nstead of using a single jumbo servo for steering, the MCD is configured to utilize a pair of jumbo sized servos with each one being individually responsible for one of two bell cranks that are then centrally joined by a big thick Ackerman plate. This allows for a much wider range of servos to be considered as well as liberating valuable space. I chose digital Hitec 5745MG servos throughout which are fast and, just as importantly, more than beefy enough for the job in hand. Brake wise, the three disc setup acts upon all four wheels of course and I was especially looking forward to seeing how it would cope with repeatedly bringing this 12Kg behemoth to a halt. The brake setup is mounted to the front/rear drive transfer box which is handily adjacent (or indeed 55mm away) to another Hitec 5745MG that patrols the throttle/brake action, thus eliminating the need for long and spongy linkage runs to rear mounted brakes, something almost all other large scale models have.

The water resistant radio box holds the receiver, a 2000mAh battery and an on/off switch with a flashing red LED which is competent enough and just about big enough although you do have to drill the cable holes in yourself which is a strange omission but not a huge deal. With no instructions at all to help out and little information available on the web, I had to choose a safe route for the servo wires to venture across from one side to the other whilst bypassing the front centre driveshaft. I decided on zip tying the steering wires to a radio tray post and then straight into the receiver box, then the throttle/brake servo wire got sent up and over the shaft through holes in the radio tray, back down and off into the security of the sealed box, well away from the danger of any tangles.  

As I installed the radio gear I took extra time to check over the whole model, noting quite a few nice features. The suspension, with its adjustable threaded shock bodies that are variable on the inside too with the piston having a twist top section that allows the opening or closing of holes for more or less oil to pass through rather than at a fixed rate. The oil inside is generic from the factory so I’ve replaced this with some 500wt FG oil so I at least know what’s in there and can replace whenever I like. Furthermore, being fully adjustable in ride height, droop, castor, camber and toe is particularly nice, because the ability to dial the model in accurately according to both driving style and track type is of course essential to any racer.
I then covered it all up with the thick lexan body shell and by employing the awesome painting skills of Jim from Absolute Control who came up with the different angle of representing a big bag of Maltesers, but replacing that with MCD’ers and updating the slogan to match. With the rear wing taking the same treatment I have to say it looks absolutely stunning so I felt the need to paint the wheels that feature pre-fitted King Cobra tractor tyres white, as they were previously a silver/ grey colour and just looked wrong for my colour scheme.

Pre-run checks

Before I got to have a drive, it was time to mix up some fuel and oil. It is important to use a high quality oil here as good oils will protect your engine long term and provide the best cooling with the most power. KCR recommended some Racing Venom oil to me as the best you can buy, so that’s what it got at 150ml to 5l of petrol. It’s also wise to lube up the steel gears with some chain wax, running them dry will work OK, but it will cause premature wear.

Test drive

By the time I’d finalized the radio setup and run a couple of easy tanks through the motor to loosen up the tense drive train, I was desperate to get along to MB territory to open it up in anger despite the track not being designed for large scale models, it’s too tight and too small. In fact, I’d previously attempted to navigate an HPI Baja round the track finding it to be near useless, almost every corner forced me to slow to a stagger requiring the wholly inefficient point-and-shoot driving style. Not so with the MCD though, as there’s no bottom end lag on this petrol beast and with the added traction from the all-wheel drive system, it enabled me to maintain speed through the corners preserving momentum and slashing lap times. Of course, more traction usually means more acceleration and improved braking and with the 26cc two-stroker providing the grunt, that’s exactly what you get, in buckets!  Large scale models are impressive but this thing is just awesome, there’s no two wheel drive model out there to challenge this thing on the track or anywhere else for that matter and with its well balanced weight distribution, it even flies off the jumps well, landing flat and true.  The brakes took no time at all to bed in and in fact I had to back them right off on the Helios transmitter settings because they were just too violently halting my vehicle to the point I worried about it breaking
With its mixture of brutal acceleration, fine handling and sensitive, powerful brakes, I started to shake off the feeling that this was a big heavy 1:5 scale model, it actually began to feel like driving a 1:8 scale buggy, the more I drove it the lighter and more nimble it felt, which is quite an accomplishment and an amazing buzz. The only thing agricultural about this model is how it ploughs the land as it rides over it, easily throwing great rooster-tails of mud behind it and if you’re not careful, large stones were getting flicked about at a deadly speed with one hitting me right in the face. I didn’t care though as I was having so much fun with it. Cornering a big petrol model without ever worrying about it rolling over is a strange feeling but one I soon got used to, leaving me to sample some stunning power slides and twists that kicked up so much dust and debris that I had to stop for a while so I could see where it was.
I hammered the MCD relentlessly around the track and car park area getting always faster and jumping ever higher and longer over jumps that no other 1:5 or 1:6 scale can manage and I would have been happy to have driven it all day long had I not been silly and jumped the mountain at almost full chat. The MCD flew and landed well but one of the rear 5mm thick shock shafts broke signalling the end of the day. It was a ridiculous thing to ask of it and I felt pretty bad but hey, one shock shaft? That’s nothing, this thing is tough and I plan on exploiting it for some time to come because I already have the replacement parts delivered to me courtesy of King Cobra Racing showing that customer support is just as good as the kit

What a blast

br> I’m not sure I can express just how much this has lifted me, I always knew it would be good, but I had no idea it would be so much more than I’d ever dreamed! To drive one is just unbelievably good luck and brings on pant wetting excitement when it passes by and shakes the ground you’re standing on. Even if you lay out the high cost of converting any other petrol large scale model in an attempt to imitate it, you’ll never have the exceptional balance and weight transfer properties that the Race Runner has in abundance. Not forgetting that the MCD won’t fall apart when it does a decent sized jump! I’ve heard there’ll be a Samba tuned pipe that’s been specially designed for the Race Runner available very soon for even more madness, but in reality the stock pipe is more than enough to keep the engine happy and breathing right. Also as MCD like to keep at the forefront of technology, they’ve already developed a long travel suspension setup that utilizes a pair of rear shocks on the front and a two minute mod to the shock tower that is also easily reverted back to its status quo just as quickly.
It’s all at a premium price though but you get all the reliability, performance and power of a two-stroke petrol engine, coupled with a different world of agility and ruggedness for a 1:5 scale model that quite frankly has to be experienced to be believed! So it’s expensive to buy - but it does give good value for money and the running costs are low too. Compared with running a nitro or top end electric model, it could end up costing less at the end of its first year, if similar hours are spent on each.
That driving time could be achieved because the BRCA have even agreed to run a large scale 4WD class next year so users can get the most out of the Race Runner and get the experience of a bit of rally driving like they do in the TOPSA British 4WD rally championships, where incidentally you’ll find drivers like Bob Stiles of King Cobra Racing and Sinan Sunali the founder and owner of MCD who pops over from Istanbul for every race, such is the dedication and belief in his product. As a real rally car driver and WRC scrutineer his spectacular style of drifting the car around a track is something to behold. Either way, the opportunity to race my MCD for real, tickles my fancy and is something I feel the need to experience.

I know of some people who have turned their backs on nitro models because of a switch to large scale, it’s only now I can fully appreciate why and owning an MCD Race Runner makes everything else pale into insignificance and seem so ordinary. My advice is to save your pennies and get one, you’ll not be disappointed!