Capo JK Max Project

Capo Racing (or Capo Design) is a bit of an enigma.  I had heard strange tales of their all metal Tatra and their apparently impossible to build Jeep, but no one had actually seen one in the wild.  Capo is a Chinese company and they didn't have any marketing or distribution presence in North America.  Those who managed to acquire one of their products apparently did so by ordering directly from on overseas supplier.  Given the rather exorbitant prices these kits demand, that's a bit risky.  From the scattered pictures around the net, it was clear that this was a company who was serious about real engineering.

The JK Max is Capo's 7th official product, as far as I can tell.  Several of the previous models were iterations of the 8x8 Tatra 815, each successively more realistic.  There was also a 4-door Jeep and a dedicated rock crawler.  I coveted the Tatra the most, but it was also the most expensive and the hardest to find.  The Jeep was insanely complicated with working disc brakes, mutil-speed transmission, locking differentials, and shifting transfer case all of which were controlled by cables.  The JK Max is a 2-door version of the same Jeep (sharing some of the same body parts), simplified to be more marketable.  Not that it is simple.  At all.

A standard radio control kit is primarily made from plastic.  From the body to the suspension to the chassis, sometimes even the drive shafts and shocks, most of the kit is plastic.  Trail trucks tend to have a bit of metal like frame rails and sometimes axles.  If you spend a lot of money on upgrades, a greater proportion can be aluminum and steel.  But the body?  The whole truck?  Never.  Not until the JK Max.  Virtually none of this kit is plastic.  The chassis, axles, wheels, cage, body, and bumpers are all aluminum.  The drivelines and gears are steel.  Don't forget an all aluminum engine and transfer case.  The floor boards are carbon fiber.  Only the seats and dash are plastic.  Wait, did I say body?  Yes, the body panels are all either stamped sheet metal or cast aluminum.

The metal bits are not all that makes this truck stand out, the feature list is ridiculous as well.  Of course it has solid axles and 4-link suspension and 4WD like pretty much all trail trucks, but that's just the start.  It also has a fully realistic V-8 under the hood which houses the motor.  The transmission is also fully realistic in appearance and houses a 2-speed gearbox.  The transmission gears are helical and mating pairs have different hardness values.  The are 8 shocks, 2 on each corner.  Each pair has one sprung shock and the other is just a damper.  There's a full lighting kit which includes headlights, brake lights, blinkers, and reverse lights.  There is a front and rear light bar.  I've also added the optional winch and the pièce de résistance, a remote locking rear sway bar.  If you were counting, that adds up to 6 channels which meant I needed to upgrade my radio just for this model.  The interior got the full detail treatment as well with opening doors, realistic dash, bucket seats, and center console.  The instrument panel and GPS light up and the steering wheel turns when the wheels turn.  In all, we need 4 servos.  A full size very high torque servo for the steering and 3 micro servos, one each for steering wheel, shifting, and sway bar.

So does all that complexity mean it is weak or unreliable?  Just the opposite.  This thing is a complete tank.  Since everything is metal and screwed together, nothing should break (unless you forget thread lock).  The performance on my Holmes Hobbies motor on 3s is incredible.  The drivetrain is quiet and capable in either gear.  What I think I like best is the mass.  The higher weight for size (density) means that it has more inertia and therefore it moves much more like the real thing over bumps and obstacles than you would expect from an RC car.  I really have nothing negative to say about it.  Even the price, which is admittedly very high compared to other kits, is actually very reasonable for what you get.

The build was blissfully long and complex, taking me a couple of weeks to get through the whole thing, documenting as I go.  Then there were upgrades and painting and, the most difficult part, wiring,  Between all the channels, servos, ESC, BEC, and light kit, there was a whole lot of wiring to run and a smallish electronics box to stow everything.  I came back a year or two later and installed even more upgrades.  There is no end to what you can do with this thing.

It is so choice.  If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

Update:  I came back later and decided I should spend a LOT more money on upgrades.  I added almost everything you could possibly add to the model, making it much heavier in the process.  The only thing I didn't get is the air shock kit with on board compressor.  Maybe some day.

Update:  This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire.  It has not been replaced.

Description	Manufacturer	Model #
JK Max 1/8 Scale Trail Crawler Kit	Capo Design	CD15827
TorqueMaster Pro 27T 550 Rebuildable Brushed Motor	Holmes Hobbies	TMPR0550
Quicrun Waterproof 80A Brushed Electronic Speed Control	Hobbywing	WP 1080
6-Channel 2.4 GHz DSMR Telemetry Receiver	Spektrum	SR6000T
Full Aluminum Helical Brushless Digital Steering Servo	Blue Bird	BLS-H50B
Micro Digital Metal Gear Shifting and Sway Bar Servo x2	Savox	SH-0263MG
Economy Feather Steering Wheel Servo	HiTec	HS-55
14A Voltage Regulator	Castle Creations	BEC 2.0
Receiver Bypass Adapter w/ Auxiliary Output	Holmes Hobbies	250100015
Front and Rear LED Light Bars	Capo Design	CD158271DJ
Rear Axle Stiffener	Capo Design	CD158271HBQ
Engine Pulley and Belt System	Capo Design	CD158271PD
Reinforced Aluminum Front Axle C-Seat	Capo Design	CD158271QBQ
Fuel Cell Decoration	Capo Design	CD158271SZB
Bump Stops	Capo Design	CD158272BS
Rear Axle Remote Locking Sway Bar	Capo Design	CD158272FQG
Disc Brake Kit	Capo Design	CD128274DB
C2 Double Power Electric Winch	Capo Design	CD15827TPW
Front Inner Fender Set (notched)	CCHand	CCH-JKM11A
Front Inner Fender Set	CCHand	CCH-JKM12
Rear Inner Fender Set	CCHand	CCH-JKM13
Detailed Tail Lights	CCHand	CCH-JKM17
Metal Nets	CCHand	CCH-JKM26
Extended Roll Bar	CCHand	CCH-JKM30
Coolant Reservoir	KaiOz	3DP-JKM-01C
Washer Fluid Reservoir	KaiOz	3DP-JKM-01D
Windshield Wipers	KaiOz	3DP-JKM-01E
Hood Handle	KaiOz	3DP-JKM-01F
Air Filter and Intake	KaiOz	3DP-JKM-01G
Radiator	KaiOz	3DP-JKM-01H
Skid Plate	KaiOz	JKM-05A
Rear Fenders	KaiOz	JKM-07E
Rear Bumper	KaiOz	JKM-07G2
Stiff Rear Spring Set	KaiOz	JKM_08B
Mickey Thompson Metal Series 1/10 Wheel Center Caps x2	RC4WD	Z-S0850
Custom Red Transparent Enamel Spray Paint	Testors	1605
Ultra Gloss Lacquer Top Coat	Testors	28139

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