ussprinceton2004's Resident Evil wraith

[ussprinceton2004]

I've had a Wraith kit for a few weeks, but I'm only now deciding to put a build thread for it. I was too excited at first, and didn't take the time to sit in front of the computer. I just wanted to put what was readily available to me, to have it up and running ASAP. So, its current state is nothing special. My first choice of motor and esc was a HH CrawlMaster Pro 540 13T w/ the HH TorqueMaster BR-XL esc. However, those 2 are currently out of stock. I had a couple of TITAN 550 12T laying around and paired one of them with the newest Traxxas XL-5 waterproof esc w/ LVD (LVC).





For the paint, I used Tamiya PS Polycarbonate Spray 3oz cans. I painted the outside of the body panels with the PS-12 silver first, for the bare metal look. Then sprayed the PS-5 black on top. The Tamiya PS-2 red and the PS-14 copper, will be used for a Honcho kit I haven't even built yet.








The XL-5 is ok (waterproof, 15-turn motor limit for 540 size motors, 12-turn motor limit for 550 size motors), but not great either. There is no drag brake and can only handle 2S LiPo. It is a temporary esc since I couldn't get the brxl. I'll more than likely sell it. When I mounted the XL5 on the stock location, it was a very tight fit. The large heatsink is pushed against the spur gear cover.




With the Titan 12T 550, I cut a hole in the spur gear cover to allow the shaft and pinion to stick out. I'll put a piece of duct tape over it when using motors with shorter shafts.




I have already fried the titan 12T, within a couple of weeks. I've had around 3 different runs, lasting 10-15 minutes of rock crawling. I somewhat knew that these low turn motors wouldn't be able to handle the rock crawling I put them through. Also, the 550 motor I placed in the Wraith was already used, coming from a stampede I have. In my drawer, is a brand new Axial 27T motor I had planned on putting in my new Honcho kit. I'll install it, if my order for a Tekin RS Pro esc and 13.5T brushless sensored combo doesn't arrive soon from CKRCcrawlers.com. They gave me an order update, stating that the RS Pro 13.5 system will come in sometime this week. I gave them a call today to let them know I'm willing to wait a week. We'll see how long it will take.




The batteries I was using when I toasted the 12T Titan were just your regular NiMh stick packs. They are brand new Gens Ace 5000 mAh 7.2V, I bought at hobbypartz.com. I will be placing an order with them for some 3S LiPo bats sometime later, to go along with the RS Pro 13.5 system.




I have a Hitec HS-7955TG for my front servo. I'll be purchasing another one for the rear, when I do the 4WS mod. The Axial universals/CVDs are all gone. I'm waiting, like a lot of us, for them to come back in stock.




I had ordered some upgrades through several online stores. I first received some parts from rpphobby.com




Chris is waiting anxiously for all the ordered parts to come in so he can tear up the trails. If he isn't busy killing zombies, maybe he can do some more hardcore rock crawling too.

[shwng1973]

Looks good so far.
How many upgrades you have left?

[ussprinceton2004]

Originally Posted by shwng1973

Looks good so far.
How many upgrades you have left?

I'm going to get a Futaba 4PL RX TX, so I can do 4WS. Currently, I have a FLY SKY FS-GT3B w/ no hacking.

[shwng1973]

I want to do 4ws but think that will wait till fall.
Can't you get the hack and run the 4ws?

[ussprinceton2004]

Originally Posted by shwng1973

I want to do 4ws but think that will wait till fall.
Can't you get the hack and run the 4ws?

yes, you're right, it can be done. I'll see if it would be too much work though to get it working right. I might just spend the extra cash to get the 4PL, don't know yet.

Originally Posted by vette66_00

Link
Losi Comp Crawler with 4ws, crab, and working dig with GT3B hacked radio - YouTube

Now let see if I can get this video to embed from youtube.

[ussprinceton2004]

I decided to go ahead and put in my new Axial 27T 540 sized motor. I have another 12T Titan, but I will do a lot of rock crawling, instead of trail riding. So, more torque in the 27T unlike the wheel speed in the 12T. Later on down the road, I will eventually put in the Tekin RS Pro esc and 13.5 sensored brushless, when CKRC ships it out to me.




I placed a piece of electrical tape over the hole I made for the longer shaft of the TITAN 12T, just to keep anything from getting in between the spur and pinion.




While I was doing the motor change, I thought about running the wraith is some water. I will be removing the Hitec 7955 and put in a new TowardPro MG946R. I will place some LU-MAX marine and trailer wheel bearing grease on and around the output shaft of the MG946R. I'm liking all the metal gears inside of this low cost servo. If I'm satisfied with its performance, I'll be purchasing more of them. I don't have any plasti-dip right now, so I will use a balloon to waterproof the servo. The same goes for the FLY SKY FS-Gr3C receiver inside the electronics box.

[Solitude]

The FlySky RX are fully waterproof.. I wouldnt and dont worry about them.

[ussprinceton2004]

I have the TowardPro MG946R mounted and I tried the steering on carpet. It doesn't center too well. I am currently waiting for my Castle 10A BEC to arrive from towerhobbies.com Hopefully, bumping the voltage up to 6.0V will help. Right now, it is powered by the XL-5 internal BEC.

[ussprinceton2004]

...my package arrived from towerhobbies.com...still waiting for my other package from CKRCcrawlers.com




On my day off from work, I tested out my waterproofing at Eno River State Park. It was a lot of fun. This place is just 5 minutes away from our house.










I weighed my black Wraith on my digital scale...It shows 8.36 lbs. This was after I ran it in the river, so there is quite a bit of water inside the tires/foam. I'm guessing it would be closer to 8 pounds. I'll re-weigh it again, when the water dries out, or when I put all my upgraded parts.






My other rig...

[94smasher]

I guess filling them with water is one way to add weight to your wheels...

[ussprinceton2004]

...well, I killed my TowardPro MG946R servo yesterday, it wouldn't even move while steering with the FS-GT3B. I was crawling just around our rock garden, but there were times when the wraith was in a bind. I don't use a bec and it's plugged directly to the XL5 esc. I still have throttle though. The Axial 27T motor was rather hot after maybe 15~20 minutes of continuous crawling. I have two Hitec 7955 servos that I'm going to install, as soon as my other 4WS parts arrive from ckrccrawlers.com. My package has been shipped because I told them to just give me a refund on the Tekin RS Pro esc & 13.5T system I was waiting on. It's still on back order. I'll more than likely order the combo from them because they have the lowest price at $269.99. I have read on here that CKRC has a pretty bad reputation. However, I have had nothing but good experiences from them, dating back to 2008. You can give them a call and they'll try to resolve any issues you have. I talked to Zach over the phone about having my orders shipped, as well as a refund, and I had my money in my PayPal account within a few hours...

...Hitec has 2 versions of the HS-7955TG servos, which is stated as V2, labeled as G2 (2nd generation)...I got mine from RPP for ~$100...other parts also came in...




...I bought the Futaba 4PL from RPP. I was hesitant to order from them because they do not accept returns on electronics due to their policy. I e-mailed Corey to verify if the 4PLs he is currently selling are the updated versions. He told me that they sell a lot of radios and just had a new shipment arrive a couple of weeks ago. So, I went ahead and placed the order. I don't know how to translate the manufacture date on the serial numbers, but I checked the DT/DL feature on the TX. I am able to program the dig function for dual ESCs and assign it on several locations, instead of just 1, which was the older version.






...I have a new passenger to accompany Chris. Her name is Crimson Viper...