Extreme Newbie question

[freedomflyer]

Doom, thanks for the BEC video that gave a great explanation of what it is and what it does.

Greywolf74, thanks for all of that additional information. I looked up the servo brands that you suggested, the Savox specs showed that although it had good torque and strength the servo speed was only slightly better than the stock servo I have in the Defender already. The Hitec servo actually looked pretty good all around for this rig, the Protek looks like it would break every weak spot in the stock front-end . What I read said something about 650 oz. of torque at 7.4 volts, so that would mean I would probably want to run a separate BEC? Just not sure if that's what I need for this rig.

ferrebee88, I noticed that there is a significant difference in price range between the Fusion set up and the Mamba ESC with whatever motor I would decide to use.
For this particular model/vehicle do you think I really need the drag brake or rock racer mode? I guess if I had a Capra I would be more inclined to go that route. Not saying that I wouldn't do it in this one but IYHO am I really going to regret not going that route. Also would I need to get a different radio system to handle this stuff? Like I said, I'm an ignorant newbie and this stuff is pretty foreign to me. I'm still living in the dark ages of radio gear and all of the new electric gear. Still missing the smell of 25% nitro in the air, the whine of a glo engine, and the oil on my hands. Okay nitro in air and the whine of the engine, not really the oil on my hands.....and all over eveything else.

 

[ferrebee88]

Doom, thanks for the BEC video that gave a great explanation of what it is and what it does.

Greywolf74, thanks for all of that additional information. I looked up the servo brands that you suggested, the Savox specs showed that although it had good torque and strength the servo speed was only slightly better than the stock servo I have in the Defender already. The Hitec servo actually looked pretty good all around for this rig, the Protek looks like it would break every weak spot in the stock front-end . What I read said something about 650 oz. of torque at 7.4 volts, so that would mean I would probably want to run a separate BEC? Just not sure if that's what I need for this rig.

ferrebee88, I noticed that there is a significant difference in price range between the Fusion set up and the Mamba ESC with whatever motor I would decide to use.
For this particular model/vehicle do you think I really need the drag brake or rock racer mode? I guess if I had a Capra I would be more inclined to go that route. Not saying that I wouldn't do it in this one but IYHO am I really going to regret not going that route. Also would I need to get a different radio system to handle this stuff? Like I said, I'm an ignorant newbie and this stuff is pretty foreign to me. I'm still living in the dark ages of radio gear and all of the new electric gear. Still missing the smell of 25% nitro in the air, the whine of a glo engine, and the oil on my hands. Okay nitro in air and the whine of the engine, not really the oil on my hands.....and all over eveything else.

The hobbywing system will suit you just fine. I like to go fast, play around in rock racer mode, and then lock it up when I hit some rocks. It's all personal preference. I like being able to hit a button on my remote and switching between modes. You do have to use a spare channel for that though. You can mitigate that a bit with the hobbywing system in the settings... like the drag brake percentage and the ramp rate(how quickly the drag brake is applied). If you have your drag brake set to instant you will literally go from full speed to front rollover, but if you set your ramp it can slow down more gradually.

The hobbywing system will suit you just fine. I like to go fast, play around in rock racer mode, and then lock it up when I hit some rocks. It's all personal preference. I like being able to hit a button on my remote and switching between modes. You do have to use a spare channel for that though. You can mitigate that a bit with the hobbywing system in the settings... like the drag brake percentage and the ramp rate(how quickly the drag brake is applied). If you have your drag brake set to instant you will literally go from full speed to front rollover, but if you set your ramp it can slow down more gradually.

Also... a brushless system isn't necessarily an upgrade. I have a trxt right now with a mamba x paired with a 2200kv puller pro. I have also set them up with a hobbywing 1080 esc paired with a Holmes Hobby 21t sport motor (less than $100 for the combo) and have been just as happy. If you plan on using the 2 speed and unlockable diffs, I would keep the traxxas remote.

When you go brushless, the need for a 2 speed transmission isn't necessary IMO.

 

[Greywolf74]

Greywolf74, thanks for all of that additional information. I looked up the servo brands that you suggested, the Savox specs showed that although it had good torque and strength the servo speed was only slightly better than the stock servo I have in the Defender already. The Hitec servo actually looked pretty good all around for this rig, the Protek looks like it would break every weak spot in the stock front-end . What I read said something about 650 oz. of torque at 7.4 volts, so that would mean I would probably want to run a separate BEC? Just not sure if that's what I need for this rig.

I'm not sure what proteks highest torque servo is because Savox and hitec are my two main go tos but both Savox and Hitec have servos that range from double digit torque numbers all the way up to around 1000oz/in. Same with speeds.

As for what you need for that kit, my personal opinion is something in the 300-500 oz/in range and something in the .10 to .13 range is what Id be looking for. Servo speed for a crawler is a bit of a preference I feel like and torque you can never have too much of, so really it just depends on what you want to spend and what you're willing to settle for.

 

[freedomflyer]

Thanks again you guys for the quick response, I value and appreciate your expertise, I'll visit a bit with my buddy here and get his thoughts as well.

 

[freedomflyer]

Hey guys, been somewhat busy as of late so the truck has been sitting on the back burner. I did however, right or wrong, make some decisions. I was not able to aquire the trick RC light kit for my Defender. I searched all over the place and every place I searched was out of stock and the places that possibly had it were companies that were based out of the U.S. and I didn't feel comfortable giving financial info or authorization for payment to them. So......ended up settling for the Traxxas light kit for my truck. I don't like the fact that it doesn't have brake lights or reverse lights for the money I spent but it does come with a light bar that mounts on the front of the roof rack and has a switch that has a high and low setting. Also comes with rock lights, not sure if I like that or not, going to see if it is possible to mount a separate micro switch somewhere to operate those independently.
I did decide to go with the quicrun fusion motor, a friend of mine has one that he is going to give me a bit of a deal on, I think it will work for my intended use. I have to face the fact that this is more of a trail type rig and it is going to be limited to what it can do. I did maybe go a bit overboard with the steering servo but decided I wanted good solid control and not be stalling it out in a more technical situation. I ended up getting a Holmes Hobbies direct power brushless SHV650 metal geared servo. I think it will do what I need it to do, a bit more than I wanted to spend but should be okay. I also ordered a set of brass knuckle weights, going to just mount those on the front for now may add the other two in the back at a later date.
Also ordered a couple cosmetic accessories, headlight grills and an antenna, and made a couple as well, a tow strap and a little loop of rope. Planning to make a box for the roof (balsa), a fire extinguisher (empty chapstick tube), a scale blue tarp and a propane tank, and maybe a couple of bed roles, don't want to add to much weight up high. Hoping to do light install this week. It is slowly but surely coming together.
I did have a bit of an opportunity to drive a bit on my frozen snow piles in front of my house, was pleasantly surprised by the traction I had. Was in short stints as it was -26, hands couldn't take much more than 5 minutes at a time. Was pretty fun though.

Trying to add a video,don't think it is going to work.

 

[Doom!]

Glad to see your getting a chance to get back on it. Always thought the Defender is a bad ass lookin' rig. I like my 1/18 scale version but still wish I had the big one. I blame @Xraycer his is very cool.

 

[freedomflyer]

Didn't work

Tried to find a thread with some pics of @Xraycer's Defender, no luck.

My brother just picked up a /24th scale 67 Chevy, scx pretty cool little truck, will probably have to get one of those too! Can't be outdone by the big brother .
I see upgrades for those are substantially cheaper. If I do will have to go all out and totally shame him!

 

[ferrebee88]

It's a nice looking rig and it's always a bonus to put your own spin on it. You can't go wrong with just about anything from Holmes Hobbies.

 

[Doom!]

Didn't work

Tried to find a thread with some pics of @Xraycer's Defender, no luck.

My brother just picked up a /24th scale 67 Chevy, scx pretty cool little truck, will probably have to get one of those too! Can't be outdone by the big brother .
I see upgrades for those are substantially cheaper. If I do will have to go all out and totally shame him!

Sorry about that LINK to @Xraycer Defender thread.

 

[freedomflyer]

Thanks Doom for the link, great thread. That Red looks pretty cool. I may have to add a tad more weight down low on mine, will see how it goes once I get all the added accessories. My buddy did one thing that really helped my tires grab better. We have a lot of distilleries here, it seems to be the new thing around here. He has a friend who has a friend that either works at, or owns one and they had one of their batches of 200 proof moonshine get tainted in someway so it wasn't fit for consumption. They had to get rid of a vat of it so were putting it in 5 gallon buckets and giving it to folks and telling them they could use it for cleaning purposes. So my buddy got a bucket of it and has been using it for various things. One of which is to inject it with a syringe into his crawler tires into the foam. It breaks the foam down somewhat inside and also softens the rubber somewhat from the inside, it does eventually evaporate. He did that with my stock Defender tires and I can't believe the difference between them and the spare on the back, waaaaay more pliable and seem to grip very well. He said you can do the same thing with rubbing alcohol, he just used the tainted moonshine because it was free. I have a little Danshee that I bought before the Defender I'm going to put the foam back in those tires and do the same thing. Bet it will soften those tires up as well.

 

[Greywolf74]

Holy cow! Now thats a servo! When I said the more torque the better I wasn't expecting a 16V servo!!!! You have offically been awarded the very prestigious "Captain Overkill Award"! Not to many of us have it so wear it with honor my friend!

 

[freedomflyer]

Will do so proudly!!!!
Got a call from my brother just before leaving the job site, wanted me to stop by he had something to show me. I figured he had purchased some accessories for his Redcat Scout or some upgrades for his new little Chevy pick up he just got. Boy was I wrong, I followed him into his office and there sitting on his hobby desk was another 1/24th scale Chevy, this one gray, he had purchased it for me. Was pretty blown away, he said he just felt like it. So have a new little toy

 

[freedomflyer]

Just finished a new little addition for the Defender, will spray it tomorrow with a couple coats of lacquer to preserve the paper labels, flat sheen of course, need to get going on the installation of the upgrades, hard to find the time these days. Longing for retirement but not seeing an end anytime soon. Think I'll have plenty to do if the opportunity ever comes.

 

[Doom!]

Looks great!

 

[freedomflyer]

Thanks man!

 

[WickedFog]

Just finished a new little addition for the Defender, will spray it tomorrow with a couple coats of lacquer to preserve the paper labels, flat sheen of course, need to get going on the installation of the upgrades, hard to find the time these days. Longing for retirement but not seeing an end anytime soon. Think I'll have plenty to do if the opportunity ever comes.

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Ok man, you gotta do a build series/tutorial on a box like that. That is some damn fine work bro! WOW!

Grats on the C10! It's one of my favs of all our RC's.

 

[freedomflyer]

Thanks,
I wish that I would have taken more pictures during the building process. Started snapping them toward the end. It took a little longer than I thought it would So unless I build another one I won't be able to show the step-by-step process. I thought about making it out of balsa but then I thought when I roll the truck over it's gonna crush it. So I opted to use scraps from the job I'm working on. We're trimming the house out with popular which is a good paint grade wood. All my tools are out here saws and what not so made it easy so as to not make a mess at home. I ripped 1/8 in. Strips then rip them to the width I wanted for the boards. I glued and clamped them together then ripped them to the length I wanted for the top bottom sides and ends. If I get a wild hair I may build another one, I'll probably end up with another crawler down the road much to my wife's chagrin. So will maybe make another one. Pretty certain it won't break when it rolls over pretty solid. I glued all the outside boards and nailed them all with 23 gauge by 3/4 inch nails. Is there actually smaller than A stick pin without the head. I think it adds to the realism a bit.

 

[Jamr]

Nice details with the stickers.

 

[WickedFog]

Thanks,
I wish that I would have taken more pictures during the building process. Started snapping them toward the end. It took a little longer than I thought it would So unless I build another one I won't be able to show the step-by-step process. I thought about making it out of balsa but then I thought when I roll the truck over it's gonna crush it. So I opted to use scraps from the job I'm working on. We're trimming the house out with popular which is a good paint grade wood. All my tools are out here saws and what not so made it easy so as to not make a mess at home. I ripped 1/8 in. Strips then rip them to the width I wanted for the boards. I glued and clamped them together then ripped them to the length I wanted for the top bottom sides and ends. If I get a wild hair I may build another one, I'll probably end up with another crawler down the road much to my wife's chagrin. So will maybe make another one. Pretty certain it won't break when it rolls over pretty solid. I glued all the outside boards and nailed them all with 23 gauge by 3/4 inch nails. Is there actually smaller than A stick pin without the head. I think it adds to the realism a bit.

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What did you use for the wash? The color and scuffs are pretty realistic.

 

[freedomflyer]

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some cheap acrylic paint, The main color is mustard, I used a medium brush that I didn't load real heavy, and just lightly brushed around to get it mostly covered but not with a thick coat. Then I used a very fine tipped brush lightly loaded with an Earth Brown acrylic and made small dots then smeared with my fingers lightly in a elongated grain pattern. Then took 150 grit sandpaper and sanded edges and various spots on the boards to lighten things up and get it down to bare wood. Then took a chisel and with it pretty much at a 90° angle scraped corners and board ends to chip them up some.
My wife works with a lady that does graphic design and I just sent her some images of the images I wanted and had her shrink them to a size that would fit the box. I had her do the 1.4 stickers Because my wife and I run a fireworks stand and that's the type of sticker that comes on all the boxes. Kind of a little inside joke my wife picked up on it right away. On the boxes that come from China they are very shiny gloss sticker so I put packing tape over those and cut around it with about a 16th of an inch of the tape past the paper It seemed to adhere fine to the acrylic paint but I am going to spray The whole Box with a lacquer To seal everything so that if there is any moisture it won't ruin the Camel trophy emblem. If there's enough interest I may build another one and just take pictures of it and explain as I go. It wasn't really that hard just "time" as usual. It does help that I have the little 23 gauge pin Nailer that really made things solid. I was actually hoping to have it open up but I looked all over and couldn't find any hinges or latches that tiny.