Intro to VTA "Vintage Trans Am" 1/10 Scale 4wd RC Touring Car Racing Based on American Muscle Cars

In this series of videos I am going to introduce you to Vintage Trans Am class racing. VTA is based around 1/10 scale 4wd touring car chassis' mated to a 1960's-1970s American muscle car bodies such as the 1965 Ford Shelby GT-350, the 1970 Plymoth AAR 'Cuda, the 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, the 1967 Doge Dart, the 1970 Camaro SS, the 1970 Dodge Challenger, and the 1971 Pontiac Trans Am... to name a few. A complete list of sanctioned bodies can be found in the rules by following the link below. The class is limited to 25.5T motors and ROAR approved "Blinky" ESCs. Wheels and tires are also dictated by the rules and are limited to single compound treaded tires preglued on approved wheels. I will be building my VTA Camaro Z28 on a 3Racing Sakura Advance S and will go through the full build, setup, tuning and racing over this series of videos. Enjoy!
U.S. Vintage Trans-Am R/C Racing Association (Official Website)
www.usvintagetransam.com/
3Racing Touring Cars - Note: I am not associated with, sponsored by, or an affiliate of 3Racing or RC Mart
NOTE: a viewer (Airbrushkid) found a vendor in the US that stocks the 3Racing chassis and sent me a link. They are a VTA focused shop.
RaceVTA
racevta.com/store/
3Racing Sakura Advance S 6/4 1/10 Touring Car Kit
www.rcmart.com/3racing-sakura...
3Racing 1/10 Sakura Advance S 6/4 Matte Graphite Touring Car EP
www.rcmart.com/3racing-1-10-s...
3Racing 1/10 SAKURA FF21 EP Touring Car Kit
www.rcmart.com/3racing-1-10-s...

[@markschroeder1214]

Great video got my vta gear on Saturday

[@geordienufc3132]

Looks like it could be an interesting first car and will be great for racing against other similar cars. Also good to see you out and about driving.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

That's the nice thing about VTA, the low power motor makes the $90 chassis perform quite well. It's a great class for the older guys who don't have the reflexes to handle 1/10 touring cars or the 12 pan cars. I'm going to get out for some more testing tomorrow. I want to see if I've dialed out the oversteer and I want to test some changes I've made to my F1.

[@Dargon7252]

Great video! Thank you!

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Thanks for watching! Over the next month, I'll be posting videos of the build step by step. I've also got some other RTR and kits in the pipeline! What area(s) of RC are you into? Do you race or bash? Let me know if there are kits you'd like to see or areas of the hobby you'd like to learn about. I try to be as responsive to my audience as I can. Also, if you ever have a question, even if it's not relevant to the video you're watching, feel free to post it and I'll do my best to help you out. Regards, CJ

[@Dargon7252]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott My 12 year old son and I have been in the RC hobby for two months. He loves to create and build. I wanted to show him RC cars to see if he had any interest as a way for us to spend time together. We decided on the unassembled 2wd slash kit. He assembled the entire car and painted the body on his own. We raced his slash 4 days after we got it. I borrowed slash for a month then got a kit of my own. Our local shop has a Good Friday night VTA group and Nolan (son) seems to like that style of car. It’s our next step now that we have been racing stock slash.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@Dargon7252 That's great! I started when I was 14 and within a year was designing my own planes. It was one of many things that lead me into engineering and software. If you're planning to build two VTAa, one for each of you and money is an issue, I recommend getting the 3Racing Sakura Advance S. It's what I built and it's under $90US... not including shipping. The best price I saw was on RCMart.com. If you can afford more, but still want to keep the price down, check out the Sakura FF21 EP... it's the high end of the same line... all aluminum bulkheads, etc. At $243, it's still half the price of a name brand touring car. Stay away from touring cars with a center drive shaft, you want beld drive. Here's a link to the line: www.rcmart.com/RC-Touring-Car&brand=3Racing For the price of these cars, you can order a bunch of spares at the same time, like front and rear A-arms, steering knuckles, a spring set, a sway bar set, spare bumper, etc. and still be way below the cost of a name brand touring car. Let me know if you need any recommendations for electronics, vendors, etc. Definitely watch my video on Lipo safety. You'll understand when you watch it... kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3nNhJqVicp8p5I

[@daveminor372]

I've been interested in this class. I'm running a '71 Javelin body.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

These cars don't seem to have enough speed for the areo of the body to make a difference. It is a really fun class and it seems to attract a good sort of driver. It's a great class to develop good driving skills because you have to learn to drive efficiently and clean to win. I hope you have a great time!

[@shortychapman6759]

Over here in the UK, we have a muscle car class but it's a lot different you your vta class. It's more rc drifting x indoor tv racing. We use rwd or cs chassis or converted 4wd to rwd. Rules are to basically have rwd chassis (mst, yokomo ect) with a LSD or locked diff, 20-24mm wide wheels on front and 26-32mm wide on the rear, running carpet tyres or street compound tyre's. Motors are 13.5t-27t (17t being the most common) and any nimh batteries or any 2s lipo. (3s are banned) and any muscle car body. All cars have numbers on the hood or front window, doors and back window. Only lip and ducktail type spoilers are aloud. It's designed to be more "realistic" in looks and handling with it being rwd chassis. I use a yokomo yd2 chassis with Schumacher carpet dragon tyres in soft compound, high geared, 15w shock oil in the rear, 27wt in the front, 15t 3000kv motor, 5200marh 2s 100c lipo with a 68 mustang gt 2+2 body. It's great fun as it handle's a lot like a real muscle car would and is rwd and a little slidy. We all use savox high speed servos.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Hi, Thanks for the info. That sounds like a fun class. It does sound a lot more period specific being rwd and having a hotter motor than our VTA. You should video a couple races and upload some videos to your channel. Right now, I'm building another touring car... it's an Xray T4 21 and I'm building it for our USGT class. Much like VTA, except stickier tires, and a hotter 21.5T spec motor. The bodies are more aero than VTA and with the faster motors, it's a step up from VTA. But like VTA, the battery, ESC, and motor are fixed so it's more of a driver's/tuner's class. I've put in a Reefs 299LP servo... one of the fastest servos available and a Bittydesign Seven20 GT body. I'm painting it with a Silk Cut Jaguar livery... purple, yellow/gold, and white. I found a guy over in your country who makes stickers for older car liveries. Here's a link to his site if you're interested. www.rcdecals.co.uk/ Thanks for watching my videos and for reaching out. I always like to hear about racing in other countries and it's interesting to hear about the differences. Regards, CJ

[@blazae13]

We run the protoform wheels at my local track with the HPI vintage tires. The compound is alot softer for asphalt with alot more grip just to give you another option. Great video.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Thanks! I'll get a set and give them a try. If I put out another VTAQ video, I'll pass on your info! Thanks for watching! CJ

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I thought that HPI was not producing these anymore... I was able to find a few pairs of front and rear tires. Wheels were another story. Almost everybody was sold out/discontinued and even on ebay, I couldn't find a single pair of rear wheels in any color or style. Where have you been getting yours?

[@blazae13]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott Michael's rc hobbies in Altamont springs FL Michealsrchobbies.com Should have them in stock

[@blazae13]

Racevta.com has them in stock just checked order fast

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@blazae13 To late to get wheels... I'll use acetone to remove the old tires from my protoform wheels when the tires wear down. I've got 3 front and 3 rear of the HPI "D" compound... that should last a few years at least. Thanks for the tip! Regards, CJ

[@SpeedDemonExpress]

Was just looking into this. I feel like this should be a brushed class. A lot of cars come stock with brushed electronics, since this class is about saving money. But to pay extra to go brushless and still be slow plus the limited old guy car bodies, wheels and tires. Thanks for the info but I'm racing something else.

[@alanq64]

Could you post more info on the specs of the tires? Part # and such.

[@moraesmarcobsb]

I like to use Vterra v100 chassis for this class

[@gravityracergt]

I was super interested in this class from seeing the bodies.. Then you got to the rules.. Jeez..

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

It looks like a lot, but it's not that bad. In fact it makes for a more level playing field. A lot of clubs don't care about having the driver figure/interior. It also keeps the price down... inexpensive ESCs, 2s batteries, etc. A single set of tires can last all year and there is only one type to buy so you don't have to worry about different treads and compounds.

[@gravityracergt]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott My issue is a few things.. The basis of the rules is cool as far as Motor, Chassis, Tires and Body requirements.. The figure inside is overboard IMO. This class doesn’t exist locally. Actually locally we don’t have any road racing at all anymore. The local Hobby shop that had the races closed. So I would be looking at finding a class that speaks to a lot of people and doesn’t have a ton of rules to cause any bickering lol. 25.5T motor is kinda weak also. These are Vintage trans am.. They were known for having loads of power and not great tires or brakes.. I say atleast a 13.5 Blinky set up would be nice

[@richarddarlington1139]

Serendipity. Right now, on my bench, is a Tamiya TT-01 and a Protoform '71 Camaro. What I need are longer axles and (I think) thicker wheel hexes. Can you help a fella out? I need to go from 190mm thread width to 210 in the rear, and 205mm in the front. Gotta fill those wheel wells.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I'm not sure about the axles... you can probably find them at Tamiya USA. As for the wheel hexes, Amazon has a lot of small RC items like hexes. Also, RCMart is one of my go-to places for hard to find parts. THey ship out of Hong Kong so the shipping is expensive and it takes several weeks, but if you can't find it anywhere else... I shop a lot at AMain Hobbies too. You might find the hexes there or at Tamiya directly. I hope this helps! CJ

[@richarddarlington1139]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott I use A-Main a lot... when they are actually useful. I'll check Tamiya's website, see what I can find there. Or, maybe the forums can help. One thing is certain, now is not a good time to be a model builder. Thanks for the reply.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

​@@richarddarlington1139 Yes, it's tough... I see low stock, very little new coming out, and outrageous shipping fees from Asia. HobbyKing is another vendor I used to go to a lot... stressing "used to" I recently ordered a $25 item from the US warehouse. The shipping was over $20! A year ago, it would have been $7-$10. What's your assessment? Just curious, how come you need longer axles for the TT-01? Is the stock track not wide enough for the body? Have you tried the VTA wheels to see how the offset measures out? I needed to put a 2mm spacer between each wheel and the hex because the front wheels were hitting the steering knuckle. I had different wheel hexes, but the 3Racing axles are a bit thicker than standard 1/10 scale. I'll probably have to go through RCMart to get wider hexes, provided they even exist.

[@richarddarlington1139]

​@@MyRCChannel-CJScott I picked up this TT-01 from Ebay a few years ago. It came fully upgraded with carbon fiber and anodized aluminum for a price I couldn't refuse. The tread width is 190mm front and rear while the body is 210mm at the rear and 205 at the front. I found a nice set of 5-spoke mags from HPI with a 5mm offset. Didn't seem to help much. I have some 5mm hexes but they're only a couple of mm thicker than stock. Besides, any thicker and I start running out of threads for the wheel nuts. Hence the need for longer axles. I'll figure it out, eventually. I've been a model builder all my life. Since the early '60's, growing up in southern California, I've built plastic models of race cars, customs, hot rods and the like. Then, with the slot car explosion, I found out you can not only make them go, but you could race them! I was hooked. Now, model aviation is my main focus, with R/C cars as a welcome diversion. In fact, I only have three cars, the TT-01, a B5m, and a 1/12 pan car. All are virtually brand new as I don't get the chance to run them very often But I do enjoy wrenching on them from time to time. What's happening to the hobby industry as a whole is an indictment of society in general. Nobody seems to want to get involved anymore, to invest something of themselves to achieve a greater satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. Their loss...and ours, in a sense. I've looked at Hobby King, and others, and I've heard the stories. It seems the two biggest problems they have are quality control and customer service. I have yet to do business with any of them. One thing I know for sure, there's a helluva lot of price gouging going on. And that ain't helping. I'm used to dealing with companies with a proven track record and a solid reputation. Getting hard to find these days. I've also seen something of a return of the cottage industry, and have dealt with a couple of them, with excellent results... so far. So, that's cool. My main problem is acquiring all of the stuff necessary to complete a project. It can be very frustrating. We can only hope things improve soon, then see where we are. Someplace better, I hope. I'm 68 years old. Most of my life may be behind me, but it's far from over. I'm not done yet! "Always something on the bench."

[@warren6814]

I was looking at getting a used TC4. i've heard good things about it, even though it is a bit older. any thoughts on it?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I've never owned one personally, but I checked it out... it's got adjustable turnbuckles which is good. Definitely better than the fixed suspension of the TT-01s and TT-02s. It would make a good candidate for VTA for someone just starting out or trying to get into racing on a budget. Definitely not good enough for touring car or one of the faster on road classes based on 4wd cars. Do you know the person you're buying from? Can you see it first hand, or are you buying it over the internet, like from ebay? You want to make sure it's in descent condition and that someone hasn't beaten it to death. Can you see it run? These can be important questions... you don't want to buy someone else's problems. You might consider getting the 3Racing Advance S that I built for this set of videos... it's a real belt driven touring car and costs $90 new! It's a great place to start and it's inexpensive because a lot of pieces that would normally be made out of aluminum are made of plastic... which is fine for VTA. Your choice... Best of luck and feel free to ask more questions. CJ

[@warren6814]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott Thanks CJ, I'll look into it!

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@warren6814 One more bit of info... 3Racing has been around for a long time, but being based in Asia, they aren't as well known. They have great parts availability so if you need spares, they keep almost everything in stock. Also, there are 3 versions of the Advance, each more expensive than the next but more high end. The best is all carbon and aluminum and is on par with any high end 4wd belt driven touring car at half the price! When I bought mine, I also purchased spare swingarms, belts, steering parts, sway bar kits and a spring kit. Here are the three from least expensive up... www.rcmart.com/3racing-sakura-advance-s-6-4-1-10-touring-car-kit-kit-advance-s64-00101865 www.rcmart.com/3racing-1-10-sakura-advance-s-6-4-matte-graphite-touring-car-ep-kit-advance-s64ga-00106643 www.rcmart.com/3racing-sakura-advance-21-mid-motor-version-1-10-touring-chassis-kit-ep-kit-advance-21m-00103520 There is also this one... www.rcmart.com/3racing-1-10-sakura-ff21-ep-touring-car-kit-kit-advance-ff21-00106642 I have no connection with either 3Racing or RCMart. I bought my first Sakura in 2014 and it was a great touring car. Do a search in RCMart for Advance S to see the incredible list of parts that are available... over 200!

[@warren6814]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott Thank you very much for the information. I am glad that you are excited by it and i have been reading a lot of reviews about 3Racing and they are certainly highly regarded. I also appreciated the way you have listed them out for me here, it is helpful to see the options and to consider the parts question! Thank you!

[@EidstaRC]

I just built my VTA. what is typical top speed? 20mph?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Never clocked mine. The choice in gears makes a big difference. VTA is the slowest class I’ve ever raced. I don’t mean that as a negative. Most of the field is running the same top speed more or less so it’s a lot of fun and driver skill and patience are the real determining factors. Shoot me a message after your first race to let me know how you liked it. Enjoy! CJ

[@darrhylharris8824]

What gearing do you use?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

It totally depends... every week the track has a different layout so if there are a lot of long straits, especially if they are started or ended with a long sweeping turn(s) I'll gear more for top speed. On the other hand, if it's a tight layout with lots of tight turns and chicanes, I'll gear for acceleration. There are times I'll try 3-4 pinion gears during practice and depending on how I'm doing during the early heats, I may make a gear change during the race (between heats). It also depends on how the gearing is affecting the battery life... If I'm doing fast laps at first and the battery starts to fade and my lap times start falling off toward the end, I'll use a larger (more mah) battery if I have one, or I may have to go up a tooth or two to make the battery last. Also using a larger and subsequently heavier battery can also slow the car and/or make it more prone to sliding in turns. There are many factors, for example, we get a lot of pollen in the spring and that yellow dust is slippery! A quick gear that makes for good acceleration doesn't do well on slick surfaces. In short, there is no magic bullet when it comes to gearing and almost any other setting. I hope this helps...

[@francoisst-aubin432]

Hello JC, are all brushed systems considered legal ? I found a traxxas 4-Tec 2.0 AWD. With a Titan 12T 550 motor and a XL-5 ESC. Could this be a good start ? Thanks

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Nope, sorry. You have to run a 25.5T motor and you'd better get a sensored brushless system or you won't be competitive. Here is a combo that is about the least expensive setup that's legal... Hobbywing XR10 Justock Sensored Brushless ESC/SD G2.1 Motor Combo (25.5T) $99.99 www.amainhobbies.com/hobbywing-xr10-justock-sensored-brushless-esc-sd-g2.1-motor-combo-25.5t-hwa38020243/p784986 You'll need one of these to be ably to update the firmware and setup the ESC's features like drag brake, voltage for the servo, coast, motor punch/turbo, and other settings. You plug this in between the ESC and a computer with an internet connection... Hobbywing Multifunction LCD Program Box $26.99 www.amainhobbies.com/hobbywing-multifunction-lcd-program-box-hwa30502000014/p279128 You still need a good steering servo... this is one of my favorites, it's not the cheapest, but it's one of the fastest servos made... and it's bulletproof! ProTek RC 160TBL "Black Label" Low Profile High Torque Brushless Servo (High Voltage/Metal Case) 129.99 www.amainhobbies.com/protek-rc-160tbl-black-label-low-profile-high-torque-brushless-servo-ptk-160tbl/p1011597 Just FYI, I have no affiliation with AMain hobbies, or any other vendor. I have been shopping with AMain for years because they have a good range of stock, competitive prices, and fast processing and shipping, so I'm happy to recommend them. If you're on a budget, the 3Racing Advance S touring car chassis kit is the least expensive while still offering a car that can be competitive. At $89US, you can't do better... www.rcmart.com/3racing-sakura-advance-s-6-4-1-10-touring-car-kit-kit-advance-s64-00101865 Best of luck, let me know if I can answer any other questions. CJ

[@francoisst-aubin432]

Thank you JC. Can all these fit on a Tamiya TT-02R chassis ? Could get one in two days !

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@francoisst-aubin432 Yes, but bare in mind that the tt-02 is old tech and is some of the most expensive. There are also a lot of things you just can't adjust due to the design. For example, the camber links are fixed... adjusting camber is very important. I'd get the 3Racing. You may have to wait a few weeks, but you'll get a much better car. If you have the budget, I'd say get an xray. At least consider something like the Yokomo SD9 Sport. It's a shaft versus belt drive like the tt-02, but it has adjustable camber front and rear and is closer to a real race rac than the tt-02. It's $168.99 at amain. www.amainhobbies.com/yokomo-sd9-sport-1-10-190mm-electric-touring-car-kit-yokmrtc-sd9/p267795 BTW, I'd still get the $89 3Racing Advance S over the Yokomo SD9 Sport. It's belt drive and will be lighter. Most of the good kits are $450-$600 US. If you can afford it, get the 3Racing Sakura Advance 21 Mid-Motor Version 1/10 Touring Chassis Kit EP for $256.41 US. It's almost identical to the cars that cost twice as much... it's very similar to the Advance S. The main difference is that most of it is made of aluminum while the Advance S is almost all plastic. Since VTA is a low power class, it's fine to have the bulkheads made of plastic. www.rcmart.com/3racing-sakura-advance-21-mid-motor-version-1-10-touring-chassis-kit-ep-kit-advance-21m-00103520 Do yourself a favor, don't buy the Tamiya... it will be money down the drain. And, their replacement parts are very expensive and sometimes are unavailable for months on end. I like some of what Tamiya makes, I race a Tamiya F104 in F1, and a Buggyra Fat Fox in euro truck class. But their true touring car chassis is $588.80 and their best is $799!!! I don't know where on the globe you are so I can only recommend vendors I'm familiar with.

[@francoisst-aubin432]

Hello JC. I have to stop shopping and start buying ! Ha ha ha. I was looking at this kit on RC Mart and would like to know what you think about it. Thank you, www.rcmart.com/xpress-execute-xq10-1-10-competition-grade-electric-touring-car-kit-xp-90021-00086564

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@francoisst-aubin432 Sorry it took a while to get back to you... I caught a bit of a cold and slept all day... now I'm up all night again working on videos and kits... hope I don't get sick again ;-) It looks like a very nice kit. It's got all the right features and there are lots of spare parts available. I recommend getting a few things at the same time... things for tuning and for fixing crash damage. Get the optional sway bar set for tuning. get a set of front arms, hubs, and steering knuckles, as well as a front bumper set. Those are the main things that you're most likely to damage. You might also consider getting a spare pair of belts. You also might want to see if you can find the manual online and see if it lists the spring weight(s) that come stock... then order the weight above and below those. That way you've got a range for tuning to conditions. That way, when you need them, you don't have to wait 5-8 weeks for delivery. Shipping coming from China is really slow lately... as well as expensive. A small package from RCMart can cost minimum of $20 even for a $5 part, so get all the things you think you might need in the one order. You'll have to let me know how it goes! CJ