Before painting, we had to wet sand the body with wet/dry sandpaper with 1500 grit and prime it with Tamiya white surface primer. The sanding and primer of the plastic body set ensures a smooth base coat and really allows the final paint to show through beautifully! We found that the smaller can offered by Tamiya is comfortable and easy to use, although you can choose what you like best. Next, we added our top coat in a tan colored by Tamiya. Don’t forget to get around all the corners and undersides!
We knew we wanted to add our RC4WD Fender Flare for Rear Cruiser Body (Z-S1539) and RC4WD Snorkel for RC4WD Cruiser Body (VVV-C0131) to the body, so we waited for the final coat to dry and moved onto drilling small holes to mount the two. We also did the same for the Metal Tire Holder RC4WD G2 Cruiser/FJ40 (VVV-C0173) and our Metal Side Diamond (A) Plates for RC4WD Cruiser Body (Silver) (VVV-C0134) for the steps. Next, we moved onto the interior. Similar to the exterior, we wet sanded the interior prior to adding Tamiya black paint.
After the interior and exterior paint dried, we proceeded to install our RC4WD Tough Armor Tube Roll Bar for G2 Cruiser (Z-X0023) before putting the complete body together. Our next task was to get the chassis taken care of.
As we mentioned, we had and maintained high hopes for this build so we wanted to ensure it had all the upgrades. We choose our RC4WD 80mm Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Sport Shocks by ARB (Z-D0036) (2x) to place in the front and back, replaced the springs with our Internal Springs for ARB and Superlift 80mm Shocks (Z-S1179) and topped it off with our Super Scale Shock Boot (Black) (Z-S0891) to help protect any exposed shock absorber shafts from any potential damage from upcoming outdoor adventures.
We removed the plastic drive shafts that came with the kit and replaced them with our RC4WD Scale Steel Punisher Shafts V3 (90.5mm-110.5mm / 3.56”-4.35”) 5mm Hole (Z-S0826) (2x) to give us smooth rotation and the strength. Next, we paired the upgraded drive shafts with our RC4WD XVD Axle for Ultimate Scale Yota II G2 Axle (Z-S0823) for more steering control and better driveline angles after disassembling the front axle.
After taking a step back and viewing our handy work, we decided to add our RC4WD Inner Fender Set for Cruiser Body (Z-B0068). For a cohesive look, we used PS5 Series for Polycarbonate Tamiya black paint on the fenders before installing along with our RC4WD Tough Armor Side Slider for G2 Cruiser (Z-S1543).
Then, we attached our RC4WD 1/10 Warn 9.5CTI Winch (Z-S1079) and our RC4WD Rear Bumper Assembly w/Pad and Step for RC4WD G2 Cruiser/FJ40 (VVV-C0172) with all other hardware.
With that wrapped up, we contemplated the possibilities with the different wheel/tire combinations. We ultimately committed to our officially licensed, Mickey Thompson 1.9” Baja MTZ 4.6” Scale Tires (Z-T0123) (2x) for their perfect amount of stickiness and great tread detailing and matched them with our RC4WD 1.9” Landies Internal Beadlock Wheels (Z-W0075), built via CNC technology and powder coated in white and removed the stock black screws on the wheels to add and our RC4WD Wheel Covers w/Detail for RC4WD G2 Cruiser (5x) (VVV-C0191). Don’t worry though, the wheels are still held together by the five silver screws on the back of each wheel. And what’s a metal tire holder without a spare? To be fully equipped, we added our Mickey Thompson 1.9” Single Baja MTZ 4.6” Scale Tire (Z-P0051) and our RC4WD 1.9” Landies Internal Beadlock Wheel (Z-Q0028).
Moving onto the electronics, we had to make a slight modification to accommodate our RC4WD LED Basic Lighting System for Cruiser Body Set (Z-E0071) by switching out two of the 5mm LEDs and soldering in our RC4WD 3mm Yellow LED Set (Pair) (VVV-C0100) as a replacement to properly fit the bumper. Additionally, we incorporated our RC4WD XR4 4-Channel 2.4GHz Transmitter/Receiver Radio (Z-R0006) and mounted our RC4WD Wired Winch Control Unit (Z-S1089) with our Ace Gel Servo Tape 30mm x 3mm (Z-S0935).
Afterwards, our RC4WD Twister Ultimate High Performance Waterproof Servo (Z-E0063), RC4WD Brushed 35T Boost Rebuildable Crawler 540 Motor (Z-E0045) and our RC4WD Heavy Duty Metal Servo Arm 25t Futaba (Z-S0822) were installed alongside our RC4WD Outcry Crawler Speed Controller ESC with TurboBEC (Z-E0007) to give this rig some life. We used our Wire Accessory Pack for 1/10 Winch and Controllers (9”) (Z-S0999) and our Ace Gel Servo Tape 30mm x 3mm (Z-S0935) again to keep everything in place.
Finally, we added our Complete Metal Emblems Set for RC4WD Cruiser Body (VVV-C0128). They’re extremely easy to apply, adhere easily with CA nonwhitening glue and give us the classic Cruiser look we were aiming for.
We are quite proud of the finished look. What do you guys think?
Here’s a helpful trick: Use the foam backing you get when you buy your aluminum rims for the battery. This will give your battery a nice place to sit on and creates channels for you to run your wires so they don’t get cut from any unnecessary friction caused by the battery.
Now the building is complete, this bad boy is ready for the trails!!
For a complete list of parts, please see below:
RC4WD Gelande II Truck Kit w/Cruiser Body Set (Z-K0051)
NIMH Battery
Charger
RC4WD Fender Flare for Rear Cruiser Body (Z-S1539)
RC4WD Snorkel for RC4WD Cruiser Body (VVV-C0131)
Metal Tire Holder RC4WD G2 Cruiser/FJ40 (VVV-C0173)
Metal Side Diamond (A) Plates for RC4WD Cruiser Body (Silver) (VVV-C0134)
RC4WD Tough Armor Tube Roll Bar for G2 Cruiser (Z-X0023)
2x RC4WD 80mm Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Sport Shocks by ARB (Z-D0036)
Internal Springs for ARB and Superlift 80mm Shocks (Z-S1179)
Super Scale Shock Boot (Black) (Z-S0891)
2x RC4WD Scale Steel Punisher Shafts V3 (90.5mm-110.5mm / 3.56”-4.35”) 5mm Hole (Z-S0826)
RC4WD XVD Axle for Ultimate Scale Yota II G2 Axle (Z-S0823)
RC4WD Inner Fender Set for Cruiser Body (Z-B0068)
RC4WD Tough Armor Side Slider for G2 Cruiser (Z-S1543)
RC4WD 1/10 Warn 9.5CTI Winch (Z-S1079)
RC4WD Rear Bumper Assembly w/Pad and Step for RC4WD G2 Cruiser/FJ40 (VVV-C0172)
2x Mickey Thompson 1.9” Baja MTZ 4.6” Scale Tires (Z-T0123)
Mickey Thompson 1.9” Single Baja MTZ 4.6” Scale Tire (Z-P0051)
RC4WD 1.9” Landies Internal Beadlock Wheels (Z-W0075)
RC4WD 1.9” Landies Internal Beadlock Wheel (Z-Q0028)
RC4WD Wheel Covers w/Detail for RC4WD G2 Cruiser (5x) (VVV-C0191)
RC4WD LED Basic Lighting System for Cruiser Body Set (Z-E0071)
RC4WD 3mm Yellow LED Set (Pair) (VVV-C0100)
RC4WD XR4 4-Channel 2.4GHz Transmitter/Receiver Radio (Z-R0006)
RC4WD Wired Winch Control Unit (Z-S1089)
Ace Gel Servo Tape 30mm x 3mm (Z-S0935)
RC4WD Twister Ultimate High Performance Waterproof Servo (Z-E0063)
RC4WD Brushed 35T Boost Rebuildable Crawler 540 Motor (Z-E0045)
RC4WD Heavy Duty Metal Servo Arm 25t Futaba (Z-S0822)
RC4WD Outcry Crawler Speed Controller ESC with TurboBEC (Z-E0007)
Wire Accessory Pack for 1/10 Winch and Controllers (9”) (Z-S0999)
Complete Metal Emblems Set for RC4WD Cruiser Body (VVV-C0128)
Generic Brand Servo Extensions to use on the Electronics