New; Need Help w/ Super RC Build Combination

[Justin_Eclipse]

Hello all,

Hey, I'm new to this site. I've been reading a lot of posts in quite a few different sections on this site; but still can't seem to find something that meets my personal build requirements/desires. So, any suggested products need to be bolt of products or products that require minor modifications (ie. dremmel tool type work). My biggest problem is that even though I have spent a lot time researching the RC Crawler sport; I still simply don't know enough to just run out and buy each individual part and put the thing together for myself.

I think the best way to ensure that I get the best and most accurate response from you experienced RC'ers; is to go into great detail and explanation (and photos) of exactly what I'm wanting out of my super crawler rig. I will try to make this as structured and organized of a post as I can. Below is what I want my Super RC to be and what issues/questions I'm faced with.

1- General Scale, Appearance and Material:
For scale, of course nothing smaller than a 1:8th scale and nothing larger than a 1:5th scale (I'm not too fond of 1:5th and 1:6th scale rigs, 1:8th is perfect... but bigger is always fun too ). For material I want it to be 100% aluminum or as close to as possible. I want as little pastic as possible and I would really like it if it was colored aluminum. Like the Killer Krawler 1:5th scale Orange rig is really cool. Problem with that is, I dont want to pay 700 dollars for one and it is 1:5th scale... but I love the way it looks. I have also looked at the XTM crawler chassis setup and I like it... but from what I have read most people spend quite a bit of money making it into a competent rock crawler and even then stuff gets bent on it pretty easily. So, I'm not that impressed by the XTM's survivability factor. Kind of one of the issuea I have with the killer krawler as well, my motto is: Bigger, Heavier, More likely things will get broken (correct me if that is the wrong mentality please). For appearance I want it to look like a real rock crawler Jeep buggy, see picture below to get an idea. This is actually my friends vehicle that I helped him build. The vehicle does have side panels and small rear fender side panels, with of course an aluminum roof on top. This is the general look that I want; so I suppose to full bodiless rig won't work for me. I'm gonna just post a link to pictures...

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthrea...=942900&page=3

2- Motors/ESC, Electronics and Drive:
I've pretty well decided on going with the Novak Goat 2S Crawler Brushless System 21.5T w/ matching esc of course. The idea is to buy 2 of these with MOA Axels and 2 Batteries. For batteries I'm thinking the Turnigy nano-tech 3300mah 2S 25~50C Lipo Pack. Servos I am not too sure what would be the best fit for this super crawler, so I've included a link of a servo that I thought would work good. Please let me know if there are problems with the combination of these products. For drive I want 4WS for sure. I am not too concerned about having a DIG function right now, or even having one at all...

Link for Motors/ESC:
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdId=NOV3016

Link for Batteries:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=11922

Link for Servos:
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...54S#quickSpecs

3- Goals:

A very strong and durable rig thats easy to maintain, I don't want servos burning out after 100 hours of run time.

I want a faster vehicle than walk speed. Ideally I'd like a vehicle capable of going jogging speed.

I want a finished and ready to run product for around 1250 dollars.

I do not plan on doing competitions with this vehicle, maybe in the future, but as of right now I do not. So I do not need 100% hardcore comp parts; I just want the strongest and most durable parts.

Now I understand people have posted plenty about each individual product and chassis. My purpose of this post is to try and find a vehicle that matches my credentials outlined in item #1 while being used in conjunction with the products in item #2.

4- Things I don't know about:
-Axle gearing and what would be the correct setup w/ my desired combination of parts.
-Pinion gear size
-Correct tire width and height (probably start with standard tires?)
-BEC and if required and or the real function of one... saves battery life right? but with 2 batteries, is BEC needed?
-I thank it is called NPA's? They are a safety stop feature built into the radio to prevent burning out your servos? Good idea to get or simply not needed for recreational crawling?
-Correct shock oil weights (I assume one finds that out after many test and runs tries?)
- 2S lipo and motor/esc setup or upgrade to 3S equipment and if the answer is upgrade, then how do 7.4v servos work with 11.1v batteries? Perhaps some type of voltage regulator?
-Killer Krawler Short Wheel Base Upgrade Kit (VS.) Killer Krawler Long Wheel Base Upgrade Kit; I am kind of failing to see how this is an upgrade to the stock killer krawler configuration... if KK is the only chassis setup for me then I would love to have these things explained a little bit more. For example, the fact that these are even made implies that the stock KK setup is bad (these are advertised as upgrades). Just a little confusing... See link below for products in question.

http://www.rcrockcrawling.com/index.php?cPath=47_110

So, with that I thank all of you who respond and appreciate all of the help I get. I want to get into super rock crawling, I just cant quite figure out how... considering the requirements I want for my vehicle. (I have thought of buying the redcat super crawler and just upgrading it... but that seems like a waiste of money? Thoughts?)

Thanks again all and sorry for the long length post,

-Justin

[Duuuuuuuude]

Most of what you are asking for are things you will have to research yourself to decide what you want to do. There are no definitive answers, as something that may work for one person will not work for another. If you spend some time looking around, you'll see that while most of the crawlers look similar, they have all been tuned and tweaked to the users satisfaction.

Originally Posted by Justin_Eclipse

-BEC and if required and or the real function of one... saves battery life right? but with 2 batteries, is BEC needed?
-I thank it is called NPA's? They are a safety stop feature built into the radio to prevent burning out your servos? Good idea to get or simply not needed for recreational crawling?
-Correct shock oil weights (I assume one finds that out after many test and runs tries?)
- 2S lipo and motor/esc setup or upgrade to 3S equipment and if the answer is upgrade, then how do 7.4v servos work with 11.1v batteries? Perhaps some type of voltage regulator?

1. A stand alone bec supplies power more effectively and reliably than the built in bec in your speed control. Some are also adjustable so that you can get maximum power from your steering servos.

2. The term you are looking for is EPA's, or End Point Adjustments. It is a very good idea to have them, especially with a crawler using powerful and expensive servos. Without them, you'll stress parts, and eventually burn the servo out.

3. Shock oil is like spring rates, you try different combinations until you find one that suits you.

4. You can do well with 2s power, but 3s makes things all the better. More speed, more power, bigger smiles. You are correct that not all servos will handle that much power, and a regulator will be needed. A stand alone bec will do that.

Originally Posted by Justin_Eclipse

So, with that I thank all of you who respond and appreciate all of the help I get. I want to get into super rock crawling, I just cant quite figure out how... considering the requirements I want for my vehicle. (I have thought of buying the redcat super crawler and just upgrading it... but that seems like a waiste of money? Thoughts?)

Since you are new to the game, some sort of RTR would be your best bet. Building a crawler from the ground up right out of the gate without any understanding of how they work or what is required is a monumental undertaking, both mentally and monetarily.

[Justin_Eclipse]

Good information man, I appreciate it a lot.

I think that I will go with a simple RTR to get me into the world of RC Crawling... That is probably to smartest approach.

I am thinking about getting this and I would love some input on this RTR Kit.

http://www.jpcustomrcs.com/catalog/i...51/8143677.htm

I think this is a 1/10th scale vehicle? I want 1/8th but these seems like a good starter kit and for a great price...? One issue is that I dont think it comes with rear wheel steering? At least I can't see where it says that in the literature so hopefully someone on here knows...

Thanks again for the great info!

-Justin

[Duuuuuuuude]

Nearly any 2.2 competition crawler you find will be 1:10 scale, and without rear steer.