Felony Arrma Felony 1s "Misdemeanor" -- Making a micro because Arrma won't

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etuskoe

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I can imagine that most of us want a little rc car to rip around indoors. Horizon used to offer a whole bunch, but eventually the electronics become dated so they were discontinued. Since then, the only small rc cars horizon hobby has offered are the mini t and scx24. Why doesn't arrma sell anything?

Personally, I believe it's down to brand structure. I think that all brands under Horizon have one specific dedicated task. Losi sells scale bashers and cheapened race truggies/buggies, tlr sells competitive race cars, axial sells crawlers, ecx is entry level, and Arrma is strictly for tough, fast, go anywhere rc cars. A mini or micro can't exactly be driven like a Kraton 6s or maybe even a vendetta because they are limited by the terrain they can be driven on. But I'm confident that they can make a bashable mini. The brand is taking off, so why haven't they?
I had no idea.
When they released the Felony tree ornament back in 2021 I intended for it to be a shelf piece. But then I started to get creative. And bored. VERY bored. Actually, I couldn't fall asleep at night because I was always looking at the tree ornament on my shelf, thinking "What if it was functional?"
Ok not like that, but I was wondering. I was working on a full suspension hot wheels rc trophy truck, but I decided to lose it in a drawer and focus on the bite size Felony.

This is the evolution of my 1/55 Felony 1s, aka the Arrma Misdemeanor.
PXL_20211211_200825849.jpg
Back when I first received it. What's funny is that the wheels are put on backwards.
PXL_20211212_042846158-1.jpg

Starting the build now. The car was actually glued together so taking it apart was an absolute nightmare. They definitely didn't consider the idea of an rc conversion.
PXL_20211213_204626566.jpg

Parts layer out. Here are the important bits.
Spektrum slt3 receiver (without case)
Adventure force nano racer parts (gearbox, motor, steering blocks)
Dasmikro ESC
Orlandoo hunter 1.7g servo
Generic 1s lipo
PXL_20211229_045157064.jpg

Fast forward. Installing gearbox and steering blocks.
PXL_20220108_030115409.jpg

PXL_20220108_030054998.jpg

Getting somewhere now. Forgot to mention that those silver circles are the magnets that hold the body on.
PXL_20220108_053455998.jpg

Steering rack? Pretty sure that's what this is called
PXL_20220108_213939130.jpg

Test fitting all the parts. The battery will slide in through the back window.
PXL_20220109_050439760.jpg

Motor soldered to Esc
PXL_20220211_061631070.jpg

Is it done?
Oops! Not even close. I made a hash of the soldering so I accidentally shorted the receiver.
Plus I like to think of it as a constantly evolving build. Read on, you'll see.
PXL_20220608_1848336012.jpg
PXL_20221023_171650594.jpg
PXL_20221023_162311139.jpg

Some pictures I took following The Great Receiver Massacre of 2022
PXL_20221128_053718251.jpg

New receiver, it's fixed and it drives! I can't add videos to this thread it seems, but I can assure you, it tears.
PXL_20221215_223940023.jpg

I can only attach 15 files. Will be continuing this thread.
 
Holy $hit my friend, that's truly incredible. Not sure my fat fingers would allow such a thing!
My issue is I would never be able to keep my hand steady enough.
 
I can imagine that most of us want a little rc car to rip around indoors. Horizon used to offer a whole bunch, but eventually the electronics become dated so they were discontinued. Since then, the only small rc cars horizon hobby has offered are the mini t and scx24. Why doesn't arrma sell anything?

Personally, I believe it's down to brand structure. I think that all brands under Horizon have one specific dedicated task. Losi sells scale bashers and cheapened race truggies/buggies, tlr sells competitive race cars, axial sells crawlers, ecx is entry level, and Arrma is strictly for tough, fast, go anywhere rc cars. A mini or micro can't exactly be driven like a Kraton 6s or maybe even a vendetta because they are limited by the terrain they can be driven on. But I'm confident that they can make a bashable mini. The brand is taking off, so why haven't they?
I had no idea.
When they released the Felony tree ornament back in 2021 I intended for it to be a shelf piece. But then I started to get creative. And bored. VERY bored. Actually, I couldn't fall asleep at night because I was always looking at the tree ornament on my shelf, thinking "What if it was functional?"
Ok not like that, but I was wondering. I was working on a full suspension hot wheels rc trophy truck, but I decided to lose it in a drawer and focus on the bite size Felony.

This is the evolution of my 1/55 Felony 1s, aka the Arrma Misdemeanor.View attachment 264439 Back when I first received it. What's funny is that the wheels are put on backwards.
View attachment 264440
Starting the build now. The car was actually glued together so taking it apart was an absolute nightmare. They definitely didn't consider the idea of an rc conversion.
View attachment 264442
Parts layer out. Here are the important bits.
Spektrum slt3 receiver (without case)
Adventure force nano racer parts (gearbox, motor, steering blocks)
Dasmikro ESC
Orlandoo hunter 1.7g servo
Generic 1s lipo
View attachment 264443
Fast forward. Installing gearbox and steering blocks.
View attachment 264444
View attachment 264445
Getting somewhere now. Forgot to mention that those silver circles are the magnets that hold the body on.
View attachment 264446
Steering rack? Pretty sure that's what this is called
View attachment 264447
Test fitting all the parts. The battery will slide in through the back window.
View attachment 264448
Motor soldered to Esc
View attachment 264449
Is it done?
Oops! Not even close. I made a hash of the soldering so I accidentally shorted the receiver.
Plus I like to think of it as a constantly evolving build. Read on, you'll see.
View attachment 264452View attachment 264454View attachment 264453
Some pictures I took following The Great Receiver Massacre of 2022
View attachment 264455
New receiver, it's fixed and it drives! I can't add videos to this thread it seems, but I can assure you, it tears.View attachment 264456
I can only attach 15 files. Will be continuing this thread.
Adding the rest of the build through a reply

It was basically undrivable with the wheels left alone. I needed tires of some kind, so I followed Slick Diecast on YouTube by using heat shrink as tires
PXL_20221212_231208087.jpg
Unfortunately, this didn't work out. It drove better but the heat shrink tires weren't grippy enough and since I wasn't able to drill the tires through the exact center, the handling was a bit unpredictable.
What I did to solve this was to turn to my other hobby, hot wheels collecting. I stole rubber tires from a hot wheels car and put them on the Felony 1s.
PXL_20221222_073337296.jpg
PXL_20221222_073356457.jpg
PXL_20221222_073419623.jpg

Bigger rims as you can see. I think it looks better.
And considering how there is no wheel wobble anymore and the tires are far far grippier, I think it's a win all around.
PXL_20221222_202933038.jpg
PXL_20221222_203223751.jpg

Looks very very good. Can't get any better right?
PXL_20221223_015814845.jpg
PXL_20221223_030730962.jpg

WRONG. It needed some extra flair. Made this spoiler out of Styrene sections if anybody is curious. I wanted it to be removable so I utilized the magnet for the body mount, and I glued part of a hot wheels axle on to the wing so it snaps on and off.
PXL_20221223_034337881.jpg

Took this picture a couple hours ago. I'm super pleased with how it looks. Part of the reason why I built this is because I can't afford the real deal. But now that I have this pint sized indoor floor basher, is there really a point in having the other?
PXL_20221216_204041366.jpg

(took this before the wheel upgrade)
Goes together super well with my Talion. Forbidden Arrmas, 6s but not actually 6s powered. Perfect pair.

Arrma has valid reasons to not sell a nitro but come on. They have zero reason to not make a mini or micro. Can you imagine doing crazy flips and tricks with a 1/14 outcast? Maybe even ripping it on a kitchen table track set with a 1/55 Kraton? Showing up to the mini z racing club with your 1/28 vendetta? There are so many possibilities but Horizon clearly has a fear to be a bit daring and get their toes wet. I guess the only way to let them know how much you might want one is to go tell them on their socials. Maybe if enough of us ask, they'll finally venture outside the 1/5 - 1/10 bubble? Who knows. There's only one way to find out.
 
Adding the rest of the build through a reply

It was basically undrivable with the wheels left alone. I needed tires of some kind, so I followed Slick Diecast on YouTube by using heat shrink as tiresView attachment 264464Unfortunately, this didn't work out. It drove better but the heat shrink tires weren't grippy enough and since I wasn't able to drill the tires through the exact center, the handling was a bit unpredictable.
What I did to solve this was to turn to my other hobby, hot wheels collecting. I stole rubber tires from a hot wheels car and put them on the Felony 1s.
View attachment 264466View attachment 264467View attachment 264468
Bigger rims as you can see. I think it looks better.
And considering how there is no wheel wobble anymore and the tires are far far grippier, I think it's a win all around.
View attachment 264469View attachment 264470
Looks very very good. Can't get any better right?
View attachment 264472View attachment 264471
WRONG. It needed some extra flair. Made this spoiler out of Styrene sections if anybody is curious. I wanted it to be removable so I utilized the magnet for the body mount, and I glued part of a hot wheels axle on to the wing so it snaps on and off.
View attachment 264473
Took this picture a couple hours ago. I'm super pleased with how it looks. Part of the reason why I built this is because I can't afford the real deal. But now that I have this pint sized indoor floor basher, is there really a point in having the other?
View attachment 264474
(took this before the wheel upgrade)
Goes together super well with my Talion. Forbidden Arrmas, 6s but not actually 6s powered. Perfect pair.

Arrma has valid reasons to not sell a nitro but come on. They have zero reason to not make a mini or micro. Can you imagine doing crazy flips and tricks with a 1/14 outcast? Maybe even ripping it on a kitchen table track set with a 1/55 Kraton? Showing up to the mini z racing club with your 1/28 vendetta? There are so many possibilities but Horizon clearly has a fear to be a bit daring and get their toes wet. I guess the only way to let them know how much you might want one is to go tell them on their socials. Maybe if enough of us ask, they'll finally venture outside the 1/5 - 1/10 bubble? Who knows. There's only one way to find out.
Dude, that scale is incredible!!😃🤯👍🤘
 
I can imagine that most of us want a little rc car to rip around indoors. Horizon used to offer a whole bunch, but eventually the electronics become dated so they were discontinued. Since then, the only small rc cars horizon hobby has offered are the mini t and scx24. Why doesn't arrma sell anything?

Personally, I believe it's down to brand structure. I think that all brands under Horizon have one specific dedicated task. Losi sells scale bashers and cheapened race truggies/buggies, tlr sells competitive race cars, axial sells crawlers, ecx is entry level, and Arrma is strictly for tough, fast, go anywhere rc cars. A mini or micro can't exactly be driven like a Kraton 6s or maybe even a vendetta because they are limited by the terrain they can be driven on. But I'm confident that they can make a bashable mini. The brand is taking off, so why haven't they?
I had no idea.
When they released the Felony tree ornament back in 2021 I intended for it to be a shelf piece. But then I started to get creative. And bored. VERY bored. Actually, I couldn't fall asleep at night because I was always looking at the tree ornament on my shelf, thinking "What if it was functional?"
Ok not like that, but I was wondering. I was working on a full suspension hot wheels rc trophy truck, but I decided to lose it in a drawer and focus on the bite size Felony.

This is the evolution of my 1/55 Felony 1s, aka the Arrma Misdemeanor.View attachment 264439 Back when I first received it. What's funny is that the wheels are put on backwards.
View attachment 264440
Starting the build now. The car was actually glued together so taking it apart was an absolute nightmare. They definitely didn't consider the idea of an rc conversion.
View attachment 264442
Parts layer out. Here are the important bits.
Spektrum slt3 receiver (without case)
Adventure force nano racer parts (gearbox, motor, steering blocks)
Dasmikro ESC
Orlandoo hunter 1.7g servo
Generic 1s lipo
View attachment 264443
Fast forward. Installing gearbox and steering blocks.
View attachment 264444
View attachment 264445
Getting somewhere now. Forgot to mention that those silver circles are the magnets that hold the body on.
View attachment 264446
Steering rack? Pretty sure that's what this is called
View attachment 264447
Test fitting all the parts. The battery will slide in through the back window.
View attachment 264448
Motor soldered to Esc
View attachment 264449
Is it done?
Oops! Not even close. I made a hash of the soldering so I accidentally shorted the receiver.
Plus I like to think of it as a constantly evolving build. Read on, you'll see.
View attachment 264452View attachment 264454View attachment 264453
Some pictures I took following The Great Receiver Massacre of 2022
View attachment 264455
New receiver, it's fixed and it drives! I can't add videos to this thread it seems, but I can assure you, it tears.View attachment 264456
I can only attach 15 files. Will be continuing this thread.
Figured out how to add videos

First run. No tires.

Speed runs with heat shrink tires

Speed runs with hot wheels tires

Tearing it up
 
Last edited:
Great work man!

Just a heads up - you can't insert videos directly into a forum post. The best workaround is to upload it to Youtube and then post the link in here. This will make the Youtube video viewable in the post itself.

Can't wait to see this :)
 
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