Proline Pro MT 4x4 Project

Proline is a company well known for making RC aftermarket products such as tires, shocks, and bodies.  Their entry into the model market is fairly recent.  The Pro MT 4x4 is a completely new vehicle from the ground up, all engineered and manufactured by Proline.  But there is one catch.  Proline is not an electronics manufacturer so this is not an RTR.  It does not come with a radio system, a motor, a speed controller, or a servo.  You might think this means it is a kit, but it's not that either.  It is a "roller": a completed chassis assembly with no electronics.  I would have preferred a real kit I could build myself, but I was still intrigued.  What put me over the top on buying this one was the size.  At 1:10 scale it is much smaller than most monster trucks and therefore more usable in a yard or park.  On top of that, it will still accept 1:8 scale electronics which means you can make it ridiculous.  Which, of course, I did.

This is a 1:10 scale monster truck with 4 wheel double wishbone independent pillow ball suspension.  It has front, rear, and center differentials, none of which can be locked.  The body is a Proline Sentinel truck.  The thick aluminum base plate is strengthened with a steel spine and has tall plastic guards on either side to keep dirt and debris out of the electronics area.  The shocks have a huge 16mm bore.

I put a 1:8 scale Hobbywing buggy system in this model and ran it on 4s.  It is completely insane, but in the best way.  At first the front wheels would unload when they came off the ground so I switched to 1,000,000 weight center diff oil which solved that. The truck is a real joy to drive.  It tracks and jumps straight, goes over anything, and is very durable.  One downside is a very weak servo saver which breaks if you hit anything, but Proline was quick to release a strengthened version and replaced the originals under warranty.  I later added an upgraded aluminum version and stronger servo horn which greatly improved the steering.  Finally, I found a Facebook user selling a steering upgrade which doubled up the beams which connect the left and right steering cranks.  This seemed to be the last piece of the puzzle to make it steer properly.

After driving this for a couple of years and figuring it could use a good cleaning anyway, I decided to tear it down and build it from scratch.  This allowed me the opportunity to build it like a kit which I wasn't able to do the first time.  Even though there were never any assembly instructions released for the Pro MT 4x4, the Pro Fusion SC came as a kit and is virtually the same thing so I used that.  It was a real joy to finally get to build it and see what a sturdy beast it is.  Sadly, Proline no longer makes this model (2021) so I expect parts are going to be difficult to find should I find myself needing any.

Update:  This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire.  It is out of production and cannot be easily replaced.