Kraton My Kraton, in progress

[Dr_Isotope]

I've been at the R/C thing for a little while (since my Kyosho Turbo Ultima back in the late '80s) but I must say, this is my first Arrma, and my first foray into 6S. I've still got my cherished (and long discontinued) Associated SC8.2e, but that truck is a handful on 4S, so I welcome the trouble of 50% more voltage.

I went BLX rather than EXB because I enjoy the wrenching as much as the bashing, so I knew I would be pouring parts into this thing anyway. The OEM radio and servo have already been repurposed, and there's a new home waiting for the motor/ESC as well.

The Spektrum ESC and motor were in the truck for all of 3 packs, nothing I tried would keep the heat down. Sure, it's really hot here this time of year, but that motor was hitting 180ºF after just a few minutes. I imagine it will be much more at home in something quite a bit lighter.

The oft recommended MAX6 + 1650kv 4092, and a fresh set of spacers to get that absurdly tall Savox 1212 to fit. I was just happy to get that servo out of one of my crawlers, so I don't have to hear it anymore.

I had to do some trimmin' and cuttin' from the get go, which is kinda my thing anyway. As this is my first Arrma, I had no idea that there were structural changes between the V4 and the V5, so I had to do a fair bit of RPM trimming to get the bumper, rear skid, and rear arms on. The CF for the tower brace was easy, and the M2C tower braces (which should be OEM) went on without issue.

Indoor photography under 6500K lighting doesn't really emphasize the blue fade. It's not my best work, but it definitely passes the 6' test. The Finnisher body is an absolutely perfect fit. Oh, and Backflip MTs, because the Copperheads are some mighty balloons.

Misc. notes: I've got EXB LSD diffs front and rear, aluminum case on the open center, Lunsford for the steering links and rear camber links, Hot Racing front and rear knuckles. And EXB chasiss braces. Oh, I did a quick and dirty fab job out of some 7mm delrin sheet to build the battery tray, because I don't feel like spending 10 minutes extricating the battery out of the stock tray every time it needs charged.

I'm probably forgetting something. <shrug>. Haven't even worked out what pinion to run yet.

 

[Hammer Down]

Looks like a proper build.

 

[Dr_Isotope]

Took 'er out for a quick smash around the backyard last night (once the temps got below 90º but there was still enough sun to see by) and those Backflips should just come as OEM on the truck. They are so, so, SO much better than the Copperheads. Truck launches better, brakes better, turns better... everything's better.

The 1650kv runs significantly cooler than the Spektrum from the RTR (unsurprisingly) and with properly shimmed limited-slip diffs in it, it's smooth and pretty quiet-- at least compared to stock. I've gotten used to the sound of my crawlers-- some of which are so quiet the tires scraping the rocks are the only sounds from them-- so the K6S on first run sounded like feeding tin cans to a garbage disposal.

Addicted to upgrades, so I've got a couple more bits inbound, hopefully arriving by the weekend.

 

[Dr_Isotope]

After running a total of two-- count 'em-- two packs with the 1650kv motor, I decided to replace it. Well, I decided to steal it for another rig, and drop a 1420kv into the Kraton (thanks, Amazon same-day!). Slapped on a 17T pinion, and man, this might be the sweet spot for this monster. Just dropping into the 80s outside, and the fan-less 1420kv barely touched 150º. The MAX6 was just flirting with 110º.

More praise for the Backflip MTs-- I've got a sizable yard, but no place big enough to get this beast to full pull, so I had to take it to the street. It's so nice-- no more squirrelly ballooning. Also found that the GT5, maybe not the best choice for like... long range. It got wonky on me at around 500' away.

Got the full HR steering gizmo array installed, and probably (mostly) confirmation bias, but the steering feels really good.