Kraton Kraton 6S BLX V5 - Upgrade Journey (ideas welcomed!)

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Location
Portland, OR
Arrma RC's
  1. Granite
  2. Infraction

Run Video (April 4, 2021)


PhasePicsPartsNotes

Step 1​

(Unboxing)
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Kraton 6S BLX V5

Step 2​

Receiver Swap
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(out)
Spektrum SR315

(in)
Spektrum SR6200A
Great news is that the V5 Kraton BLX receiver box has been made larger to accomodate a broader range of receivers. I swapped in this SR6200A so I could have AVC (active vehicle control), which is a great option if/when running on slick/loose surfaces. Fun to play with the tuning too.

Step 3​

Arrma EXB Super Basher Front Bumper
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EXB Super Basher Front BumperThis thing can take a beating! Neat design with the oval shock absorber built-in. Survived many face plants.

Step 4​

Rear Skid Plate
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RPM Arrma Kraton/Durango Rear Skid PlateNote: this does NOT fit the V5 Kraton BLX out-of-box (not well anyway). It can somewhat, but leaves a gap between it and the chassis since it's designed for V4, which has a narrower diff "bump" in the chassis. So I used a rotary tool to grind-out and widen the diff space in the skid plate so it fits a little more flush to the chassis.

Step 5​

Wheelie Bar
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Arrma Wheelie Bar SetTwo great benefits: (1) Hold a wheelie w/o damaging the wing; (2) protects rear wing in a crash.

Step 6​

Body Protection
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Credit to East Tactics YouTube channel for the car door protector. Use a medium density hobby glue designed to fill gaps. Was much easier to work with than standard super glue, and dries clearer.

Step 7​

Too be continued! (Please feel free to reply with any must-do upgrades for improved durability).

Thanks Arrma community!
-JD
Ideas so far:
  1. Bulletproof the diffs (i.e. shimming)
  2. EXB chassis braces (front and rear)
  3. EXB servo mount
  4. Install LSD diffs in Front and Center
  5. EXB diff outdrives
  6. Heavy duty CVD drives and dog bones
  7. Others???
 
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Looking great! On my V5 I added many of the upgrades you have. I seem to break a lot of wing mounts so I replaced the stock with RPM. I've had much better luck with those as they tend to bend/give a little more. I also put an M2C chassis on it but wouldn't bother until you get a bend in the stock version. I think the design of the V5 is pretty good as long as you aren't doing 100ft YouTube sends. :p
 
Looking great! On my V5 I added many of the upgrades you have. I seem to break a lot of wing mounts so I replaced the stock with RPM. I've had much better luck with those as they tend to bend/give a little more. I also put an M2C chassis on it but wouldn't bother until you get a bend in the stock version. I think the design of the V5 is pretty good as long as you aren't doing 100ft YouTube sends. :p
Thank you Juan! Excellent advice! I'll keep the RPM wing mount in mind, and thank you for comment re M2C chassis -- super intrigued by that, but how much extra weight would you say it adds over stock? The weight difference create any issues for you?
 
Stock is 340g.
M2C is 490g.

Weight can be an issue in my opinion as the heavier it gets, more things break down stream. You end up in a never ending cycle of upgrades/weight. My last build I tried to compensate for this by putting in @Basherqueen carbon fiber parts. These have works extremely well. Not only do I feel the CF shock towers are an upgrade over stock for strength, the setup as I have it configured lowers the center of gravity. It really hugs the ground and makes the handling pop.
 
Thank you Juan! Excellent advice! I'll keep the RPM wing mount in mind, and thank you for comment re M2C chassis -- super intrigued by that, but how much extra weight would you say it adds over stock? The weight difference create any issues for you?
I like the added weight feels more planted easyer to drive
 
I like the added weight feels more planted easyer to drive
I do agree with this. With the CF on my rig, the total weight is real close to stock. That weight just happens to fall lower since the M2C Chassis is heavier than stock but the CF towers/other parts are lighter. I'm pretty much convinced that CF parts are the future (for parts that make sense).

However, I'm not sold on CF chassis'... yet.
 
I do agree with this. With the CF on my rig, the total weight is real close to stock. That weight just happens to fall lower since the M2C Chassis is heavier than stock but the CF towers/other parts are lighter. I'm pretty much convinced that CF parts are the future (for parts that make sense).

However, I'm not sold on CF chassis'... yet.
not had any luck with carbon fibre parts although the carbon fibre could have been low grade stuff I used. the basher queen parts seem good from watching rich duperbash videos.
 
PhasePicsPartsNotes

Step 8​

EXB front/rear chassis braces
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ARA320564 (front brace)
ARA320567 (rear brace)
The center brace bar, roll cage, front mud guards, and front center brace mount have to be removed (partially in some cases). Then you have to flip over the EXB top plate (thank you to Arrma for making this stock in the V5 RTR!), in order to use its 4mm screw hole to be compatible with the EXB front center brace.

Step 9​

EXB servo mount
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ARA320574This job is a little tricky. Also, the servo mount does not come with any hardware. Problematic, because you need (4) additional M3 screws. M3x14 is about right. No additional parts are needed to be able to upgrade the V5 RTR with this servo mount. You can reuse the 4 stock screws, but still need an additional 4 to secure the servo in the new EXB servo mount. Remember to blue loctite any screws sunk in aluminum threads (i.e. the 4 chassis screws underneath you remove/reinsert to complete this install).
 
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