Element Bushido Upgrades Tested!

The Element RC Bushido is a beaut little crawler. But can it be improved? Today, we find out!
Let's test!
Our Bushido Review: • Element's Golden Era: ...
Parts in My Bushido Build:
Vanquish VXT2 Tires: amzn.to/3QcmvSE
Weighted Wheels: amzn.to/46HJevs
Fusion SE at Amazon: amzn.to/45wD5Rv
Fusion SE at Atees: asiate.es/aff?l=210193&i=76070
Holmes Hobbies Servo: holmeshobbies.com/servos/shv6...
Alternative servo: asiate.es/aff?l=190716&i=76070
Brass C-Hub: amzn.to/46ExWb8
Brass Knuckles: amzn.to/3PT9jAG (Yep, they'll fit)
Element RC Bushido: asiate.es/aff?l=210220&i=76070
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Articles:
What's the Best RC Car? rc-tnt.com/guides/best-rc-car/
Best RC Crawler? rc-tnt.com/manufacturer/multi...
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WHERE TO BUY RC STUFF:
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#elementbushido, #rccrawling, #rcreview, #elementrc, #elementenduro

[@scalecrawlnl]

Cool follow-up video, thank you Craig. Always fun to see rc crawlers in action on your course. Catch myself going, 'Problem 1, grocery shopping, first hurdle, Problem 2, household chores, second hurdle, Problem 3, recycling bins, third obstacle', etc.! Great inspiration, thank you very much 👍😊 Like added of course. Enjoy 'meshing around', fun as always.

[@RCTNT]

Lol whatever gets you through The List. It never ends, so I guess I'd better keep making videos and we can both rest when we're dead. Meantime, onwards

[@roblowrie1969]

What a great little rig. 😎👍🏻

[@davidconaway2830]

While I may not have been converted to this little beauty, I'm truly impressed with the upgraded performance you were able to get out of it. I too 'am a fan of Holmes servos and now have many of them in my vehicles. The fusion motors are fantastic as I have four of the Pro's and two of the SE's in various crawlers. Absolutely love those little gems. I look forward to your next video as I always learn a great deal from your experience and willingness to share.

[@RCTNT]

Thanks David!

[@michaeldorich4485]

That was a great demonstration of before and after the upgrades. That was a good idea. I know almost nothing about crawling, but it appears the shorter wheel base really helps to prevent the crawler from getting hung up. It seems this crawler performs really well. Tyler's performance and others in competitions demonstrate its abilities.

[@RCTNT]

You've been watching my stuff for like 2 years! That's gotta make you a crawling expert compared to most people at this point, lol! Thanks 😊

[@ka4172]

I like how you make your crawling tests (not on a static ramp with sandpaper) more realistic under real conditions! You show the problems and how them solve for way better results!I am a big Suzuki Samurai fan but dont like this "oversize" maybe 1:8 Scale body. i would like a real 1:10 LWB Samurai body but there only a few Clones of the Axial Trail Ranger (LWB Samurai) to fit my wishes.

[@RCTNT]

Aw thanks :)

[@sameold77]

I wish they would come out with a Jeep CJ5 body for this short wheelbase chassis.

[@RCTNT]

Heh fair enough. I have enough Jeeps and it seems element doesn't usually do licensed bodies - but you could always fit one yourself!

[@pocketfuloducks1062]

I’m a bit surprised to see a slipper, when the Gatekeeper uses an eliminator

[@RCTNT]

My GK had no slipper either, though it was a kit and it was also one of the earlier incarnations of the current Enduro platform. I'm pretty sure both the Sendero and KnightRunner have slippers. I haven't checked the Ecto but I'd expect it would too. Dunno about the Enduro SE - but probably? It has the newer version of the transmission too, so really I should go and check it!

[@666impreza666]

Vanquish plastic front bumper would make a difference as well. At least in the sendero. Direct fit. Nice run and video by the way! Keep the good work.

[@RCTNT]

If it fits the Sendero it'll probably fit this. Though I think I'd prefer to cut this one up before I bought something else. I'll think about it! Cheers

[@CasperRc81]

Axial 3gear bolt pattern id do that with the vp hurst dig that car would do great. And my buddy has the green ecto. He has a HH 16t crawlmaster pro or expert. I gave him my 2in1 from Capra 4ws re programmed and his start up is same as my fusions. Also you have bad mesh. His is dead silent. I used on 48t torn strip of college ruled paper and shove the motor into the spur with that thinner paper in between. Lock the screws down perfect every time. I really like this test great work and your build looks good. Those tall tires would look rad if had wider axles like capras.

[@RCTNT]

Sounds pretty sorted, good one! Yeah I suspected bad mesh from the sound but I've checked it and it's correct. I might try a different pinion or spur gear, but I'm scraping the barrel here. Anyway, I'll work it out eventually! The tires are too tall for this rig, I think, yes. Wider axles, winning.

[@STP_RIDGELINE]

Freakin awesome mi big bro 💯🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@RCTNT]

🙏

[@YoShImUrA53]

When meshing gears, I´d rather err a bit on the loose side rather than too tight. I´m definitely a fan of the lil SWB nugget. Not that owning an exact samey of it in 1/1 has nothing to do with it... 😬😬😬

[@RCTNT]

Lol fair enough! They're super cool cars. I take your point on mesh. Personally, with 48dp gears I want as much contact as possible, especially with the slipper cranked tight now!

[@YoShImUrA53]

@@RCTNT no argument about the small gears! I've stripped too many spur gears on my MST CMX. Mostly due to using unsensored brushless cheapo combos. They eat those for breakfast with that poor modulation 😬😬😬

[@RCTNT]

@YoShImUrA53 lol and now you know why I go with closer tolerances! I have lost one spur gear ever in crawlers, even with all the brushless units here. The Bushido was a close call but thankfully the slipper saved it!

[@brianmassey7563]

Is it me or does the Bushido sound very loud? Like some mesh issue somewhere....I knew it, lol. Even after the mesh change I think it's too loud for an element with a Stealth gearbox. I comp with someone who uses a Bushido with some brass and he does very well. Great rig.

[@RCTNT]

It is super loud with this motor. It wasn't with the stock one. Could be the different pinion I'm using, maybe simply being a different material its just a louder combination. Goes good though eh!

[@tomjackson7841]

How do you think the Carisma Sca-1e would go with similar upgrades?

[@RCTNT]

Wheel size could be an issue. Also that steering setup isn't optimal, I don't know if you'd get the benefit of such a servo. Converting the 4-link up front to a 3-link with panhard, or swapping from chassis mounted servo to servo on axle would definitely help. A bit of weight on the front axles wouldn't hurt. It's a very balanced rig and getting the steering sorted and replacing those mediocre tires would help, for sure!

[@tomjackson7841]

@@RCTNT how would you go about a 3 link conversion? I know carisma do a steering upgrade but it's not a 3 link, although it does seem to help approach angle at least

[@RCTNT]

@tomjackson7841 it'll be a diy undertaking. Now you mention it, maybe I could design a 3d printable bracket for the axle and chassis, and maybe even a link, if it could be strong enough. But otherwise/in the meantime, servo on axle would be easiest. Or, you could remove an upper link and see what you can do yourself, if you're so inclined. I'll think about it and if I do create it, I'll do a video on it and will make the design freely available on rc-tnt.com. Cheers

[@tomjackson7841]

@@RCTNT interesting. Will keep an eye out and look at axle mounting the servo, although it will slightly alter the scale look

[@RCTNT]

Yeah that's the down side. The upside is considerably better steering performance - night and day, type thing. A 3 link conversion will help, though. I'm motivated, just time-poor. I'll think on this and we'll see what the rest of October brings. It would be good to fix this car.

[@aorchotika]

Hi great vid! Unrelated but any idea when Australia will see the new Redcat Ascent?

[@RCTNT]

Thanks! And nope, though I've found Redcat seems to have its act together on getting models to Australia quickly. Same with Arrma and Axial, they've all been really good in my (ever-expanding) experience. FMS and Boom Racing have been great too. Traxxas has been slower but not super slow, while Element RC admitted in an IG chat that they're finding shipping options challenging to Oz - which is why even the Utron from June this year *still* hasn't turned up on our shores, let alone Zuul and Knightwalker!! But back to Redcat, the Gen 9 turned up pretty soon after all the USA 'influencers' got theirs, within a month or so. That's pretty good, given we're a small and relatively remote market!

[@aorchotika]

@RCTNT That's good to hear, definitely looks like a cool rig for budget $ and it upgrades well to become a very good crawler by the looks of a review i watched from another one of those bloody influencers 😅

[@RCTNT]

😅

[@aorchotika]

@RCTNT Hobbies Direct site says Knightwalker on order since October 17

[@RCTNT]

Yeah I saw that. Hopefully we'll see some here before December. Fingers crossed.

[@davidhiscock1969]

I was going to say it didn't sound right at the start of the video, mesh didn't sound right. I was going to ask as both my gatekeeper and HD are so quiet compared to the Bushido. One trick I learnt from Matt from SBG is use a small piece of regular paper between spur and pinion . Squeeze motor into position, do up the screws and then rotate to remove paper. Gives the right space on the mesh

[@TrokaRC]

Agree with Matt's paper trick.

[@RCTNT]

The paper method works great on 32dp gears but it leaves too much gap on 48dp gears for my liking - especially with the slipper cranked tight. I used to use the paper method but these days I go by feel, having done many, many of them!

[@davidhiscock1969]

@@RCTNT I just give it a gorilla grip before doing up screws and it comes out about right 🤣🤣 . I know what you mean though, did paper bit on the Gatekeeper but did have to adjust a lil bit afterwards yet it meshed nicely on the Sendero hd?? Guess best to double check afterwards. Keep up the cool vids my friend. All the best from the UK

[@pandacrawler6x6]

😮❤😮 Awesome Little and Mighty Samurai!!!! Nice Mods and Up-grades!!!

[@royhopkins6197]

The little samurai is a beast!!!!! Loved the video and looking forward to the next one...