Readers Rides – February 2023

Gladiator Truck Camper
Wyatt Pettigrew « Eagle Point, OR
Wyatt takes us on the journey that resulted in his customized Jeep Gladiator camper. “This build started when my dad bought a 1995 Alpenlite truck camper for his 2021 Ram 3500,” he says. He was so inspired by his dad’s real-life pickup truck and camper combination that he went ahead and created his own in RC form. He adds: “Instead of making a Ram with a truck camper, I used an Axial Gladiator as my truck. I then started creating a truck camper out of plexiglass—yes that’s right, plexiglass—and since there weren’t many photos online of a real Jeep Gladiator with a truck camper, I literally had to scale down my dad’s camper to 1/10 scale. It quickly became popular on Instagram and YouTube, and then at my first-ever Axialfest event this build took first place in the Adventurist Class at Axialfest 2022.” Wyatt tells us that the entire build consists of the Axial Gladiator and custom truck camper along with a KSP utility trailer and Axial Can-Am Maverick. It’s a great-looking ride for sure, exemplary work and congrats on your award, Wyatt!

BUILD HIGHLIGHTS
– Chassis: Axial SCX10 II
– Body: Axial Jeep Gladiator and custom-made camper
– Motor: Spektrum Smart Firma
– Speed Control: Spektrum Smart Firma
– Battery: Spektrum Smart 5000mAh 2s LiPo
– Wheels and Tires: Element Method Ocho wheels, Pro-Line Super Swamper TSL SX tires
– Shocks: Axial Racing
– Axles: Axial Racing
– Paint: On-point blue Chrysler minivan paint
– Lighting System: My Trick RC
– Radio System: Spectrum DX3
– Other Options: Kustom Scale Printing Yeti cooler, gas cans, propane tank, pots and pans, as well as Kustom Scale Printing custom utility trailer based off my dad’s real ATV trailer

VAN LIFE
Jameson Florence « Fall City, WA
Van life has been a growing lifestyle in the 1:1 world, and we just love seeing vans in RC form. Jameson tells us more about his custom-built van: “I’d fallen in love with the [Carisma]
Prairie Wolf the second I saw it. I knew I wanted to put it on an Element RC chassis and the Gatekeeper wheelbase was perfect for this build, so that’s what I went with. I ended up using some heavy steel bumpers I had Scaler Fab make for me, which worked out perfectly. Turns out all that weight keeps the van locked in on hillsides. It crawls really quite well!”
We’re absolutely loving it, Jameson! The paint job is excellent.

BUILD HIGHLIGHTS
– Chassis: Element RC Gatekeeper
– Body: Carisma Prarie Wolf
– Motor: Hobbywing AXE 2100kV
– Speed Control: Hobbywing AXE FOC
– Battery: Gens Ace 3600mAh LiHV
– Wheels and Tires: Chrome Jelly Bean wheels with 4.15” – RC4WD Genius Sem tires
– Shocks: Element RC
– Axles: Element RC
– Graphics: Hand-cut
– Lighting System: Home-built lighting in body, no-name light bar
– Radio System: Futaba 7PX
– Other Options: Tiny Truck Customs 3D-printed skis and rack, custom-built front and rear bumpers from Scaler Fab

JKing.RC’s ProRunner
Josh King « Covington, WA
This great-looking scale crawler comes from Josh King out of the Pacific Northwest. He tells us about his build: “After years of building different kits, I decided it was time to do a hard body build and figured I should go all-out. This VS410 was a long work in progress for me, contemplating different parts and my buddies telling me that I needed a Pro. There were multiple times I ordered new parts to try out and then decided to go a different route. Painting is my least favorite part of the build process, so after messing up the paint job it was an easy decision to go for the patina look. Needless to say, I am so happy with the way it came out. I’m a big fan of smaller tires and the scale driving style. The hard body and paint give it a look that helps it stand out and the gold wheels make it pop. This truck performs exactly like I hoped it would, and I’m so glad to finally have it done. At least for now.” Truly fantastic job, Josh, thanks for sharing it!

BUILD HIGHLIGHTS
– Chassis: Vanquish Products VS410 Pro
– Body: RC4WD 1985 Toyota 4Runner
– Motor: HobbyWing FOC 2800kV
– Speed Control: HobbyWing Xerun AXE
– Battery: Reedy WolfPack 3s
– Wheels and Tires: Spec-RC 1.9x.875 wheels, Pit Bull 1.7 Rockers tires
– Paint: Krylon matte white
– Radio System: Spektrum DX5 Rugged
– Other Options: ARB awning from SOR Racing, 3D-printed roof basket, Crawler Innovations 2-stage foams, RC4WD fender flares, 3D-printed receiver box, Savox 1210sg servo, SeaSquirrel hardbody mounts, custom rear links, front bumper from RC4WD TF2