Lets make a happy Arrma thread !!!

[3x9rtse]

There is a lot of knowledge from this forum , pictures , videos ,builds , etc . But there seems to always be a thread about " what is better " , " this vs. that " , etc and we wouldn't be human if we didn't have differences or preferences. I.E , Ford/Chevy/Dodge lifelong debate . One can use the feedback for tips and advice , but you are going to like what you like and therefore your purchase is on you . At the end of the day , we're grown men playing with RC cars !!!!
Being an Arrma forum , it is expected that 99% don't want to hear about Traxxas/Losi/etc , but again , how can you NOT happen to like another manufacturers product if they do/did produce something cool ? And end up wanting or buying one, life goes on !!!
So I will give my say 8 month experience with Arrma . Where a strong portion of members here buy the Rc rig of their choice and immediately start upgrading it , I choose to do as minimal as possible to start enjoying the rig . We all know the STX radios are not a good thing on the V4 models , so I rip them out and put in my radio of choice Futaba 3PV, and vent all my tires , start ripping !!!!
So here it goes :
Typhon 6s V4 - awesome rig , fast and durable but quickly realized when jumping it is easy to break the plastic chassis mounts and bend the chassis!! This model , right away should install at least aluminum ones . Then truggified it , wild !!!!!
Talion 6s V4 - awesome rig , just like Typhon , fast and durable , glued to the ground in the handling department , but also get the aluminum braces in right away at least .
Senton 6s V3 - well , because the cancellation of this model , I chose to make it a parking lot/street rc only not to get it all dirty and beat up . Typhon sway bars/Infraction Hoons on it , 16t and 20t pinions , wow fast truck !!!! Stock Tactic radio works fine.
Mojave #1 - because I love SC trucks , had to have this one !!! Does not handle like the Typhon/Talion , heck it is to be expected . Durable/fast/scale looks flying across the fields soaking up bumps !!!! Installed Traxxas TQi ( I know ) radio and chassis net cover , recently did shocks to 45w all around and 20/300/20 in diffs . Broke one rear arm jumping .
Mojave #2 - chassis net cover , Futaba radio , changed to 14t pinion .
K8S - got it first day hit my LHS , great rig , don't jump real high with it , 23t pin for some more speed . Broke rear arm off not so high jump landing a little off . Broke front upper hinge pin cause it came out and didn't know it . Bent front axle landing on right front , remove , bend straight , re-install . Broke wing mount .

What did you notice I am not talking about ? .......... Am I getting lucky ? Have NOT lost a single servo , ESC , motor , any diff , any shock ( rod end on Talion once ) , bearings ( I don't drive thru water/sand/mud if I can help it ) . So I'd say my experience with Arrma products has been great !!!!

 

[FlipSide]

Granite Mega: Bought for my son last christmas. I knew nothing about RC and I caught the RC bug shopping for my son’s first RC. So far, it got a full set of bearings, and ADS-15 servo from my Kraton when the ADS-5 died. I also replaced the rear input gear for a HD and did the Camaroboy mod to keep the dirt away from the gear case. The truck is still fairly new, but looks like it has been abused for years already.

Kraton V4: As mentionned, I caught the bug shopping for the Granite and I had to get a Kraton for myself. I quickly realized I was a bit intimidated by the (apparent) complexity of the truck. I didn’t want to break the truck next summer and having to learn to wrench on these things on top of all the summer activities. I decided to Take advantage of the winter here and bought GKA chassis braces, servo mount and Ackerman plate in order to start learning how to work on the truck. Then I bought a DX5C transmitter. The servo on the Mega failed, so I transferred the ADS15 to the Mega and bought a Savox 1210SG for the Kraton. Then I severely bent the rear shock tower, which triggered a significant M2C order (chassis, shock tower, Shock tower brace, shock standoff, pillow ball retainers). I also added c-clips to the servo saver.

I turns out I slightly prefer wrenching to driving. I first bought Dynamite hex and nut drivers. Then a Milwaukee M12 electric screw driver and MIP speed tips.

 

[Mike-NLD]

We al have our complaints every one in a while..

V3 Typhon.. Bought it 2nd hand.. But came like NIB with a tactic.. No complaints so far..
Became a member on here.. And soon enough figured, i need better braces.. Ordered the HR ones.. Installed.. And fun began..
First problem came after hitting a steel playground fence head on.. Bend a shock shaft.. And dented the red main shock part.. Driver error.. Nothing Arrma can do about that.. Swapped the whole thing out..
Some time later the bearrings went.. Never did any maintenance to them, so that was expected.. New bearrings all around..
At that moment.. I found myself a nice area to play in fine white sand.. And started to blew rear wheelhub bearings every 2 packs.. That sucked! Problem got solved by puttin frond CVD's in the rear.. Stock servo still running strong.. But then, i landed the truck flat on its roof.. 2 turns later.. It stripped.. Prob due the the roof landing and gears bein moved.. Ordered a new servo.. And for the time bein.. I rotated the stipped gear 180 degrees.. All fine.. 10, maybe 15 packs without trouble.. Another hard roof landing.. This time.. 4 turns.. Stripped same gear.. New one in there.. After that I broke a lower front arm.. Again.. Driver error.. Overlooked the first step of a concrete stairs.. Hit it at about 40mph.. With just the front right wheel.. Bend hingepin.. Broken shock mount pin.. Arm in 4 pieces.. Again.. Not arrma to blame.. Then couple weeks ago.. I blew the front motor bearring.. Kevlar on the rotor got damaged.. RonsRC to the rescue..

Still havin fun though.. And no hard feelings at all!

Just got myself a Notorious.. Its gettin the same HR braces and servo mount.. Allready sold the TX and servo.. As the TX isnt something you want.. And the servo most likely goin to go at some point.. Waiting for the parts at the moment..

I fell back in love with the hobby after i bought the Typhon.. And some things just come with the hobby.. Wrenching and breakages are just part of it.. And.. I like to wrench aswell.. So still, no real complaints here!

Learned a lot here.. From many members.. At them, Thnx!!

 

[5AFE CRACKER]

Well I started with a 1/16 traxxas erevo I got for my little guy bought used and it came with an older 27mhz radio first day using little guy decided to grab hold of the old school antenna and snapped it in half lol car is fine but has not been used since. I then bought a 1/16 slash around the same time purchased off ebay newer model came with updated radio (2.4 no antenna) had fun with that for awhile but the rc bug had already set in and I was in the mood for something more.. Que the Kraton 6sV4 found a sweet deal that a rc dealer was selling. most of the recommended upgrades where already done. I grabbed it up quickly just as this whole corona virus thing blew up I've since replaced tires(Dboots Backflip) and front upper and lower arms(RPM) bought extra set of 3s 5000mah lipos a light kit and extra unbreakable body from our good friends in Russia.. Still waiting to receive btw? also got a Tekno 16T Pinion I've yet to install, new talon wing and wheelie bar I put on and I ordered a screw kit from Jenny's I'm waiting on. I had to get some decent tools for wrenching (mip?) and a sweet stand from stupid rc I have been lucky so far without any major breakage I've also since replaced the centre diff fluid with 500k as mine had a leak and was super low on fluid. I also bought a Skyfly noble NB4 that I'm super excited to get once it arrives. I'm super happy so far with arrma I was worried about working on there RCs but have since found it super simple and easy to do there is a lot of videos and walkthroughs on YouTube so no shortage of help plus all the helpful people on this forum make my first Arrma purchase everything I could of hoped for so for that I thank you all!

 

[BustedBudget]

I bought my Senton 3s about 3 weeks ago now...a d I love it. I had been out of the hobby for a out 15-20 years...and forgot how much I enjoyed it. As a lifelong tinkerer, I have always loved the wrenching side of things as much, or moreso sometimes, than the actual driving.

I've always been hard on my rc's, it's just my nature, so I expect breakages and never fault the manufacturer for them. I understand that certain compromises have to be made to offer us a good (not perfect) product at a reasonable price point. I also believe Arrma has done a VERY good job of doing that.

That being said, I had done my research when I ordered my Senton and knew what to expect. Being as hard as I am on my rc's I try to keep a stash of "likely to break" parts on hand as I'm sure many do. When I recieved my truck, I already had a new tx/rx, servo, and servo saver ready to go when the time came. I also had a set of sealed bearings, suspension arms, and body mounts. I drove it stock the first night and after 3 packs managed to make it through with only a broken front and rear bumper, then promptly tore it down completely to check it over and get myself familiar with everything. The only parts I replaced during that teardown were the servo, and a few of the more easy accessed bearings.

A couple days later, I installed the remainder of the bearings, rebuilt all the leaking shocks and replaced the 40w oil with 30w, installed the SR515 rx for the DX5 rugged tx, and put the 2.8 pro-line trenchers and 13T pinion in.

I have had no breakages since miraculously. And I launch it high and far quite regularly (I drive it every day).

I started collecting parts off jennysrc to upgrade my Senton to a 4s Kraton with 6s power, but have since decided I will build an entire new 4s Kraton rig with an M2C chassis as well as few other M2C parts and the rest relatively stock with a few exceptions. I have about 3/4 of the parts on the way currently, and will have the rest here in short order. I'm sure there are those out going "why not just buy a complete Kraton and swap the parts??" and the answer for me is simple. There is no fun in that. Wrenching, in my eyes, is HUGE part of this hobby. I've been tearing g things down and rebuilding them since I tore my first lawnmower engine down at 8 years old. Since then, I haven't owned a single motorized vehicle that has remained stock...my '04 F-350 is a perfect example. I rebuilt that from the frame up I stead of buying a new one. Just the way I like to do things...???

 

[3x9rtse]

Actually forgot I did this to my Talion , back in Nov/Dec when cold out I broke a front and rear arm , so put on all RPM arms . It has been bulletproof since then taking some bad landings, doing cartwheels,etc .

 

[3x9rtse]

Granite Mega: Bought for my son last christmas. I knew nothing about RC and I caught the RC bug shopping for my son’s first RC. So far, it got a full set of bearings, and ADS-15 servo from my Kraton when the ADS-5 died. I also replaced the rear input gear for a HD and did the Camaroboy mod to keep the dirt away from the gear case. The truck is still fairly new, but looks like it has been abused for years already.

Kraton V4: As mentionned, I caught the bug shopping for the Granite and I had to get a Kraton for myself. I quickly realized I was a bit intimidated by the (apparent) complexity of the truck. I didn’t want to break the truck next summer and having to learn to wrench on these things on top of all the summer activities. I decided to Take advantage of the winter here and bought GKA chassis braces, servo mount and Ackerman plate in order to start learning how to work on the truck. Then I bought a DX5C transmitter. The servo on the Mega failed, so I transferred the ADS15 to the Mega and bought a Savox 1210SG for the Kraton. Then I severely bent the rear shock tower, which triggered a significant M2C order (chassis, shock tower, Shock tower brace, shock standoff, pillow ball retainers). I also added c-clips to the servo saver.

I turns out I slightly prefer wrenching to driving. I first bought Dynamite hex and nut drivers. Then a Milwaukee M12 electric screw driver and MIP speed tips.

FlipSide , I spy a 73 or 74 Challenger in your driveway behind you ?

 

[FlipSide]

FlipSide , I spy a 73 or 74 Challenger in your driveway behind you ?

Indeed! It is a '74 that belonged to my uncle. My cousin is still mad that his dad got rid of that car...

 

[3x9rtse]

Indeed! It is a '74 that belonged to my uncle. My cousin is still mad that his dad got rid of that car...

I could tell 73 or 74 from the big bumperettes . I had a 74 , little old lady car , 39k orig miles , sold it though . Last year for the challenger then , they made very few , somewhere around 6,600 or so .

 

[Monster-Crawler]

Nero Big Rock, owned it for over three years. Replaced the stock steering servo and a plastic push-rod end. The JX Servo only cost appx $25 and the replacement rod ends were $6 for the whole set, made with thicker plastic. Love the truck!
Nero HD, a Big Rock with the original Nero center and front roll cage. Recently built it with parts from JennysRC and Tower Hobbies, so it was pretty expensive. Deleted the front and rear diff lock servo/mechanism because I rarely use them on my original Big Rock. Installed a JX Servo and Hot Racing steering upgrades and suspension/bumper mounts. Still undecided on if I'm gonna run it with a body because I really like the way it looks without, but I've already flipped it and scraped the center roll cage. Love this truck too!

 

[Bcoventry98]

My first rc was an arrma vortex only upgraded to a Frankenstein brushless system I put together because the brushed motor failed.
Second rc was the granite ( I think 2014 or 2016 spec ) right before they went 4x4. That one I drove a lot harder, got a castle creations brushless system for it after a week or 2 of running it. Jump it off a 5 foot dirt mound came down front wheel first and broke the lower connecting bulkhead. Broken control arms steering servos wheels and countless tans gear sets etc. I have rebuilt this truck 3 or 4 times over but she keeps on ticking. Currently as of 26 may 2020 she is down with another destroyed gear set.
And my third rc I just got about a month ago, the Arrma Talion V4, so far I have no complaints once again from another of arrma's wonderful products. Thought just recently I was driving it in a parking lot and it cartwheeled about 6 times starting roughly at about 35 to 40 mph and discovered after conducting a complete look over after the bash session that I had in fact broke something. It was the rear control arm. I'm not sad one bit, I'm actually impressed because that's not the first time I had done that in the month I owned it. Please tell me what you would recommend for upgraded control arms, I currently have RPM arms on the way. I'm talking more of aluminum or if anyone really recommends aluminum. Any feed back is appreciated thank you

 

[LibertyMKiii]

My first Arrma was the Kraton 6s V4.
My initial thoughts on 6s was just shock coming from Traxxas Slash 2wd and 4x4 and a XMaxx. I couldn't believe how great it handled, jumped, wheelied, and top speed. It really had it all. My first attempt of back flips at the skate park was easy... almost too easy.

I was able to run 65mph on the stock vehicle with the speed pinion installed, although the tires were at their limits. Later I installed a spool and GRP belted tires to hit 96mph with an otherwise stock Kraton! Between the reliability and power I was hooked for life.
I since have had a few Typhons and a custom limitless. As of today have hit a best of 132 mph so far. I am an Arrma owner for life. In my eyes there is nothing that an kit brand like Mugen will provide that my Typhon cannot do.

 

[Jimbobjr]

My emaxx got pulled out of the closet to kick some ass once again after some time. When I bought that thing in maybe 2002 (fooling around with this stuff off and on since the early 80’s) or so it was the best electric rc I ever owned. This time the batteries would not fully charge and being dated it was time to see what’s going on in the world of rc again. I bought a brushless redcat volcano and was amazed at the power of brushless motors and lipo batteries. Shortly after that I sold my emaxx, and used the money towards my Kraton 6s. Wow, it was like I had to learn rc all over again. Tools, batteries, chargers everything.

Happy #1) Being a machinist I make many of my own mods. Because much of the Arrma 6s line is aluminum is much easier for me, than say the 4s or the traxxas stuff. Great kits but the complex composite and plastic pieces are very hard to make. This is one reason I stick to Arrma. (If you’re bored check out some of my mods in my build threads...)

Happy #2) Also the aftermarket companies which make upgrades are plentiful. Sure, there’s the big ones that support all brands but the small ones all over the world make some really great stuff. Not just making Arrma designed parts stronger but making their own designs and fitting them to make very strong models.

Happy #3) Shortly after I bought the k6s that I found this form. To be honest it maybe Arrmas best feature (I know, I know, it’s a fan site not a company one...) The wealth of data from thousands of threads, questions getting answered many times in minutes, is unequaled in the rc community. Other companies cars might have a better radio or be more whatever, (the compitetion is so close and land vehicles so outrageous) but none have a forum this fun, really a great.
Jim

 

[bicketybam]

My first rc was an arrma vortex only upgraded to a Frankenstein brushless system I put together because the brushed motor failed.
Second rc was the granite ( I think 2014 or 2016 spec ) right before they went 4x4. That one I drove a lot harder, got a castle creations brushless system for it after a week or 2 of running it. Jump it off a 5 foot dirt mound came down front wheel first and broke the lower connecting bulkhead. Broken control arms steering servos wheels and countless tans gear sets etc. I have rebuilt this truck 3 or 4 times over but she keeps on ticking. Currently as of 26 may 2020 she is down with another destroyed gear set.
And my third rc I just got about a month ago, the Arrma Talion V4, so far I have no complaints once again from another of arrma's wonderful products. Thought just recently I was driving it in a parking lot and it cartwheeled about 6 times starting roughly at about 35 to 40 mph and discovered after conducting a complete look over after the bash session that I had in fact broke something. It was the rear control arm. I'm not sad one bit, I'm actually impressed because that's not the first time I had done that in the month I owned it. Please tell me what you would recommend for upgraded control arms, I currently have RPM arms on the way. I'm talking more of aluminum or if anyone really recommends aluminum. Any feed back is appreciated thank you

You do not want aluminum A-arms for a basher. It will transfer the force of the impact to other areas and those more expensive areas will break. RPM arms are fine

 

[Bcoventry98]

You do not want aluminum A-arms for a basher. It will transfer the force of the impact to other areas and those more expensive areas will break. RPM arms are fine

That's what I was trying to figure out. What would be better, but like i had said the RPM arms are on there way already. I was just doing that as a back up until I recieved a little feed back. and thank you

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Happy #3) Shortly after I bought the k6s that I found this form. To be honest it maybe Arrmas best feature (I know, I know, it’s a fan site not a company one...) The wealth of data from thousands of threads, questions getting answered many times in minutes, is unequaled in the rc community. Other companies cars might have a better radio or be more whatever, (the compitetion is so close and land vehicles so outrageous) but none have a forum this fun, really a great.
Jim

Couldn't agree more! Having been on many forums over the years this one truly is something special. A real community with many good responses as you mentioned.

 

[1stGranite]

Indeed! It is a '74 that belonged to my uncle. My cousin is still mad that his dad got rid of that car...

Another Fellow challenger never get rid of it