Once I got a little experience I felt like I was ready to step up a little bit...to more than a .11 size engine at least! I thought about many Traxxas trucks, from the T-MAXX to their Stampede and even the Rustler. After thinking the choices over I decided I wanted to step up to 1/8 scale. Then there were more choices...monster truck, buggy, or street car. I still wanted the go-anywhere capabilities of the monster truck so my choices were...

 



     There were a lot of things to consider when I decided to compare these trucks. The first thing was how tough the trucks are. Most "monster" trucks are simply the manufacturer's 1/8 scale buggy with big tires. That's not good because all of that extra size in the tire department will tear up the drive train REALLY fast if it's not beefed up. The weight will also play a big part in how long things will last. For that reason the Monster Blazer was out. Next was styling. The USA-1 looks really cool, whereas the Quake looks really odd with it's very low-riding body. This could be taken care of very easily though. Next came the power plant. The USA-1 could be bought with no motor, a Kyosho motor, or an O.S. motor from Tower, whereas, the Quake has only the Duratrax TORQ .21 and since the kit comes almost totally pre-built there was no no-engine option. After being made aware of some overheating problems with the Kyosho .21 engines I decided to look further into other options for power. There are dozens of .21 engines available with lots of different power outputs. Also, with the engines there are pull-start, and non-pull-start. My Dodge Ram had a pull start, and it was handy, but it got to be a pain when I'd have to pull and pull to get it started. The other option, non-ps, I have found to be a lot easier to work with. Granted, you will need a starter of some sort, but you will never need to replace broken recoil parts!! After a lot of careful comparison I decided to go with the USA-1 combo from Tower with the O.S .21 RG. The engine has a max power rating of 1.9HP, which is HUGE for a 9.1 pound truck!! The combo also came with a free set of bearings, which I would suggest everyone buys with any new RC kit. All that was left was the radio equipment, servos and starting equipment. I got all of this from Tower also. When I got the kit, all I could think was...this thing's HUGE!! Everything about this truck says tough!! From the 6.6" tall tires to the beefy disc brake.      Below are some pictures I took as I was assembling the kit. There were a couple times where I went further that I wanted before taking another picture, but I wasn't going to take it apart again!!

USA-1 Nitro Crusher pics...sort of a series from the build. Hold your mouse over the thumbnail to see a description.

kit differentials front diff close center diff center diff, brake

centerdiff, counter gear assembled rear-end chassis, center diff chassis, drivetrain, suspension front hub  

shocks chassis with engine engine close up muffler full chassis  

another full chassis front wheel full truck tire and engine to show size starter

     I have an update...I recently sold this truck in order to help pay for a real car. I will be buying another one soon. I plan on building/modifying a truck and a ATV in the future, and they'll have to be nitro too. I'll post pictures as I get going on these projects.

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7/6/2001

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