bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

I have been wanting a Twin Hammers in my collection for a long time but never pulled the trigger for whatever reason! I saw someone was selling one on a local buy & sell site and it had the majority of the upgrades I wanted already. I ended up trading the guy my first SCX10.2 Jeep as a roller for his Twin Hammers rollers. It included new Pro-Line 1.9 Hyrax tires on SSD 1.9 Assassin beadlock wheels, which was a major bonus. The Twin Hammers was originally a kit with the upgraded parts that were specific to the kit.

The additional upgrades included:

GCM Front Tower Plate
GCM Rear Axle Truss
Lockers (front and rear)
Vaterra Aluminum Front Spindles
Vaterra Aluminum Front 15 Deg. Caster Block Set
Traxxas 85mm BB Shocks
Castle Creations Sensored 1406-3800KV Four-Pole Brushless Motor
MIP Rear Driveshaft

There was minimal usage and for the most part was in excellent condition upon initial inspection. I did find some damage when I fully dissembled the whole truck though, more on that later. Here's how the TH looked when I received it:

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Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

Looks like someone set it up nicely and had some fun. I am curious to see it with the Bilinvic transformation. Your builds seem to have a timeless quality about them.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

The plan was to fully disassemble the whole truck to examine every part for wear and tear and to familiarize myself with every part of the TH.

Here's where I found that the driver's side aluminum spindle was bent along with the inner A-arm hinge pin. I also discovered that the main transmission shaft that carries the spur was also bent which caused the spur to wobble.

I knew I was going to go with Blue Monkey RC Yeti length trailing arms to get the wheelbase substantially longer which better suits the rock crawling terrain in my neck of the woods.

So after disassembly, an order from RPP was made to get this machine in tip-top condition again.

Hot Racing Twin Hammers Front Hinge Pin Brace
Losi Steering King Pins & Hardware
MIP X-Duty Rear C-Drive Kit, Axial Yeti
Racers Edge Diff Locking Putty
Vaterra Flat Body Panels (Hood and Roof)
Vaterra Front Diff Rebuild Kit
Vaterra Front Inner Hinge Pin
Vaterra Front Outer Hinge Pin Screw
Vaterra Front/Rear Diff Housing
Vaterra Transmission Shaft Set

I've read good things about the Racers Edge diff putty and thought I would try it out knowing that the TH front axles aren't exactly the strongest parts with a locked front diff.

For electronics I'm using a new CC 1406 3800kV sensored motor, CC MMP, CC BEC, Xpert WR-7701-HV servo (Torque (oz/in) @6.0V: 347.00 oz-in, @7.4V: 427.92 oz-in, @8.4V: 485.80 oz-in and Spektrum SR310 rx.

Gearing 78t Spur, 20t pinion.

Transmission is locked in low gear.

I'm using .350 Vanquish hubs on the SSD beadlocks. Foams are Crawler Innovations Lil' Nova 2-stage.

Cosmetically, the side panels were in excellent condition and I like the look of the black and green theme. The roof and hood were in rough shape so I replaced them with new panels painted gloss black on the inside and matt cleared on the outside. I'll probably replace the number panels with something a little stronger than Lexan since they are elevated above the rear chassis.

All four shocks were 100% rebuilt and I added internal and external shock travel limiters; the front especially needs them to ensure the dogbone pins stay with the front outdrive slots in full droop.. I also used Traxxas X-rings within the rear shock cartridges. The suspension is super plush and feels perfect.

I used the thickest Vaterra TH rear sway bar to keep the rear end from over-flexing.

Here's how it looks now:

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Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

Hopefully I will be able to get my hands a Sr.Irie GCM Tower Steering kit.....or hopefully GCM will develop one... HINT HINT!!!

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

It sounds like the previous owner put her though the paces.

I like how you have it set up. Personally I really like the performance of the longer trailing arms.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

Very nice transformation already.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

Looks good. I'm interested to see what you do to the TH. You did a great job with your Wraith, B1B, and B2B.

I recently picked up a TH myself. I agree with you that the stock TAs are too short. I ended up putting some Wraith length JEC TAs I used on my B1B on the TH. It's much better at speed and doesn't lift the front as much crawling. I've also moved the electronics up front and the battery under the driver. I'm still working on getting the AUX wire to turn the drag brake on when shifting into low gear (need to get that servo reverser installed).

I'm interested to hear how you like the Racers Edge. I need to order some for my B2B. I'm using Bad Horsie in the TH and like it but I still want something a little thicker. It feels good at speed and while crawling without killing the front end. The Bad Horsie isn't thick enough for my B1B but in the lightweight TH it fine...not perfect.

The TH is a fun little rig.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

Interestingly I found the opposite. I ran Yeti length rear trailing arms for a few months, before switching back to stock trailing arms. I'm running an open front and rear diff (500K oil in both), as well as B5M front arms, but did not find any significant improvement in handling by the fitment of the longer Yeti arms. I did like the look and the additional rear articulation, but frustratingly found the longer wheel base causes the TH to get caught up way more often on obstacles that a stock length TH just drives over the top of.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

The primary role for this TH is crawling, bouncing and extreme rock face climbing. I'm not a basher type (not that there's anything wrong with that!!!) so the longer wheelbase is perfect for what I am wanting this TH to conquer.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

I did manage to find time on Sunday to get my Twin Hammers out for a session with a couple of other hardcore crawler buddies. I carried my B2B on my back thinking that the TH would breakdown at some point during the 4 hours of rock crawling....but....it never got used; the TH performed flawlessly. One 2200mAh 2S battery lasted just over 2.5 hours and then I amped up to a 3S 1800mAh battery for the remainder of the day to see if I anything would break!

Of all the crawlers I have built, I have never built a rig and have it perform so perfectly right away without further tuning or configuration changes. This Twin Hammers is by far the most capable rig I have in my collection. Trust me when I say this, my other RC's are built to crawl to a high degree of performance but the TH pulled some lines that I have never been able to accomplish with other rigs....and it would do it over and over again! I was in disbelief how good this rig was, and so were the other two guys; it was a jaw dropping performance.

The 3800kV motor locked in low gear was perfect, lots of wheel speed even on 2S.

Regarding the Racer’s Edge diff putty, I never once saw my front wheel NOT spin, yet gripping each tire in two hands, I can twist them in opposite directions with only a slight bit of force. In a tight bind, I’m sure the putty will save some parts from breaking. I will definitely try the REDP in my B2B as well.

No changes to the shocks and anti-sway bar are needed.

No changes to the tires foams are needed, the 1.9 Hyrax tires are awesome…arguably, they probably equal 1.9 KLR (silver) performance IMHO.

I will cut some 1/16 Titanium drill bits down and throw them in my trail spares for the wheel hexes….better safe than sorry.

Because the TH is relatively small and lightweight compared to my other rigs, it will be easy to strap it to my backpack and carry as a spare rig when I’m heading out on the rocks with another rig….no more walks of shame!!! :lmao:

At this point, I cannot think of one thing that I will change, (except the impossible to purchase Sr.IRIE steering conversion and maybe an interior panel). I can’t wait to get this TH out on the rocks again.

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Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

I saw your post on the IRIE thread and wondered what you would be building. My twin hammers came completely stock but he gave me a BlueMonkeyRC front shock tower new in packet so I installed it and converted to the Traxxas bellcrank setup. The Gmade shocks I used (85mm i think) are a few mm too long so the front dogbone pops out sometimes. Gotta limit the shocks. But it's a very fun little rig.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

After seeing so many of your build threads of so many appealing kits, I gotta say it's cool to hear such high praise for the TH performance. I have always found it to be a little beast and have gobs of fun with the thing.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

I can't believe I waited this long to get one...gotta be the most under-rated RC of all time! Mind you, mine is far from stock, but still!!!!

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

It's a great little rig. I actually love that it's smaller (more a real 1:10 scale, I'm guessing wraiths / bombers are more like 1:7 scale).

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

So true. I have friends that thought I was crazy for getting one. Now they have their own Twin Hammers.

The biggest complaint I heard prior to getting my own was rollovers. Heard the same thing about the Bomber. To me, saying a rig rolls too much is like looking at a house and not liking it because the paint on the walls. Tweak it, tune it, getting it set up correctly make a world of difference.

I've seen a lot of people use the Yeti TAs, which do seem a bit long to me. I haven't tried them. I went to straight to the Wraith TAs from JEC. I feel the Wraith TA length is perfect. Oddly enough, I like the Twin Hammers TAs on a 1.9 Bomber better than the Wraith TAs.

Like you, I can't wait to get the rig back onto the rocks.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

I had another opportunity to get my Twin Hammers out again today; a 4 hour session up Mt. Doug with a good friend. Now that I have had it out a couple of times, I can with say with the utmost confidence that this rig is by far the most capable crawler/bouncer in my collection....it's performance and balance is outstanding, it just does everything so fricken' well and is so satisfying to drive.

No tools were used out on the mountain today and I definitely did not baby it "thumbsup"

I will get a build spec list posted soon...because if you want the ultimate "scale" crawler/bouncer, all you have to do is copy mine! 8)

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Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

Your playground is too good.

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

It sure is...I live in a crawler's paradise!!!

Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

I couldn't resist the closeout pricing on Vanquish 1.9 OMF Outlaw II wheels from RPP...and I love 'em!!! I mounted my KLR silvers with the VooDoo under 10lb foams up front and over 10lb foams on the rears.

If there's any weak points in my Twin Hammers, these tires will bring them to my attention quickly!

I also ordered a pair of Vanquish aluminum spindles but they do not fit on the Vaterra aluminum castor blocks, so I will now order the VP castor blocks too!

Scorched parts reached out to me and wants me to test and provide feedback for their bell crank kit made specifically for the GCM top plate....I look forward to trying these parts out. "thumbsup"

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Re: bilinvic's Twin Hammers
 

Nice looking Twin hammers!

One question though, I see you have the swaybar mounted to a ball stud on the side of the rear link, does this not twist the rear links as the swaybar tries to keep the sides level? I ask this as years ago I had shocks mounted in a similar manner and I had the lower link rocking side to side as the suspension moved do to the load off center. It's somewhat hard to describe.