Johnny takes 10 months to build a Bomber with an 11 year old helper.

[JohnnyAnguish]

About 10 months ago I walked into my LHS with my 11 year-old (actually, he was only 10 when this project started) when a Bomber kit caught his eye. He absolutely loved the tube chassis and the big tires. After a lot of arm twisting (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - I think he may have said please, anyway), I told him we could get it on one condition: He had to build it with me. Now, he's helped me here and there on other builds. This was going to be different. This time, I wasn't going to work on it unless he was working with me. He agreed (of course he did, we were bringing home a Bomber). Soon we were loading the kit and a bunch of other stuff into the car. More parts would soon come by mail. How will this turn out? Will father and son turn some chunks of plastic and a pile of screws into something driveable? Or will the whole thing end up in a huddled mass of tears and R35 rubber? Spoiler alert: Read the thread title.

I'm more of a 1.9 guy, but the Bomber has intrigued me. My 11 year old loves our Wraith. The Bomber seems to have some nice improvements for the type of driving we do with that rig. This should be fun...


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

[MasteroFlego]

I'm confused, are you starting now or is this 11 months in?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Jboucher]

The picture library is empty when i try to click on it.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[JohnnyAnguish]

Originally Posted by MasteroFlego

I'm confused, are you starting now or is this 11 months in?

I'm pretty sure we started building it the day we bought it. So, we're in deep now.

Originally Posted by Jboucher

The picture library is empty when i try to click on it.

The photo is on Flickr. Their site has been wonky all day. Apparently they don't like toy trucks. I've got more photos to post, but I think I'll wait until the site sobers up.

[Jboucher]

You should try imgur, free and super easy to use

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[JohnnyAnguish]

At first my helper was very excited and we made good progress. Look! Axles!


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

As tempting as it would have been to build this thing bulletproof right out of the box, I had another idea. Since this project is for my buddy and me, I'll space out any planned upgrades and have him do them with me. That way he gets more hands-on experience and he'll know why we're making the upgrades. Smashing idea! Let's see if I can stick to it.

That said, I knew I wanted to make a few key upgrades right out of the box. The first was replacing the wet noodle on the front axle with a Vanquish servo mount...


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

...otherwise what's the point of putting in a torque-tastic servo (in this case a Spektrum S6280)? Same goes for the upgraded servo horn. Those two upgrades aside, the axles and links are built to stock kit specs.


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

[MasteroFlego]

Originally Posted by Jboucher

You should try imgur, free and super easy to use

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I also use Imgur, only problem I had was back when URC was still alive, some problem with resizing on Imgur that didn't work on URC (works just fine everywhere else).

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[JohnnyAnguish]

Things continued along slowly but surely. At this point I was still taking pictures of the progress with hopes we'd be on the trails in no time. We wouldn't be, but that part of the story comes later. For now here's the assembled transmission...


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

Remember when I mentioned I was going to have the boy help me with the fixes and upgrades? Well, to ensure something would eventually be broken or need upgrading I strapped in a wee bit of power...


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

[durok]

^^^Heck yeah - Bombers deserve that kind of power!

[JohnnyAnguish]

Work progressed in dribs and drabs for a bit. Wheels were assembled. Colors were picked out for the body. Then the boy got a fishing rod for his birthday. From that moment until it got cold out, the bulk of our daddy/son time was spent at the local ponds, lakes and rivers. The Bomber sat patiently on a grey plastic tray in the garage... waiting for winter.

[JohnnyAnguish]

Winter finally came, and with it a school vacation. I had the time off from work. Despite frigid temps, the boy and I got back to doing some trail runs. Then one day he asks, "Want to work on the Bomber?"

Yes. Yes I do.

Where are the pictures then? Well, not wanting to lose momentum, I skipped the photos. Until it was done. Which it is.* Here's a sneak peek...


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

* Yes, I know these tiny trucks are never done.

[durok]

Just about the best fuel cell detail work I've ever seen, my friend!

[JohnnyAnguish]

A few more teaser photos. I took 'em, I might as well post 'em.


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

[JohnnyAnguish]

I eventually got it out into the yard. It worked! That's not really an expression of surprise. More of a relief. It was a really long build. One I hope pays off with some good times with the boy.

Here are a few photos I took as soon as it could drive under its own power. As I said to my son, it'll never look this nice again...


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr


Axial RR10 Bomber Build by johnny anguish, on Flickr

[durok]

It came out great! I like the bumblebee side panels... and the "ghost" stripes running across the hood and roof. Cool lights as well. Enjoy driving it!

[IntrepidMercians]

Nice build, love the colour scheme!

What did you use for the headlights?

[Nurbs]

I'm in the process of finishing an almost identical build. Took me over a month, working alone, lol. Your paint job looks great .. wish I would have spent more time on this part for my build.

How did you get the Axial servo horn to fit your S6280? The output shaft on the servo feels significantly larger than the opening on the horn. I didn't want to damage it by forcing it in.

Thanks,

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[JohnnyAnguish]

Originally Posted by durok

It came out great! I like the bumblebee side panels... and the "ghost" stripes running across the hood and roof. Cool lights as well. Enjoy driving it!

Thanks! That's the plan! The ghost stripes were a fun touch. I'm going to have to do that again sometime.

Originally Posted by IntrepidMercians

Nice build, love the colour scheme!

What did you use for the headlights?

The boy picked out the colors. I sprayed a few possible combos on some scrap and let him choose. The lights are the smaller round Axial buckets. I had some leftovers from previous builds. Worked out great!

Originally Posted by Nurbs

I'm in the process of finishing an almost identical build. Took me over a month, working alone, lol. Your paint job looks great .. wish I would have spent more time on this part for my build.

How did you get the Axial servo horn to fit your S6280? The output shaft on the servo feels significantly larger than the opening on the horn. I didn't want to damage it by forcing it in.

Let me know if you want to borrow my helper to "speed up" the process. As for the horn, it was a long time ago. I do seem to recall the servo horn being a snug fit, but it didn't take excessive force to get on. I would maybe double check the spline count (I know that sounds obvious, but I've made that mistake before). Then loosen the clamping screws (or take them out), line it up and slowly screw it down. I wouldn't force it on, though, as you may damage the splines. Good luck!

[JohnnyAnguish]

OK, quick brain dump of the parts that went into this build before I forget. Because I'm gonna forget.

• Castle Mamba X ESC
• Holmes Hobbies Puller Pro 3500kv
• Holmes Hobbies Mamba X sensor wire
• Spektrum S6280 servo
• Spektrum SR415 receiver
• Axial servo horn
• Vanquish servo mount
• SSD D Hole Wheels
• Crawler Innovations Deuces Wild foams
• 11t pinion
• HeyOK KOH lights (made to handle higher voltage)
• Axial Yeti/Exo rear light holder thing and lenses
• Axial round light buckets 'n' bits
• Axial simple light controller
• Some scraps of fuel tubing and braided wire
• Paint
• Cheez-It crumbs

[JohnnyAnguish]

My little helper had the controller for the first couple of outings. He's not one for stopping for photographs when we're out on the trails. I did manage to sneak this one, though...


Axial RR10 Bomber by johnny anguish, on Flickr