2023 EPIC NEW CHASSIS FOR ARRMA 💪😲👍

[Mr9Mojave]

Gourgeous chassis.

You owe me a new laptop....i just drooled all over mine.

 

[Dan B.]

I so glad I thought of droop plates. I actually wrote to Scorched about acquiring some of theirs to no avail. Thought of using wide head short chicago bolts. Settled and made my own with 7075 I had kicking around.
Another thing, I've come to appreciate that CF has come a long way from my youth. It's safe to say the days of watching friends buy quality CF framed bikes only to have any of the stays, tubes or even head snap or crack with the slightest provocation are long gone. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if testing revealed the PP 4mm chassis to be as strong or stronger than Scorched's 5mm. And I say this mainly out of belief that ridges, curves etc add structural strength when done right .

You’re so right. Carbon fiber has come a long way in a short amount of time. The price has dropped considerably as well. Except for carbon fiber angle. Why is it so difficult to source, and so expensive when you find it?
As for the droop plates, that’s a pretty freaking large oversight in the design, IMO.
I thought about your comment about ridges and curves, absolutely right. Mos def adds strength, no doubt about it. Moot point for me anyway, all of this. I love the Scorched offerings and will probably stick with them. I wish there would have been a couple more thoughtful elements integrated into the PP chassis. It would have definitely made it an option for me.

 

[Garcbomber]

All those extra holes of no structure

It’s beautiful and the universal fitment is excellent for the market, but make sure there aren’t any immovable objects around.

Not everyone can run at an airstrip where the worst failure mode is a tire blowout or pebble forcing it airborne and high speed nosedive into tarmac.

 

[Tex Koder]

...Except for carbon fiber angle. Why is it so difficult to source, and so expensive when you find it?
...

Isn't that the truth!
That's why I had to make my own CF angles..

 

[SrC]

Agreed. And I think his idea of making this in a totally modular fashion to fit basically every LWB chassis without having to drill for your own personal layout is very, very smart. And you’re right, from a production standpoint it’s not even from the same planet as those engineered from a flat sheet of carbon. He also managed to do all of this for what I would consider a pretty reasonable price.
My main concern would be its most singular and attractive selling point: it’s 100% carbon fiber. I’m sure it can’t be as strong in the frontal area where the bulkhead attaches in the event of an impact. I would still be inclined to favor the Scorched design that incorporates aluminum mounting plates for the bulkhead. It also offers skid protection.
That said, if used for it‘s intended purpose (dedicated, straight line speed running) then I guess it wouldn’t be that much of an issue, as a crash at those speeds could ruin any chassis anyway. But if used for the dual purpose of street bashing and speed running, I would not choose the PP option and would likely stick with Scorched. There’s no way the Scorched design isn’t stronger at both front and rear. Granted, it’s a little heavier, but that doesn’t really matter much for these cars. Some would say it’s actually a benefit.
I do remain puzzled in regard to his choice to not engineer this right off the rip as a full length chassis and garner the aero effects that would have been possible with no front chassis infills plugging up spaces that could have been eliminated in the first place. Also, where are the chassis buttons for the droop screws? That carbon will be chewed up and weakened in very short order I would think.
But in the greater scheme, it’s good for the hobby to have him producing another option. And even with the concerns I have, I’m pretty sure that he’s built his base to the point where he’ll sell as many as he can make. For his hardest-core fanboys I believe Raz could probably take a crap on a piece of toast, post a video on his channel, and sell out of stock on Amazon in about 20 minutes. If anybody said, “hey man, that’s just dookie on rye,” we’d be described as jealous haters.

+1
Raz would not put his name/ brand on something that he himself would not use. I noticed that Raz never really addresses droop much. He keeps it pretty much "almost" Maxed out. Stiff springs and all. These rigs don't jump or get bashed. So Droop screw damage at the chassis is slim to none as long as you use "Proper Droop Screws" A no brainer to want the Best. Avid TI droop screws are a prerequisite. I would be embarrassed to put anything else on this caliber of Chassis.
His new chassis represents all the features he has grown accustomed to in the past.
I know for sure 4mm CF lay Ups required for this chassis, and the labor is time consuming, and requires skill. This cost $$. The asking price of $239. is not bad actually. A LWB version is in order. This a dedicated Speed runner chssiss. To even think about Bashing and drifting with it is ludicrous and plain stupid. This chassis needs several metal skid plates strategically placed along its bottom. To preserve the CF.

 

[King blitz]

+1
Raz would not put his name/ brand on something that he himself would not use. I noticed that Raz never really addresses droop much. He keeps it pretty much "almost" Maxed out. Stiff springs and all. These rigs don't jump or get bashed. So Droop screw damage at the chassis is slim to none as long as you use "Proper Droop Screws" A no brainer to want the Best. Avid TI droop screws are a prerequisite. I would be embarrassed to put anything else on this caliber of Chassis.
His new chassis represents all the features he has grown accustomed to in the past.
I know for sure 4mm CF lay Ups required for this chassis, and the labor is time consuming, and requires skill. This cost $$. The asking price of $239. is not bad actually. A LWB version is in order.

Price isn't bad but I suppose it's a good price for a serious speed runner.for those like my self that like to street bash and do speed runs this chassis wouldn't really work for me .I'm not ready to throw that much into a chassis strictly just for speed runs and like you mentioned I'd have to have a air port strip .I have a dead air port near me but the strip is not even and cracks every where with grass growing in the cracks.so not a good spot for this chassis or any actually.i still think Raz did a awesome job.its a option for those who want to try something else .that's what the hobby needs . different options . Is anyone here going to try this chassis out? I'd like to know the feed back.

 

[SrC]

I know there were issues with his production. He had a great idea for a product, one many people shelled out large for. But as far as I know, no-one else offered a CF chassis formed the way his were. Scorched uses a separate aluminum front end. CURC uses wedges. Both examples choose the easy, cheaper, and logistically more viable route buying pre-made carbon fiber plate sheets.
Two well established aftermarket part suppliers did pre-made CF plate chassis cut out in a CNC and precision drilled holes with CNC's. Smart move and that's how they keep up with orders. The other did all his by hand, mostly himself and what I believe really happened was he found himself overwhelmed with orders and never had a long term plan in place for such an event. He likely thought he would make maybe 20-30 a year and was overwhelmed with orders for those numbers weekly. I respect that he tried. And rest assured that the chassis' made by PP, Scorched, and CURC are basically copies too.
This isn't meant to defend HDC. Folks had a right to be pissed. But I also feel people don't appreciate what he faced with people screaming from every corner for refunds or chassis, all the while trying to keep the wheels turning. Imagine for a second here a possible world without Scorched or M2C parts because if their debuts were similar they might not exist today.

HDC's only mistake was that he didn't refine his Mfr Process, one that is very labor intensive. Materials also cost a bunch. CF lay ups is an art form to some extent.
HDC was just too quick to sell them ahead of refining his product for efficient production and repeatable quality. His method was rough and labor intensive, one off chassis' at that, each one. With QC issues that were never sorted out. And he was quite expensive. His efforts did matter however. He should have stayed away from chassis Colors at the start. This would have simplified his production more so.
My 3 cents.

 

[Greengaunja]

Isn't that the truth!
That's why I had to make my own CF angles..

How did you do yours?

+1
Raz would not put his name/ brand on something that he himself would not use. I noticed that Raz never really addresses droop much. He keeps it pretty much "almost" Maxed out. Stiff springs and all. These rigs don't jump or get bashed. So Droop screw damage at the chassis is slim to none as long as you use "Proper Droop Screws" A no brainer to want the Best. Avid TI droop screws are a prerequisite. I would be embarrassed to put anything else on this caliber of Chassis.
His new chassis represents all the features he has grown accustomed to in the past.
I know for sure 4mm CF lay Ups required for this chassis, and the labor is time consuming, and requires skill. This cost $$. The asking price of $239. is not bad actually. A LWB version is in order. This a dedicated Speed runner chssiss. To even think about Bashing and drifting with it is ludicrous and plain stupid. This chassis needs several metal skid plates strategically placed along its bottom. To preserve the CF.

For sure! I can see folks adding Scorcheds Ti Limitless skid plates to this already.

 

[SrC]

You’re so right. Carbon fiber has come a long way in a short amount of time. The price has dropped considerably as well. Except for carbon fiber angle. Why is it so difficult to source, and so expensive when you find it?
As for the droop plates, that’s a pretty freaking large oversight in the design, IMO.
I thought about your comment about ridges and curves, absolutely right. Mos def adds strength, no doubt about it. Moot point for me anyway, all of this. I love the Scorched offerings and will probably stick with them. I wish there would have been a couple more thoughtful elements integrated into the PP chassis. It would have definitely made it an option for me.

I think a time will come when there will be CF in block form, and just about any type of part will be CNC'ed out of CF.
I can't wait till this becomes feasible for RC use.

 

[Greengaunja]

HDC's only mistake was that he didn't refine his Mfr Process, one that is very labor intensive. Materials also cost a bunch. CF lay ups is an art form to some extent.
HDC was just too quick to sell them ahead of refining his product for efficient production and repeatable quality. His method was rough and labor intensive, one off chassis' at that, each one. With QC issues that were never sorted out. And he was quite expensive. His efforts did matter however. He should have stayed away from chassis Colors at the start. This would have simplified his production more so.
My 3 cents.

Reached too high and too fast with a viable idea for a desired product. I agree. Things might have been different if he went slow and allowed himself elbow room.

 

[Tex Koder]

How did you do yours?

...

https://www.arrmaforum.com/threads/diy-carbon-fiber-angle-iron-jig.59298/

 

[Greengaunja]

https://www.arrmaforum.com/threads/diy-carbon-fiber-angle-iron-jig.59298/

What blade was that in the tablesaw? Doesn't look like it would be effective with so few teeth but the cut is clean!

 

[Tex Koder]

What blade was that in the tablesaw? Doesn't look like it would be effective with so few teeth but the cut is clean!

60tooth
Obviously it's a wood saw.. not designed for cutting carbon fiber...
But, I made it work.

The portable Rigid tablesaw frame and this particular blade works quite good together. The blade is well balanced ,gives me an above average cut.

Oh and remember to wax your blade Before cutting

 

[Greengaunja]

Always. I even wax my Fein blades.

But I love what you did here and may order to square tubes to make some myself. I was bonding plates together and making narrow blocks to do the same thing. Your way is cleaner.

 

[King blitz]

That's the scary part of cutting the CF .if it's not a clean cut the peices are pretty much ruined.unless you salvage the peices to make something else.you guys did a great job cutting them.

 

[Greengaunja]

That's the scary part of cutting the CF .if it's not a clean cut the peices are pretty much ruined.unless you salvage the peices to make something else.you guys did a great job cutting them.

One reason I asked about his table saw blade is I find the BEST blades and drill bits to use are diamond coated. There is alot of stuff online saying use solid carbide or carbide tipped blades and bits. Although it works, they don't last very long at all. A few cuts, several at the most. Diamond grit is more expensive but actually pays for itself down the road with its longevity, durability and the best is its ability to sand or grind slowly using the tips or teeth to carefully make your shapes or lines. Basically, you want tile cutting blades. And the ones rated for porcelain work best of all I've tried so far.

*anyone reading this and wanting to try, PLEASE read up on CF safety regarding dust control, ventilation, proper masks(your covid mask won't cut it) and handling. The dust it creates is finer than plaster dust. It free floats EVERYWHERE. And it sure isn't good in your lungs. Your favorite tool when working carbon fiber will become a good set of tweezers. The GF is still looking for the one I swiped.........

 

[Diem Turner]

One reason I asked about his table saw blade is I find the BEST blades and drill bits to use are diamond coated. There is alot of stuff online saying use solid carbide or carbide tipped blades and bits. Although it works, they don't last very long at all. A few cuts, several at the most. Diamond grit is more expensive but actually pays for itself down the road with its longevity, durability and the best is its ability to sand or grind slowly using the tips or teeth to carefully make your shapes or lines. Basically, you want tile cutting blades. And the ones rated for porcelain work best of all I've tried so far.

*anyone reading this and wanting to try, PLEASE read up on CF safety regarding dust control, ventilation, proper masks(your covid mask won't cut it) and handling. The dust it creates is finer than plaster dust. It free floats EVERYWHERE. And it sure isn't good in your lungs. Your favorite tool when working carbon fiber will become a good set of tweezers. The GF is still looking for the one I swiped.........

My favorite tool has become an ability to resist the urge to test how the edges of CF feel before I sand them.

 

[King blitz]

One reason I asked about his table saw blade is I find the BEST blades and drill bits to use are diamond coated. There is alot of stuff online saying use solid carbide or carbide tipped blades and bits. Although it works, they don't last very long at all. A few cuts, several at the most. Diamond grit is more expensive but actually pays for itself down the road with its longevity, durability and the best is its ability to sand or grind slowly using the tips or teeth to carefully make your shapes or lines. Basically, you want tile cutting blades. And the ones rated for porcelain work best of all I've tried so far.

*anyone reading this and wanting to try, PLEASE read up on CF safety regarding dust control, ventilation, proper masks(your covid mask won't cut it) and handling. The dust it creates is finer than plaster dust. It free floats EVERYWHERE. And it sure isn't good in your lungs. Your favorite tool when working carbon fiber will become a good set of tweezers. The GF is still looking for the one I swiped.........

So far the only CF I've cut was my front splitter and I used a fine tooth hand jig saw.i actually got a clean cut.and I did some research and like you mentioned CF dust is cancerous.i used my respirator from work and every year we get fit tested by the Navy. I have two kinds .one for chemical and the other for dust and micro particles.i even have a full face when I spray.carbon fiber and fiber glass are two things I'm not taking any chances with.they say even the composite plastics that many RC company's use have chemicals in them that cause cancer..they say we all should use gloves when handling these materials but I think more importantly is proper lung protection.alot of people buy a respirator and don't get it fit tested and if you don't then you won't get that nice tight seal.so a unfitted respirator is useless.and they come in different sizes.a respirator is not a one size fits all.half mask double filter is what I use.particulate filter is good for cutting CF.be safe than sorry.

 

[Greengaunja]

My favorite tool has become an ability to resist the urge to test how the edges of CF feel before I sand them.

Man, I wear thick gloves when handling them but want to know when I getvthe most splinters? When I'm not even handling CF. Usually when I clean up or a few days later I'm fishing around the garage looking for something. Just one barely visible shard and an innocent brush or touch sends it through skin. Im now looking for something a friend suggested which is a great idea. Im currently trying to find an old sandblast station/cabinet. You know, the ones fully enclosed and you handle parts through thick gloves that go throw the wall/glass of the cabinet? I like how it can be used for multiple purposes and it contains the dust and shards completely.

 

[Diem Turner]

Man, I wear thick gloves when handling them but want to know when I getvthe most splinters? When I'm not even handling CF. Usually when I clean up or a few days later I'm fishing around the garage looking for something. Just one barely visible shard and an innocent brush or touch sends it through skin. Im now looking for something a friend suggested which is a great idea. Im currently trying to find an old sandblast station/cabinet. You know, the ones fully enclosed and you handle parts through thick gloves that go throw the wall/glass of the cabinet? I like how it can be used for multiple purposes and it contains the dust and shards completely.

I know what you mean. The more innocuous the contact, the higher the likelihood of getting a splinter. And yeah, a sand blasting cabinet would probably work great for that.