B-MOW's VS4-10 Phoenix Portal

[Panther6834]

Those ISD10 driveshafts don't just look "very similar to the Axial WB driveshafts", they look like a direct knockoff. As the WBs are pretty good, this isn't necessarily a bad thing...in a way, it's almost a 'compliment' to Axial...but, I'm still 98% certain I'll be replacing them with driveshafts from either MIP, or Boom Racing.

Other than that, is looking great, Brian. The more I watch/read your build, the more I can't wait to start mine (it's out for delivery right now)...though, I'll still have to wait for delivery of the machined trans gears, and aluminum trans standoffs.


~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by Fookison

Awesome job so far Brian! Really clean and smooth build! Lead the way with all your great wisdom on this build!
I hope to get to mine soon! Still no parcel.
Cheers!
Doug

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Panther6834

Those ISD10 driveshafts don't just look "very similar to the Axial WB driveshafts", they look like a direct knockoff. As the WBs are pretty good, this isn't necessarily a bad thing...in a way, it's almost a 'compliment' to Axial...but, I'm still 98% certain I'll be replacing them with driveshafts from either MIP, or Boom Racing.

Other than that, is looking great, Brian. The more I watch/read your build, the more I can't wait to start mine (it's out for delivery right now)...though, I'll still have to wait for delivery of the machined trans gears, and aluminum trans standoffs.

~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

I’ve had great luck with the Axial WB’s on some of my other rigs and by the looks of these, they should be great too!

I run the Incision shafts on a few of my other rigs and love how they look and how durable they are. They’ll be on this Phoenix at some point!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[B-MOW71]

Well, first of all, this is the second time I'm attempting to post this. I just spent the last hour on the write up and adding pics and then the page crashed and I had to restart. Rant over and now I'm going to try to remember what I just typed.

Ok here is the VFD Twin trans, Bag-D. The trans went together very smooth and was a blast to put together. The front half above the motor is similar to my VFD's in my PRO and Origin, but after that it is completely different with the OD and DIG shifter and gears.

I'm not sure how I feel about the shifter covers on keeping dirt and water out of the trans, so I may look into making a boot out of a nitrile glove like has been mentioned here on RCC and on the social.



I went ahead and picked up the VP alum posts and the VP alum motor plate. I like the look of the posts with the Vanquish logo and it adds extra strength to the trans. Also by adding the alum motor plate, I feel that the motor is stays more secure and should not flex under pressure.









My plan tonight is to get the shift servos installed and work on getting the other electronics in. Stay tuned!

[twade984]

Nice choice on the upgrades, I happened to have a motor plate and stand-offs in stock when I built mine, so on they went.

Even though the vfd is pretty solid once it’s bolted up to the skid plate, I do prefer the extra rigidity. Even just stand-offs make a difference.

I’m curious about the nitrile glove boots myself, waiting to see who does it best and maybe I will copy them

[indybama]

Thats comin along nicely brian. Need to do links n shocks, but im bein lazy tonite lol.

I forgot to get a glove today. If i remember tomorrow, ill grab on n get a pic of the ones we have. I think the boss man gets them at harbor freight. Theyre the 5ml black ones. Theyre thick n dont rip like the blue ones. Just almost cant get my hand in them lol

[smog]

Looking good B. It’s Getting me excited to get this chassis built up.

I have Been taking my time and savouring each bag like its the last I will ever build Plan to get on and build the transmission this eve. The weather here has been unusually nice for November so I have taken advantage of it and started shaking some rattle cans. Got a good start on the paint.

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by twade984

Nice choice on the upgrades, I happened to have a motor plate and stand-offs in stock when I built mine, so on they went.

Even though the vfd is pretty solid once it’s bolted up to the skid plate, I do prefer the extra rigidity. Even just stand-offs make a difference.

I’m curious about the nitrile glove boots myself, waiting to see who does it best and maybe I will copy them

Thanks twade!

I agree! I also prefer the rigidity and they make it look cool!

Originally Posted by indybama

Thats comin along nicely brian. Need to do links n shocks, but im bein lazy tonite lol.

I forgot to get a glove today. If i remember tomorrow, ill grab on n get a pic of the ones we have. I think the boss man gets them at harbor freight. Theyre the 5ml black ones. Theyre thick n dont rip like the blue ones. Just almost cant get my hand in them lol

Thanks bama! I need to get over to your thread and check your progress.

I did grab a 5 mil glove from work. I need to pull the trans back out and see if I can make it work.

Originally Posted by smog

Looking good B. It’s Getting me excited to get this chassis built up.

I have Been taking my time and savouring each bag like its the last I will ever build Plan to get on and build the transmission this eve. The weather here has been unusually nice for November so I have taken advantage of it and started shaking some rattle cans. Got a good start on the paint.

Thanks smog!

Ha! Ha! I here ya on savoring each bag! I've been taking mine slow here lately.

Hoping to finish up on painting my body tonight. It was unseasonably cold last week here, but this week we'll be in the 60's.

[B-MOW71]

Small update. I haven't had a chance to work on the Phoenix lately because we have been super busy planning and preparing for my daughters wedding that is planned for this Saturday. Wow, had no idea how expensive weddings are these days!

So here is a look at the electronics that I will be using. I picked up a cheap set of servos on Amazon for now to run the OD and DIG shifters. I will eventually pick up a couple micro servos and mount adapters to in the future to run the OD and DIG.




I'll be using these VP 24mm servo horns on the OD and DIG servos instead of the purple horns seen above that came with the servos. Vanquish recommends to use the 24mm for these servos as they provide the right clearance and throw to operate properly.




For the steering, I'll be using the NSDRC RS800 V2 servo. I have this same servo in my GSpeed V3 Origin build and really like how it performs.

Will also be using the VP 20mm servo horn. Vanquish also recommends using this horn as it allows the right amount of clearance so that it does not hit the chassis rails at full lock. I run this servo horn on all of my VP rigs and have never had a problem with interference.






Picked up the FlySky GT-5 radio system. I've seen and heard great things about this radio so I thought I would give it a try on the Phoenix. It comes with a 6-channel receiver, so there will be plenty of channels to run the OD, DIG, lights and any extras that I may want to run.



For the ESC, I stole my Mamba X with the 2280kv Slate motor out of my TRX-4 Sport to install here in the Phoenix for the time being. Not sure if it will stay permanent in here or not.

I'm still working on getting the wiring routed and cleaned up, so when that is done I'll post up the pics!

[Topher Builds]

Overdue for a comment on this one BMow, I love how you’ve built this one. It’s top knotch as always.

I’m using the same servo and horn in mine and it worked out great.

The flysky gt5 made setting the end points for the shift servos a breeze. I have my dig as the 3 position and the OD selector on the button that’s (I think) channel 4. Just 2 position there.

[soze]

Originally Posted by Topher Builds

Overdue for a comment on this one BMow, I love how you’ve built this one. It’s top knotch as always.

I’m using the same servo and horn in mine and it worked out great.

The flysky gt5 made setting the end points for the shift servos a breeze. I have my dig as the 3 position and the OD selector on the button that’s (I think) channel 4. Just 2 position there.

I did the same on mine. ch4 3 position for the OD, and the ch3 button for OD.

Great job Brian!

Those purple horns will work fine. I'm using them for my dig and OD.

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by Topher Builds

Overdue for a comment on this one BMow, I love how you’ve built this one. It’s top knotch as always.

I’m using the same servo and horn in mine and it worked out great.

The flysky gt5 made setting the end points for the shift servos a breeze. I have my dig as the 3 position and the OD selector on the button that’s (I think) channel 4. Just 2 position there.

Thanks TB!

I'm really liking these NSDRC servos. Can't wait to get the micros to complete it.

Yeah, setting endpoints is easy with the GT-5. I decided to use ch-3 for the OD and ch-4 for the DIG. I really wanted to use the rear wheel drive option so I used the 3-position of ch-3. I've been seeing vids of people using the RWD in certain situations and I think it will come in handy. I don't plan on free wheeling the rear wheels, so I only needed the 2-position for the DIG.

Originally Posted by soze

I did the same on mine. ch4 3 position for the OD, and the ch3 button for OD.

Great job Brian!

Those purple horns will work fine. I'm using them for my dig and OD.

Thanks soze!

Good to see your Phoenix is coming together. I've been trying to keep up with your build vids on YT. Great job so far!!

Good to know about the purple horns. I've bought so many of the Amazon servos that I now have a pile of them servo horns in all different colors! I'll have to give them a try someday. I already had the VP horns on order so I went ahead and used them.

[bryantjt]

If you want more options, scoot up to the electronics section and there's a post about swapping the rotary channels on the GT5 for 3 way switches.

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by bryantjt

If you want more options, scoot up to the electronics section and there's a post about swapping the rotary channels on the GT5 for 3 way switches.

I did see that posting. I may give that a shot if I decide I need more 3-way switches.

Thanks!

[B-MOW71]

Alright, after a busy last few months and very little time to logon here on RCC, life has slowed down a bit and now I'm hoping to get back on the Phoenix and get it completed.

I recently placed an order for a set of BoomRacing Pro-Build wheels from the BoomRacing website. Since these were coming from overseas and seeing how the supply chain has come to a halt recently, I did not expect to see these wheels until early next year. Well, shockingly they arrived way before I expected them to. I placed the order on Nov. 23, 2021 for the custom builds and they arrived on my doorstep on Dec. 3, 2021.

These wheels are extremely nice! I went with the red SV5 Alum 6-lug faceplate, Neo Chrome, standard width (29.4mm) barrels, 4mm offset hubs and scale Mag Seat lug nuts in black.



I did run into a slight problem when I tried to test fit the wheels on the Phoenix. The Phoenix uses a 5mm stub axle nut. The VP supplied 5mm nut adapter would not fit into the Pro-Builds hubs so that the nut could be tightened down. Also, the Pro-Build hubs are not "stepped" to fit on the VP stock hexes.

So to solve these problems, I first used my drill press to drill out the Pro-Build hub to fit on the VP hex. Then on the backside of the hub, used a large drill bit to make a "step" so that the hub would tighten down onto the hex completely.






I then filed down the lip on the hub and left just enough so that the hub would stay centered in the wheel, but let the VP nut adapter fit on so that the 5mm nut could be tightened.

Since the stub axle has more than enough threads, I decided to put one M5 Din125 stainless washer on before the nut so that it would give me a little more room to thread on the 5mm nut completely.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

I did run into a slight problem when I tried to test fit the wheels on the Phoenix. The Phoenix uses a 5mm stub axle nut. The VP supplied 5mm nut adapter would not fit into the Pro-Builds hubs so that the nut could be tightened down. Also, the Pro-Build hubs are not "stepped" to fit on the VP stock hexes.

Just curious...but, would it have been possible to use SLW hubs on the Boom Racing wheels (ie. would the SLW hubs fit the bolt holes on the wheels?) I have different wheels in mind for my Phoenix, and both things are something I've been 'wondering' (especially since I haven't yet ordered the wheels).


~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

Just curious...but, would it have been possible to use SLW hubs on the Boom Racing wheels (ie. would the SLW hubs fit the bolt holes on the wheels?) I have different wheels in mind for my Phoenix, and both things are something I've been 'wondering' (especially since I haven't yet ordered the wheels).

~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

I believe the VP SLW hubs would fit, but I think the center hole in the faceplate where the hub goes would need to be enlarged a little, I think!!

I was going to try to fit one of my SLW hubs on them, but didn't because I really wanted to use the scale acorn screws. The acorn screws are metric and the threads in the SLW hubs are SAE.

When I get home from work today, I can see if the SLW hubs do fit for sure.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

I believe the VP SLW hubs would fit, but I think the center hole in the faceplate where the hub goes would need to be enlarged a little, I think!!



I was going to try to fit one of my SLW hubs on them, but didn't because I really wanted to use the scale acorn screws. The acorn screws are metric and the threads in the SLW hubs are SAE.



When I get home from work today, I can see if the SLW hubs do fit for sure.

I believe LockedUp RC carries both metric & SAE acorn screws...in silver, black, and brass. Also (if I remember correctly), they have "large" acorn screws for the hubs, and "small" ones for beadlock rings. I'm pretty certain it's LockedUp RC...but, it could be someone else (it's not even 6am, my coffee hasn't kicked in yet, and so my brain isn't 100% active yet).


~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

I believe LockedUp RC carries both metric & SAE acorn screws...in silver, black, and brass. Also (if I remember correctly), they have "large" acorn screws for the hubs, and "small" ones for beadlock rings. I'm pretty certain it's LockedUp RC...but, it could be someone else (it's not even 6am, my coffee hasn't kicked in yet, and so my brain isn't 100% active yet).

~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

Yeah, I've been wanting to pick up some of them scale acorn screws from LockedUp RC for awhile now. I just wanted to get these wheels built and mounted without having to place another order and then wait. In the end the wheels turned out great and fit perfect.

Ha! 6am has come and gone here on the east coast!

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Ha! 6am has come and gone here on the east coast!

I live in the "past"...always by exactly 3 hours.


~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

[B-MOW71]

Now onto the electronics install. This has always been my least favorite part of the build. Trying to tame the rat nest of wires and getting everything tidy has always been my struggle!

On my other VS4-10's, I used a Traxxas receiver box, but since space is a little tight on this rig with the added shift sevos, I decided to 3D print a small box to hold the receiver. Luckily I was able to find a nice simple box on Thingiverse. I resized it just big enough to hold the receiver and wires and still be able to mount the box up by the steering servo.

The box is not waterproof, but I don't really plan on running this rig in water. I think if I do get into a little water, the box should keep out any water that splashes.






I fabbed up a simple plate out of a scrap piece of Kydex that I had laying around. I originally thought about mounting the Mamba-X up front by the steering servo, but decided against that because I didn't want the extra weight of the ESC sitting up so high.




And here is a look at everything installed and all the wires covered and hidden the best way that I could. Not the best, but it will do!!








The extra power lead that is sticking up above the receiver box will be for the LED lights that will be installed in the near future.