Hobao/Scorched RC VTE Speed Build Thread

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Unfortunately I can only compare an Arrma PPS with a Hobao Roto-Lok, so it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison since the spacing of the two plates is different in the two cars. Seeing as the the motor mount ends 2-3mm to the side of the chassis holes and the Scorched motor mounting plate being slightly slimmer than the PPS (8.75mm and 10.94mm respectively) it would stand to reason that the Scorched mount should give you an extra 1mm to whatever the limiting factor is (be it steering bell crank in normal layout or the rear suspension arm when flipped) than the PPS mount. As for the cross dimension from left to right, the Roto-Lok is 73.57mm wide vs. the PPS at 70.56mm.
 
Diem Turner said:
Unfortunately I can only compare an Arrma PPS with a Hobao Roto-Lok, so it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison since the spacing of the two plates is different in the two cars. Seeing as the the motor mount ends 2-3mm to the side of the chassis holes and the Scorched motor mounting plate being slightly slimmer than the PPS (8.75mm and 10.94mm respectively) it would stand to reason that the Scorched mount should give you an extra 1mm to whatever the limiting factor is (be it steering bell crank in normal layout or the rear suspension arm when flipped) than the PPS mount. As for the cross dimension from left to right, the Roto-Lok is 73.57mm wide vs. the PPS at 70.56mm.
Click to expand...
The pps mounts are same thickness, I have both arrma, hobao versions along with rotolok and iron man rc mounts.

With the rotolok once the motor is mounted it doesn’t really move left to right when setting the mesh nearly as much as your normal sliding mount,
Since the rotor lok rotates upward the motor stays within a 2-3mm location window once mounted,
 
vwturbowolf said:
The pps mounts are same thickness, I have both arrma, hobao versions along with rotolok and iron man rc mounts
Click to expand...
Are you saying my calipers be lyin'? lol...I kid. I might have pinched something somewhere by mistake. The same they are then :)
 
Diem Turner said:
Are you saying my calipers be lyin'? lol...I kid. I might have pinched something somewhere by mistake. The same they are then :)
Click to expand...
Maybe I’m wrong I had both pps mounts sittin On my chassis, seeing if I could make the arrma one fit on the hobao.
I thought the mount itself was the same thickness as the hobao version.

The rotolok mount is definitely a couple mm thicker
 
vwturbowolf said:
Maybe I’m wrong I had both pps mounts sittin On my chassis, seeing if I could make the arrma one fit on the hobao.
I thought the mount itself was the same thickness as the hobao version.

The rotolok mount is definitely a couple mm thicker
Click to expand...
The spacing from the motor plate to the diff support is wider in the Hobao. According to my calipers the actual motor mount part was a little slimmer on the Roto-Lok compared to the PPS, but I didn't measure the actual plate that gets screwed to the motor. I only measured the...."hoop-completion-half-circle-front-part" of the Roto-Lok. That may have been my error.
 
motor plate for the roto mount is 12mm thick looks like
image.webp
 
Diem Turner said:
So I'm beginning to piece together my VTE. To recap the parts already installed, we have:

Scorched RC CF GT Chassis
Scorched RC Ti Spool
Scorched RC Ti Center Drive Shafts, Dog Bones & CVDs
Scorched RC Diff Lockers F/R

So this is what we're working with:
View attachment 258391

First up I installed a Futaba CB500 Servo.
View attachment 258387

Next up, I removed the electronics box from the original chassis. Upon inspection I noticed that the mounting screws have the same spacing as the servo mounting screws which made it a super simple install.
View attachment 258388

Unfortunately my 42T pinion was just a hair too big to fit so I completed the spool with a 39T Arrma gear. I put some small rubber shims in the diff cups to eliminate drive shaft movement.
View attachment 258389

For testing purposes, I've decided to install the Spektrum 4074 motor that came with my Infraction. This will change at a later date but for now I'm sure this will do just fine. Pinion is a 28T.
View attachment 258390

More to follow soon.
Click to expand...
Looking good, can't wait to see it when done
 
Badmofreaker said:
Looking good, can't wait to see it when done
Click to expand...
Thanks bruv (y)

But truthfully...having dropped in the Scorched Roto-Lok now, this car is, essentially, "done" as far as I'm concerned. I don't foresee any more structural changes, at least not for a good long while. I've been trying to think of something I'd add to this car if I could...but I honestly can't think of anything. Maybe a different body at some point, but I don't really consider that a structural change.
 
Absolutely killer build. So, you really like that Roto-Lok, huh? I’m going to measure the length of motor I can squeeze in there when I start that full length build. It occurred to me that the wheelbase of that one is 328mm and not 325mm. If I even split the difference and only pick up 1.5mm to the front I may be able to do it. I’m wrapping up that first build as we speak and then I’ll get on it. Still been a little tapped for time since the holidays, but should be opening up again after this weekend.
 
Dan B. said:
Absolutely killer build. So, you really like that Roto-Lok, huh? I’m going to measure the length of motor I can squeeze in there when I start that full length build. It occurred to me that the wheelbase of that one is 328mm and not 325mm. If I even split the difference and only pick up 1.5mm to the front I may be able to do it. I’m wrapping up that first build as we speak and then I’ll get on it. Still been a little tapped for time since the holidays, but should be opening up again after this weekend.
Click to expand...
Man, I scantly thought it possible that I could like something more than the PPS motor mount. I'm all about the thing. The Roto-Lok though...it might do it. It's such an ingenious design and due to the way the motor is rotated off-center of the mounting plate to set mesh, you have the option of engaging mesh from two sides. I actually don't think that this was intentional or a design consideration but it does have some interesting consequences. You can either rotate the motor CCW so that the pinion engages coming from underneath or rotate the motor CW to engage coming from the top. What is the interesting consequence you may ask...well, the usefulness will depend in part on the size of the gears you're using and whatnot but, if you rotate the motor so that it comes over the top, this actually give you a lot of clearance under the motor and could, potentially, make it possible to fit longer motors as there's a chance that you'll clear the suspension arm/hinge pin area of the car.

I hope this makes sense. If not, let me know and I'll snap a few pics to illustrate what I mean.
 
Diem Turner said:
Man, I scantly thought it possible that I could like something more than the PPS motor mount. I'm all about the thing. The Roto-Lok though...it might do it. It's such an ingenious design and due to the way the motor is rotated off-center of the mounting plate to set mesh, you have the option of engaging mesh from two sides. I actually don't think that this was intentional or a design consideration but it does have some interesting consequences. You can either rotate the motor CCW so that the pinion engages coming from underneath or rotate the motor CW to engage coming from the top. What is the interesting consequence you may ask...well, the usefulness will depend in part on the size of the gears you're using and whatnot but, if you rotate the motor so that it comes over the top, this actually give you a lot of clearance under the motor and could, potentially, make it possible to fit longer motors as there's a chance that you'll clear the suspension arm/hinge pin area of the car.

I hope this makes sense. If not, let me know and I'll snap a few pics to illustrate what I mean.
Click to expand...

I really have not seen the mount move around freely, but was thinking about that the other day for the reasons you explained.
What holds the rotation still? It just pinches it tightly with the outer clamp?

It looks to be a very solid device.
 
LibertyMKiii said:
I really have not seen the mount move around freely, but was thinking about that the other day for the reasons you explained.
What holds the rotation still? It just pinches it tightly with the outer clamp?

It looks to be a very solid device.
Click to expand...
Yes. The outside half ring is held on with two screws. The bottom one you just leave cranked down and loosening the top screw slightly is enough to be able to rotate the motor plate.

It's an amazing piece of engineering and, yeah, I'd say solid is a good adjective to describe it.
 
Now I wish I had gotten the rotor-lock for my Hobao build....
 
Diem Turner said:
Man, I scantly thought it possible that I could like something more than the PPS motor mount. I'm all about the thing. The Roto-Lok though...it might do it. It's such an ingenious design and due to the way the motor is rotated off-center of the mounting plate to set mesh, you have the option of engaging mesh from two sides. I actually don't think that this was intentional or a design consideration but it does have some interesting consequences. You can either rotate the motor CCW so that the pinion engages coming from underneath or rotate the motor CW to engage coming from the top. What is the interesting consequence you may ask...well, the usefulness will depend in part on the size of the gears you're using and whatnot but, if you rotate the motor so that it comes over the top, this actually give you a lot of clearance under the motor and could, potentially, make it possible to fit longer motors as there's a chance that you'll clear the suspension arm/hinge pin area of the car.

I hope this makes sense. If not, let me know and I'll snap a few pics to illustrate what I mean.
Click to expand...
No man, that makes absolutely perfect sense. I just fit the new 5670 on the original (flipped mount) build and it fits with no clearance. Like, friction fit. I’d have to relieve the left steering bellcrank post a 1mm to do it, but I can certainly do that. Very curious to put the motor mount on that Scorched full length chassis after the bellcrank is fit and see where it sits.
One reason I originally wanted to flip the mount was because I couldn’t fit a 102mm can due to interference on the rear inner hinge block. Maybe the Roto-Lok could raise it a couple mm and alleviate the problem.
 
Dan B. said:
No man, that makes absolutely perfect sense. I just fit the new 5670 on the original (flipped mount) build and it fits with no clearance. Like, friction fit. I’d have to relieve the left steering bellcrank post a 1mm to do it, but I can certainly do that. Very curious to put the motor mount on that Scorched full length chassis after the bellcrank is fit and see where it sits.
One reason I originally wanted to flip the mount was because I couldn’t fit a 102mm can due to interference on the rear inner hinge block. Maybe the Roto-Lok could raise it a couple mm and alleviate the problem.
Click to expand...
I absolutely think that the Roto-Lok will solve your interference issue with the rear hinge block. I took a few quick pics to show you what's possible. So first off, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even be able to fit a 4070 into the VTE. While it's a bit tight where the leads come out of the back of the can, with the Roto-Lok I was able to successfully mount my 4080...albeit with some caveats. Here's a view from the side and underneath the motor:
1673044233311.webp


I'm able to clear both the hinge block and also the rear suspension arm, as can be seen here. However...this motor is so long that I don't have much room to rotate the motor to adjust mesh. Rotating it forward I quickly run afoul of the suspension arm and, rotating it forward, I actually run into the rear bulkhead itself as you can see in this pic from above.
1673044423569.webp


With a motor about 10mm shorter (right around the length of a 4070), that should put the end of the can just forward of the bulkhead but I would actually be able to use the motor in this car.

TL;DR

The Roto-Lok motor mount can definitely solve some issues surrounding motor fitment and I think it's just what the doctor ordered in your case. I don't mean to spend your money but I do get the sense that this will be a rather special car and that this presents itself as the solution to one of the issues you're having.
 
Been a while since the last post here and there have been a few changes since then.

First up, it always irked me that Scorched RC just blindly copied the chassis hole layout of the stock VTE chassis which has the motor/diff mount offset to the right by 5-6mm, presumably to make better use of what little available real estate there is. Why they didn't address this on their carbon fiber GT chassis... 🤷‍♂️

So I drilled big holes in a scrap piece of CF I had laying around to generate some fill material which I then added to some epoxy resin. I taped the holes up from the top side of the chassis and proceeded to fill the existing holes for the motor and diff mount with the mixture. After 15-20 minutes the epoxy had set and was already really firm. I trimmed the excess epoxy off flush with the chassis using a carpenter's chisel. I waited 24 hours to ensure that it was fully cured before proceeding.

The next day I mocked up the motor/diff mount and center shafts and just eyeballed it. I marked the position of the holes using the double sided tape technique, then drilled and countersunk the new mounting holes. The installation was a snap and before long, everything was once again installed and the car was all clean and ready to go.

In the last picture up there☝️you can see where the motor mount was located before and here's what it looks like now. Not only does it look better with everything inline and symmetrical, the car is definitely smoother and quieter than it was before now that the center driveline geometry is where it should be.
1681078566108.webp


The second change is minor and just cosmetic but, taking @K-BASH's advice I picked up a Deltaplastik Alpha body which arrived a few days ago. I have to say, it's surprisingly similar to the Dome Concept body I've been running but, all in all, it's a bit lower, in particular the rear of the car. It's all trimmed and fitted now and I really like this body. I've been considering leaving the body clear because, it's not like I can see the car itself when I'm driving around in the middle of the night, all you can see are the head and tail lights. I'm gonna go test some spray cans I have left over and either it will remain transparent or it's getting a garish, bright paintjob.

And lastly, I cut down an older set of Contact foams to 97.4mm/3.81" with my "new" DIY tire lathe that I made from parts and stuff I already had laying around here so my final tab was $0. I intend to make a thread about it, I think you guys will get a kick out of the construction, it's....something else. You probably haven't seen a tire lathe quite like this one. I just think the price of the ones you can buy a little ridiculous, if I'm honest. They start around 300€ but of course the ones in this price bracket will only do tires up to 85 or 88mm which does me no good at all. I'd be looking at 400-450€ for one that can accomodate 100-105mm wheels/tires and at that price, I'd just as soon plop down with a slice of 40-60 grit sandpaper and just go to town and do it manually. Anyways, this is the new body and turned down Contact foams.
SAM_6520.webp
SAM_6524.webp

SAM_6528.webp
 
I really like the idea of centering the drivetrain!!!
Do the center shafts still have enough movement in the cups?
I may do this on my vte build as well. It’s still only like 80% completed
 
What you did is exactly what I should have done with my current build. I got a little spooked when I laid out the motor mount to center the driveshafts. The shafts still had several mm of clearance in the cups and would have been fine, but the holes I would have had to drill were so close to the originals I was worried about seriously weakening the chassis. Using carbon dust and epoxy was a great call, man. Beautiful job as usual. I do really like that body, too.
 

RC Builds

Back
Top