Steve-O builds a Bomber; Amateur Hour Friendly

[Steve-O]

Last year when the RR10 Bomber was announced by Axial I finally decided this was what I had been waiting for. I had done a comp crawler with the original AX10 Scorpion which I dumped in favor of the SCX10 Honcho but I never really wanted to make a serious crawler and be super scale. The Bomber satisfied my desires of having a more capable crawler than my Honcho but the scale appearance of a hopped up tube buggy without the $800 price tag of a welded cage.

This thread will be a gradual progression of what aftermarket parts I am installing on my RR10 and try to provide some insight on details that could get missed when selecting different upgrades. I want it to be as helpful as other threads have been that I have read through.

When I took my Bomber home there were also a few upgrades that came along and made their way into the chassis before the battery was even installed.

Pictured:

• Castle Mamba Max Pro, 10A BEC (with output set to 7.4V)
• Tekin ROC412 3100kv
• Hitec 7954SH servo and Axial aluminum servo horn
• Racers Edge 4100 3S LiPo battery
• Axial machined aluminum motor mount

I will spare the boring details but the install was pretty standard. When installing the MMP ESC on top of the receiver box be sure to push it further back so that the battery tray has the clearance needed. I used the stock gearing and so far I have been pleased with the power and run times. It has been my experience that the Axial servo horns are the most robust and have a perfect consistent fit every time.

 

[Steve-O]

The next round of upgrades included a set of Axial AR60 universals. These were selected for their reasonable price and availability because I destroyed the short bone be being lazy and putting foot to wood. I also installed the Vanquish scale hubs and knuckles in grey anodizing. I put the Vanquish brass knuckle bushings in as well because at ~$7 they are so cheap; why not? I went for a set of steel Incision links for the RR10 because they were something new, they were available (unlike their Ti at the time) and the extra heft will be good for crawling, which is how I will be using my Bomber a lot.

This is where I ran into a few minor hiccups. When using the stock wheels and offsets the scale Vanquish knuckles moves the tie rod mount higher for clearance. That left the hardware and rod ends rubbing on the inner lip of the wheel.

pictured is the hardware rubbing on the inner lip of the wheel

I picked up a set of (now older "narrow style") Vanquish 101 Method wheels and .350 SLW hubs which proved to give me the clearance I needed. So take note if you want the scale knuckles the stock Bomber wheels will not fit! With those little issues sorted out the increased steering angle makes a HUGE difference and is a must have. The turning radius is so much tighter and it makes difficult crawling lines a ton easier.

The other bump in the road was that the tie rod/drag links and servo horn do not work if you have the C-Hubs in the stock location. You have to run them in the center position. Not a big deal, but it does limit your tuning choices for your c-hub angle. See how the tie rod was hitting the servo horn in the below photo. I am not sure if this is exclusive to the Incision links only.

forgive the poorly shot phone photo

The fix and where to mount the C-Hub for clearance:

How it looks after moving the C-Hub to the center:

The Incision links were an easy installation. They threaded on to the Traxxas rod ends easily enough. It was also easy to see which links went where. The Traxxas balls are not as thick as the stock plastic ones from Axial so with 8 mounting points on the front axle/skid plate this left the front end with a lot of slop that you could hear. I used some #4 flat washers I had in my tool box that I had from a 1/10 2WD buggy that fit the slop perfectly and lined up the links much better. Some 3mm flat washers stacked up would also do the trick. The upper mounts on the axle just got good and snugged up to remedy whatever slop was there.

Note the flat washers used to take up the slop

 

[Steve-O]

Reserved for updates #2

 

[SCREAMER]

Off to a great start.

 

[Steve-O]

Thanks for the encouragement guys! The next batch of changes are the wheels and tires

As noted previously the stock wheels were not going to work with my new knuckles and links. Having seen the genuine Vanquish wheels in person I knew that was what I wanted. I decided a black wheel with a clear anodized ring would be best since the clear anodizing won't show the inevitable scratches. I chose the Method 101 wheel design in the now defunct "narrow" style vanquish wheel (not the 1.2" wide). I completed the wheel set with a set of Vanquish black anodized 350 SLW hubs front and rear.

delicious

I was partial to the stock tread pattern of the wheel since I think it fits the overall look of the Bomber well. The compound didn't even really bother me since after some scrubbing in they hooked up pretty good! After doing the work of removing two of the tires and having some leftover glue on the bead I figured forget it; I would just buy a full set of the new R35 compound KR2's tires. I will probably sell my nearly new set of stockers for half the price of the new shoes. Not wanting to settle for the plebeian stock foam inserts I consulted with known Axial Whisper NaZ-T on what Crawler Innovations foam inserts I wanted. I did two stage 5.50" with soft outer foams. What I did not know was that this is a impossible task to attempt to assemble yourself. The closed cell foam is wider than what the Vanquish wheels will normally allow to "go" together. NaZ-T assisted me with the assembly with the use of a custom made tire press. There is no way to put this wheel set together without that tool or without trimming/narrowing the closed cell insert You need to exercise caution when assembling the Vanquish wheels. The stainless hardware looks good but it will snap off if you cross thread it. Basically if you feel any resistance when first installing the bolt STOP and make sure you are line up correctly before continuing. These wheels are a work of art and deserve the kind of attention that a silly $200 upgrade are due.

Countertop crawler trail rated

The foam inserts are a perfect combination for how I want the truck to feel. The 350 SLWs when paired with the increased steering angle from the hubs and the Incision links have just the right amount of clearance on the front lower link. There is no rubbing at all to inhibit the truck. I am familiar with the R35's from the tires on my EXO Terra buggy and my Krawlers on my SCX10. The grip is what I expect and tire wear seems to be more than appropriate. I think I will experiment a little with tire sauce after I get out to a place with more serious crawling lines than what is close to me.

Next installment: Addressing the blue plastic elephant in the room...

 

[SCREAMER]

Did you try running the drag link behind the servo horn? May be able to clock the inner Cs back if it clears.

 

[Steve-O]

Did you try running the drag link behind the servo horn? May be able to clock the inner Cs back if it clears.

I didn't, but it wasn't the drag link that was catching; it was the actual servo horn that was hitting the tie rod.

 

[SCREAMER]

The tie rod should have plenty of wiggle room (up and down) especially with the wheels pointing straight and the tie rod furthest forward. It's worth it to try so you can get your caster back. You can see in your last pic, the outside steered wheel has positive camber. This will be fixed when you can clock your Cs back. You can also try shortening the upper links as long as your pinion angle is still within a reasonable angle.

 

[luckster]

Great looking build Steve-O I gotta get me a set of those Method wheels. After the RC4WD Challenge in Disney Ok. And Crawl-a-palooza 10 year anniversary run in Disney. Wallet is feeling kinda lite these days. If ya know what I mean.
Are you still running the stock tranny?

 

[Steve-O]

Great looking build Steve-O I gotta get me a set of those Method wheels. After the RC4WD Challenge in Disney Ok. And Crawl-a-palooza 10 year anniversary run in Disney. Wallet is feeling kinda lite these days. If ya know what I mean.
Are you still running the stock tranny?

Thanks! Yes so far still the stock trans/stock gearing - I do have the Axial aluminum motor mount. I am even running the stock slipper and spur gear. They are set pretty tight but if I get bound up enough it will slip. I would like to eventually get the RRP slipper setup, but I will wait for my stock spur to give up before I go and add more rotational mass. If/When my stock diff lockers give out I will likely replace them with the Axial HD gears (stock ratio) and some Incision spools.

Blue plastic is gross
As can be seen from some of my photos I did drop the original shocks in favor of the Pro-Line ProSpec shocks.

If it is a colored part it better be made of metal

I have probably been doing this too long, but I have come to accept that standard components to the suspension and chassis should just come in black. Colored plastic is a little too tacky for me. I think that if you are trying to add some contrast to a car anodized aluminum is the way to go, and it should be subtle and understated. At one point I considered buying the Axial stock parts to make the Icon looking shocks and getting some black threaded collars and stuff from STRC. The siren song of the Pro-Line Pro-Spec shocks as highlighted on billinvic's build and others swayed me. Out of the package they looked nice enough and having a 12mm shock body will be nice to try out some different shock pistons on the market. The bleeder screws on the cap make filling the shocks effortless and consistent every time. I have opted for the stock pistons so far and filled front and rear with 40 WT Associated silicone oil. Initial impressions are the stock yellow springs are too firm for the front and far too soft for the rear. I have picked up a set of tuning springs from Pro-Line and will stick one step softer in the front and one step firmer in the rear. Depending on how I like the spring change I may go to a 45 weight oil in the rear since it too seems a little on the soft side. I am pretty sure I will stick with the 40 in the front shocks.

Installation was easy. I opted for the optional flanged ball on the lower front shock eyelet because it fit the shock mount better and without slop.

I only wish the new 5" Pro-Line Yeti shocks were made in this color format as I would probably use a set in the rear as a bypass shock.

 

[rngrchad]

Just read through your entire thread! I really like what you got going on, and enjoyed the articulate post explanations. I'll be following along....and back to your build....