Growing up in the 70s and 80s television was full of car centric shows. Knight Rider, the A Team, Hardcastle & McCormick, The Fall Guy, the list is long. But one show has stood the test of time, I’m speaking of course about The Dukes of Hazzard. Launched in 1979 and thought by many to not even make it past one episode, it instead gave us seven seasons of wholesome entertainment involving bumbling sheriffs, city slickers looking to out crook Boss Hogg, and two good ole boys named Bo and Luke that fought the system with their fast, colorful Dodge Charger named after a southern hero, the “General Lee”. Wanting my own General since I first saw it on tv, I’ve recently been able to fulfill my dream, albeit in a smaller scale. I race radio control cars for fun and when the time came to use a body that would normally be a pickup truck my mind instantly went to the General. I was racing in dirt, jumping and kicking up dust. It writes itself really. All of my friends love seeing it at the track, and some of the younger racers who didn’t know the show was a thing sought it out and watched it after seeing my car. So it’s turning on a new generation to the show and rekindling memories in folks of a certain age that watched it as kids. Larry was kind enough to suggest sharing my story with his friends that like his blog, I hope you all enjoy my story and the pics of my General Lee.
The car itself is a Team Losi Racing 22SCT (SCT stands for Short Course Truck) 3.0, a two wheel drive racing truck similar to trucks seen racing in the deserts of California. It has a 7.5 turn brushless motor that has the power to let it pull wheelies in the dirt when it’s already traveling at a high speed. The wheels are a readily available item that I paint with chrome silver to replicate the Vector wheels on the 1:1 car.
I haven’t been able to get speed figures for it but it’s fast! If I were to guess I’d say it’ll do 30 mph, on dirt. Asphalt would be faster still, due to the higher grip. As far as jumps go (what you’ve been waiting to hear!) the farthest it’s jumped in a race was about 20 feet, about three feet off the ground. It doesn’t sound like much but keep in mind the run up to the jump is only about three to four feet of straightaway and it’s loose dirt. And in a race you don’t want to spend too much time in the air since it adds to your lap time, also the wind can wreak havoc with that big Charger body, blowing you around enough to make you land off the course!
I mainly race at Hillside Raceway (HillsideRaceway.com) in Epping NH. It’s been around for about 15 years but is new to Epping. We race 10-12 different classes on a typical race weekend, at the outdoor track we also race 1/8 scale electric and nitro (fuel burning) cars. The 1/8 scale cars are a real show, jumping 40+ feet and reaching speeds of 60 mph by the end of the long straightaway. There are classes for beginners and veterans alike. If you’re intrigued by all this check out your local track and just go watch, you’re guaranteed a show!
As previously stated the body is available to buy but I have to trim and paint it. It comes clear and I have to mask off certain areas (windows bumpers etc) before painting.
It does get damaged from the slam bang action of racing, I get about six months out of a body before it’s too used up to keep. Then I get to make another one!
Ok, it's Larry again. What a great article, thank you so much for sharing Frank! You sure got me jealous now. I really love your R/C General Lee. There are a couple of officially licensed R/C Generals, one from the golden era, and a few modern ones my Malibu International, but they toys that can't don't really go that fast. Frank's Gen'ral is the real deal! Thanks again Frank! Be sure to keep up with Frank on Instagram and Twitter.
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