1/10 Toyota FJ Cruiser | The FTX Outback GEO Crawler is Impressive!

This is another truck CML wanted promo footage of, and I was very happy to oblige - especially once I started driving it. I'm genuinely impressed, and the chassis is a definite step up from the Jimny-style 'Paso' I also really liked (though for me, the Paso has the more impressive body, and is of course half the price).
The GEO's tyres are soft, aggressive and work really well, which you can't say of all RTRs - check out the sections on the slick, muddy rocks - the twin-spring shocks are aluminium and really nicely damped, and the steering lock is great. I also like the chassis layout as the forward gearbox and low central section is really well suited to a hardbody upgrade with a proper interior...
It's supplied with a 7.2V NiMH battery and probably goes a suitable speed on it, but the Hobbywing 1060 ESC is happy with lipo power and I soon stuck in a 3S... like many FTXs though, it seems, it's way too fast! I suspected the gearing (it's metal throughout, by the way) but that actually looks okay. It's the 17t 550 motor that makes it so quick. I'll try some slower motors and have a spare 45t, but suspect a 35t will be the sweet spot.
It's all pretty tough, too: it took a four foot drop onto its roof without problems (other than my face doing this 😬 for about 10 minutes), and seems unfazed by anything on the trails so far. I really, really wish they'd fitted inner mudguards - or even just done aftermarket ones for it - but beyond that, it's great. This is another chassis I plan to keep running and modify, so we'll see how it copes long term with proper Welsh conditions...
You can find all the info on it here:
www.cmldistribution.co.uk/pro...
Music:
Maarten Schellekens - Just Wondering
freemusicarchive.org/music/ma...
Eaters - Cycloid
freemusicarchive.org/music/ea...

[@antrc]

Now that looks a grown up rig and every inch as good as the HPI one we had a while back. Well done FTX.

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Yeah, it's a good one. It's just really time wheel wells became a thing... 😎👍

[@wezzers8278]

what a great video again steve :-) i knew we had made the right choice when asking you to shoot some vids for us :-) enjoy the modding process, be great to see a hard body on there ;-) oooooo and look your over 800 subs now :-) wohoooooo

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Cheers dude, that's very kind of you to say! I really appreciate the vote of confidence and support, and filming these things is always fun! 😎👍

[@flowerfurniture]

Great footage 👍 looks like a very capable crawler/ trail machine

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks - it is! I like it a lot. 👍

[@erood6190]

I've got the Geo myself and it's awesome. Nice to see it performe in such a cool video.

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Cheers! They're great trucks, especially for the price.

[@esotericman22]

Fantastic footage!

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😎👍

[@MarkBryanRC]

Woah, Steve - after watching this I'm almost speechless. I'm a big fan of your videos and appreciate what goes into making them, but somehow (and I can't put my finger on why) this seems to have stepped up to the next level. Everything about this just feels "right". Hats off to you, mate. As for the truck, it really is impressive, looks great and seems to perform even better. Gotta agree with you about the lack of inner mudguards, but I'm sure you can address that. Loved it! 🤓✌👍

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks Mark, that's very kind of you to say (as always!). And I'll bear it in mind, as I did a few things slightly differently with this one. Lovely little spot with the waterfalls though, eh? I've been meaning to film something here for ages! 😎👍

[@chrisntrev]

Now that is some nicely shot footage in a nice location! It really shows off the GEO well. I don't have one but if it's as good as looks here then that situation may well change.

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks! I really like it - it's not perfect, but it's fun, surprisingly capable and so far seems incredibly tough (it's taken some properly long falls/rolls and nothing has broken). With a 35t motor and a 3S lipo in it, it's a cracking trail truck that crawls really well (though it could still use a stronger servo). The chassis bump steers and torque twists, but to be honest neither thing affects it noticeable in normal use. I'm even still happily using the stock ESC, receiver and radio. 👍

[@scalecrawlnl]

Awesome action footage of what appears to be a solid and smart looking in any case, trail & crawl 'animal' by FTX! Really cool you did give it the beans as they say, good fun👍

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

This has been ragged along (and up, and very rapidly down) some really tough trails since then too, and it's taken everything without a single flinch. I've literally done nothing to it but throw in a charged battery each time too - no maintenance at all! I probably should, but it hasn't shown any signs of needing it yet. I like it.

[@Pezzapoo]

Great action and tunes Stevo

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks man!

[@RCAdventurers]

Brilliant vid as always mate 🔥🔥

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks very much! I really appreciate it. 😎👍

[@sukarnoahmad6048]

Stunning video 👍

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thank you very much! 😎👍

[@islandrc-duke1972]

Awesome RC and great off-road adventure

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks! 👍

[@JF-RC]

Hi there, what a great looking RC, the HPI Toyota FJCruiser awesome crawl in the Welsh countryside. True test of the RC’s capabilities. Nicely performed my friend, looks amazing. 😊😉😊

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thank you, you always leave such lovely comments! I appreciate it. I like this FTX, it's a really good one. 😎👍

[@carloshnunez]

Very nice video great scenery looks very scale 🔵🔵🔵👍👍👍😀😀😀🔵🔵🔵

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks, as always! I appreciate it. 😎👍

[@Del350K4]

What a striking sight this truck makes, with its air of determination and its astonishing ability to find traction on that carpet of moss! I wonder how many full-size FJs will ever see such gung-ho off road use...

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Ah ha ha, very good point. Personally I've never even seen a real one, let alone seen it used in anger...

[@Del350K4]

@@rccrawlersmid-wales645 I saw one once, but it was gleaming and bore no signs of of having ever ventured off the tarmac. They're aimed at a very different punter to the original FJ range.

[@johnbooth101]

More great filming mate 👍 I love this bodyshell....I have the hpi venture ( kit form) & managed to get hold of an FJ Cruiser body for it ! 😀 Just subscribed , keep up the good work 👏

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Yeah, I think they really nailed the look with this one. Not quite sure how they got away with it from Toyota's point of view, but I shan't complain... 🤣 I did look at the HPI SBK kit a while back, but ultimately decided getting spares could be tricky. Hopefully it'll reappear properly at some point! 😎👍

[@tedstinytrucks1380]

Great footage again bud - you've certainly got a great place to play! Change in music was a little jarring though🤣 The first track was magic - keeping that one in my stash for when the camera comes out again 👊

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Got to keep people awake somehow, eh...?

[@RcNickster709]

Definitely a pretty impressive rig. Wait a minute???? 3 Three Windshield wipers??? What??? lol Fantastic run brother and loving the terrain. Always liked this body and was a little disappointed when the HPI version was discontinued.. Thanks for sharing

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Ha ha yeah, apparently the real thing has three wipers as well. They really went for it with the styling on the FJ Cruiser... and then stopped making it. D'oh (just like the HPI version. So scale). 🤣👍

[@sam97eck]

Great video and I have subbed to your channel

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Awesome, thank you! 😎👍

[@davidhiscock1969]

My mate Glenn has a Geo. Very impressed with it . I have since picked up a Fury 2.0 , a Texan and a Hi Rock . Just need a Geo to finish the set 😅😅

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Yeah, I really rate them - loved the Texan too. Is that the CBR 400RR in your pic? Or the 250? Very cool either way! 😎👍

[@davidhiscock1969]

@@rccrawlersmid-wales645 nope, it's the grandad of them all. It's a 1992 CBR900 Fireblade. 16 inch front wheel. It was tinkered with. Went like a stabbed rat and handled really sweet, 16 inch wheel ones were prone to tank slappers but not that one

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

@@davidhiscock1969 Ah, of course! Better still. 👍

[@davidhiscock1969]

@@rccrawlersmid-wales645 it was one I wished I hadn't sold . Looked amazing with its full frame mirror polished

[@AJ_RCS]

Nice video friend

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks very much! 😎👍

[@jmauds49]

Sweet

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Cheers! 😎👍

[@rcdaejeonrc5878]

It's cool ~ I'll watch the video well ~~^^

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thank you! 😎👍

[@RhoryBurnside]

Awesome video. The Geo in the best colour also. And there are a set of inner guards out there that can be slightly modified to fit, only a little work was needed to get them on mine.

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Yeah, I totally agree - it looks brilliant in this red and white. Which inner fenders did you use?

[@RhoryBurnside]

@@rccrawlersmid-wales645 scx10 inner fenders, get in touch if you need pictures or anything

[@TachyonDriver]

The Geo appears to be a rehash of the FTX Hi-Rock, which is a darned capable truck in its own right No wonder you enjoyed driving it. I enjoy my Hi-Rock🙂

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

It certainly seems a cracking chassis, so if it's the same that makes sense. I like the Hi-Rock body as well, it's a good one. 😎👍

[@bernardrc1137]

That's a beast,,BOOOOM,🤪😜🤪,am getting one,now,today,21/12/2022,xmas to myself, your vid convinced me,,AWESOME VID,,always wanted one,,lights too,,am a sucker for lights on rc cars,,like the puffa fish ,from nemo,,MY BUBBLES,🤪🤪😜🤪🤪🤪😂😂👍

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Awesome, happy xmas! 😎👍

[@alantaylor353]

Nice.! I only wish those windows weren't stickers.! That's a deal breaker for me.. I love FTX's because of their value & you can mod them into something very decent. I am thinking about trying out some methods to strip/sand the paint from windows because I'd have a Geo in a heartbeat if they work. Subbed & liked & best wishes from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🙏 ❤️ 📻 🕹️ 🔋 🚗 🚖 🚕 🚔 🚚 🚙 🚘 🚓 🚒 🚑 🚐 🚎 🚤 🚁 🛩️.!

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks very much! I know what you mean about the windows... it's always annoying. I haven't tried stripping these, but on my old TRX4 Sport I cleared the windows with Carson Paint Killer. It took a LOT of elbow grease with that on a rag, but overall it worked really well and didn't seem to affect the lexan at all. I'm a fan of the chassis in these as they're simple, effective and seem really tough. Okay they suffer from torque steer (if you overpower it) and bump steer under full compression, but neither really makes a blind bit of difference while trailing or crawling. They sort of put me in mind of the original SCX10, which is hardly a bad thing, but with much slimmer axles and a nice forward motor.

[@geoffjones1361]

hi great video, just getting in to rc crawlers, was wondering is it ok to drive them through water that deep out the box without previous prep?

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

Thanks! You need to check carefully what a truck has: motors are all fine in water, but you'll need waterproof servos (they'll say if they are) and a waterproof ESC (most of those are, even quite cheap ones - again, it'll say). The weak spot is always the receiver though, as very, very few are waterproof and sometimes the cases for them are 'splashproof' rather than waterproof (look carefully for holes! It should have seals where the wires go in too.) A balloon or a heavy duty latex glove, sealed around the wires with zip ties, is a cheap and easy way to keep them safe. Longer term you have the issue of water damaging bearings (most trucks don't have rubber sealed bearings as they cost more) and rusting things inside, but keep your truck clean and well greased, and make sure it can drain properly after a run (if you have a compressor you can blow the water out of the nooks and crannies), and they're generally just fine. Oh, and check the tyres aren't vented! Squeeze them and listen for air escaping. If it is, a bit of gaffer tape over the holes will work. Otherwise the foams inside will soak up water, get very heavy and start falling apart... very annoying if the tyres are glued on and there's no good way of ever getting them dry! The truck in this video is stock - all I did was ziptie the receiver in a latex glove to make sure. The rest is good to go.

[@geoffjones1361]

thanks for the reply not sure which crawler to buy looking at budget around 400 and are there many comps that you can enter?

[@sukarnoahmadahmad3843]

Did you waterproof the stock receiver? Or just pure stock?

[@rccrawlersmid-wales645]

I took the receiver out of its box (it looks waterproof at first glance, but definitely isn't) and ziptied it into a latex glove. I do this with most of my receivers now and it seems to work just fine. Everything else I left stock.

[@sukarnoahmadahmad3843]

@@rccrawlersmid-wales645 thank you.