🤷♂️
@@mxacres maybe has less droop than a slash
awesome!!!!!
Yo please put a stock 17.5t with timing in the bandit and do it right. I really wanna know if I can use this platform at my track. They are gonna make me use a true 17.5t. Those 12t titan motors are much quicker I think….
I’m using a fantom roar legal 17.5 currently.
I think those are the caster blocks for a slash or even a drag slash
Ya sounds like you are correct
How do you hold your shorty pack in? Seems the little plastic bar isn’t enough
Double sided tape
You should definitely dona list of things that worked and cost..
Will do.
@@mxacres thank you!
That's a Honda CR-V? If yes, I have one too!
The ultimate Rc race hauler!
I could be wrong. However I think you jut made it more expensive. Not faster. Isnt keeping it stock the point of running a value priced car? Having to spend 1000$ turns ppl off
Where’s the fun in that
what gearing do you use for a stock 17.5 brushless motor on the bandit
Did you upgrade servo?
How much have you spent on that thing?
I’ll add it up in the end. Most of the parts I already had laying around.
@@mxacres that still counts as buying parts 😉😂
Everybody is sponsored now... 17.5 class and ur puttin on heavier parts. most buys are paying $$$$ to make their cars lighter. Thus stock class cars are more $$$ than mod. Sad. -U10
What is the name of the track you attend ?
Big dog Rc in stoneboro Pennsylvania