Meus Racing TRX4M RIPPER Build - Assembly, Run & Review!!

In this video I assemble and review the Ripper kit for the Traxxas TRX4M from Meus Racing! This comprehensive kit has everything you need to completely transform your TRX4M into a rock shredding beast. In addition to the kit, we install a ton of awesome upgrades from axles to shocks to motor/gear combos. Meus has so many great parts available for the TRX4M and the final culmination of the parts and the kit is epic!
Meus Ripper kit: www.meusracing...
Meus Racing TRX4M parts: www.meusracing...
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Timestamps
Kit overview: 0:46
Installation step 1: 4:08
Installation step 2: 5:26
Installation step 3 & 4: 7:29
Additional upgrades: 9:39
Finishing the build: 17:20
Final results: 21:49
Performance tests: 26:58
Indoor course runs: 29:49
Final thoughts: 35:08

[@CapeCrawlers]

Timestamps Kit overview: 0:46 Installation step 1: 4:08 Installation step 2: 5:26 Installation step 3 & 4: 7:29 Additional upgrades: 9:39 Finishing the build: 17:20 Final results: 21:49 Performance tests: 26:58 Indoor course runs: 29:49 Final thoughts: 35:08

[@beng.6417]

Tarantula vs Ripper face off please 🙏

[@SacrosantSoul]

This one!! Yes! I'm torn between the two! @CapeCrawlers

[@Cloud9Tactics]

Yes. We need this type of video!

[@EthanRC_MTB]

backing this comment. I agree

[@TronFnknBlow]

Black interior woulda looked really good in the orange cage, I think. Having 2 kits gives lots of options for mix-n-match.

[@CapeCrawlers]

I agree. It would break up the orange better

[@Mattwiistand]

I love the kit! i built it with a new stock trx4m but had to buy a servo, this thing is sooo capable even stock. Meus is really doing some awesome stuff

[@orangessmeel245]

It is crazy to see how this channel has grown, I remember when you hit 7k, love the content still

[@driven_by_rc]

As usual your videos are very comprehensive for someone of my knowledge level! Great video and amazed at how well it did with how high it sits!!

[@jimbo4203]

Man all that stuff looks good ! It's like Christmas came early , I like the straight axles

[@grandmasteraj855]

Excellent comprehensive video so far. Seen a lot of videos on this thing but no one has done it like this. Bravo.

[@jojotherc_guy]

Can't wait for mine to show up. Parts start arriving Friday. Was gonna upgrade my bronco and ended up buying a whole truck 😅

[@jeremiah23924]

I’m running the MEUS portals with the MEUS 36% transmission gears and a 48T motor and I absolutely love the balance of speed and crawlability

[@kjs6469]

Great video, myself I have two of these now going to be three soon. Yes I have a problem. If you daisy chain your light into your servo plug then you can use that to control your lights, by turning your wheels back and for 3 times fast.

[@CapeCrawlers]

I will soon have two. They multiply so quickly lol Great tip on the lights! I will try that asap

[@kjs6469]

@@CapeCrawlers Someone on Amazon did the lights like that, I had to try it, and it worked out for me. Hope it does the same for you.

[@kjs6469]

I like the V1 of this, less assembly. Also these are easy to paint, if you want.

[@TheShopMiniRC]

Thanks for the shout out.

[@CapeCrawlers]

Thanks for your detailed videos! They are hugely helpful

[@christianvasquez1934]

No way that is absolutely sick

[@rebelredRC]

Time to repaint the course man been watching you long enough to see all the foam get eaten away by crawler builds man love this.

[@CapeCrawlers]

Yes it needs a refresh!

[@The_RC_Family]

Nice kit Adam, love this! I can't wait to see what you think of the next Crawler I review. I know you love your scale builds. You're gonna love it! 😊

[@CapeCrawlers]

Can't wait to see it!

[@HumlsHobbies]

Awesome kit!! Im with you on the orange! The color combo you used is beautiful! Great video man!

[@Atlas_FPV]

I got the ripper, it looks awesome but if you drop the height for better performance the wheels bind on the bumper and grill at full lock, I’ve removed mine now so the front end is open

[@nycr6biker796]

Watching this video again because I won a ripper chassis at farm fest!!!

[@travislee7444]

Awesome build friend!

[@VetteWay2Fast]

Very cool. I wish they would have had the shock mounts extend higher through the hood. Be awesome to see a kit where the shock is actually coming through the hood

[@nunocarneiro464]

That looks like a great kit, great price for what they offer, nice detail on the bonnet, even including the stickers is a nice touch I would have changed the battery tray for the carbon one to break up a bit the orange

[@2blackfox1]

Nice video, love the build. It’s going on the list of builds to do. Thank you!

[@emanuel616]

Those brass portal axles seem really awesome

[@nhmtrhd]

After watching this vid on the Ripper, I am so glad I bought the Tarantula first! 👍

[@eazyrider07]

Awesome video, might need to pickup a trx4m now. Even though I haven’t even finished my SCX24 build yet 😂

[@greggrube2948]

Awesome video Adam 👍😁

[@Marcus-HyH]

Very good climbing

[@alexwicke7102]

I think you should take a look at the the furitek cayman pro

[@calebprescott9822]

I'd definitely swap it back to straight axles just because of the looks. I know with my scx24 ripper it's sitting on 48mm shocks with no springs, otherwise it looks wrong. Alternatively I use 39mm oil shocks with soft springs. Also the chassis was originally made for the scx24 and it doesn't seem to translate well to the Traxxas.

[@TeensierPython]

I am so jealous! I want to do a build like this.

[@user-vi4xu1gl4f]

I'm building a injora high trail tnx your videos help out

[@Emmett_stapleford]

I thinking about doing this to mine trx4m

[@supraluvers]

I’m surprised you didn’t like the ride height. I feel like that should take care of issues with diff clearance. With so many options I’d love to see an “ultimate build” for best overall crawling performance on a trx4m.

[@CapeCrawlers]

It just sits so tall. I love the clearance but the tradeoff is questionable for me.

[@VetteWay2Fast]

Have u tried the oppai factory skid riser? If not, definitely check it out. Gained a ton of ground clearance and lowered my tarantula immensely. One of the best upgrades I’ve done so far

[@TheNeck-rc46]

Wow! Didn't think it would do that well being so high. Just don't like the hassle with getting to the battery an esc

[@oknights112]

Great video and really informative.

[@gibsonlife573]

Either one or two things it needs slammed with bigger tires with the portal axles or go back to straight axles with some bigger tires and fill up those Fender Wells cuz it kind of looks silly

[@CapeCrawlers]

I think I'm going to slam it down with straight axles

[@travisbennett5813]

I love my ripper. I have 4ws.

[@malcolmlester4585]

great review, and i thought wow thats looks great at the beginning but by the end yeah disappointing with ride height as just doesn't look right, and my FMS FCX24 has portals but its slammed so shame they didn't build the chassis to accomodate a better ride height.

[@CapeCrawlers]

I'm going to try straight axles to see how it looks.

[@Spaceman0495]

Would love to see this ​@@CapeCrawlers

[@troypostie1252]

44t is faster but higher turn gives more torque. For better low speed control you want the high turn Adam👍

[@CapeCrawlers]

I was hoping all of the reduction would balance the punch of the 44t but it's still really snappy. I may try the higher turn. I bet it would be nearly brushless slow with a higher turn motor!

[@Doitology]

I'm surprised at how capable it was. It looks like a $10 toy truck you'd find at walmart.

[@s13kuminachu]

Except its $500

[@teeger6651]

Got to get one of those

[@hypnoticpenguin666]

Tightening the bottom shock cap will squish the O-rings against the shock shaft too much; adjust tightness to improve/retard rebound. I find all small shocks are plagued with this issue. Great vid

[@CapeCrawlers]

I am going to test those bottom shock caps. I bet that's the issue - thanks!

[@chrisfree6372]

I have both. The Traxxas is just much better made stronger motor stronger servo just all better quality. But I still have fun with my SCX24.

[@slomofan2070]

Vielen Dank, das ist ein guter Test. Haben Sie auch einen Test vom Tarantel Injora? Was wiegt der denn? Ich frag weil icv einen Wagen mit in den Urlaub nehmen möchte ...

[@brentalumbaugh8904]

Can you explain how to wire the halos and light bar. Can’t get mine to work. TIA

[@TheJMRCEnthusiastEmporium]

Very nice!

[@petejones6827]

the wheel size and tires interest me

[@AgeOrmstad]

Reealy sweeet rig man 👌😀😋

[@yaredcollazo]

good kit just add some bigger tire and lower it

[@RcCrawler34]

Very Nice vidéo 😊😊

[@Kpilato_21]

When displaying the cage the rear shock mounts one the wrong direction. Killer build. Prefer this one or the injora?

[@justintime5154]

I’m new to the crawler side of rc and trying to decide what I want my first one to be. What would you recommend for a good starter rig? Love your videos!

[@CapeCrawlers]

I think the Traxxas TRX4M is a great start truck. Great looks, very tough, easy to use. And now there are tons of upgrades available for them

[@timothyskidmore7956]

What links you use high trail or the one for the broncos

[@bluedragongaming3076]

Been looking at the Meus 102T motor but i can't figure the positive and the negative wires since they are covered

[@Callmebutturblk]

Looks really high like monster truck

[@teknolem7426]

I have to injora 59 mm shocks. I’m afraid that if I get this kit, I will not be able to angle them to get the heighg position lower like I can with my lcg injora carbon fiber chassis.

[@CapeCrawlers]

You’re right. You would have to manipulate the height with oil or springs (or lack thereof)

[@nikkreid6701]

Do u know the exact mesurment of the tie rods on front axels?

[@roncorrisjr2828]

Hi can this kit be used with the stock TRX4M parts?

[@GULIVERSOFFROAD]

id do the jeep as well my jku rubicon is now on 38 in toyo open country's and just got my 538 gears installed last thursday

[@Stevens_Fab_Shop]

When trying to buy this what’s the mex2 and mex40 ?? What’s different

[@WickedRemoteControl]

Are you still doing all of your recording on a iPhone?

[@CapeCrawlers]

Yes I am

[@AndyT0918]

Looks really goofy to me. With portals you could have gone smaller tires and shorter shocks. Like the parts individually but I am definitely more of a fan of the tarantula. Lighter and lower cg. Both have their pluses and minuses

[@CapeCrawlers]

I'm going to swap the axles to see how big of a difference that makes

[@tsenif]

I'm surprised you haven't done a video on the FMS/RocHobby/Katana 1/18 LC80 Land Cruiser!

[@CapeCrawlers]

I like those but they are limited in what you can do to them. Great looking truck out of the box though!

[@tsenif]

@@CapeCrawlers I've seen a few people on the Facebook pages specific for those make a few easy conversions of the SCX24 Furitek brushless system. Looks like all you have to do is hollow-out a'bit of the interior from the inside, but it's still fully functional.

[@carlvanalstyne7970]

Why not just extend the wires to make on and off a bunch easier?

[@ModModRc]

Meus bodys & not trx4 parts, will it work? I want to do my first build 1/18 & 1/24 use all he same parts except body & rails yes? I want to buy 1 of the full metal chassis either axi00003 for the portals or the metal scx24 for the long links, the ones on ali express both with 4ws. What i like to know is can we make mutants? Id like to use 1 of these metal chassis for parts, put them on 1 of the 1/18 Meus trx4 cage bodys & use the fcx24 2sp aluminium gearboxes as there the best. Cant thos be done? I think everything is the right scale & will work but will the fcx24 4 link skid plate/gearbox mount line up with the Meus holes?

[@220678p]

Hi Cape ! Im sorry for my english, where can i find the wheels please ? Thanks you 😊

[@kevlarsuperstar4845]

Hey man can you do all this to the high trail version the F150 ford ?

[@CapeCrawlers]

I feel like it would work but it will be stretched in the rear because of the longer links and driveshafts.

[@texomarc]

Great show, brother. What a tank!

[@CapeCrawlers]

Tank is a great name for it!

[@Wreckedekcoupe]

How does it perform compared to the injora tarantula kit. I'm undecided. I'm waiting to hear about a performance comparison video. But I would love to hear from the king of minis on what you think. I think the meus kit is like twice the cost but price doesn't matter for me. I just care about the performance aspect.

[@millzthrillzmtb2679]

The injection molded ripper kit is 35 dollars… half cost of the 3d printed version and more stout… ripper also accepts a lay down servo mount for lower CG I fuckin love mine it’s very capable

[@CapeCrawlers]

I like the versatility of the Ripper kit. More shock locations, lay down servo options, battery/esc placements, etc. I am kinda partial to the appearance of the tarantula though

[@Wreckedekcoupe]

Thanks, guys. I think I'm going with the meus kit, now on to what color to decide on. Man, I dig that orange and black it looks damn good.

[@gibsonlife573]

What that's like what 61% reduction I think that'd be a little bit much I think I would just do the 25% reduction in the portal

[@nyyommm9640]

do you have a video that shows how to take a stock c10 to a fully kitted out version? big dummies like me could use a tutorial.

[@CapeCrawlers]

I recently did this C10 video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnPOhnqmatirj8k Not sure if that's what you're looking for, but that thing went from mild to wild with that setup

[@MitchellBolognaniRC]

Meus over INJORA???? I'm looking to do a full build and I'm curious which company I want to use

[@D-ayytoodap-yay]

Meus has some great options but I never do a full build with 1 single companies stuff. I like injora axles and drive shafts so I won’t venture away from them but I would use meus chassis kits with no problem. I actually built the Scx24 version of this kit with injora axles and furitek micro and it performs great at my local meets.

[@grandmasteraj855]

@@D-ayytoodap-yayInjora driveshafts (at least the silver ones) are all manufactured out-of-phase on the front shaft. I’ve had 3 sets and they all had the same flaw

[@MitchellBolognaniRC]

​@@D-ayytoodap-yayI like the meus portal axles

[@D-ayytoodap-yay]

@@grandmasteraj855 I haven’t had a problem with any of them and that’s all I use

[@s13kuminachu]

Will this body fit the injora universal LCG chassis?

[@CapeCrawlers]

I don't think so. The body is just paneling bolted onto the cage, which acts as the chassis

[@xbmarc]

How much $$$ was this build with the parts you chose?

[@CapeCrawlers]

It would be around $300 all in

[@alvinwong953]

Which ripper kit did you get? The mex40 or mex2?

[@CapeCrawlers]

I got both but I built the Mex2 orange kit.

[@boiledtea479]

jealous

[@didierurbain3159]

Top 👍

[@ericfaley9019]

Too much Orange. Cage looks good. But I think the interior/seats and battery tray in black with the orange cage would be better looking.

[@jbsir1]

How did you use the portal axles with it being a trx4m?

[@CapeCrawlers]

They're made specifically for the M by Meus.

[@abramcrook1193]

Where did you get your flex blades on the gladiator from?

[@CapeCrawlers]

Mofo RC flexblades XR's

[@abramcrook1193]

Thank you, I have a lgrp ripper kit and wanted to get more flex out of it

[@jaycobho4686]

do i need to sand the body?

[@CapeCrawlers]

No, I don't think so. The panels and hood are very well made and have a nice smooth finish

[@jaycobho4686]

is the body fully waterproof?

[@grandmasteraj855]

It’s IPX69420 waterproof

[@jaycobho4686]

it says its made of pa66

[@Stealthfoams]

what beadlocks r those

[@CapeCrawlers]

The Meus racing 1.2's: www.meusracing.com/products/meus-racing-1-2-inch-beadlock-wheels-brass-rim-aluminum-negative-hub-4mm-41g-for-trx4m-scx24-fcx24-ax24-1-24-1-18-rc-crawler-car-62-24mm-model-a-silver

[@FastgixxerLV]

Your rear shock mounts don’t match. One is backwards

[@ericthestone]

What’s left on the TRX4M? Lol

[@gibsonlife573]

Mofo bam 4100 with the 36% gear reduction transmission gear

[@gibsonlife573]

Yeah I wouldn't run their escr their remote

[@jjs13rj]

So get some narrow taller tires 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@jjs13rj]

Truly sweet lil rigs tho great quality vid!!!❤️‍🔥👊

[@derrickwilliams2903]

1:47 NO. You totally missed the point of the V2 revision, which was to make all of the structural components injection-molded ABS rather than SLS (3D printed) nylon. The V1 cages were breaking, people complained, and MEUS listened. You have a tendency to gloss over details and sometimes I think it's because that information isn't particularly flattering to the company. This isn't one of those cases. To me, it's an example of what MEUS Racing is doing right. I have a hard time taking your reviews seriously because you are ALWAYS positive and that just isn't accurate. These "reviews" are so detached from reality and you're really doing people a disservice by conveniently omitting details.

[@CapeCrawlers]

At 1:47 I was specifically talking about the difference between the two V2 kits available, not the distinction between V1 and V2. I don't have any hands on experience with the V1 kit, so I can't speak to it, which is why I didn't. I agree that my reviews are positive because I am an enthusiast and I am genuinely excited about the products I review. And yes, I should do a better job masking that enthusiasm and being more critical. RE intentionally glossing over details: I take offense to this as I don't intentionally gloss over details to hide flaws or issues. Back to my earlier statement, I default to what is exciting and fun because that's what I am seeking. Plus, I would be doing a disservice to THEM if I did. I appreciate the feedback and I will try to incorporate it into future reviews.

[@dantrivett8435]

It is to wide looks weird

[@CapeCrawlers]

VERY wide indeed

[@SD_AH]

Tarantula is much better in my opinion. Ripper kit looks like a Walmart toy. I’m sure they perform similarly but the ripper looks so damn cheap.. such a bummer

[@hoodwizrc246]

every screw is wrong u used all the wrong hard wair .. no silver screw belongs to the chassis ..all black pointy screws are for all of the chassis even side panels plus there are really small i mean small screws for inside shock towers 2 per side for the front .. all silver screws are for stering links sorvo tray and links all silver screws are extra for the trx4m .. is there a reasion for using the wrong hardwair ?

[@CapeCrawlers]

I couldn't tell from the instructions that it was wrong and it all worked so I didn't question it.

[@hoodwizrc246]

@@CapeCrawlers ok i was woundering took me like and hour to fuger it all out ..and maybe u knew something i didnt about it .. look in ur screws for them smallist black screws them are for the front shock towers the inside its thiner then the rear

[@lowrinjuggalo]

do u sale the angle kits for testing side hill vertical etc ?

[@CapeCrawlers]

I do not. I got mine from ToysWD