Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Well, over the last few months I’ve been grabbing parts for what would eventually be some type of VS4-10 build with the VFD. I had one of the OG VS4-10s, number 88 iirc, and really enjoyed the build and the quality of the truck. I eventually sold it as there weren’t a whole lot of directions to take it at the time and I wanted the funding for other builds. Pic of the OG below.

I eventually tried to mimic the vs4-10 with a “TRX10.2” http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/traxx...trx10-2-a.html because of the similarities in the chassis clearance and the forward motor oriented transmission. While this project has been a lot of fun, it’s no replacement for a vs4-10.

Once vanquish announced the VFD my ears perked up and I started kicking around ideas for the build. I really wanted to do a rear portal with the VFD but after considering various transmission options and final drive ratios I decided that project is best served with a non-VFD set up. Then vanquish released the 21% OD for the VFD and put everything on sale over the holidays so the $5 foot long diet and the vanquish parts grab began.

At the end of the day, even after getting mostly everything for 15% off the vs4-10 pro kit is still a good value. I think my final cost ended up a little bit higher but thanks to the discounts, Christmas gift cards, and Amain reward points this ended up being doable. I also made some choices that make it a bit different than a box stock pro on purpose, because there’s no point in paying more for what I could get in the kit.

I digress, enter the VS4-10 Pro Custom build. Here’s a pic of all the parts that will be used. And a quick run down of the plans. At this point I haven’t done anything but inventoried what’s been gathered over the last few months to make sure I’m ready to build.

VS4-10 chassis
VFD transmission kit
VFD Battery plate
Vanquish D44 Axles - Black
VP 21% OD Kit
Incision Driveshafts
Incision 12.0” link set (hoping this helps with some of the ground Clarence on the VFD skid)
VFD Aluminum Stand Offs
SSD Brass Knuckles
VP 1.9 KMC Bully Gray Wheels
VP 1.9 silver rings
Proline 1.9” BFG Krawler Predator Compound
Proline 1.9” Dual Stage Foams
SSD Steel Brake Rotor Disc Weights and hubs
Samix Brass Hexes
Boom Racing OD Gears in front
Fast Eddy AR44 bearings
Holmes Hobbies BRXL and HeyOk No Brainer BEC
Holmes Hobbies Torque Master Pro 27T
MKS X5 HBL550 Servo
Traxxas PTFE coated and TiN GTS shocks with white springs up front and stock in rear
Axial Blazer Body

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Nice! I can't wait to see what you do with it! I won't be touching mine until way into 2020 as I have several other builds to take care of first, but I'm definitely going to be watching yours for ideas! 8)

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

This build is going to be sweet!"thumbsup"

Looks like a great collection of parts! It should be a killer rig when completed!
You have way more patience than I do!:ror: I would have had a hard time keeping all them pieces/parts in their bags!

I forgot you had one of the original VS4-10's too! Glad you posted a pic of it. It is a great looking rig!

Can't wait to follow along!:)

Happy New Year TB!

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

SUBSCRIBED!

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Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Look at that fun, pile of parts! I'll be watching this one.

You did confuse me because you said it was best served with a non-VFD setup, but then you went on to touch on the overdrive advantage of the VFD and you listed it in your parts. :ror:

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Thanks dudes! I’m really excited to start this one. May take some time with it since we’ve been stuck in temps around the 40s and 50s with no relief in sight, so it will be at least a couple weeks till I can paint :|

Happy new year! And I don’t want to admit how many times I opened the boxes I’ve been stowing parts in just to thumb through them and reinventory. I did eventually build one wheel :lmao:

Haha yeah I could see that. I meant that the rear portal and the VFD didn’t seem to work well together because of the OD to the front by default in the VFD and the difference in ratios already from a vp portal compared to a straight axle. It is doable with a VFD but even with an OD in the rear diff and the VP OD portal gears the drive ratios were further apart than I’d want (I think it was around 40% OD but I can’t remember exactly) I may get into that project later in the year with a stealth x since I can flip it to OD the rear and close the gap in the ratios.

Edit* I may have been off in my math on the VFD with a rear portal... should have watched this again but still an option for the future https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RZS3i59okq4

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Good call on the good looking D44 axles. I don't care if the F9's are modeled after a real axle, they are butt ugly.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Sounds like someone isn't committed enough to the hobby.

Can't paint because its only 50*? You have a kitchen counter don't you? A little overspray on your food only has like a 2% chance of killing you.:lmao:

Now excuse me while I go back to watching this build and not painting the 5 other bodies I should be painting. "thumbsup"

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

@GA Dawg. I agree, once this was getting pieced together instead of a full kit there was no way I was going for the f9’s over the lovely D44s. Although if I ever do a rear portal build with vanquish axles I’ll end up with a front f9 too.

Haha only 2%? I like those odds.

I’m getting close to trying to rent out a friend’s garage for a day, I’m in the same boat and have 3 bodies sitting around waiting for paint.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

You can come use mine for free!!!:lmao:"thumbsup"
Ernie

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

With all the tools in your garage and knowledge in your head you may not get rid of me for a while haha :lmao:

That would be awesome though, I would enjoy learning some metal fab.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Not a ton of progress yet but I got the wheels and tires all together. Opted for silver rings instead of the black ones that came with the bully’s and I like that it pops a little.

The backside pic shows the ssd stainless brake rotor and the ssd hex hub.

Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Wheel/tire combo looks great![emoji106]

I’m a big fan of the silver rings! I’ve been slowly swapping my black rings out for silver.

I like the SSD rotor/hexes!


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Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

I love the Bully's more and more. They look great.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

This weekend it was time to build the axles. I realized I forgot to get hex pins and put in a quick order for some and those should be here today.

When building these axles I ran into a couple of issues. One was seating the bearings on the universals. This was tough as has been mentioned before but not something that can’t be worked around with a little time and sand paper.

The second issue I ran into was with the ssd brass knuckles. I have several sets of these and never ran into any issues before, however for whatever reason the long side of the axle and this new ssd knuckle didn’t play well together.

I emailed VP and had a response the next morning asking for photos, and they mentioned it can be tough to guarantee fit from different manufacturers parts. This got me thinking and since I had two other rigs with these knuckles and AR44 based axles on it I decided to try and swap a knuckle I know fits properly onto the VP axle to see if it would work out. Wouldn’t you know it the knuckle from my trail king fit perfectly, the holes lined up and the axle was completed shortly after.

So I took the new knuckle I was trying to fit on the VP axle, installed it in the trail king, and it fit just fine there, one hole was a smidge off but it still mounted well.

I’m glad I didn’t need any new parts and can continue with the build now. Next up will be chassis and transmission.

Thanks fellas! It’s taking a lot of willpower not to throw these on the Capra, we’ll see how long that holds up :ror:

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

That last shot there... beautiful. Just beautiful.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Those are the best-looking axles I've ever seen!

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Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Awesome build. Really nice to see all these individual parts come together to complete a build. We're working really hard to release more and more options so builds like these can match customers personal preferences. "thumbsup"

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Made a lot of progress this weekend and she’s now rolling under her own power. I’m going to need to crack it open again unfortunately as the ssd overdrive gear and vp housing don’t seem to play well together. It will run but when turning it skips, I had a hard time getting a decent mesh before installing and will likely go back to a normal 30/8 ring and pinion and run the 21% OD alone. Should be plenty!

Anyhow, here are some pics and two items of note that I ran into with the VP OD, VFD kit, and chassis kit together.

First; The OD gears don’t come with instructions, but if you’ve ever been inside a transmission before then it’s fairly straightforward. There is one little piece though that I could see being overlooked so I wanted to touch on that. In the first pic below there is a small black aluminum stand off included in the OD gear set that threads into the new bearing plate. I didn’t take a pic of it before I installed it but this should help point it out.

Second: The VFD instructions start with a step suggesting the installation of optional VFD mounts. This part was confusing because the shape of the VPS10126 is different in the VFD instructions than it is in the chassis instructions. What I mistakenly did was I installed the mounts (which I’m fairly certain came in the VFD bag) in the spot circled in blue. Do NOT do this. Or you’ll be sad like me when you get to the end and try to mount the transmission, just to find out those mounts will interfere with and prevent you from mounting the transmission. Even worse, you have to drop the frame rails to remove the mounts since they install on the brace before the brace goes on the chassis.

I’m not sure if the VPS10126 part changed at some point. But what I realized is the mounts that were already molded into and part of the VPS10126 brace are the mounts that line up perfectly with the VFD. In looking at the photo from the VFD directions, it appears those mounts may have originally been screwed into the brace with the OG kit, and those would have been replaced with the mounts from the VFD kit. However, since the mounts on my brace were molded into the rest of the brace, there’s no way or need to change them. I am still a bit confused about this but everything mounted up great and feels sturdy.

Lastly, one odd thing I also noticed was that the VFD kit came with both an aluminum (I assume) slipper eliminator and also a plastic version of the same piece. I opted for the metal one of course, but it’s nice to have a spare part if ever needed.

No idea what happened with the mounts or if messed something up when dumping parts on the table, but at the end of the day she’s all built and ready for body mock up so I am excited.


Many thank you’s sir.

They’re certainly sharp axles! Going to choke back a couple tears when I start beating on them.

Thanks Brandon! I’m really excited about the direction you all are taking this kit. It’s great to have all these different options for VS4-10 and custom builds.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

And a couple pics of it all together. I don’t think I mentioned this already but the shocks are traxxas GTS(x). The x meaning the version with the ptfe coating and TiN shafts. I like em! Don’t mind the electronics, just connected but I need to mount the receiver and find a spot for the heyok BEC to hide.

Also, I’m thinking the answer to this is yes but want to make sure before I order something, has anyone ran an aftermarket scx10ii shock tower in the rear?

The truck is very study and well built. I love the quality of this kit, and I was surprised to see that it could do the sideways stand right after being built. "thumbsup"

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Those additional parts noted as "Install Option 1" work with the machined aluminum servo mount from the original Origin Limited kit. They allow you to retain your aluminum servo mount and still be able to install the VFD trans.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Ah that makes plenty of sense. Part numbers stayed the same since the plastic replaced the aluminum?

Thanks for clearing that up.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

You'll have to let me know how that MKS servo works out!

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

We never had a part number for the aluminum braces as it was fix for the Origin Limited that was never to be sold separately.

All the chassis braces are VPS10126. The VFD skid plate and mounts are VPS10125. We put the skid plate and mounts on its own mold so if a customer with the Origin Limited (with machined chassis braces) wanted to upgrade to the VFD everything they needed would be included. If we didnt include those little mounts on the VPS10125 skid plate mold the customer would have to purchase VPS10126 chassis brace set only to cut off those mounts from the molded servo mount if they wanted to retain their aluminum mount.

Its not easy, but we tried to cover all bases. Its even harder to clearly explain all the different scenarios and options to install things. I think the only reason you ran into a bit of confusion is because you're building this from all the individual sets of parts and not just a Pro Kit. So I appreciate the feedback! "thumbsup"

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Thanks for pointing that stuff out. We've got pretty similar pieced-together VS4-10 chassis-based rigs with D44 axles and the VFD trans. I also just ordered the VFD Overdrive Transfer Case gear set and a VP spool and gear set.

I wasn't originally planning to run the 21% OD gears in my VFD. I built my D44's with SSD OD gears in the front, but they were crunchy beyond belief. No amount of shimming would make them spin smooth. Don't really know what is going on there. That's not a criticism of SSD stuff. I have been having problems with lots of other brands of AR44 gears lately.

So I'm really glad to hear your rig is running well with the VP gears. Hopefully the VP stuff works out better for me too.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

It’s fast and strong but it is noisy! Might put it on a revolver rig and swap a Holmes servo over here to keep the rig quiet.


No problem. Revisiting the instructions made more sense after you explained this. Thanks for chiming in "thumbsup"

I ended up taking the SSD gears out, put them in a rig with ssd axle housings and the mesh was perfect. Took the boom racing gears out of that axle and put them into the VP axle and now the mesh is perfect there too.

Just need to get the receiver and BEC mounted and then start body work and then it will be ready for action.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Waiting for better sunlight to take more pics but here’s a teaser for y’all. Went with the tamiya anodized green on this one, really should have got two cans of the green paint but it didn’t come out bad just a little ghosting on one side :roll:

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Looks amazing. Is that a decal or a badge?

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Hopefully the sun is out because I wanna see this!

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Thanks Brandon! It’s this metal decal from cchand, their blazer selection is nice

https://www.amainhobbies.com/rc4wd-c...vc0636/p897341


Just got done taking pics! "thumbsup"

Passenger side is the one that shows some ghosting. I could only find one can in stock of this color and wish I had waited for another but it’s not that bad in person.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

I love it! That's bad ass! "thumbsup"

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Looks great Topher. Like I said on IG. I've wanted to pick up this body and the hard top for a while now, but I'm now also running into the issue of too many unused bodies! LOL.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Cool color! I've never seen that before. On the passenger side it just looks like some of the paint is faded from the Sun or something

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Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Bro! I'm really digging this rig!!! That paint on that body is awesome! Keep up the great work!!!

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Have to admit, that first photo looks so real. Except for the steering link, it's difficult to tell that's a scale RC.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place [emoji1690]

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Thanks everyone! Much appreciated.

We have some 60+ weather coming our way this weekend so a maiden voyage is going down. Excited to see how it does.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

I'm glad the sun came out today! It looks awesome!"thumbsup"

I'm really liking the color. Gives it that retro look just like it should look like.

I think the passenger side looks OK. A little "red" rock rash and nobody will ever notice!;-)

Can't wait to see some running footage!:)

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Topher, given the issue you had with the new set of knuckles, would you take the gamble on another new set or would you recommend something else with for VP axle? Thanks.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Couple short updates from this weekend. I tried to get out Saturday but broke some body posts only a few minutes into the trail. Snapped a couple pics with the enduro and it’s new beater body before heading home to fix it up.

Went back out today for maiden voyage number 2 and had a whole lot of fun. This truck with the VFD is very well balanced and I was taken aback at how predictable it was. It took a couple tumbles as I learn its limits, got some scratches, and lost some mirrors. That’s okay though, it was only a matter of time, and in the words of Tame Impala, “he doesn’t like it looking like he looks back”.

Anyway, this truck loves to be sideways and even with the short wheelbase it can still do some climbing. I’m tempted to stretch the wheelbase out a little down the road just to see how it does with a little more reach. Very excited to drive this one some more.

The body posts survived today but I have some aluminum posts on the way and I’m going to try and find someone to print humboldt’s braces for me as well.

Here are a few pics and a couple clips, Instagram embed isn’t on in this forum yet so links...

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7hwgJLg...d=7zb91iavifmt

And another one....

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7hutqAA...=1qzoprylsee5h

Thanks BMow! I was hoping the green would pay homage to the classic lime green while still “looking expensive” since this is a vanquish truck. I’m really happy with the color and may horde some of this color as I find it so I can use it again in the future.

I’d go for the ssd knuckles again without hesitation. I’ve used them on VP axles before in my original vs4-10 which had D44 axles also and didn’t have any issues. Thinking this was a fluke in tolerances.

Re: Topher pieces together a VFD VS4-10 Custom
 

Great update Topher, love those stuffed tire shot!