Tamiya Clod Buster Black Project

The Special Edition 47432 Clod Buster Black Edition is exactly the same as the 58518 Super Clod Buster which I already have, so why did I buy one?  The old Clod was one of my earliest builds and I went straight to massive upgrades without ever really trying the stock version.  In fact, I changed so many parts and added so much weight that it can't really be claimed to handle anything like a stock Clod Buster.  I figured I should probably take the opportunity to get the black version and build it completely stock just for comparison.  That's my excuse anyway.

Like the original Clod Buster, this is a real scale monster truck with solid axles, four wheel drive, four wheel steering, giant tires, 8 huge shocks, and a scale body that looks an awful lot like a 1983 Chevy truck (the body was originally a licensed Chevy, but no longer uses the logo in the latest incarnation).  It uses a single chassis mounted servo for 4WS and the power system is a pair of 540 sized motors mounted directly to the axles.  The overall layout is pretty accurate to a real monster truck.

After all my complaints about the handling of my previous build, I actually find the stock version to be completely acceptable without the pounds of upgrades I put on my other version.  I think the super heavy aluminum wheels launched the biggest torpedo into the handling.  This stock version, on the other hand, is pretty fun even with silver cans and a cheap analog servo.

Update:  This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire.  It has not been replaced.