Bunch of Noob questions...

[Berman]

Hey guys, I am hoping you lot would be so kind as to answer a few of my noob Q's that I haven't found the answers for while searching. I only have a couple now, but no doubt I will add more as my brain thinks of them lol

Gear reduction units:
I realise a few people run them, what are the main benefits? I have a 55t rc4wd motor in my MAN and a 55t integy in the Knight (due to being replaced with a spare 55t rc4wd). The biggest letdown with the higher turn motors I believe is the 'deadband' so to speak, I find running these motors off the MFU I get a bit of rev before the motor starts moving the truck, I don't remember this happening with the silvercans, and is the only reason I can imagine the GRU's are better than slower motors. I find the lower turn motors also make it harder to drive the trucks more realisiticly?

Driver figures:
It is nigh on impossible to find an 'average joe' looking driver figure, every one of them is a mutant or military type. Where would I start looking for a plain or esily modifiable figure that could look like a truck driver and the size? I bought a Schleich figure the other day, he is a horse rider, but only 4 inches tall, he looks far too small for the MAN haha.

Globe liner, Pete or Ken:
Is it easier to turn a Globe into a 352 or k100? I am not biased at all personally when it comes to truck brands, I love em all the same. But we have 100 times more Ken's than Pete's over here. It would make sense to build a Ken as more truckies here can relate, but I see more Pete's made out of Globe. Also where is the best place to look for parts for either truck?

There will be more questions a coming :o
Cheers in advance :cool:
Neil

Oh no its a hobbit driver!


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/JFRWGN/20130725_111255_zps094d9d07.jpg

[1985 kenworth]

first i will say welcome to the hobby ...as for drivers figures there is a brand of kids toys called Bruder.they are based in germany and they have different guy figures in 1/16 scale which is as close to the 1/14 that is availible so far.Bruder is sold all over the world in toy stores and i think you might be able to buy it online,i am not sure about that as i get my Bruder stuff from a local toy store.the figures are mostly construction guys but they look like drivers and dock workers in the trucking industry,the gear reduction is good for some guys and gals as it slows the truck drastically down to a more scale speed as for some the 3 speed high gear is way too fast for them to drive or back up with.i personally don't have a gear reduction on any of my trucks because i just try to drive accordingly(only one mishap so far :o:mad:)...see bad crash with zeus thread..:p it is a great investment if you are learning to drive one or you are just not comfortable driving at high speeds.you can also lock the tranny in any gear you want with the little round pins that come in the kits.and last but not least whether to do a kw or pete.i would think they are pretty much equal with the work involved depending on the year of the truck you want to model.there is several build threads on here with how both could be done to the tamiya globeliner .hope this helps you out and by all means ask as many questions as you like all of us here will be happy to answer and help out any way we can:D

[Bigrigger]

Nice looking rig! Yellow is very bold for a truck!

I'd trust 1985kenworth for all of the figure and bodywork stuff.

As far as gear reduction, I'll add that I also do not run a GRU. I ran with a 1:4 unit on my KH for a bit, but it was too slow for me. Worse than that was that I found it put a lot of slack in my drivetrain. More gears means more space between teeth, and therefore more room for the truck to slide around. I could roll my truck back and forth about 12 inches more than usual, which is no good for putting power down, or setting it on tables.

That is my 2 cents! Take it for what you will. :D

-Chris

[Espeefan]

Great answers already, so I'll just add a little more. I don't think the Globeliner is any more difficult to turn into a K100 then it is a 352 Pacemaker. Both require moderate amounts of body work to look convincing. Mostly the headlights, fenders, and grille surrounds. I'm pretty horrible with styrene bodywork, and I was able to get pretty decent results converting a spare Globeliner cab into a K100. Just take your time, measure twice, cut once, and make everything as perfect as you can get it, so that you need minimal body putty to fill in the imperfections. Best of luck, post a build thread when you start, and welcome to the club.

[Radio Control Trucker]

First of all, let me say we all have questions about the r/c tractor-trailer & construction hobby from time-to-time. This is a great place to ask them to get the answers you need.

Gear Reduction Units: The unit is used to slow the speed of the truck and can also increase the power of your truck. They are best used for when trying to negotiate an steep decline with your truck, it helps to slow your truck so you have more control instead of just speeding down-hill recklessly. They are also of great benefit when you want to maneuver at slow speed for precise motion without hard-jerking or that instant jumping than can occur so often when receiver seems to glitch a little. With the increase in power you have more torque applied to the drive-line. In this manner you can increase you pulling capacity and it in turn keeps you from getting stuck in situations that the stock-transmission wouldn't be able to manage as well. Other members on the forum can better answer further questions about these type units.
http://www.gardentrucking.com/products/Thumbnails/T1225.jpg
AD-to-Trans. Reduction 4:1 available @ www.gardentrucking.com

Driver Figures: The action figures used most often are the Bruder construction men & women. However there are other figures that work just as well. CAT put out a line of action figures that work OK and then there's the Nylint Men-of-Steel Collection - long out of date and a bit pricey, but very much to scale. You can also get figures from http://verkerk.modelbouw-onlineshop.nl/ or take your chances with your local toy store.
http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mITvdm1Ea5__NHjlTRkaPWw.jpghttp://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mSLohPSrVbUwsd8TYVBfOoA.jpg
http://figure-archive.net/photos/v013/00039867.jpghttp://figure-archive.net/photos/v013/00039868.jpghttp://figure-archive.net/photos/v024/00079981.jpg

Globeliner; Peterbilt or Kenworth: They both have their appeal, and they both have their pro's & con's to replicating them. You need to decide if you really like the KW's that are seen everyday on your streets or if you want something different. Once you know what you want to build, the parts are out there for you to get. Each build will have challenges of it's own, and no two builds will ever be quite the same. As for where to get parts, there are plenty of places, here on the forum and on the world-wide-web (including Ebay).

Look to these vendors as just a starting place and be sure to check the forum (many of our members sell items here for our own use):

http://www.gardentrucking.com

http://www.ihbcustommachining.com

http://www.truescale-rc.com

http://jtsrctruckshop.myshopify.com

http://verkerk.modelbouw-onlineshop.nl

Good luck with your project.

- RCT