Harley's Vaterra Ascender Build

[Mighty1]

I'm gonna try. Sry phone died a bit ago. Headed to Kansas Championships. Let ya know if I win big!


"Scale Horsepower" and "Dirty Girls"only one way to think about it!"

[crazydave]

I'm starting to get a slight case of buyer's remorse.

As much as I hate the over-abundance of Jeeps when I go on an outing, I starting noticing they had an advantage because there is less body and bumper to get hung up. I was right about to get one, when this appeared, and I preordered without even thinking.

Now I'm starting worry how bad the torque twist could be, especially since I can now see the difference in the size of the crown gear. I'm also a little bothered by how large the body is. Seems like 180 degrees in the opposite direction from what I originally wanted.


I can't wait for you to get this together so we can get a performance evaluation. Hopefully while there is still time to change my order, because I'm already thinking I want to.

[Harley]

Originally Posted by crazydave

I'm starting to get a slight case of buyer's remorse.

As much as I hate the over-abundance of Jeeps when I go on an outing, I starting noticing they had an advantage because there is less body and bumper to get hung up. I was right about to get one, when this appeared, and I preordered without even thinking.

Now I'm starting worry how bad the torque twist could be, especially since I can now see the difference in the size of the crown gear. I'm also a little bothered by how large the body is. Seems like 180 degrees in the opposite direction from what I originally wanted.


I can't wait for you to get this together so we can get a performance evaluation. Hopefully while there is still time to change my order, because I'm already thinking I want to.

Well here is the thing, this body is huge. Period. Bumpers are super wide as well. On the trails and in the rocks, you're going to run this thing to all kinds of stuff. It will be hard to fit it through places that the smaller bodied and narrower bumper rigs are able to go. Honestly this isn't my favorite part of the truck either. Personally I like a trail truck that slips through tight spots and such as well. The Jeep bodies are nice for that. Some people will really like the scale size of this truck and the ability to tuck the tires (which even I think is pretty cool).

However, underneath of this beast of a body is a platform I'm excited to play with. I'm looking forward to pushing the truck and finding what is needed next. It's got major potential. Major. If you're a fan of scaling, it's a good buy (although a solid test session has not been done by myself personally yet). It's something that I want in my stable next to my Axial trucks. I have so much to say about this truck in comparison to our Axial rigs. I have to get a video done soon...

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by Harley

Well here is the thing, this body is huge. Period. Bumpers are super wide as well. On the trails and in the rocks, you're going to run this thing to all kinds of stuff. It will be hard to fit it through places that the smaller bodied and narrower bumper rigs are able to go. Honestly this isn't my favorite part of the truck either. Personally I like a trail truck that slips through tight spots and such as well. The Jeep bodies are nice for that. Some people will really like the scale size of this truck and the ability to tuck the tires (which even I think is pretty cool).

However, underneath of this beast of a body is a platform I'm excited to play with. I'm looking forward to pushing the truck and finding what is needed next. It's got major potential. Major. If you're a fan of scaling, it's a good buy (although a solid test session has not been done by myself personally yet). It's something that I want in my stable next to my Axial trucks. I have so much to say about this truck in comparison to our Axial rigs. I have to get a video done soon...

Thanks for the reply. I guess the anticipation is just getting to me. I usually get new RCs after everyone else already has one.

After spending all day thinking until my head hurts, I realized, I can always swap the body out. I forgot the adjustable wheelbase was a major selling point for me because I paint a lot of bodies, and planned to be swapping bodies out.

[Scrap]

Would it be possible to build a truggy with just the front parts of the chassis rails? Or does the skidplate need both front and rear parts of the chassis rails to be secure?

Would be great to have some kind of truggy rear made by Vaterra.

[Harley]

Originally Posted by Scrap

Would it be possible to build a truggy with just the front parts of the chassis rails? Or does the skidplate need both front and rear parts of the chassis rails to be secure?

Would be great to have some kind of truggy rear made by Vaterra.

Yes it would, and it's something I've thought about with the chassis.

[Harley]

Today was the shake down run on the new Ascender. Our local club, KCRC, was having a little fun run at one of our best locations. I wasn't totally sure what to expect being basically bone stock.

[old man 52]

'' I wasn't totally sure what to expect being basically bone stock. '' And the drum roll begins.

[M1tch]

[Harley]

I'm not trying to go for an over drawn out pause or anything, I am having some camera issues and am not sure why I can't get the video off of it.

[M1tch]

Looks good. Can't wait to get one.

[Harley]

First Run Thoughts

I'll get a short video up as soon as I can, fighting some technical issues at the moment.

Lets jump right into my thoughts on the trucks performance. Most importantly, I was pleased with the trucks capability and fun factor. It did exactly what I was hoping it would do. Comparing this truck to an Axial SCX10 kit is going to be an obvious choice. Today I ran it side by side with many SCX10's of varying levels of modification. I never saw a situation where it was not able to keep up, of course this could just be my incredible driving skills...

The additional ground clearance at the axle is great, and noticeable. The steering angle of the truck right out of the box gives this truck an edge over a dog bone equipped SCX10. The smaller ring provides lower reduction at the axle, and if you are more experienced you will likely notice a small amount more torque twist than an SCX10.

The body and bumpers concerned me at first. The size and width was something I thought would be a huge hinderance on the trails and be very annoying. Well, I was right, kind of. The wide bumpers do run into everything and you are constantly dragging the body against the rocks. However, it was something different and I didn't mind it at all. I actually had a lot of fun driving something different. It's also just a lexan body, and we know that is something that is as simple as it gets to replace.

The chassis mounted servo and 3-link front suspension worked great. I actually had to stop and remember that it was a CMS and not a standard servo on axle, and that's as good of a compliment as there is for a CMS. I didn't notice any bump steer at all, even when bombing around between rock sections.

There is more to be said about this, and I'll get a video processed ASAP.

[OkinawaCrawler]

Man that thing is big! Can't wait to see the video and your thoughts on its performance.

[M1tch]

Sounds like it runs fine. If just trail driving, which is all I do anyway, I guess it would be good out of the box.

[BigSki]

H- What's the quality of the body feel like? Similar to Axial or a Proline body? I'm actually looking forward to see one of these at the LHS next week. There might be a lay-o-way in my future.

[Harley]

Originally Posted by BigSki

H- What's the quality of the body feel like? Similar to Axial or a Proline body? I'm actually looking forward to see one of these at the LHS next week. There might be a lay-o-way in my future.

The body felt nice, thickness was decent and the details are clear. The grill is what really sells the body though. It sets it apart from any lexan body I've owned before. The decals that go into the insets of the grill leave a little to be desired but you could do some detail painting and fix that issue.

[jdmguy760]

Might be ordering one thanks for this slim review helped me out alot cant wait till you get the vid

[Harley]

Just few minutes of video from yesterday's shake down run. I'll have more info soon, and more on this project as I decide my ultimate direction for it.

[EeePee]

That's a little more than a little torque twist, eh?

And can you do us a favor and get a picture of the battery mount pivot on the upper links thing?

[Harley]

Originally Posted by EeePee

That's a little more than a little torque twist, eh?

And can you do us a favor and get a picture of the battery mount pivot on the upper links thing?

The low camera angle definitely gave me a different look at it. While driving, I swear I didn't notice it as much as it appears in the video. Not sure if I just had the camera placed at places where the front right was always drooping out, or if it was in fact just that drastic.

Let me see what I have on the battery tray.