Project Build: TRX-4 2021 Ford Bronco Part 2
Adding Lights, Custom Graphics, and a Winch to our Project Build
In Part 1 of our 2021 TRX-4® Bronco build we elevated the durability and performance of the stock truck to the next level with a host of aluminum and chromoly steel accessories. In the second installment of our project build, we're adding some top-notch accessories like Traxxas' Pro Scale® LED lighting system and winch, along with some custom graphics and wheels. Let's get started!
Our 2021 Bronco is getting Method 105 2.2″ wheels, but we won’t need a lift kit since we’re pairing them up with the (relatively) low-profile Canyon RT rubber from the TRX-6 Mercedes-Benz® G 63® 6X6. The beadlock rings are sold separately so you can choose the color. We’re using satin rings on the face of the wheel and black rings on the back.
The beadlock rings include black-oxide hardware. We installed the optional stainless steel screws for a little bling and added rust-prevention.
The rings should be installed with the smooth side out for maximum tire-holding grip. But they do look pretty cool flipped, which reveals the weight-saving reliefs.
Here’s the Bronco’s stock 1.9″ wheel and Canyon Trail tire compared to the Canyon RT tires on 2.2″ Method 105 wheels. Both roll out with a diameter of 120 mm, but the 2.2″ combo’s sidewall height is 29.5 mm compared to 34 mm for the 1.9″ combo.
Installing the Method 105 2.2 / Canyon RT combo will also increase your TRX-4’s track width by 14 mm, or just over half an inch. Learn more here.
When installing the beadlock rings, tighten the hardware in an alternating pattern a few turns at a time until snug. This will make sure the tire seats fully in the wheel and the ring is evenly tightened.
The Pro Scale LED Light Set includes everything you need to give the Bronco fully operational headlights with high and low beams, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, and hazard lights.
The Bronco’s multi-piece grille includes detailed light buckets and lenses designed from the start to work with the Pro Scale lighting system.
The LED wires are neatly wrangled into a distribution block with the included clips and integrated tie-off points. A single heavy-duty, quick-release cable joins the distribution box to the chassis-mounted Power Module.
The Lighting Power Module installs on an included plate and has plenty of ports for additional lighting accessories such as light bars, rock lights, and scene lights.
When you add the 6511 Traxxas Link Wireless Module and download the free Traxxas Link app, you can control the lights remotely. Just tap or swipe to turn individual lights on and off, change the lighting configuration, and even adjust brightness. Powerful stuff—not to mention all the telemetry, channel setup, and model-memory functions built into the app.
The Bronco’s bumper is winch-ready. To install the Pro Scale Winch on other TRX-4 models, get the winch-compatible bumper for your truck—see all the options here. Installation takes only a few minutes and doesn’t require receiver-box access. Just plug the winch into the speed control’s red connector for up to ten pounds of pulling power.
The Bronco arrives with a spare tire on a realistic mount that duplicates the full-size truck’s setup. We swapped it for the Land Rover Defender’s tire mount, which includes space for two fuel canisters and a high-lift jack. The only modification required to install the Land Rover’s tire mount was the drilling of an additional mounting hole.
We lined up the mount over the existing mounting hole in the body to mark the mount’s new hole position.
The Red 400 servo works in conjunction with the 2262 High Output BEC. The BEC ensures the servo won’t drain power from the receiver when maximum torque is required. Learn more here.
Easy to do and looks good! We detailed the spare tire with a chrome pen and paint marker, learn how here.
We made up a few designs in Photoshop using straight lines so they’d be easy to cut out. The hockey-stick stripe was the winner.
You can use car and boat striping tape, vinyl for home-crafting vinyl cutters, or “trim tape” from your local hobby store’s RC airplane finishing department to make your own stick-on graphics.
Print this pattern full size to get the same look as our Bronco, or scale it down if you prefer.
Tape the pattern to the vinyl, then cut the shapes using a straight edge and hobby knife. A fresh blade will cut through the paper and vinyl with a little pressure. Don’t press so hard that you cut through the vinyl’s paper backing.
Remove the extra material from the graphic, then use a length of tape to lift off the paper backing. Tip: stick the tape to your shirt and peel it off a few times to make it less sticky. This will allow the tape to release the graphic more easily after you apply it to the body.
Line up the graphic, rub it down, and peel off the tape. Looks good!
Now that’s a sharp-looking 2021 Bronco, and its extra trail-capable, too
Traxx come as a complete set of four, fully assembled and ready to install with about 15-30 minutes of bench time. You can install the Traxx over the stock composite portal parts or the aluminum upgrade versions. However, you will have to remove the portal weights if you installed a set like we did.
We found a matching shade of paint in the plastic model section of our local hobby store and sprayed the drive units to tie in with the Cyber Orange body. We disassembled the Traxx for painting and masked off the decals. We only painted the outside of each drive unit, we left the inside faces gray.
Wheel and Tire Options
The Bronco’s standard-issue Canyon Trail tires are some of the best off-road adventure treads you can get stock or aftermarket, but we’ve got a clever mix-and-match planned. We're adding the 2.2″ tires from the TRX-6® to give the Bronco a wide-track, big-wheel look that’s extra special. With no-glue Method 105 replica beadlocks, we can even install 2.2″ Canyon Trail tires later without springing for another set of wheels.
Our 2021 Bronco is getting Method 105 2.2″ wheels, but we won’t need a lift kit since we’re pairing them up with the (relatively) low-profile Canyon RT rubber from the TRX-6 Mercedes-Benz® G 63® 6X6. The beadlock rings are sold separately so you can choose the color. We’re using satin rings on the face of the wheel and black rings on the back. The beadlock rings include black-oxide hardware. We installed the optional stainless steel screws for a little bling and added rust-prevention.
The rings should be installed with the smooth side out for maximum tire-holding grip. But they do look pretty cool flipped, which reveals the weight-saving reliefs.
Here’s the Bronco’s stock 1.9″ wheel and Canyon Trail tire compared to the Canyon RT tires on 2.2″ Method 105 wheels. Both roll out with a diameter of 120 mm, but the 2.2″ combo’s sidewall height is 29.5 mm compared to 34 mm for the 1.9″ combo.Installing the Method 105 2.2 / Canyon RT combo will also increase your TRX-4’s track width by 14 mm, or just over half an inch. Learn more here.When installing the beadlock rings, tighten the hardware in an alternating pattern a few turns at a time until snug. This will make sure the tire seats fully in the wheel and the ring is evenly tightened.Pro Scale Accessories
The 2021 Bronco is extra-realistic right out of the box with its factory-Ford colors and injection-molded details. To take authentic off-roading to the next level, we’ll add the innovative Pro Scale LED Light Set and Pro Scale Winch to the package. These accessories are engineered for easy installation and reliable operation, with the durability and all-weather versatility you demand for trail-trucking adventure.
The Pro Scale LED Light Set includes everything you need to give the Bronco fully operational headlights with high and low beams, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, and hazard lights.The Bronco’s multi-piece grille includes detailed light buckets and lenses designed from the start to work with the Pro Scale lighting system.
The LED wires are neatly wrangled into a distribution block with the included clips and integrated tie-off points. A single heavy-duty, quick-release cable joins the distribution box to the chassis-mounted Power Module.
The Lighting Power Module installs on an included plate and has plenty of ports for additional lighting accessories such as light bars, rock lights, and scene lights.
When you add the 6511 Traxxas Link Wireless Module and download the free Traxxas Link app, you can control the lights remotely. Just tap or swipe to turn individual lights on and off, change the lighting configuration, and even adjust brightness. Powerful stuff—not to mention all the telemetry, channel setup, and model-memory functions built into the app. Pro Scale Winch
The Pro Scale Winch includes a fairlead, key-style remote fob, metal hook, fabric hook strap, and line retainer. Over four feet of high-strength red line is on the spool, and blue and black line are available separately. You can also trick out your winch with anodized-aluminum fairleads in five colors.
The Pro Scale Winch includes a fairlead, key-style remote fob, metal hook, fabric hook strap, and line retainer. Over four feet of high-strength red line is on the spool, and blue and black line are available separately. You can also trick out your winch with anodized-aluminum fairleads in five colors.
The Bronco’s bumper is winch-ready. To install the Pro Scale Winch on other TRX-4 models, get the winch-compatible bumper for your truck—see all the options here. Installation takes only a few minutes and doesn’t require receiver-box access. Just plug the winch into the speed control’s red connector for up to ten pounds of pulling power.
Extra Custom Touches
The Bronco build gave us a chance to try a few customizing tricks we dreamed up, and we think they turned out pretty well—but you tell us! We gave the Bronco a new rear-view look with fuel canisters and a jack borrowed from the Land Rover® Defender®, and custom graphics cut out of adhesive vinyl. If you like the look, there’s a full-size template you can use to make your own. Give it a try, or make your own design. We’d love to see what you come up with.
The Bronco arrives with a spare tire on a realistic mount that duplicates the full-size truck’s setup. We swapped it for the Land Rover Defender’s tire mount, which includes space for two fuel canisters and a high-lift jack. The only modification required to install the Land Rover’s tire mount was the drilling of an additional mounting hole.We lined up the mount over the existing mounting hole in the body to mark the mount’s new hole position.
The Red 400 servo works in conjunction with the 2262 High Output BEC. The BEC ensures the servo won’t drain power from the receiver when maximum torque is required. Learn more here.
Easy to do and looks good! We detailed the spare tire with a chrome pen and paint marker, learn how here.We made up a few designs in Photoshop using straight lines so they’d be easy to cut out. The hockey-stick stripe was the winner.
You can use car and boat striping tape, vinyl for home-crafting vinyl cutters, or “trim tape” from your local hobby store’s RC airplane finishing department to make your own stick-on graphics.
Print this pattern full size to get the same look as our Bronco, or scale it down if you prefer.
Tape the pattern to the vinyl, then cut the shapes using a straight edge and hobby knife. A fresh blade will cut through the paper and vinyl with a little pressure. Don’t press so hard that you cut through the vinyl’s paper backing.
Remove the extra material from the graphic, then use a length of tape to lift off the paper backing. Tip: stick the tape to your shirt and peel it off a few times to make it less sticky. This will allow the tape to release the graphic more easily after you apply it to the body.
Line up the graphic, rub it down, and peel off the tape. Looks good!
Now that’s a sharp-looking 2021 Bronco, and its extra trail-capable, too
Tricked-Out Traxx
The Deep Terrain Traxx are the ultimate TRX-4 accessory for sand, snow, mud, and other soft surfaces that wheeled rigs struggle with. The wide, aggressive tracks just float over terrain that swallows up traditional tires. And the Traxx look wild, which is always fun. We’re going to go just a little bit wilder.
The Deep Terrain Traxx are the ultimate TRX-4 accessory for sand, snow, mud, and other soft surfaces that wheeled rigs struggle with. The wide, aggressive tracks just float over terrain that swallows up traditional tires. And the Traxx look wild, which is always fun. We’re going to go just a little bit wilder.
Traxx come as a complete set of four, fully assembled and ready to install with about 15-30 minutes of bench time. You can install the Traxx over the stock composite portal parts or the aluminum upgrade versions. However, you will have to remove the portal weights if you installed a set like we did.We found a matching shade of paint in the plastic model section of our local hobby store and sprayed the drive units to tie in with the Cyber Orange body. We disassembled the Traxx for painting and masked off the decals. We only painted the outside of each drive unit, we left the inside faces gray.What do you think?
Be sure and let us know what you think of our Bronco build-up. Show us what you’re working on! Post and tag your pics on your favorite channels with #MyTRX4Build, and be sure to follow Traxxas on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter—you just might see your machine featured for all your fellow Traxxas fans to enjoy.
