Imthatguy's Yeti

[imthatguy]

Here's my video proof.



And driving impressions:

After giving the Yeti a once over with the wrench, to make sure everything was tight, I made my way over to my favourite local spot, which is a mix of terrain. From loose, sandy soil, to hard packed clay, to man-made rocky outcroppings, there's some good variety to put the Yeti through its paces. Note that I only ran this first test on 2s, 5000mAh. I got close to 40 minutes of run time.

Axial has released some pretty interesting rigs over the years that tackle a lot of disciplines. Quite simply, the Yeti slots itself in the sweet spot between the Wraith and the Exo. It really is the best of both worlds. Quick, capable and a total blast to drive.

Over the rocks, it's quite stable, more so than I thought it would be. The weak steering servo does a decent job of responding to input and tracks the rig nicely through the rocky bits I played around in. The independent front suspension soaks up uneven terrain with ease. My only complaint is that the front diff is a little too loose. My preference would be for a little less steering radius and a lot more traction from both front wheels. It would have done better over the climbs in the video if the diff had some thicker weight fluid in it.

Another small issue was tires. The Yeti desperately needs a softer compound tire for it to really shine in varied terrain. There's always cost saving measures when building an RTR so it's half expected that tires are something that the customer should be upgrading.

At speed, the Yeti is easy to drive. I suspect that the sway bars are doing a lot of the work. I never felt like I wasn't in control of the rig. Point and shoot. The suspension soaks up the bumps, the sway bar keeps the rear from getting out of shape too much, and really helps to plant the rear end. My complaint with the Wraith was it's tendency to rollover through sharp turns. While that hasn't disappeared completely with the Yeti, it's greatly reduced. Like I said earlier, the best of both worlds.

Speaking of speed, out of the box, the gearing is locked in the 2nd speed of the transmission. In my opinion, there's not much need to get the shift kit. Low speed just doesn't seem to me to be the way to go. I wouldn't imagine that the Yeti is going to be much competition for a Wraith on a rock crawl, unless you do some major changes. That said, this two speed transmission would be a perfect scale truck addition... Hint hint, Axial!

When getting some air under the Yeti, it does take some skill to keep it righted. The weight balance is front biased, so I did find it to nose down a fair bit. It's bumper got a workout, but is no worse for wear. I suspect that adding a bit of weight to the empty fuel box would help even things out. That, or a metal rear axle. There was some body roll, but I imagine some stiffer springs might help there.

I'm happy to report that nothing broke. A grub screw came loose in the driveshaft cup leading to the front diff, but that's due to a lack of thread lock. Lesson learned. Apply thread lock! It's a well designed vehicle, and it's strong. I hit a lot of obstacles full on, and there's no lasting damage.

Overall, a very enjoyable rig. One that I'm happy to have in the stable. I really don't have any complaints that would stop me from buying one. There's a lot of things that can be upgraded, and I suspect there'll be a lot of aftermarket support.

[Szczerba]

Great video and quick review.

[Maddog Madigan]

Loved the video and the song fit perfect! Great editing...

[tedo]

Sweet editing, and the track is killer!

I was lurking in your thread yesterday over on SBG. You guys have a lot of talent.


Edit:
^^ just noticed we said the same thing^^ not trying to pad count, just responded at the same time...

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by Szczerba

Great video and quick review.

Originally Posted by Maddog Madigan

Loved the video and the song fit perfect! Great editing...

Originally Posted by tedo

Sweet editing, and the track is killer!

I was lurking in your thread yesterday over on SBG. You guys have a lot of talent.


Edit:
^^ just noticed we said the same thing^^ not trying to pad count, just responded at the same time...

Thanks guys. It's a blast to drive. Looking forward to upgrading the odd thing that breaks, and definitely changing out those tires.

[MeanTT]

Great video. The mix of terrain looks very similar to what I have around me, although Texas is 105 degrees these days, so less mud and more sand.

I am not sure if it was the rig or your camera angle, but it looked absolutely awesome at speeds. Best of all it looked to track straight over bumps and varied terrain.

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by MeanTT

Great video. The mix of terrain looks very similar to what I have around me, although Texas is 105 degrees these days, so less mud and more sand.

I am not sure if it was the rig or your camera angle, but it looked absolutely awesome at speeds. Best of all it looked to track straight over bumps and varied terrain.

It was almost that hot around here this weekend, but we've got a ton more humidity.

Not just camera angle, it pretty much goes where you put it. On 2S anyway.

[tachikoma1373]

1. Great video.
2. Buying one now
3.

[Die-Laughing]

Cool video.. Good "new to me" music.. I think i've seen some of your other vids and thought to myself that the soundtrack was good. I want to steal your Ipod.

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by Die-Laughing

Cool video.. Good "new to me" music.. I think i've seen some of your other vids and thought to myself that the soundtrack was good. I want to steal your Ipod.

If you're coming to the ECSC, you can!

[johnnyh66]

Originally Posted by imthatguy

If you're coming to the ECSC, you can!

Much to my chagrin... he can't make it.

[Kemtooler]

Pretty impressive. I am excited about the yeti for a couple of reasons... First, I want one and second, maybe it will drive the resell and retail market down on the wraith.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[irok]

Wel done on the more "real world" vid and most likely the best review I have read outa the others.
Your opinions are bang on to my 1st impressions.

Great trans/case options for future projects but they really should have made low gear usable outa the box,that and few other minor changes would have made this a much better hybrid for those who rock crawl or rock race as much as trail running and bashing.
A more upright front shock setup is 1st on the list for me and it looks like they just gave up on the overall look of the rear cage and body.
Can't wait to see what DMG comes up with!

Although it's not really what I've been waiting for and expecting since I 1st heard rumors about it over a year ago,I'll still be takin' the 1st one home once our 1st batch show up in the store.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Nice video and great write up cant wait for mine to show up....

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by irok

Wel done on the more "real world" vid and most likely the best review I have read outa the others.
Your opinions are bang on to my 1st impressions.

Great trans/case options for future projects but they really should have made low gear usable outa the box,that and few other minor changes would have made this a much better hybrid for those who rock crawl or rock race as much as trail running and bashing.
A more upright front shock setup is 1st on the list for me and it looks like they just gave up on the overall look of the rear cage and body.
Can't wait to see what DMG comes up with!

Although it's not really what I've been waiting for and expecting since I 1st heard rumors about it over a year ago,I'll still be takin' the 1st one home once our 1st batch show up in the store.

Originally Posted by FRENCHBLUE72

Nice video and great write up cant wait for mine to show up....

Thanks for the comments guys. I hope to do a few upgrades here and there over the next couple months.

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by cnyte

makes me want one badly

Go get your pre-order in!

Originally Posted by letsgetrcin

Great editing to make it go with the song.

Thanks, it's my full time job, so I should hope I'm good at it.

[axial 4x4 crawler]

Great video and right up..it'll defiantly help those that are getting the yeti. Just curious, what editing software do you use? I'm trying to make good videos but my software I use sucks.

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by axial 4x4 crawler

Great video and right up..it'll defiantly help those that are getting the yeti. Just curious, what editing software do you use? I'm trying to make good videos but my software I use sucks.

I'm a film editor by day (and most nights) and I use whatever the job dictates. I generally use a combination of Final Cut 7 and X for my personal projects. Media Composer, Final Cut 7 and Premiere for work.

I will say though, that software is a very small part of the equation. I've easily spent over 10,000 hours editing over the last 14 years, and good editing comes down to a combination of experience, talent, hard work, creativity and personality. Very little of it is the tool you're using.

[imthatguy]

Freqeskinz did the logo I use on another forum justice! Stoked to get this on the Yeti ASAP.

[Harley]

Nice layout, good depth to that design!