Wraith, Bomber and Yeti setup advice

[*Old*]

Hello all,

First post here. Been lurking for a bit now. I'm looking to get the Wraith, Bomber and Yeti, in kit version, for me and my two boys (6 and 11) for this Xmas.
I don't have any RC experience, but used to own 75' and 89' K5 blazer I modded out to be a crawler. Built them up with Dana 60s, NP203/205 doubler, 40" TSLs, etc, etc. Point is, I believe I have some skills to tinker with.

Anyway, so the Wraith would be for my 6yr old, the Bomber for me and the Yeti for my 11. I figure the slower and more controlled vehicle for my 6 and my 11 loves speed and I think he would enjoy the Yeti more. We have some decent wooded trails with rocks, stream, logs, etc within walking distance from our home that we can play in.
From my months of reading up this forum and gathering information, I believe I have the right setup combo to start out for each:

For each vehicle:

Motor: HH Puller Pro BL 540 3500KV
ESC: HH Trailmaster BLE waterproof
Servo HH SHV500
Axial aluminum servo horn
3s Lipo battery

SSD 2 speed tranny for each
2speed Servo - any advice?

Vanquish Aluminum Servo mount and clamp for Wraith and Bomber

Radio: Airtronics MT4

Charger: Venom Racing Pro Quad charger

Hood hinge kit for the Spawn Wraith - saw on Ebay for $5 - (thinking of cutting up the body some and moving the battery up front, I've read this is a must upgrade).

From my research, I believe the above setup will provide good low speed torque for crawling capabilities and also good speed for messing around bashing. I think i'll be cool with 20mph being a max speed.

My questions are:

1. Do I need to get anything else to build each kit and get them rolling? Would hate to realize I didn't get something on Xmas day when we're putting them together.

2. Are the stock gearing/pinion setup for each vehicle the right setup to keep the electronics from overheating? If not, what would you recommend?

3. Does the Airtronics MT4 have the capability to limit the max speed of the wraith to keep my 6year old from going too fast...which I can increase as he gains more experience/age...?

4. Any advice on which 2 speed servo to get that will be an easy bolt in?
5. Any simple bolt in lighting kits you recommend for each vehicle so we can run in the dark?

6. Are there any parts in these vehicle kits that you believe is a must upgrade from the start with the above power that we need to get? I have the mindset of running what the kit comes with till it breaks but if there is any true weak link that I need to be aware of, please share.

7. Lastly, do you recommend a different setup for either vehicle?

Sorry for the long winded post. Thank you in advance for any advice.

Old

 

[durok]

Personally I'd forgo the 2speed completely, with a sensored brushless motor you don't really need it at all. That keeps the weight and complexity down, no need for the extra servos either.

Holmes electronics crawl smooth at the low end, and 3S with the 3500kv will be quite fast on the top end. Later, if you really feel the need - go ahead and add a 2speed.

 

[Thloftus]

I think you'll want external BECs for your servos. Castle Creations makes a 10A BEC that would work well:
http://www.castlecreations.com/en/cc-bec-010-0004-00
You could also use Holmes Hobbies bypass adapters, which allow you to power the servo directly with the BEC (instead of routing the power through the receiver, useful if the Rx is not able to handle the higher voltage):
http://holmeshobbies.com/electronic...ssories/holmes-hobbies-rx-bypass-adapter.html

Nice ESC / motor choices, btw!

Others may be able to recommend lower cost BECs (Castle is around $20). I've only used Castle, but have seen others say good things about BECs from Hobbyking and elsewhere.

I've built the Bomber kit, but not the other two. It's basically awesome out of the box. There's room to upgrade (of course), but the Bomber kit is not lacking anything obvious, IMO.


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[durok]

If you use just the SHV500, no BEC is required. Wired the servo pigtail directly from the ESC battery leads to the 3S. Only if you are adding steering servos and lights, etc is a separate BEC needed.

 

[Thloftus]

If you use just the SHV500, no BEC is required. Wired the servo pigtail directly from the ESC battery leads to the 3S. Only if you are adding steering servos and lights, etc is a separate BEC needed.

Good point. Should have caught he's using SHV500 ...


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[new2rocks]

Kudos to you for doing kits with the kids. Wraith kit was my first crawler, the Yeti kit was our little guy's first build (he was 6 at the time and I put together a thread showing his build), and I overhauled a Bomber RTR before they released the kit. Your basic parts lists look fine. I run the same motor and ESC in the Wraith and Bomber, and they work great (we run the Puller Pro 3500 XL in the Yeti). In the Wraith, I'd strongly recommend upgrading to hardened ring/pinion gears in the axles (I like stock ratio in front and UD in the rear), a stronger locker (I usually use the Hot Racing lockers), hardened tranny gears (Axial, Hot Racing or Robinson Racing), and some good aluminum knuckles and c-hubs. Without those, you'll probably be breaking parts pretty quickly. The Yeti also could use some durability upgrades out of the box, including hardened ring/pining gears and locker for the rear axle, RPM A-arms, and the VP steering upgrade.

But more important than all of that is to enjoy the builds with them and let them do their own work (with help as needed, of course). The difference in how they will view trucks they've built vs ones given to them is night and day, and the quality time at the bench will be priceless for all 3 of you. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[magic_yeti]

I personally own only a yeti. With the power you put in i would recommend the following direct upgrades for the yeti:
- Aluminium Motor Mount
- Crawler innovations Duece Wild standard Foams
- Beef Tubes for the rear axle
- Sleve for the Hinge Pin (you can make your own see in the yeti threads)
- Screw Kit for the Yeti
- Silicon Oil for the shocks (Stock is too soft)
- Blue Axial Wraith Spring for the Front

- For the 2 speed shift servo i use a savöx 0231 (overpowered but IP67). To fit in i have to dremel and shim it, but it shifts like butter. So a smaller one would be a better fit ( half hight std or micro ).

- Regarding Lights: i have the GearHead Slim Roof with Lights and the 6 shooter up front. You could find many options here and on the bay, in any price range.

You have a nice kit list 8) have fun building it with your boys "thumbsup"

And a tip on screwing it together (i've learned it the hard way) :
- use good tools...
- if you screw into plastic use a little little dip of silicon grease, if you ever want to unscrew it later on...
- if you screw into metal use a bit of loctite, if it shouldn't get loose...

 

[*Old*]

I want to thank you all for responding and sharing your experiences. Really glad I found this site.

Personally I'd forgo the 2speed completely, with a sensored brushless motor you don't really need it at all. That keeps the weight and complexity down, no need for the extra servos either.

Holmes electronics crawl smooth at the low end, and 3S with the 3500kv will be quite fast on the top end. Later, if you really feel the need - go ahead and add a 2speed.

Durok,
This sounds like a good idea if the sensored brushless is really that smooth. Nothing better than to K.I.S.S!
However, since some others have mentioned to upgrade the tranny gears to metal, especially on the Wraith, would it make sense to do the SSD 2speed upgrade, since the gears are already all metal? I added up the cost of the gears and it's close.

 

[*Old*]

Newrock, Magic Yeti,

Thank you for your advice on the weak links of the Wraith and Yeti. If I forgo the 2speed route, I'll have some savings to get those parts instead to have on hand when the stock parts break.

Thloftus,

Good to hear that the Bomber is not lacking any glaring weaknesses that needs immediate attention. "thumbsup"

Truly appreciate the good advice.

 

[durok]

I'll beg off on answering the Wraith-specific question, as I only have a Bomber - and it has metal transmission gears out of the box (in the kit version).

Someone else with a Wraith, please chime in on this!

 

[mikebecher]

The Wraith gears need to be upgraded if you're going to put any kind of power through them. You MIGHT be able to get away with just the idler gear but might as well do them all and be sure.

It sounds like it's going to be quite the Xmas. The only concern I have is that the Yeti is going to have trouble keeping up when crawling. Our family has a Wraith, 2 Bombers and a Yeti. The Yeti stays home most of the time because it just can't handle the terrain. We just got an SCX10 II so it gets called up now for family outings.

 

[*Old*]

The Wraith gears need to be upgraded if you're going to put any kind of power through them. You MIGHT be able to get away with just the idler gear but might as well do them all and be sure.

It sounds like it's going to be quite the Xmas. The only concern I have is that the Yeti is going to have trouble keeping up when crawling. Our family has a Wraith, 2 Bombers and a Yeti. The Yeti stays home most of the time because it just can't handle the terrain. We just got an SCX10 II so it gets called up now for family outings.

Thanks Mike,

Maybe I'll just get the upgraded Axial tranny gear set instead of looking into the SSD 2speed. $50 seems a little steep for some metal gears, but whatev.

In your opinion, does it seem that the wraith kit requires a lot more upgrades than the Bomber kit just to keep it from blowing up? Seems like the Bomber already comes with metal gears in the diffs, and tranny where the Wraith is plastic.

And lastly, you got my wheels turning about the Yeti. I thought it could atleast do some crawling, not like the Wraith/Bomber, but semi-respectable b/c of the rear live axle. My 11 acts like he is all about high speed, jumps, drifting and such. None of us really have experienced RC at this level before so we really don't know what we like yet, but if me and the 6yr old are out trailing/crawling more, I'm wondering if he would feel left out if the Yeti can't atleast hang with the Wraith/Bomber in the that department. I really need to think this through. Thanks again, you got me thinking...

 

[mikebecher]

Thanks Mike,

Maybe I'll just get the upgraded Axial tranny gear set instead of looking into the SSD 2speed. $50 seems a little steep for some metal gears, but whatev.

In your opinion, does it seem that the wraith kit requires a lot more upgrades than the Bomber kit just to keep it from blowing up? Seems like the Bomber already comes with metal gears in the diffs, and tranny where the Wraith is plastic.

And lastly, you got my wheels turning about the Yeti. I thought it could atleast do some crawling, not like the Wraith/Bomber, but semi-respectable b/c of the rear live axle. My 11 acts like he is all about high speed, jumps, drifting and such. None of us really have experienced RC at this level before so we really don't know what we like yet, but if me and the 6yr old are out trailing/crawling more, I'm wondering if he would feel left out if the Yeti can't atleast hang with the Wraith/Bomber in the that department. I really need to think this through. Thanks again, you got me thinking...

The Wraith kit does require more upgrades than the Bomber kit. In fact, the Bomber kit has the best upgrades out there, next to the SCX10 2. I compiled a comparison here: http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/general-crawlers/570087-axial-vehicle-feature-comparison-chart.html

Your mileage may vary with the Yeti depending on your terrain. Our Yeti is a blast when there's room for it but it's hard to find a place where Yetis and Bombers/Wraiths can play in the same area. No one in my family wanted to drive the Yeti when we would go trailing and that's after a big speed drop, sensored motor and locked front diff. If your son likes the speed he may very well get into the Yeti. With three rigs I'm sure you can find a fit for everyone. Stick a winch on one to help the Yeti out and it can hang.

 

[durok]

Thanks Mike,

Maybe I'll just get the upgraded Axial tranny gear set instead of looking into the SSD 2speed. $50 seems a little steep for some metal gears, but whatev.

Hot Racing gears are excellent and much better priced :

Hot Racing Axial SCX10 AX10 Wraith hard steel center gears set

 

[*Old*]

That comparison chart is awesome Mike! Really helpful. Thanks for sending it!!

 

[*Old*]

Hey, just wanted to thank you guys that chimed in and offered suggestions.
I made some huge purchases during the Black Fridays/Cyber Monday deals "thumbsup".

After thinking long and hard, I decided to go with Wraith for the 6 and and the Bomber the 11. Don't want the Yeti to get left out when crawling.

With your suggestions, I went ahead and got some additional upgrades for each rig.

Vanquish Stage 1 set
Vanquish Servo mount
Beef tubes for front axle
LURC FI spools front/rear
HR Tranny gears for Wraith
HD UD/OD bevel gears for Wraith
HH Puller Pro Bl540 3500 waterproof
HH SHV500 servo
Mamba Monster X ESC
Futaba 3PV
Fast Eddy Bearings
and KNK SS screw set.
Turnigy 5000mah 3s 25c battery

Also got an 8' long 3/16" Grade 5 titanium rod with some Traxxas rod ends and will try and cut and bend the links for each vehicle. Figure I would try and save some dough somewhere.

As for me, I'm going to take a stab and building an IFS front Bomber. After reading through Screamer, billinvics and some others that built theirs already, just looked like super fun rig.
Purchased all the parts individually, rather than getting a Yeti or Bomber kit and fusing them. Got a bunch of goodies for this build. Spent way more than I originally intended, but whatever. :roll: Gonna try and build a bombproof rig the first go around. We'll see how this goes :mrgreen:
Just need the DMG IFS kit to be back in stock and I'll be in business. 8)

Thanks again for the suggestions. It helped steer me in this direction.

 

[durok]

Your motor/ESC/servo/radio choice is exactly what I went with based on recommendations on this site. I am also upgrading the RR10 kit to the maximum and not yet done. Haven't even run mine yet!

I'm sticking with solid axles even though i know the IFS is beloved by those that are running it, just because I've never had that type of chassis before.

Also have the KNK screw kit, the Vanquish servo mount (for solid axle), and have HR gears for the tranny/transfer case and Robinson Racing Products Gen3 spur and hardened pinion coming soon.

You and your kids will have tons of fun! Best of luck with all those new toys...

 

[Col_Sanders]

I personally hate 2 speed transmissions in crawlers. I would probably run a two speed in a very heavy rig or tow rig, but I think it adds unnecessary parts for anything else. A good esc/motor setup will do just fine at low speed and give you high speed as well.

I think you made a good choice in getting similar rigs for all as opposed to buying the older kid a Yeti. You will probably all have more fun that way since one wont be an oddball. Yetis aren't really great trail machines or crawlers.

An important upgrade for Bombers is a sway bar. With a big powerful motor, the torque twist is pretty crazy and that will tame it down. It will also help a lot on high speed handling. There are quite a few different options out there. I have the Vanquish setup on mine and don't really care for it. The set screws kept coming loose on it even with threadlock.

 

[84yoda]

Also got an 8' long 3/16" Grade 5 titanium rod with some Traxxas rod ends and will try and cut and bend the links for each vehicle. Figure I would try and save some dough somewhere.

Its hard to beat Incision links for the wraith ($55) and bomber ($44). Do you have any machinery to thread the ends?

List looks good though! "thumbsup"

 

[Lanky]

Sometimes I think I am the only person that sort of enjoy's the Build it stock, break the weak links, and tinker/ massage / tune it to your perfection. For me at least my favorite part of R/C is sitting down with my son, and figuring out what happened, what we need, and how we can make it better.

I also sometimes think I am the only person who loves the yeti as much as I love the bomber!

That being said, Revo ends are a must on any axial build, as well as some foams. Otherwise enjoy the time with the kids!