XTM Rage 1/18th Monster Truck

[rschoi_75]

I haven't had any problems with the steering as of yet. Chances are the servo will fail in my first hard crash, but luckily it hasn't happened yet. The temps on the esc aren't bad... I didn't bother to check with my temp sensor since I could keep my finger on it without taking it off. the heatsink is just an associated rc18t xps esc heatsink that you can get anywhere. The motor does get hot though. More than I would like.

[MetalMan]

Another guy I work with got a Rage, and also stripped out a steering servo gear in the first day.

Today I got lucky, I was in need of a 3s Lipo that would fit in the chassis with minor modifications, and JUST today our store got new Impulse 1330mah Lipos in! The width is perfect, the length is a bit shorter than stock, and the height of the 3s is perfect! The Trinity 3s 1350mah pack is about 3/8" too long to fit, but otherwise would fit.

3s on the outrunner is too much for the lack of traction of the stock tires. Geared with the stock 16t pinion (bored out to 1/8"), it runs about 30mph with LOADS of torque. Running on the pavement yields good temps on both the Mamba 25 and outrunner, so hopefully the temps won't skyrocket when I put on a 22t pinion.

As far as gear strength, this outrunner isn't helping. It has a considerably larger moment of inertia than a comparably size inrunner, which keeps the motor spinning faster than the tires want to turn after releasing the throttle. Occasionally I do hear some slight clicking, but nothing that has yielded any worn gears or anything to worry about.

[mwry13]

i also work for Hobby people and sell these rages... they seem to be alright if you have the mindset that you will need to put some money into them (ie a servo, motor, etc etc...) but personally ide take a RC18 anyday

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by drkros3

wait how the *expletive deleted* did you get one. my hobbypeople store has not even got any yet. and my reginal manager says the warehouse has not gotten them yet.

Originally Posted by drkros3

well i just looked and the warehouse has tons of them so we might be getting some in on wed.

Apparently you were too busy smoking escs to notice the new arrivals! WTF is wrong with you!

Sorry dude, had to do it, especially when you used my favorite word as a verb modifier (not quite an adverb)! Dropping the f-bomb is quite a rarity on this forum, thanks for stepping up and being a man about it!

Also what is a reginal manager? Is his first name Reginald?

(Note heavy traces of sarcasm in this post)

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by rschoi_75

- I also modded the knuckles with some screws for extra strength. (pic is of a MQ knuckle, but same thing applies for the Rage)

This is definately the best mod to do to a mini quake. I have most likely broken at least 5 sets of knuckles. Finally drilled the knuckles and installed the screws like the pic and they have held up just fine. Definately worth the work!

[rschoi_75]

Originally Posted by mwry13

i also work for Hobby people and sell these rages... they seem to be alright if you have the mindset that you will need to put some money into them (ie a servo, motor, etc etc...) but personally ide take a RC18 anyday

Yes, but what if you already own (or have owned) a rc18t, a rc18r, mlst, mlst2, 2 vendetta's, a detta st, MQ, Mini-t, trinity ibs, propulse, m18, m18t, m18t pro, kmi, and a few micro's....? You get the next new thing. Yes, I like mini's.

I'm not saying its the best truck out there, just fun for the money. And you don't have to dump money into this truck more than any other mini on the market. The truck is already pretty fun in stock form. The main reason I switched everything out, it because I already had all the upgrades on hand. It was curiosity over necessity.

If you asked me to choose any mini right now, I'd say Xray M18T pro, with the vendetta coming in at close second. The rc18t doesn't even make it to the my top 3.

[JerryF504]

Originally Posted by rschoi_75

Yes, but what if you already own (or have owned) a rc18t, a rc18r, mlst, mlst2, 2 vendetta's, a detta st, MQ, Mini-t, trinity ibs, propulse, m18, m18t, m18t pro, kmi, and a few micro's....? You get the next new thing. Yes, I like mini's.

I'm not saying its the best truck out there, just fun for the money. And you don't have to dump money into this truck more than any other mini on the market. The truck is already pretty fun in stock form. The main reason I switched everything out, it because I already had all the upgrades on hand. It was curiosity over necessity.

If you asked me to choose any mini right now, I'd say Xray M18T pro, with the vendetta coming in at close second. The rc18t doesn't even make it to the my top 3.

Are any of your Vendettas brushless? I'm thinking about getting a mini and was wondering if the Vendetta will hold up to brushless. I like that the Trinity Now is already set up but I can't stand the way the body looks in the front. It looks like it was in a head-on collision lol.

[rschoi_75]

Vendettas can hold up to brushless just fine. All you need are cvd's and one ball diff for the rear. You can get away with gear diffs if your motor is mild. Everything else beyond that should be tuning upgrades like better turnbuckles, tires, etc... but not needed if you plan to only bash it.

these are how my detta's are currently set-up.

[supralover72]

Of all people, rschoi would know about bl detta's

[mwry13]

Originally Posted by rschoi_75

Yes, but what if you already own (or have owned) a rc18t, a rc18r, mlst, mlst2, 2 vendetta's, a detta st, MQ, Mini-t, trinity ibs, propulse, m18, m18t, m18t pro, kmi, and a few micro's....? You get the next new thing. Yes, I like mini's.

I'm not saying its the best truck out there, just fun for the money. And you don't have to dump money into this truck more than any other mini on the market. The truck is already pretty fun in stock form. The main reason I switched everything out, it because I already had all the upgrades on hand. It was curiosity over necessity.

If you asked me to choose any mini right now, I'd say Xray M18T pro, with the vendetta coming in at close second. The rc18t doesn't even make it to the my top 3.

i hear ya but for me associated is the brand ill stick with for some time... Xrays are awsome cars i used to race them at the indoor mini track in rialto a long time ago... i just hate having to drive to O.C. to get parts :(

[rschoi_75]

tell me about it. I order all my parts online. Every xray kit I've bought, is like buying two kits after all the spares are factored in.

Ok, a little update. I've had this truck for a little over a week now, and must say its really fun for a mini. I've broken a lower arm and the front bumper so far, but the breakage was my fault. I ran right into a curb in a parking lot. This does need different tires if you plan to run it on the street.

Also, I've been hearing more and more stories of people running 3s lipos on the stock esc and motor. I have not tried this yet, but apparently the truck holds up just fine. Its nice to know the stock diffs can handle it (... cough... mlst.... cough...). Any of you losi guys getting this?

[JerryF504]

Originally Posted by rschoi_75

Vendettas can hold up to brushless just fine. All you need are cvd's and one ball diff for the rear. You can get away with gear diffs if your motor is mild. Everything else beyond that should be tuning upgrades like better turnbuckles, tires, etc... but not needed if you plan to only bash it.

these are how my detta's are currently set-up.

Those are nice. Which ESC motor do you recommend for mostly bashing?

[rschoi_75]

well any cheap 28mm dia motor should work fine. I'd say keep in between the range of 3500-5000kv... depending on how many volts you want to run. I know united hobbies sells some Hextronic 28mm motors for like $20. You can also go with a GP ammo-28-35-3900 or 5100. As for the esc, I like castle products, but the mamba can't handle some of the "hotter" motors. Lots of people are switching over to the sidewinder 1/10th esc for the price, and specs.

[MetalMan]

I've also been running my truck for a while, but I don't think it likes being powered by an outrunner...

In the front diff, a single tooth was stripped from the ring gear. In the rear, a tooth was stripped from the diff pinion gear. Also, at some point the motor must have shifted (despite heavy tightening of the motor mount screws), and that stripped the spur. Surprisingly the internal diff gears are fine. So, one bag of parts fixed all of this. And I packed the diff gears with Traxxas lithium grease, to help decrease the diff action.

At the same time as I replaced the gears, I also added some HPI touring tires and wheels (6mm offset 26mm wheels with X-Pattern Radial tires in D Compound) and installed the 22t 48p metric pinion that finally came in. All I can say is WOW. The truck took off SO fast, and had an awesome top end speed. If I punched it hard enough, the truck just couldn't handle it, and flipped over from diffing out (I think because of the torque twist). On one such occasion, the truck tumbled at least 5 times, and snapped a rear toe-link ball stud in the rear bumper.

So now I not only need a front bumper, but also a rear bumper and a ball stud.

[JerryF504]

Originally Posted by rschoi_75

well any cheap 28mm dia motor should work fine. I'd say keep in between the range of 3500-5000kv... depending on how many volts you want to run. I know united hobbies sells some Hextronic 28mm motors for like $20. You can also go with a GP ammo-28-35-3900 or 5100. As for the esc, I like castle products, but the mamba can't handle some of the "hotter" motors. Lots of people are switching over to the sidewinder 1/10th esc for the price, and specs.

I wonder how the new Swinder Micro would work. It doesn't have an actual value under the continuous rating. It just says "More than you can handle!"