Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

For someone who has never build an RC vehicle, how hard is it?


The model I plan on purchasing is the Capo Suzuki Samurai and I'd like to know how many hours do you think it would take for someone to build it? Are we talking about like 3 or 30 hours (rough estimate)?
The kit comes with all the electronics so I don't have to purchase any parts and it comes colored already as well.


I work full time and I also have a daughter I have to be with at home with and make sure she does her online schooling so I'm just wondering if I should pay extra and buy the assembled version or do it myself. I've looked at the Suzuki build videos on YouTube and it looks straight forward.


My other question is what kind of grease, shock oil, Lock Tight, etc. I should buy and how/where to apply it? Like I said, I've never build a RC car before so I have no experience with where to apply what.


Thanks!



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Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

Let's first address the length of time for assembly. It's going to vary widely based on mechanical aptitude, general handiness, and experience with prior kits. I personally have never assembled a Capo kit, but I have assembled dozens and dozens of other kits from Axial, Traxxas, Tamiya, Associated, Tekno, Losi, etc. Since you have never assembled a kit before, my recommendation would be to take your time and enjoy the process. Don't get caught up in the length of time it takes to build it. As far as the kit versus pre-assembled, I'd still recommend the kit. It gives a much more intimate knowledge of how the rig goes together and helps familiarize you with all of its workings. This is a huge benefit when things break or go wrong. Given some of the time constraints you're under, my suggestion would be to find a dedicated space to work on the rig that won't be disturbed by anyone. This way, even if you have to stop building mid-way through a step, you can easily jump back in where you left off, confident in the knowledge that all the pieces and parts are right where you left them."thumbsup"

On to Grease, Shock Oil and Loctite: (The kit may well provide a small packet of grease, a small bottle of shock oil, and a small bottle of loctite. I'd set the grease aside in favor of waterproof marine grease. But, the shock oil and loctite that will more than likely come with the kit should be fine.)

Most folks here, including myself, use a good waterproof marine grease. The kit instructions should let you know where/when to apply grease - Gearbox, Axle ring and pinion gears, etc. Apply liberally, but don't over do it.

As far as shock oil, the weight you spec is going to be largely personal preference and how you want the rig to handle and react to terrain. I'd use what the kit comes with to start simply as a baseline. Once you've had a chance to drive the rig and do some test and tune, you can always go back and spec a different shock oil weight to tune to your preferences.

Loctite - again, the kit instructions should be pretty clear about where/when to apply loctite. Generally speaking, any screw threaded in to metal you will want to apply a small amount. If "loctite" is provided, it will be the "blue" variant. If it's not provided, you'll want to purchase a blue "loctite". I can only think of one instance off hand in all the kits I've built where I decided to use Red variant on a certain component.

Hope this helps and good luck with your kit. Be sure to post some updates on your progress!"thumbsup"

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

Once you get your first kit build under your belt you'll never look at an RTR the same way again. With that, the experience you have really depends on how good the instructions are. I would recommend looking on YouTube and see what people have to say about that kit and the build experience. A lot of times they'll point out errors or confusing spots in the manual, and how to get around them.

Some tips:
• Recommend downloading the manual; a lot of times errors are corrected electronically, but not updated on the hard copies that are shipped with the models.
• Allocate a good amount of space for the build (4' x 3' should do). Plan on the build taking a couple of days and leaving the build on the bench when you not working on it.
- In other words, building it on the kitchen table isn't likely a good spot unless you don't plan on dining there for a couple of days.
• Lay out your parts logically. If the parts bags are numbered, lay them out in number order, that is normally the order that you'll use them.
• Do not break parts away from parts trees before you are at the step that calls out the part.
- Have an exacto knife on hand to clean the flashing off of the part.
• The kit will likely come with grease and Loctite, if required, but a lot of us like to use our own. I use Loctite 242 and AE Black Grease for my builds.
- With grease and Loctite, more is not better. You only need enough grease to coat the mesh surface on the teeth of gears. You only need a tiny drop of Loctite to do the job properly.
- The manual will call out where to use grease and Loctite
• Working an hour or two a night, figure on three to four nights to complete a "normal" build. The more kits you do, the faster the process with become.
• Test moving parts before you install them, if they don't feel right, they are likely not right.
• Pay very close attention to screw and rod lengths, you can screw things up if you put in a fastener that is longer that what is called out.
- A lot of manuals have rulers built in, but I don't trust them. I always check lengths with a set of calipers.

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

Thank you both for the tips, I greatly appreciate it. I've decided to go with the kit version (rather than the assembled version). I think it will be more fun building it myself and to learn how all the parts work together and I'll save myself about $350!

I'll make a build thread as well.

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

Absolutely. Putting together a kit has always been preferable to me. Greatscott had a good suggestion on downloading the latest manual electronically. It's generally the latest greatest and will include any revisions or corrections to the assembly process.

As he also mentioned, youtube can be another great resource if you get stuck on a certain step in the build and the manual is confusing.

Good luck with the kit and happy building!"thumbsup"

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

Best Loctite for use in RC applications - comes in a Chapstick -style waxy form - I got mine on Amazon:

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Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

^ Yep! Won't go all over the place and very little waste!

As for balancing your build with family and "life", it will happen. mewalsh100 has an excellent suggestion. Find a dedicated build space where you can just leave things out where no one will disturb it. This way you can spend even 30 seconds on the build and then walk away without having to spend time taking things out and putting them away. It can even be a big flat box. Just pick up and move.

I bought a Capra kit (my second crawler - I mainly fly airplanes) back in July with the goal of building it when my son goes away to college. Well he's back for the holidays and guess where I am with the Capra? Yep, still unfinished and a box of parts just got delivered yesterday from Amain. :ror: Yeah, it's taking a bit longer than usual. But I have my other crawler (SCX10 0G) and airplanes to keep me busy plus all that holiday family stuff.

Life happens but you should enjoy your build and not put a completion deadline on it.

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

Great decision! Make sure you invest in a great set of tools and your build will go much easier - I highly recommend MIP. Don't try to assemble the kit with any of the tools they may provide...

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

i built my capra over three days after the kiddo went to sleep. i had to do it in a common area, so i stopped each evening at a logical place with little-to-no partially used bags of parts. That way i was sure not to lose anything when i had to clean up for the night.

Also, read the build instructions all the way before you start. Just a good idea for anything that has build instructions.

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

I don't know if this is going to be your first hobby grade rc, but I can't recommend getting a Capo. There is no parts support in the USA.

If you still decide to get one assembly will take awhile, longer then any kit from axial, traxxas. The body needs to be painted before it is fully assembled adding time. Being aluminum you need to use a primer that adheres to aluminum. I lighty scuffed the primer with scothbrite to get the paint to stick. Found that out on my second time painting it. Use loctite, screws will back out of metal and there is probably less plastic on this then the real Suzuki. There is no physical manual, it comes on a USB thumb drive so you need a computer right by you build it.

I am going to cut and paste from another thread i posted in at the bottom.
I have a JKmax so some of this may not apply, but keep in mind that there is no parts support here in the USA for capo as a whole.

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I have one for a year now.

The good

-They look great going down the trail and because of the weight they move in a very realistic way.
- gears in the axles, transfer case, and transmission have heald up great for being a 15lbs rig.
- no one else will have one.

The bad.

- parts support is almost none existent
-It's 15lbs.
- it's top heavy and rolls over allot
- because of the previous 2 it breaks allot.

-Driveshafts are to complicated and come apart allot even when built with loctite.

-Pinion and spur gear are this helicut pieces of crap. Because the spur gear is also the same gear that drives the transmission it requires a order from over seas and you won't see it for several months. I ended up pressing the spur gear off and machining up a plate to mount a traxxas trx4 spur gear.

- main shaft in the transmission uses c clips to keep the gears in place, which also creates a weak spot and will snap it. It's just to heavy and the shaft is too small. I welded all the c clip spots, then turned it on a lathe to true it up and make it smooth. Then use metal sleeves to keep the gears in place. No breaks since.

- steering cable setup looks cool but it's also crap. I fabricated a servo on the axle plate and ditched the cable setup.

-the front axle joint is a cvd style and is not strong enough for the weight and don't have a good steering angle. Im on my 3rd pair.

Make sure you bring a tow strap when you go out because it will break on the trail. Carrying that thing back when you are a mile from your starting point sucks.

Unless you like to wrench and have access to machining tools i cannot recommend getting one. If you want it really reliable I would put some VP axles and replace the transmission with one that you can get parts for.

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

As far as parts support for Capo there is Kaioz.net. They have literally every factory part for the Capo rigs as well as 3rd party parts for them. In the past month twice I ordered some scale engine bay bottles, a radiator grill, and some seat harnesses .. all for my Wreckluse buggy build, both times the parts got to me in under 10 days here in Southern California, and the communication with them has been great. In contrast 3 weeks ago I ordered some Goodyear MTR’s from RC4WD cause their site said ‘in stock’, I got them just yesterday 3 weeks later, or Holmes Hobby .. it took almost a month before I finally got my ESC and 2 motors from them, and email responses to product questions I had were non-existent. Since I’ve been in this hobby now for 8 years it’s been like pulling hens teeth half the time trying to get stuff here in the USA, coming from the full size rock crawling world since 1988 it was a real disappointment trying to get RC stuff in comparison. I’ve also been burnt by RCC vendors more than once. Every single RC related Chinese purchase so far has been rock solid. I ordered something from TinTin Hobbies in China (also a Capo dealer) and it got here in 4 days .. they Fedex’d to me at no charge! I wouldn’t let parts support deter you from Capo. Now as to the actual quality of Capo rigs themselves I can’t comment as I’ve never driven one ..yet :)

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

So I went to that site, and I still stand by my opinion that I don't recommend getting one. There is not 1 transmission part, and the spur/pinion gear wears really fast. The main shaft in the transmission will snap on you if you are trying to go up a hill and you start bouncing. I see they have the front axel shaft, which is good because I'm on my 3rd pair in a year and I don't beat on it. They are a really cool rig, but they are fragile. I have 2 hard body rigs and a trx4 defender they are all really tippy. The capo tips over way before any of those 3.

Re: Putting Together a Kit (Never done it before)
 

@The_Hulk

I've done both RTR and Build kits. If you want to go play today, get the RTR. If you want/need something to do the kit.

The kits are not hard, they usually have pretty good instructions. At least the ones I've done. They are no harder than gluing up a model. Anybody with basic skills should be able to put it together and it might be a fun project to do with the kids. I just put together a TRX4 and the instructions are very much like Lego instruction. Not much text, mostly pictures.

The amount of time depends on you and the kit. Just looking at the picture I would suspect 4-5 hours min. More likely 10 hr would be a good guess.With the TRX the parts came in packages (like Lego) so I was able to toss it all in the box for dinner.

See if you can get the instruction ahead of time. This will help you understand the process.

Somewhere in the post, I saw people mention support. This is important if you plan to play with it. The standard method of anything RC is build, play, repair. You will need parts at some point. Plan on breaking parts and repairing it.

Best of luck and keep it shiny side up.