Imthatguy's Yeti XXL Kit Build

[imthatguy]

The extra "X" is for Xtra Xylophone.

Courtesy of the good folks at Axial and the terrible folks at Canada Customs, I finally have the Axial Yeti XL Kit!

Canada obviously doesn't want people to have this much awesome all at once. After a close inspection of the outer box, which is made of cardboard, presumably from a cardboard box factory. I got to opening it. Maybe it's European cardboard, which would cause issue at the border. You know, the ole' cardboard war of ought nine.



Note the "Inspected by Customs" tape. "Yep, it's an RC Toy, not a box full of drugs! Send it through!"



Box.



This box had a top and bottom. Many detail, you read! Learn things! Get a better job! There's many improvements over the RTR, most notably, the 17mm, industry standard hexes. They're gold though, not blue. I LOVE GOLD! Dual rate shocks, metal link plates, Falken WildBoss 3.8 tires are a few other upgrades over the RTR.



So many things.



So much tire. I may put these on my lawnmower.



This was as far as I got. I'm pretty excited to put something this big together. Hoping to take it in a slightly different direction than stock. Did someone say Hard Body? God, that would be huge.

[coryshad]

Awesome, I'm excited to see this build, and get my kit. What electronics do you plan on running?

Did you know the kit was coming out? Seems odd, this place was dead when the rtr came out. Axial announces a kit and suddenly all the rccrawler power users have an early release kit.

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by coryshad

Awesome, I'm excited to see this build, and get my kit. What electronics do you plan on running?

Did you know the kit was coming out? Seems odd, this place was dead when the rtr came out. Axial announces a kit and suddenly all the rccrawler power users have an early release kit.

I'm going to run the Axial re-branded Castle setup that the RTR has. It's got plenty of oomph for me and I love Castle stuff.

I did not know there was a kit coming, but I did make an assumption. Axial's been doing that with the majority of their releases lately. Wraith might have been the first to do that, but I can't be sure. I've got an RTR thread/review as well, definitely check that out.

[coryshad]

I am familiar with your rtr thread. Your review and video are what convinced me to pull the trigger on the rtr. Thanks for that.

Glad to hear someone else planning to run Castle. Everywhere I read people are talking Tekin. I can't imagine needing any more power than the rtr has. Being sensored sounds nice but the xl isn't good at slow anyways, and you loose waterproofness.
What about servo though?

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by coryshad

I am familiar with your rtr thread. Your review and video are what convinced me to pull the trigger on the rtr. Thanks for that.

Glad to hear someone else planning to run Castle. Everywhere I read people are talking Tekin. I can't imagine needing any more power than the rtr has. Being sensored sounds nice but the xl isn't good at slow anyways, and you loose waterproofness.
What about servo though?

Nice! Glad I could help.

The stock RTR stuff is just fine for me. This was not built to be a Cwalrer, so I'm not sure why you'd need a sensored system, but hey, that's me.

It begins!

In typical Axial fashion, the manual is very nicely laid out and extremely easy to follow. Each page shows all the hardware required, and is to scale. The graphics are crisp and clear, and each plastic part is referenced by a code number that is printed on the sprue.

First step is to assemble the front diff. Just like the last build I did, I managed to spurt diff fluid all over my instructions. Ha! I am a foolish builder who foolishly thought the bottle top had been sealed. What a fool. No pictures of the mess, but let me assure you, I felt quite the fool. An April Fool as it were.



Let me quickly comment on the quality of the hardware and parts. Yes, I realize that this is a much larger kit, but the quality scales up to handle the insane power. Strong metal everywhere, and the plastic "seems" like it's of a stronger compound as well.

On to the rear diff assembly. No issues here either. Everything goes together as intended.



Now, for the rear axle. This part is rather large and the internals are way oversized. But that's good. You know why? POWERRRRRRRRRRR.




I'd like to see some of these integrated driveshafts make their way into some smaller trucks - that'd be nice.

[hatcherycrawler]

hello Imthatguy,
sorry to interrupt your thread with my stupid question, but....I'm planning on getting a kit also(pfft when ever they are released) and I know it needs a servo but does it need a servo horn/linkage/tierod/arm (or what eva a person wants to call it) I just want to get all the parts need now so when I get the kit i'm good to go not chasing parts...thanks for any info/help.

[chewie]

Well its good they are in country...congrats

[chewie]

Got my STRC order .... need to return all 1/10 scale yeti...bummer

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by hatcherycrawler

hello Imthatguy,
sorry to interrupt your thread with my stupid question, but....I'm planning on getting a kit also(pfft when ever they are released) and I know it needs a servo but does it need a servo horn/linkage/tierod/arm (or what eva a person wants to call it) I just want to get all the parts need now so when I get the kit i'm good to go not chasing parts...thanks for any info/help.

Kit comes with a plastic servo horn, but as you'll see in the next update, I'm going with metal.

Originally Posted by chewie

Well its good they are in country...congrats

This is a pre-release direct from Axial, so I wouldn't say they're here quite yet.

Originally Posted by chewie

Got my STRC order .... need to return all 1/10 scale yeti...bummer

So you ordered a Yeti XL and got the Yeti Jr.?

[imthatguy]

Here's some more assembly stuff.

The kit version of the XL includes some great steel and aluminum bits that help strengthen some areas that were of concern on the RTR. Here's the front bulkhead put together. No issues to report, or things amiss with the instructions. Read twice, build thrice, that's what I always say.



These 17mm Hexes are fantastic, and add a lot of what people were collectively hoping to see in the RTR. Opens up a lot of wheel possibilities as well.



The kit instructions call for a plastic servo horn (which is included - all options for all spline counts) but I opted to go with an aluminum one from Racer's Edge, as I am a Racer. Hitec 645 is what I had on hand, and definitely beats what comes with the RTR. There's a built in servo saver in the steering assembly, so yay.



Axial supplied me with their standard ESC/Motor combo because 1. I like Castle stuff and 2. I was impressed with the torque, speed and general performance in the RTR. I don't see the need for more low end in a truck built to go to ludicrous speed. 2200kv on 6S MADNESS.





And here's the electronics all sealed up. My Futaba receiver leaves plenty of room in the waterproof radio box. Your mileage may vary. ESC plate screws right into the receiver box and then ESC screws to that. Couldn't be simpler or cleaner.

[redemon]

What tooth horn for the servo?

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by redemon

What tooth horn for the servo?

That completely depends on what servo you choose. The kit includes plastic servo horns for all major brands of servos.

[Die-Laughing]

Cool!

Btw.. I watched a couple of your youtube vids.. Choppin' celery had me crackin' up.

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by Onewheelsqueel

Sub'd. I do believe this is my next rc. Thanks for the thread.

Not a problem, glad I could help!

Originally Posted by Die-Laughing

Cool!

Btw.. I watched a couple of your youtube vids.. Choppin' celery had me crackin' up.

Heh, I put that in so I could know if people were paying attention. You win the prize! There is no prize.

On with the building!

Here's the start on the transmission. Like the Jr. I believe there's going to be a two speed option for it. I imagine (hope) it's to go slower, not faster.



Don't do what I did and not thoroughly read the instructions. The red slipper pads for the transmission are NOT to be installed. Use the metal ones included in a separate bag.



One thing I wanted to point out here. Although the motor mount is not aluminum in the kit, the plastic is of a different, much harder compound than the rest of the plastic in the kit. No flex in this piece. Nice attention to detail.



Here it is installed with the very large motor.



Ah yes. The elusive rear sway bar assembly for the Yeti XL. Caught in it's natural habitat, this majestic beast helps to prevent torque twist, which plagued my RTR from the start. So happy this is included.



Rear assembly coming together.



Metal lower link plates included as part of the upgrades for the kit definitely help with flex. Not that I ever busted, bent or broke the plastic ones on the RTR, but nice to have some extra strength in a high stress area.





Love the look of these dual rate aluminum Icon-branded shocks. They go together very easily and come with front and rear specific spring rates. Lots of room for adjustability, but I went with the stock setup, which calls for 30WT up front, and 10WT in the rear.





That was easy! I've had a few (LOTS) of Axial builds under my belt and you definitely get into a groove. Aside from a few screwups of my own making, you should have no issue putting this together. They've improved a lot of parts that were issues for the RTR and I suspect that this will be slightly more fun to play with.





If anyone needs part numbers, or expansion on anything I've talked about, please ask away. I'm happy to help.

Next up, SKINZ!

[tngay510]

looks great!

[Fordfreak95]

So there is no front sway bar in the kit? This boat needs sway bars bad.

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by Fordfreak95

So there is no front sway bar in the kit? This boat needs sway bars bad.

If I'm honest, I only ever felt that it needed a rear sway bar. Having a front one would only compromise it's steering. By having it in the rear, it'll eliminate the majority of torque twist, thus keeping the front end planted firmly with both wheels on the ground, which is the overwhelming issue with the RTR.

[redemon]

Originally Posted by imthatguy

That completely depends on what servo you choose. The kit includes plastic servo horns for all major brands of servos.

I know
I say with the hitec like you are running.
I dont want a plastic horn either.

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by redemon

I know
I say with the hitec like you are running.
I dont want a plastic horn either.

23 splines: KO, Airtronics/Sanwa, JR

24 splines: HiTec

25 splines: Futaba (newer), Savox.

[borfoo3]

Nice build! Quick question: would the rear sway bars from axial be a direct fit to the Yeti XL RTR, or would it require modding/ swapping of some sorts (i.e. drill holes, buy other component sets/ kit axle set...etc.)? Waiting for the RTR to arrive, and these are on top of the to do list..

Thanks.