Newbie and the Redcat Racing Sumo Crawler

[Mjr.Rage]

Hello all, new to the crawling scene and first time poster to the site. I have to say, I'm impressed and intimidated by all the knowledge and info posted on this site. It's a ton to absorb, but I'm going to try.
I just received my first crawler (actually, my first non-toy R/C vehicle) the Redcat Sumo Crawler. I have read several different reviews, watched a couple videos on Youtube, and made the plunge for a "beginner" crawler. It's my understanding that this is a very complete, and capable machine, despite it's size. I have to say, removing it from the box was a shock. It's tiny. So far, I haven't been able to do much with it except flip it on it's roof, or hang it up on its chassis, but this is just my inexperience I'm sure. I honestly have no clue how to make this thing perform to it's potential. I had my eye on the Redcat S-10, as it looks awesome. I wanted to start small and inexpensive first though, and I may upgrade to that model in the future if I get bored of this one.
My question is, besides trial and error, is there a anywhere that posts some training pointers for learning how to crawl? I don't want to get discouraged by failure, and I also don't want to wreck this beast doing anything stupid. Pointers would be greatly appreciated.

[Docwolf]

pretty had to break them beyond repair, no matter the size. working on them is half the fun!

I have no experience with the sumo but have thought about getting one for the kid. I started with the RS10XT as my first rig (there is a sub forum on this site for it) and had a blast with it. I bought one for my dad that was on a custom tube chassis and it out performs my built shafty. Like I said I have no experience with this little guy, but if it is not flexing enough most likely you need to re work the suspension and links. The RS10's are the same way, stiff out of the box. jump in and have fun, don't try and gain all the info at once. wait till you have a specific question, then research it. don't let it intimidate you as that takes all the fun out.

[Mjr.Rage]

I have been playing with this rig for a bit now, and it is a lot of fun. The motor is underpowered, though. Reversing on a hill is nearly impossible without brand new batteries. Backing up an incline while turning = forget it. Def. going to invest in the upgraded motor, and then the lipo battery. Just not too sure how to do the mods, this is all new to me.
Any reccommendations about the lipo upgrade etc?

[heartless]

before you go doing a lipo swap, have you tried a decent set of rechargeable batteries in it? Duracell has a 2450mah version that should be great for this little guy. The rechargeables should have the mah listed on the battery/package - regardless of brand, and there are a wide variety of mah ratings - be sure of what you are getting. the higher the mah rating the better.

Dont have the crawler version but we do have a pair of regular Sumos here, and the rechargeable batteries made a big difference in performance and run time. Motor upgrade - yeah, almost a necessity.