Welcome to my build log of a 2 week old Senton BLX V3.
Personal background: I've been in and out of the hobby since around 2000. owned and raced everything from micros to 5th scale gassers, electric, nitro and gas. I prefer crawlers the most and this senton is my truck for when I need a break from crawling at 1 mph.
I am currently a Welder and Machinist supervisor and have been a euro car mechanic. I was in the Army as a 12B Combat Engineer 'Sapper', left the army in 2012. My other hobbies are competition shooting in multiple disciplines but focus primarily on USPSA; Pistol Practical Shooting)
Going to catch up on everything and continue on from there. Plenty of stuff in the mail!
Also since I personally hate seeing threads that don't include part numbers I'll try my best of include any and all part numbers I have. Hopefully someone else appreciates a nicely laid out thread
Battery: SMC TrueSpec DV 3S1P 5200mah 75C (SMC52367-3S1P) with EC5 connectors
Radio: Spektrum DX5 Rugged and SR215 Receiver
1: BLX100 ESC burned out on the first week and still haven't heard back from Horizon Hobby
2: Replaced the stock ESC with MAMBA X (RPM73762) ESC Cage will screw to factory ESC mounting holes. Truck was up and running again but I really didn't like the stock motor (MAMBA X ESC fan is not great so I used a Fantom Racing Aluminum Fan (FAN19247). 30x30x10 (NOTE: Must use spacers to raise the fan above the capacitors due to dimensional differences of aluminum and plastic fans)
3: Replaced the stock 3200Kv with a Castle Creation 1512 1Y 2650Kv (NOTE: Factory motor bullet connectors are 6.5mm, and must be replaced with 4mm bullets to work with MAMBA X)
4: Bought multiple sets of tires and converted the 14mm Hex to 12mm Hex using Part # ARA310816
6. Added Yeah Racing Dual Fan and Heatsink to the motor (YEA-YA-0261BK) (had to cut the heatsink a little bit to fit right with the clocking of the motor and terminals). I threw the fans it came with into the parts bin and used 2 Protek RC Aluminum fans (PTK-2112) NOTE: Aluminum cased fans are larger on the outside than plastic ones, the bolt pattern is the same but you have to remove material to the two surfaces where the fans touch to get the fans close enough together for the screw holes to work. I did use the 5mm standoff spacers to get the most airflow possible.
7. Current Temps: ESC 150F Motor 130F, measured with datalogging, Ambient temp was 88F, speed passes and heavy braking to build heat, drove with the Duratrax SpeedTread Robbers SC
8: In a heavy crash I bent the motor mount plate and cracked the slipper hub. Ordered a Hot racing motor plate (HRAATF18M02) and a new Slipper Hub Assembly (ARA310946)
9: Since I'm now waiting for shipping, and I am impatient I took the motor plate out and heated with with a MAPP Gas torch and flattened it back out to with in 0.003" end to end.
10: I have flushed and refilled the shocks with 50wt Shock oil, and the diffs with 50k in the front and 30k in the rear.
11: The Castle motor bearings went bad in the crash and were replaced with AVID Bearings; 5x16x5 in the front and 5x14x5 in the endcap
12: Ordered a bearing set from JIMS BEARINGS for future use.
13: New body on the way from Proline 2017 Ford Raptor body (PRO3489-00) and along with that I ordered a new set of body clips and retainers (AR390165)
14: I went to a hobby shop yesterday that I had never been to and they stocked tons of hot racing ARRMA parts! So I went ahead and picked up the Hot Racing Aluminum Pivot Balls (AFT160B02), I got around to installing them a little bit ago and they definitely tightened up the whole truck, now to see how long that lasts.
15: The hot racing motor plate (HRAATF18M02) came it and I went ahead and swapped that out too. Will be bashing tomorrow hopefully I can convince the wife to put her transmitter down and take some pictures. While I was at it, replaced the Slipper Hub Assembly (ARA310946).
16: Next for today I decided to be not lazy and put in my spare Spektrum 6100AT receiver with AVC and set it all up (SPMSR6100AT), Warning to those thinking about using one. You have to mount it against the vertical wall towards the back of the truck's receiver box, because of the support/threaded uprights, the receiver is too wide to fit.
17: Lastly I also threw in a spare Castle Creations Telemetry Link (010-0148-00) to go with it, now I have voltage, rpm, temp, approx. speed, current etc. right on my transmitter. I do have issues with it where every so often I lose connection with it and my screen blanks out. I have to cycle the truck off and on to get it working again. Its done this with 2 separate 6100AT Receivers. Maybe @robert@castle can chime in on this.
18: Proline Body finally Arrived! Paints Used: Tamiya PS-12 Silver, Tamiya PS-7 Orange, Tamiya PS-1 White. My wife cut the masking on her Cricut Maker.
19: While I was at the hobby shop I picked up an ECOPOWER WP110T Servo. They didn't have the right servo saver but to be honest. the stock 23T and the Standardized 25T. fits. Just line it up and put the screw in. it will pull itself into line. its holding strong works fine. The truck has a lot more steering power and speed now compared to the stock S651 Servo.
20. Welp, not so fresh anymore. took it for its first run, bashed too hard and cracked the body. Reinforced and repaired cracks with "Gorilla Clear Contact Adhesive. (aka. E6000) glue. And used some fabric, repair mesh I had in the garage.
21. Picked up a pack of Front Driveshafts (AR310780) and a pack of Rear Driveshafts (AR310864) for just in case. While I was there I saw that they had the Hot Racing Aluminum Shock Body sets (Front HRAATF155AF08, Rear HRAATF155AR08), so I figured why not! At only $38 for both front and rears I decided it was worth a try. Assembled them using Team Associated Green Slime O-Ring Lube (ASC1105) and Team Associated 50wt Shock Oil (ASC5429). Installed them a few minutes ago and damn they are smooth. So far I am happy with how they feel and have the tension set to where the arms are level from a 3ft drop. Hopefully Ill get a chance to go try them out this weekend but I'm not sure if the weather will allow it.
22. Had to stop by the store today for something. Sooooo I picked up a Mamba Monster X 6s ESC (010-0145-00), RPM Cage (RPM73622) and a 26T Pinion to go with it.
I found recently through testing that my ESC isnt able to keep up with the motor so it would get hot. But with a 2650Kv Motor and 18T-20T pinion, the torque is good but the speed is slow. Upgrading the ESC should help this problem. Data Logs soon.
Looking at the Hot Racing Motor Plate I think I can gear up past 26T. maybe 27-28T.
The RPM cage for the Mamba Monster X DOES NOT fit the stock bolt locations for the receiver box. I did some measuring and drew up an adapter plate for it on Solidworks and its currently printing. Ill post pictures once its done.
23. The speed treads robbers gave up the ghost this past weekend. Within 20 minutes of each occurrence I had two tires blow out and a two more with splits in the tread.
just glued up some proline street fighters (PRO1167-01) on JConcepts Hazards (JCO3351B). Going to try them out tomorrow!
24. Tried out the tires today but it rained all day so I tested it on wet concrete. Holy grip! Was able to still pull wheelies and turn without over steer!
quick test video
Also today put in a Hot Racing Servo Saver (HRAATF48SH02). Fit and finish looks good. Feels tighter than the stock ones. Will test tomorrow.
25. Added Hot Racing Bell Crank (ARF4801). Install was east and quick. Have about 6 packs through now and it’s still ZERO slop in the steering.
UPDATES TO FOLLOW
Will update as posts come in.
Personal background: I've been in and out of the hobby since around 2000. owned and raced everything from micros to 5th scale gassers, electric, nitro and gas. I prefer crawlers the most and this senton is my truck for when I need a break from crawling at 1 mph.
I am currently a Welder and Machinist supervisor and have been a euro car mechanic. I was in the Army as a 12B Combat Engineer 'Sapper', left the army in 2012. My other hobbies are competition shooting in multiple disciplines but focus primarily on USPSA; Pistol Practical Shooting)
Going to catch up on everything and continue on from there. Plenty of stuff in the mail!
Also since I personally hate seeing threads that don't include part numbers I'll try my best of include any and all part numbers I have. Hopefully someone else appreciates a nicely laid out thread
Battery: SMC TrueSpec DV 3S1P 5200mah 75C (SMC52367-3S1P) with EC5 connectors
Radio: Spektrum DX5 Rugged and SR215 Receiver
1: BLX100 ESC burned out on the first week and still haven't heard back from Horizon Hobby
2: Replaced the stock ESC with MAMBA X (RPM73762) ESC Cage will screw to factory ESC mounting holes. Truck was up and running again but I really didn't like the stock motor (MAMBA X ESC fan is not great so I used a Fantom Racing Aluminum Fan (FAN19247). 30x30x10 (NOTE: Must use spacers to raise the fan above the capacitors due to dimensional differences of aluminum and plastic fans)
3: Replaced the stock 3200Kv with a Castle Creation 1512 1Y 2650Kv (NOTE: Factory motor bullet connectors are 6.5mm, and must be replaced with 4mm bullets to work with MAMBA X)
4: Bought multiple sets of tires and converted the 14mm Hex to 12mm Hex using Part # ARA310816
JConcepts Wheels: 2x JCO3350W (White) (Slash Front)
JConcepts Wheels: 2x JCO3350B (Black) (Slash Front)
Proline Badlands 2.2/3.0 M2 Tires PRO1182-30
Proline HoleShots 2.0 2.2/3.0 M3 PRO1180-02
Duratrax SpeedTreads Robber SC DTXC2929
5. Gearing: 24T Pinion (Robinson Racing RRP8624), Steel 57T Spur ARA310945 (NOTE: You Need 4 Slipper Pads for the steel gear ARA310908), I need to get a GPS Meter but using the IOS Gearing Calculator on my phone its saying 64mph so idk. I'll update this later when I get one.6. Added Yeah Racing Dual Fan and Heatsink to the motor (YEA-YA-0261BK) (had to cut the heatsink a little bit to fit right with the clocking of the motor and terminals). I threw the fans it came with into the parts bin and used 2 Protek RC Aluminum fans (PTK-2112) NOTE: Aluminum cased fans are larger on the outside than plastic ones, the bolt pattern is the same but you have to remove material to the two surfaces where the fans touch to get the fans close enough together for the screw holes to work. I did use the 5mm standoff spacers to get the most airflow possible.
7. Current Temps: ESC 150F Motor 130F, measured with datalogging, Ambient temp was 88F, speed passes and heavy braking to build heat, drove with the Duratrax SpeedTread Robbers SC
8: In a heavy crash I bent the motor mount plate and cracked the slipper hub. Ordered a Hot racing motor plate (HRAATF18M02) and a new Slipper Hub Assembly (ARA310946)
9: Since I'm now waiting for shipping, and I am impatient I took the motor plate out and heated with with a MAPP Gas torch and flattened it back out to with in 0.003" end to end.
10: I have flushed and refilled the shocks with 50wt Shock oil, and the diffs with 50k in the front and 30k in the rear.
11: The Castle motor bearings went bad in the crash and were replaced with AVID Bearings; 5x16x5 in the front and 5x14x5 in the endcap
12: Ordered a bearing set from JIMS BEARINGS for future use.
13: New body on the way from Proline 2017 Ford Raptor body (PRO3489-00) and along with that I ordered a new set of body clips and retainers (AR390165)
14: I went to a hobby shop yesterday that I had never been to and they stocked tons of hot racing ARRMA parts! So I went ahead and picked up the Hot Racing Aluminum Pivot Balls (AFT160B02), I got around to installing them a little bit ago and they definitely tightened up the whole truck, now to see how long that lasts.
15: The hot racing motor plate (HRAATF18M02) came it and I went ahead and swapped that out too. Will be bashing tomorrow hopefully I can convince the wife to put her transmitter down and take some pictures. While I was at it, replaced the Slipper Hub Assembly (ARA310946).
16: Next for today I decided to be not lazy and put in my spare Spektrum 6100AT receiver with AVC and set it all up (SPMSR6100AT), Warning to those thinking about using one. You have to mount it against the vertical wall towards the back of the truck's receiver box, because of the support/threaded uprights, the receiver is too wide to fit.
17: Lastly I also threw in a spare Castle Creations Telemetry Link (010-0148-00) to go with it, now I have voltage, rpm, temp, approx. speed, current etc. right on my transmitter. I do have issues with it where every so often I lose connection with it and my screen blanks out. I have to cycle the truck off and on to get it working again. Its done this with 2 separate 6100AT Receivers. Maybe @robert@castle can chime in on this.
18: Proline Body finally Arrived! Paints Used: Tamiya PS-12 Silver, Tamiya PS-7 Orange, Tamiya PS-1 White. My wife cut the masking on her Cricut Maker.
19: While I was at the hobby shop I picked up an ECOPOWER WP110T Servo. They didn't have the right servo saver but to be honest. the stock 23T and the Standardized 25T. fits. Just line it up and put the screw in. it will pull itself into line. its holding strong works fine. The truck has a lot more steering power and speed now compared to the stock S651 Servo.
20. Welp, not so fresh anymore. took it for its first run, bashed too hard and cracked the body. Reinforced and repaired cracks with "Gorilla Clear Contact Adhesive. (aka. E6000) glue. And used some fabric, repair mesh I had in the garage.
21. Picked up a pack of Front Driveshafts (AR310780) and a pack of Rear Driveshafts (AR310864) for just in case. While I was there I saw that they had the Hot Racing Aluminum Shock Body sets (Front HRAATF155AF08, Rear HRAATF155AR08), so I figured why not! At only $38 for both front and rears I decided it was worth a try. Assembled them using Team Associated Green Slime O-Ring Lube (ASC1105) and Team Associated 50wt Shock Oil (ASC5429). Installed them a few minutes ago and damn they are smooth. So far I am happy with how they feel and have the tension set to where the arms are level from a 3ft drop. Hopefully Ill get a chance to go try them out this weekend but I'm not sure if the weather will allow it.
22. Had to stop by the store today for something. Sooooo I picked up a Mamba Monster X 6s ESC (010-0145-00), RPM Cage (RPM73622) and a 26T Pinion to go with it.
I found recently through testing that my ESC isnt able to keep up with the motor so it would get hot. But with a 2650Kv Motor and 18T-20T pinion, the torque is good but the speed is slow. Upgrading the ESC should help this problem. Data Logs soon.
Looking at the Hot Racing Motor Plate I think I can gear up past 26T. maybe 27-28T.
The RPM cage for the Mamba Monster X DOES NOT fit the stock bolt locations for the receiver box. I did some measuring and drew up an adapter plate for it on Solidworks and its currently printing. Ill post pictures once its done.
23. The speed treads robbers gave up the ghost this past weekend. Within 20 minutes of each occurrence I had two tires blow out and a two more with splits in the tread.
just glued up some proline street fighters (PRO1167-01) on JConcepts Hazards (JCO3351B). Going to try them out tomorrow!
24. Tried out the tires today but it rained all day so I tested it on wet concrete. Holy grip! Was able to still pull wheelies and turn without over steer!
quick test video
Also today put in a Hot Racing Servo Saver (HRAATF48SH02). Fit and finish looks good. Feels tighter than the stock ones. Will test tomorrow.
25. Added Hot Racing Bell Crank (ARF4801). Install was east and quick. Have about 6 packs through now and it’s still ZERO slop in the steering.
UPDATES TO FOLLOW
Will update as posts come in.
Last edited:
in due time!
