SVT's Vanquish VS4-10 Extravaganza!

[svt923]

Originally Posted by DukeMinnix

I can't believe I missed these last several updates after knowing they were coming before all the rest of the common folk. Looking good. When are you gonna drop the news about the vs4-10 pro minus VFD, I mean the VS4-10 minor league?

You know what irks me? When someone quotes a post with 25 pictures just to ask where to get a specific part. I don't know why but it makes me want to punch my monitor.

We had family staying with us and unfortunately my cushy indoor workshop doubles as the occasional guest room. My wife told me I can't kick out family to get back to tiny truck building but she clearly is lacking in the judgement department based on her choice of spouse.

I hope your monitor remains in tact for future updates.

Originally Posted by Neilo68

thankyou for the link to ebay

Enjoy partaking in the great American pastime of commerce.

Originally Posted by durok

When that happened I thought my scroll wheel had given up the ghost...

I am wondering how much the entire VFD transmission will/would run, if/when they release it to the general public.

It's truly a thing of engineering beauty!

I have a feeling that when the VFD is released, it will be at a price that leaves the people who paid $300+ feeling sick.

Know what would make it even more of a beauty?

This:


Can't wait to send some money up to Canada for one of those.

Originally Posted by DukeMinnix

I'm guessing in the 200-250 range, so all those people selling them now for 400 dollars better move em while they can

I think those people are busy trying to sell their kits for $1,000 since the next batch isn't due for a while.

Originally Posted by Brandon

Are people really asking $400 for them? hmmm... JK

Don't get any ideas!

Unless those ideas are for more cool parts then I guess it would be alright.

Like I said, my workshop was occupied for a while but I did get one quick update in.



These SSD brake rotor hubs and Locked Up scale lugs were added. They serve no purpose other than looking awesome, which they do very well.

Here is another picture because why not?



That is some mighty fine gratuitous dollhousing.

Still haven't got to drive it outside of ripping a bad ass wheelie down the hall. The 3500kv Puller Pro on 3S with 60:1 gearing is so needlessly overpowered which is about right.

All for now. Driving still to come if my normal spot by the river doesn't end up under water after this hurricane comes through. We shall see.

[durok]

That engine design is a thing of beauty...

And you have picked a gorgeous wheelset, with perfect detailing!

Nicely done, sir...

[B-MOW71]

Wow, that tire, wheel, lug and rotor combo looks outstanding!

Can’t wait for MrcommaD to make these! That engine looks sweet!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Topher Builds]

Handsome wheel set up you got there. Looks killer.

Love MrCommaD's work, that cherokee he did is insane!

[svt923]

Originally Posted by durok

That engine design is a thing of beauty...

And you have picked a gorgeous wheelset, with perfect detailing!

Nicely done, sir...

Indeed, nice things are nice. That was nice of you to say such nice things so nicely.

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Wow, that tire, wheel, lug and rotor combo looks outstanding!

Can’t wait for MrcommaD to make these! That engine looks sweet!

Very pleased with this wheel setup.

I'm not a scale accuracy nerd but there is something about scale wheels with no regular old hardware that gives me an odd amount of satisfaction.

Originally Posted by Topher Builds

Handsome wheel set up you got there. Looks killer.

Love MrCommaD's work, that cherokee he did is insane!

And to think, I only got these because the other wheels I wanted weren't able to be ordered at the time. Things have worked out pretty OK.

Now, I would like to share a thought I had with you guys, my fellow Vanquish enthusiasts. This extravaganza has been going splendidly so far: there has been a VS4-10 build back when it was new, there was a 8 track player installed in an Origin body, some epic driving shots, an electronics swap, and a VFD conversion. All of those have been great but I have an idea to really kick this extravaganza up a notch.....

Another truck!!!!!!

You will likely remember, I dubbed my VFD swapped OG the VS4-10 All Star (or something like that, I don't know if that decision was ever actually made) for combining the best parts of the original VS4-10 and the best of the Pro. Well, that means there was pieces of a VS4-10 Pro and the OG version laying around unused and incomplete. So what do you get when you combine a bunch of parts that are good but no longer the best?

Presenting the VS4-10 Amateur Builder's Kit!



You can also call it the VS4-10 SVT Edition because I'm essentially a synonym for amateur. Either way, Vanquish can thank me for creating their next product by sending me one.

Let's dig in and see what makes the VS4-10 Amateur the RC equivalent of that guy who played D II college basketball and spends his weekends schooling suckers down at the local Y.

First, the VFD has been replaced by a good old 3 gear transmission. This obviously doesn't leave the weight of the motor as low and forward as the VFD but it is packed with steel gears and isn't going to fail. The motor powering this one is a Holmes Crawlmaster Pro 13T because amateurs can have nice things, just not as nice as the Pros.



The whole thing is built on the same chassis as the VS4-10 Pro with its beefy plastic braces and sliders.



The VS4-10 Pro is a damn good truck so starting from the same place will go a long way in the performance department. While I'm not saying anyone could be LeBron James if they were 6'8 and had freakish athletic talent but being 6'8 gives you a pretty good start.

One note on the chassis: since I cut off the VFD mounts from the Pro's servo mount/chassis brace, the battery tray mounts from the OG VS4-10 had to be used.



I believe there is a piece that attaches to those pieces extending back from the servo mount to secure the OG VS4-10 battery/radio tray if you get the VS4-10 chassis set but the Pro either doesn't come with that piece or I didn't look hard enough.

The rear of the VS-410 Amateur really shines with the Pro chassis rear brace/fuel cell.



The whole setup is so nice and even nicer with a little paint pen detailing. You would almost hate to cover it up.

Is this foreshadowing? Does the fact I point it out give it away?

Just like any VS4-10, the Amateur has a sweet set of axles.



These are the ever popular Currie F9s just as the Pro version. Just because the Amateur version is not as good as the Pro, it is still way better than the common schlubs out there. Steve from the Y may not have elite dribbling, rebounding, passing, or defensive skills but he can hit that 15 foot jumpshot like a champ.

Your gratuitous offset Currie axle shot for the morning.



The axles are the same internally as the previous VS4-10 axles, go back to the beginning of the thread if you want to see what they look like inside. Also the full set of Incision stainless links are the same.

One thing to note is when you get to the bag of threaded inserts that say "Use these instead", go ahead and use those ones. Don't try to be a hero.



Moving to the rear axle, we have some more F9 goodness.



I should mention that my rear axle shafts had the same excessive in and out movement that others have experienced. A quick email to Vanquish support and a few days later these axle shims arrived at my door.



A 30 second install and no more problem. I would imagine that these will be included with all Pro kits in the future.

Steering duties will be handled by this old ass Hitec servo.



"How old is old ass?" you may wonder. Well I think I bought it in 2005 and it has been installed in about 10 different vehicles over the years.

I used this particular servo because I wanted to make use of this 24T Vanquish servo horn. For some reason, I have like 4 times the number of Hitec servo horns as Hitec servos.



Something you may or may not have noticed is the shortened Pro sliders.



I cut them with a dremel and cleaned them up on the belt sander to fit the body that will be used. I'm glad these sliders ended up being the perfect size after a trimming because I'm a big fan of the body capturing design.

Well there is your introduction to the VS4-10 Amateur. Tell Brandon and Harley how much you love it and maybe one day you can have one too! Until then, seethe with quiet resentment over what others have and your own missed opportunities, it is what Steve from the Y would do.

[DukeMinnix]

Originally Posted by svt923

Indeed, nice things are nice. That was nice of you to say such nice things so nicely.



Very pleased with this wheel setup.

I'm not a scale accuracy nerd but there is something about scale wheels with no regular old hardware that gives me an odd amount of satisfaction.



And to think, I only got these because the other wheels I wanted weren't able to be ordered at the time. Things have worked out pretty OK.

Now, I would like to share a thought I had with you guys, my fellow Vanquish enthusiasts. This extravaganza has been going splendidly so far: there has been a VS4-10 build back when it was new, there was a 8 track player installed in an Origin body, some epic driving shots, an electronics swap, and a VFD conversion. All of those have been great but I have an idea to really kick this extravaganza up a notch.....

Another truck!!!!!!

You will likely remember, I dubbed my VFD swapped OG the VS4-10 All Star (or something like that, I don't know if that decision was ever actually made) for combining the best parts of the original VS4-10 and the best of the Pro. Well, that means there was pieces of a VS4-10 Pro and the OG version laying around unused and incomplete. So what do you get when you combine a bunch of parts that are good but no longer the best?

Presenting the VS4-10 Amateur Builder's Kit!



You can also call it the VS4-10 SVT Edition because I'm essentially a synonym for amateur. Either way, Vanquish can thank me for creating their next product by sending me one.

Let's dig in and see what makes the VS4-10 Amateur the RC equivalent of that guy who played D II college basketball and spends his weekends schooling suckers down at the local Y.

First, the VFD has been replaced by a good old 3 gear transmission. This obviously doesn't leave the weight of the motor as low and forward as the VFD but it is packed with steel gears and isn't going to fail. The motor powering this one is a Holmes Crawlmaster Pro 13T because amateurs can have nice things, just not as nice as the Pros.



The whole thing is built on the same chassis as the VS4-10 Pro with its beefy plastic braces and sliders.



The VS4-10 Pro is a damn good truck so starting from the same place will go a long way in the performance department. While I'm not saying anyone could be LeBron James if they were 6'8 and had freakish athletic talent but being 6'8 gives you a pretty good start.

One note on the chassis: since I cut off the VFD mounts from the Pro's servo mount/chassis brace, the battery tray mounts from the OG VS4-10 had to be used.



I believe there is a piece that attaches to those pieces extending back from the servo mount to secure the OG VS4-10 battery/radio tray if you get the VS4-10 chassis set but the Pro either doesn't come with that piece or I didn't look hard enough.

The rear of the VS-410 Amateur really shines with the Pro chassis rear brace/fuel cell.



The whole setup is so nice and even nicer with a little paint pen detailing. You would almost hate to cover it up.

Is this foreshadowing? Does the fact I point it out give it away?

Just like any VS4-10, the Amateur has a sweet set of axles.



These are the ever popular Currie F9s just as the Pro version. Just because the Amateur version is not as good as the Pro, it is still way better than the common schlubs out there. Steve from the Y may not have elite dribbling, rebounding, passing, or defensive skills but he can hit that 15 foot jumpshot like a champ.

Your gratuitous offset Currie axle shot for the morning.



The axles are the same internally as the previous VS4-10 axles, go back to the beginning of the thread if you want to see what they look like inside. Also the full set of Incision stainless links are the same.

One thing to note is when you get to the bag of threaded inserts that say "Use these instead", go ahead and use those ones. Don't try to be a hero.



Moving to the rear axle, we have some more F9 goodness.



I should mention that my rear axle shafts had the same excessive in and out movement that others have experienced. A quick email to Vanquish support and a few days later these axle shims arrived at my door.



A 30 second install and no more problem. I would imagine that these will be included with all Pro kits in the future.

Steering duties will be handled by this old ass Hitec servo.



"How old is old ass?" you may wonder. Well I think I bought it in 2005 and it has been installed in about 10 different vehicles over the years.

I used this particular servo because I wanted to make use of this 24T Vanquish servo horn. For some reason, I have like 4 times the number of Hitec servo horns as Hitec servos.



Something you may or may not have noticed is the shortened Pro sliders.



I cut them with a dremel and cleaned them up on the belt sander to fit the body that will be used. I'm glad these sliders ended up being the perfect size after a trimming because I'm a big fan of the body capturing design.

Well there is your introduction to the VS4-10 Amateur. Tell Brandon and Harley how much you love it and maybe one day you can have one too! Until then, seethe with quiet resentment over what others have and your own missed opportunities, it is what Steve from the Y would do.

I see what you did there

[svt923]

Hi everyone.

I trust your weekend was well?

That is great to hear.

I spent the weekend making the Pitbull Offroad Jamboree happen. It is a great event of camping, hanging out, and 240ish gates of driving over 3 trails in a full size offroad park. Many people were there with many more trucks:








Fun fact: I built 3 of the trucks in the gallery, none of which are mine.

Unfortunately, much like your own wedding, you spend so much time doing other stuff so the guests have a good time that you barely get to enjoy your own event. Between course marking, clearing the courses, and a bunch of other stuff, I ended up running about 40 gates but this seemed like a prime time for my VS4-10 All Pro with All the Cool Stuff edition to make it's first real run.



There it is, looking lovely as ever.

Since this was a relatively short run (about an hour or so), there weren't many pictures. I can work with what there is though.



The new combo of the Holmes Puller Pro 3500kv and Tekin RX4 is impressive. It has all the low speed control I could want, more than enough pop for anything, and the drag brake options in the latest Tekin firmware are great. This drop between the rocks was probably about 60-65* downhill and the VS4-10 just crept down with absolute control. Most setups I have tried would either lock up the wheels then let the truck roll too fast once you start applying throttle or just fail to hold and let the truck roll in the first place.



The OG Pitbull Rock Beasts are the perfect size for the Origin body's wheel openings and they are still one of the best tires you can buy. I will continue on my never ending quest for more 1.9 tires in the 4.5x1.5 range because 4.75 inch tires are too big and 4.19 tires are too small to look right on most lexan bodies.



I'll bottom line this for you: the VS4-10 was good but the VS4-10 with the VFD is better at literally everything. Even with the aluminum bumpers everyone likes to complain about, this thing was unstoppable. Sure it has the limitations of every truck with a full width body and bumpers but it this truck could get a tire on a rock then it was going over it.

Also out on the trail for the first time was this awesome Agents of SHIELD Land Rover.



It was taking the easier lines because it is a top heavy Gelande D90 and it was almost too nice to mess up.

Usually, I'm scrambling at the last minute before these events to have a truck ready to drive but this year I took a different approach since my VS4-10 was ready long ago. Instead of building my own truck at the last minute, I built this one for my wife since she may be a bigger nerd than me.



I was leaving for the event on Friday morning and on Thursday night, there were still parts with wet glue. The inner fenders didn't dry in time to be installed but the owner seemed unfazed by this minor exclusion.

It made me happy to keep up this tradition of last minute building. For your enjoyment, a brief history of my great moments in procrastination:

GCM Adventure Series Fall 2016 - I installed the electronics in my truck the night before and showed up to the event without testing them. At the event, on my way to the starting gate, I plugged in a battery for the first time to calibrate the ESC and was setting the servo trim.

GCM Adventure Series Fall 2017 - My TF2 was completed the day before the event then I decided to take it apart and make rear inner fenders about 12 hours before I was set to leave. Inner fenders with partially dry paint were installed about 8 hours before departure time.

GCM Scale Adventure Fall 2018 - A new 2 door JK body to replace the original cracked one on my GCM Skeleton was delivered a few weeks prior. Paint, detailing, and lighting were finished about 12 hours before departure.

Pitbull Offroad Jamboree Fall 2018 - D90 body for my wife's truck was assembled and glued approximately 10 hours before scheduled departure.

That is an impressive track record that will likely live on as long as I have events to attend.

Well, that is all I have for now. If you were hoping for some afterwards carnage shots of a well abused VS4-10, then I'm going to sorely disappoint you. My truck is just as shiny and clean as it was at the beginning since it was too busy effortlessly conquering everything. The body stays looking really nice when the armor does it's thing and you spend all the time with the truck rubber side down. In fact, I'm pretty sure that first pic is actually from the end of the driving session.

In summary for all that don't care for the reading required by a standard update post in this thread:

VS4-10 Pro = Awesome

[Brandon]

Originally Posted by svt923

Hi everyone.


VS4-10 Pro = Awesome

Quoted for those who don't like to read

Not sure how I missed the VS4-10 Amateur build within your build but I liked it. Ive been doing very similar things with VS4-10 builds that started as test rigs and can now be equipped with the VFD trans kit. Lots of rigs torn apart on my bench at the moment and not many of them running.

[B-MOW71]

Looks like a great event you put on there with a nice collection of beautiful rigs!

Great to see the VS4-10 All Pro making it's first successful first run. I agree on the OG Rockbeast. They do fit this body very well and perform very well. I still run the OG's on my Origin and have been extremely happy with them.

Great job on the D90 Agents of SHIELD Land Rover. It is far too pretty to scratch up but looks good out on the trail!

Nice summary! I completely agree!

[mikemcE]

Great Minds........

Well if I had one , we could be twins . I loved and drove my VS4 amateur for a year , the rock beasts really work well . I also dropped in the VFD and an awesome truck somehow got even better. I’m running a 2700 Holmes and MMX on 3s.


Hang up and Drive

[svt923]

It has been a while good VS410 fans but I bring a grand present to you all.

Us tiny truck enthusiasts buy many things, most of which are a blend of performance and appearance. This is not one of them:



Words cannot express the awesomeness going on here. Someone get me a George Takei meme, now!

This is some of the handy work of our friend MrCommaD of Scale Design by MrCommaD, who does not actually have a comma in his name. The scale engine/servo cover is pure art that serves literally no purpose in this truck but I could not care less.



Look at how the already incredible VFD is magically transformed from a piece of pure tiny truck performance to a part of an incredible V8 setup. Functionally, nothing about the truck is changed which is part of the beauty. To fit a scale engine in many trucks, you have to compromise steering geometry, weight distribution, or both while this required none of that stuff.

All was not fine however and there were a couple minor issues. The first was one of the mounting tabs on the back of the engine broke off upon initial installation. I glued it back on, seated the engine into position a little better, and all has been fine since then.

The other issue is that super sweet intake manifold actually hits the body on my truck. Since this was meant for the VS410 Pro, I will assume the Pro's body sits slightly higher than my truck. When I get around to it, I'll design a lower profile intake to clear my body.

And there you have your ridiculously epic VS410 update for the day/week/month. I don't know when I'll be back but that should keep you amused for a while.

[durok]

What, you didn't make the front body posts into vertical turbo wastegate exhaust tubes?

FAIL!



(I'm just jelly of yer ever-more-amazin' Vanquisher of all comers...)

[mikemcE]

You’ve failed MrCommaD!!

Now go back and install the shifter on that VFD...... Sheeeesh, got a hot motor with a top end transmission, but you can’t shift it!!!


Me likey !!!!!!!


Hang up and Drive

[svt923]

Originally Posted by durok

What, you didn't make the front body posts into vertical turbo wastegate exhaust tubes?

FAIL!



(I'm just jelly of yer ever-more-amazin' Vanquisher of all comers...)

Good old American V8 power doesn't need any of them new-fangled turbo thingies! This ain't one of those subie-roos those good for nothing kids are always driving around!

Originally Posted by mikemcE

You’ve failed MrCommaD!!

Now go back and install the shifter on that VFD...... Sheeeesh, got a hot motor with a top end transmission, but you can’t shift it!!!


Me likey !!!!!!!

Wait, you expect me to do all the work of removing and installing 4 screws after I did all the hard work of removing and installing 2 screws to install the engine?

Do I look like some kind of professional screw remover and installer guy? I have a life you know.

[mikemcE]

Well I guess you’re NOT screwing around with this!!


Hang up and Drive

[durok]

No "Hoonigan" decal for this rig? No coffee-can exhaust? No stereo so loud it can pop the windows from their frames? Jeez, I'm not sure what to think...

[JatoTheRipper]

Bad ass work by MrCommaD the real king of scale.