Take a Look at Our Exclusive Custom Built Cruiser for ARB!!

At RC4WD, we love ourselves a challenge! This exclusive, custom built RC4WD Gelande II Truck Kit w/Cruiser Body Set (Z-K0051) was no exception.

After our visit to the ARB 4x4 Accessories Headquarters in Australia earlier this year, we had quite the privilege of meeting their team and seeing their products up close and personal. Once we returned, we decided to create a build to pay homage to one of their Cruisers parked out front. Our goal was to create a trail ring that not only looked darn good, but that could also trail/light crawl expertly. Although we must admit, it also make for a beautiful shelf piece to add to one’s collection.

We started the foundation of this build with our RC4WD Gelande II Truck Kit w/Cruiser Body Set (Z-K0051). For an ultra smooth surface, we completed several layers of wet sand using a combination of 1000 grit sandpaper, 1500 grit sandpaper, 2000 grit sandpaper and 2500 grit sandpaper as well as paint in between each layer.

Our base layer of paint included a Tamiya white surface primer, then Tamiya TS-46 Light Sand and Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear. The final layer of paint was completed with 8000 grit sandpaper to buff everything out. The interior and exterior parts were treated similarly, but finished off with Tamiya TS-6 Matt Black Paint while the top was finished with Tamiya TS-26 White.

To give this body the classic Cruiser look, we added our RC4WD Rear Fender Flares for RC4WD Cruiser Body (VVV-C0136) and topped it off with our extremely detailed RC4WD Complete Metal Emblems Set for RC4WD Cruiser Body (VVV-C0128). They’re stainless steel and laser cut for the perfect addition to any Cruiser! We completed the body with the base hardware, added our RC4WD LED Basic Lighting System for Cruiser Body Set (Z-E0071) with our RC4WD Y Harness with Tamiya Connectors for Lightbars (Z-S1601) for additional visibility, mounted our RC4WD Snorkel for Cruiser Body (Z-S1554) and then screwed on our RC4WD 1/10 Hi-Lift Jack (Z-S1526) on the left hand side running board up against the front fender with 2x 1.5mm screws and nuts to prevent flyaways.

Moving onto the chassis, we added several upgrades to transform this build into a one of a kind build that ARB 4x4 Accessories represents! First, we added our officially licensed RC4WD ARB Bull Bar Front Bumper for G2 Cruiser (Z-X0028) for the front and RC4WD Tough Armor Swing Away Tire Carrier w/Fuel Holder for the G2 Cruiser (Z-X0025) for the rear. Our RC4WD Scale Steel Punisher Shaft V3 (90.5mm - 110.2mm / 3.56” - 4.35”) 5mm (Z-S0826) (2x) were added to both the front and rear to give this build a wider range of motion and ultimate durability!

For that extra helping hand, we added our newest RC4WD 1/10 Warn 8274 Winch (Z-E0075). This winch packs a punch and even offers free spool! Next, we added our RC4WD ARB Diff Cover For the Yota II Axle (Black) (Z-S1288) to both the front and the back for added protection.

After the chassis was completed, we moved onto the suspension and electronics. This is always our favorite part since it allows us to focus on the heart for any build, making it a real gem! And oh boy, this gem will be shining once we’re done!

We kicked off the suspension with  our RC4WD 80mm Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Sport Shocks by ARB (Z-D0036) (2x) along with our RC4WD Internal Springs for ARB and Superlift 80mm Shocks (Z-S1179) to smooth out future rides and handle any tough terrain. Next, we wrapped our stock wheels with our RC4WD Dick Cepek Mud Country 1.9” Scale Tires (Z-T0034) (2x) for their awesome traction! And of course, you can’t go on a real adventure without a spare! We added our RC4WD 5 Lug Wagon 1.9” Single Steel Stamped Beadlock Wheel (Black) (Z-Q0023) with our RC4WD Dick Cepek Mud Country Single 1.9” Scale Tire (Z-P0022) to act as our backup.

Upon further inspection, we found that something didn’t look right. To tighten up the look we added our RC4WD 1.9”/2.2” 5 Lug Steel Wheel Hex Hub +6 Offset (Z-S1276) to fill up the fender walls. We also went back to the wheels to install our RC4WD 1/10 Warn Scale Manual Locking Hubs (Z-S0720) to the front wheels with our RC4WD Scale Front Locking Hub Installation Tool (Z-S0343)  and our RC4WD Scale Rear Hubs V2 (Z-S1266) to the rear wheels with our RC4WD Rear Hub Installation Tool (Z-S0176).

For the electronics, we added our RC4WD Wired Winch Control Unit (Z-S1089) to regulate the winch we mounted earlier. We then added our RC4WD Twister Ultimate High Performance Waterproof Servo (Z-E0063) to give the wheels up front an extra push. Our RC4WD Brushed 35T Boost Rebuildable Crawler 540 Motor (Z-E0045) was added along with our RC4WD Outcry Crawler Speed Controller ESC with TurboBec (Z-E0007) to promote a seamless system, whether it be a torque down or higher voltage to your receiver and/or servo. To control all the electronics at the touch of a button, we topped it off with our advanced radio system. Our RC4WD XR4 4-Channel 2.4Ghz Transmitter/Receiver Radio (Z-R0006) is the only radio that offers a 3rd and 4th channel 3 position switch with full customizability.

Lastly, we completed the look with a few scale items. Our RC4WD ARB 1/10 Fridge Freezer (Z-S1317) and our RC4WD 1/10 Jerry Can (Z-S1191). The Jerry Can comes unpainted to best suit your build. We painted ours red to make it pop.

With each build, we learn something new. A helpful hint from Tom at RC4WD is to paint the body first. While you are waiting for the paint to dry, go through the rest of the steps and start on the chassis. Everything will come together before you know it!

Finally, our build is complete! Take a look below:

We’re ready for a run and will meet you out on the trails… Hope to see you all there!

For a complete list of parts, please see below:

RC4WD Gelande II Truck Kit w/Cruiser Body Set (Z-K0051)

RC4WD Rear Fender Flares for RC4WD Cruiser Body (VVV-C0136)