What did you do to your TRX-4 today?

[sharkfrog]

Hey folks, first post here. I haven't had anything RC since I was a kid and chanced on a youtube video of RC crawlers and haven't been able to stop thinking about them. So I bought one and here I am, only partially ignorant of the money pit that lies before me.

Today I finished the chassis kit build.


After picking up the kit on Sunday I got stuck at step 3 when the bearing wouldn't fit into the high output gear in the transmission. Traxxas mailed out a new gear which arrived today. Got the rest of the build finished and went to the local hobby shop and picked up a battery and charger and gave it a first test run. I either hit something a little too hard or the servo horn was not screwed on tight because it got stuck turning hard right. by the time I got that figured out it was too dark to play anymore.

Pro-line hilux body with the back half cage is in the works. Got it cut out and the cage assembled, and I'll probably paint tomorrow. To anyone running this body set up, how is yours mounted (especially the rear cage)? I took the fenders that came with the kit off and replaced with aluminum shock towers since I don't think they'll fit without trimming. Once I get the body sorted out I'll revisit the fenders.

[mewalsh100]

Gave the Sporto some much need love and maintenance today. Completely broke down and cleaned the shocks, fresh oil. Cleaned and greased the ring and pinions. Blew apart the trans for a thorough cleaning and inspection and some fresh grease. Cleaned / greased portals. Then, a nice dry brushing and hit with the air nozzle over the entire chassis to get all the grit off. Should be ready to roll.

I am debating on throwing in either my Mamba-X and HH Revolver, or maybe the HH 3500kv PP. Anyone run both of these and have a preference. Leaning toward the Revolver since the rig it's currently in doesn't get driven much.

[smog]

Originally Posted by mewalsh100

Gave the Sporto some much need love and maintenance today. Completely broke down and cleaned the shocks, fresh oil. Cleaned and greased the ring and pinions. Blew apart the trans for a thorough cleaning and inspection and some fresh grease. Cleaned / greased portals. Then, a nice dry brushing and hit with the air nozzle over the entire chassis to get all the grit off. Should be ready to roll.

I am debating on throwing in either my Mamba-X and HH Revolver, or maybe the HH 3500kv PP. Anyone run both of these and have a preference. Leaning toward the Revolver since the rig it's currently in doesn't get driven much.

How are the guts holding up? Any wear?

You looking for some wheel speed? I am gonna vote Revolver, though have to admit I just watched John’s video on the Revolver last night.

I started in on paint for my Sport body yesterday. Waiting on some pieces, but going to start assembly later

[mewalsh100]

Originally Posted by smog

How are the guts holding up? Any wear?

You looking for some wheel speed? I am gonna vote Revolver, though have to admit I just watched John’s video on the Revolver last night.

I started in on paint for my Sport body yesterday. Waiting on some pieces, but going to start assembly later

Hey smog.


Internals were absolutely perfect and this rig has been driven hard and put away wet. It's definitely seen more water than most of my rigs. That was one of the driving reasons behind the tear down and inspection. The grease was a bit broken down and a tad dingy, but nothing major and no shavings in anything.


I do love the Revolver in the 2.2 Wraith based build I did. Honestly, in terms of wheel speed, I probably would have bet on the PP 3500. The Revolver is the closest system I've found that compares to a well sorted, brushed system in terms of resolution and that steady linear feel. To that end, and the way I use the Sporto, I definitely think it would be a good fit.



I do hate to cannibalize a functioning rig for parts though. I also made the mistake of taking it out for a quick rip before I was gonna yank everything out. I found myself just chuckling at how well the thing works and had second thoughts on stealing her power plant.


I may just order a whole new system for the Sporto now.

[smog]

Originally Posted by mewalsh100

Hey smog.


Internals were absolutely perfect and this rig has been driven hard and put away wet. It's definitely seen more water than most of my rigs. That was one of the driving reasons behind the tear down and inspection. The grease was a bit broken down and a tad dingy, but nothing major and no shavings in anything.


I do love the Revolver in the 2.2 Wraith based build I did. Honestly, in terms of wheel speed, I probably would have bet on the PP 3500. The Revolver is the closest system I've found that compares to a well sorted, brushed system in terms of resolution and that steady linear feel. To that end, and the way I use the Sporto, I definitely think it would be a good fit.



I do hate to cannibalize a functioning rig for parts though. I also made the mistake of taking it out for a quick rip before I was gonna yank everything out. I found myself just chuckling at how well the thing works and had second thoughts on stealing her power plant.


I may just order a whole new system for the Sporto now.

The Wraith is still fun to take out. It’s such a beast.

...I need to volt up my Wraith. The Bomber is running circles around it.

[mewalsh100]

Originally Posted by smog

The Wraith is still fun to take out. It’s such a beast.

...I need to volt up my Wraith. The Bomber is running circles around it.

They are beasts. They make such easy work of everything in my backyard course though that I don't get them out much any more. Always seems easier to get one of the 1.9's out and walk around back versus loading everything up and heading out.

[mgputer]

Was a rainy day so I played around with some ramps. Who would have guessed a Unimog could jump so well.

https://youtu.be/zaYg8j9gnEA

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[smog]

Originally Posted by mewalsh100

They are beasts. They make such easy work of everything in my backyard course though that I don't get them out much any more. Always seems easier to get one of the 1.9's out and walk around back versus loading everything up and heading out.

I hear ya. Around here the 2.2’s get play time in the summer. My kids like to bash them around construction sites. Most of the time it’s 1.9’s out back of the house or the cottage....which is why the Capra interests me. It will likely play nicely along side a Twn Hammers.

Originally Posted by mgputer

Was a rainy day so I played around with some ramps. Who would have guessed a Unimog could jump so well.

https://youtu.be/zaYg8j9gnEA

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4 point landing!

[mgputer]

Originally Posted by smog

I hear ya. Around here the 2.2’s get play time in the summer. My kids like to bash them around construction sites. Most of the time it’s 1.9’s out back of the house or the cottage....which is why the Capra interests me. It will likely play nicely along side a Twn Hammers.

4 point landing!

Honestly it was kinda nostalgic. The landings reminded me of the old Traxxas bullet from the old days. With the old mechanical speed control and 27t Monster Mash on a 7.2v nicad.

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[smog]

Originally Posted by mgputer

Honestly it was kinda nostalgic. The landings reminded me of the old Traxxas bullet from the old days. With the old mechanical speed control and 27t Monster Mash on a 7.2v nicad.

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Things have come a long way.

If I jumped my OG grasshopper off of your ramp right now it would likely shatter into 8 pieces

[mewalsh100]

I agree smog - I think it would play well there. As a sheer test of will, I had a Capra and most of the "fixins" in a basket at RPP last night. I was so close to pulling the trigger, but a few things stopped me. 1.) It's still a bit early to start the Winter build, and knowing myself, there is no way I could patiently wait after it showed up at my door. 2.) After my last purchase, I told myself I really need to whittle down the fleet a bit. I'm running out of storage space and literally spent a day last week cleaning and organizing in my shop to try and make room. 3.) This wasn't so much a reason that held me back, but I figure waiting a bit longer will suss out any more little teething issues people are having with them as well as see the aftermarket stuff start to crop up.

[CarlC]

I gave my TRX-4 Sport kit it's maiden run in the garden. As a total crawling newbie, I thought I should start simple, so I chucked some logs down and had far too much fun for a man in his mid fifties lol. Oh my god, what a great machine to drive, loved every second.

If anyone is sitting on the fence about getting a crawler, just get one, the fun is so huge.

[mewalsh100]

Welp, after sleeping on it, I went ahead and did it. As I mentioned earlier, I didn't want to cannibalize the custom, Wraith based rig that I had the Mamba and Revolver sitting in. But, after a few clearance and lead length checks this morning, I determined I'd be able to throw the 550 and HW 1080 out of the Sporto in to it and keep both rigs up and running. Winning!

I've got to play with a bunch of settings and get a baseline for the Mamba and Revolver in the Sporto now though. I took it out with the settings I had programmed in for the 2.2 Wraith based rigs and there just way off for the Sporto. But, the slow creep and resolution is fantastic. I'm gonna pop over to the Electronics thread and see if JRH can suggest some good baseline settings based on my gearing, voltage, etc.

[bbrigg]

Originally Posted by mewalsh100

Welp, after sleeping on it, I went ahead and did it. As I mentioned earlier, I didn't want to cannibalize the custom, Wraith based rig that I had the Mamba and Revolver sitting in. But, after a few clearance and lead length checks this morning, I determined I'd be able to throw the 550 and HW 1080 out of the Sporto in to it and keep both rigs up and running. Winning!



I've got to play with a bunch of settings and get a baseline for the Mamba and Revolver in the Sporto now though. I took it out with the settings I had programmed in for the 2.2 Wraith based rigs and there just way off for the Sporto. But, the slow creep and resolution is fantastic. I'm gonna pop over to the Electronics thread and see if JRH can suggest some good baseline settings based on my gearing, voltage, etc.

I noticed that the GPM spur cover has a little projection where the motor shaft sticks out. Was that enough to clear the shaft? I needed to use all three of the set of YR spacers on my GRC one piece cover even though it has a bit of extra space there as well.

I could have trimmed the shaft but I figured the spacers moved the motor forward 3mm to help the CoG, even just a tiny bit. The leads on my Revolver were still just long enough to reach the ESC without using an extension though.

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[mewalsh100]

@bbrigg - Unfortunately, I still had to trim the shaft about 4mm. Not a massive amount and still plenty of ability to move a pinion fore and aft if I ever move it to another rig.

[tmk9883]

Added vs4-10 tube bumpers to my daughter's and my rigs and picked up a HW 1080 to install in mine. Really like it in my daughter's truck but will hold off installing in mine until I get a few more battery packs and a new charger.

[mgputer]

Originally Posted by smog

Things have come a long way.



If I jumped my OG grasshopper off of your ramp right now it would likely shatter into 8 pieces

Yes I got my first taste of Hobby Grade RC with a grasshopper. We had RC races at the school gym and I raced my Nikko against grasshopper and got wooped.

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[smog]

Originally Posted by mewalsh100

I agree smog - I think it would play well there. As a sheer test of will, I had a Capra and most of the "fixins" in a basket at RPP last night. I was so close to pulling the trigger, but a few things stopped me. 1.) It's still a bit early to start the Winter build, and knowing myself, there is no way I could patiently wait after it showed up at my door. 2.) After my last purchase, I told myself I really need to whittle down the fleet a bit. I'm running out of storage space and literally spent a day last week cleaning and organizing in my shop to try and make room. 3.) This wasn't so much a reason that held me back, but I figure waiting a bit longer will suss out any more little teething issues people are having with them as well as see the aftermarket stuff start to crop up.

The Capra kinda does have that unavoidable/inevitable quality about it. It’s hard to imagine I don’t end up with one at some point. I Have filled a few carts only to abort mission on a few occasions I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume there will be tons of aftermarket stuff. I hope DMG gets in the game.

Originally Posted by mgputer

Yes I got my first taste of Hobby Grade RC with a grasshopper. We had RC races at the school gym and I raced my Nikko against grasshopper and got wooped.

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Beaten by the all powerful Grasshopper, that is hilarious

Good memories...

EDIT : Sorry for kinda derailing the thread topic. I will keep it To the X4 from now on

[mewalsh100]

After re-vamping the Mamba settings for the Sporto, I did a quick shakedown run when I got home today. Extremely pleased with this set up in this rig now. (Mamba-X & 1800kv Revolver). You can creep so damn slow but pop the throttle and the wheel speed is there. It definitely has a different feel in the TRX than it did in the 2.2 Wraith based build. I'll say it again, the best addition to Castle firmware has got to be the drag brake ramp feature.

Also, since I've been jones'n to order a new kit, but have decided to wait until we're a bit deeper in to Winter, I'm showing the Sporto some more love. Ditching the full coverage front bumper in favor of a small stinger set up. It's been a sticking point with me for a while. It looks great, but it just kills approach. I also ordered up some Proline Krawler's in Predator compound. And lastly, a new body (pre-painted and from another brand crawler). I wasn't really looking for a new body, but it was a smokin deal so I figured what the hell. I'll post some update pics once I get everything sorted.

[MaX-D]

Originally Posted by mewalsh100

After re-vamping the Mamba settings for the Sporto, I did a quick shakedown run when I got home today. Extremely pleased with this set up in this rig now. (Mamba-X & 1800kv Revolver). You can creep so damn slow but pop the throttle and the wheel speed is there. It definitely has a different feel in the TRX than it did in the 2.2 Wraith based build. I'll say it again, the best addition to Castle firmware has got to be the drag brake ramp feature.



Also, since I've been jones'n to order a new kit, but have decided to wait until we're a bit deeper in to Winter, I'm showing the Sporto some more love. Ditching the full coverage front bumper in favor of a small stinger set up. It's been a sticking point with me for a while. It looks great, but it just kills approach. I also ordered up some Proline Krawler's in Predator compound. And lastly, a new body (pre-painted and from another brand crawler). I wasn't really looking for a new body, but it was a smokin deal so I figured what the hell. I'll post some update pics once I get everything sorted.

Good deal. Can't wait to see the new body and tires on your truck.

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