Mojave Traxxis UDR / Senton 3s BLX / Mojave Random Thoughts

[Steve B in Vegas]

Greetings,

Quick story with observations. Will make it as short as possible....

Got my new Senton 3s BLX - love it. Neighbor and good friend also took a liking to it. Went to hobby store together last week to look for him. He leaves with a Traxxis UDR and a Traxxis Slash, and 4 batteries and bunch of accessories. He wanted to do Traxxis since I run ARRMA ( gotta be different ). Drove together for first time yesterday. Dry dead grass with plenty o' lumps. Senton did great as usual, and the Slash wasn't too bad at all. So much lighter than my Senton.

I arrived early so I was already down 1 battery. Burned off my last two batteries beating down his Slash, but the UDR was another story. That larger truck devoured lumps and bumps that caused me fits in the corners.

Put my truck away when I was done with my batteries and drove the UDR while he drove the Slash. Impressive. Then we had a very slow speed collision and the Slash exploded. I couldn't help but think my Senton would have shook that impact off.

But holy Moses, 1/7 appears to be a completely different animal all together.

So my point / question for you guys with far more experience than me ( which is about 99% of the gang here ), is the Mojave just as stunning in differences.? So far the you tube videos seems to point to as much.

That said, my goal is to develop my skills with the Senton 3s over a year, then get a TLR 3.0 STC. I'm not looking to really race, but I'm fascinated with the unending adjustments and setups, and want to really learn this STC 1/10 world. But I'm struggling with my interest in the Mojave. Is it because 1/7 just makes everything so much easier when compared to 1/10?

Also, from what I have read, the Mojave pretty much beats the UDR in all aspects. True?

s

 

[Porschetech🇬🇪]

Yeah from what I’ve seen the Mojave beats UDR. The UDR is more realistic looking, but way too many intricate parts that can easily break. It’s so simple in comparison to work on than the UDR. I’m no expert in the field and I don’t own either models - just from what others have told me.

 

[adidas303]

UDR sports a solid rear axle as well, which really changes up control and handling. Trying to add a bit more scale look and feel. As Porschetech stated more stand alone parts lil more expensive. Mojave is all around independent suspension, which gives it better handling overall, I think is why most people like it better. Also, a bit easier to wrench on as well over all.

 

[bicketybam]

Someone needs to send a UDR so I can send it off the Bethel BMX berm jump. Them we will see how tough it is ???

 

[BashingBrian]

I think if you send a UDR off that berm, it will be coming home in a bin bag..???

 

[Devils_Perm]

I’ve had both, sold the UDR to buy a Mojave because I didnt see the need in keeping both and i had a friend wanting it. UDR is really an awesome toy car. Scale details and a blast to drive. The mojave is more “generic” in its design. Basically using the same arrma 6s platform with bespoke towers,arms,shocks and body mounts. A lot of other 6s model parts will drop right in, that was a major factor for me as i like the ability to build it into a monster truck with kraton bits or an infraction with its arms,hubs,wheels etc. If i get bored in one form i can modify it into something else. It also gave me a partner to race/bash with and a chance to have owned both trucks. The UDR is a genuine “hobbyists” rig, perfect for a gentleman to display and drive occasionally. Not that folks don't beat on them, thats just an easy way to describe its style. With the upgrades i put on like metal trailing arms and better skids, axles, links that thing could take some punishment. That said, it is no where near the bash-ability of the Mo which i describe as more of a hooligans rig if that makes sense to ya.
As far as drivability, id again give it to the Mo. they handle similarly, soft suspensions, higher COG compared to giant wheeled monsters and buggies. Boy oh boy they’re both an absolute blast to drive on any surface, handling for both is realistic/scale, but the DR blows it away with realism. In direct comparison the Mo handles better. The DR is planted to the ground and runs much “heavier”. The Mo floats across terrain at speed like a boat up on plane, much easier for me to drive fast. So its all in what you like, if you want to detail paint the interior and put it in a display case when you’re not running it then get the DR. If you wanna run wide open from the time you throw the switch until you put it on the bench still dirty then get the mojave. if you want to modify it into an overpowered ballistic missile go mojave. That said, just get whichever one gives you a stiffy... you wont be disappointed either way, they are just expensive toy cars after all.

sorry for the book... you could just buy both lmao

 

[Outcastblxnut]

If you wanna wrench for days after a bash get a udr ???

 

[Steve B in Vegas]

I’ve had both, sold the UDR to buy a Mojave because I didnt see the need in keeping both and i had a friend wanting it. UDR is really an awesome toy car. Scale details and a blast to drive. The mojave is more “generic” in its design. Basically using the same arrma 6s platform with bespoke towers,arms,shocks and body mounts. A lot of other 6s model parts will drop right in, that was a major factor for me as i like the ability to build it into a monster truck with kraton bits or an infraction with its arms,hubs,wheels etc. If i get bored in one form i can modify it into something else. It also gave me a partner to race/bash with and a chance to have owned both trucks. The UDR is a genuine “hobbyists” rig, perfect for a gentleman to display and drive occasionally. Not that folks don't beat on them, thats just an easy way to describe its style. With the upgrades i put on like metal trailing arms and better skids, axles, links that thing could take some punishment. That said, it is no where near the bash-ability of the Mo which i describe as more of a hooligans rig if that makes sense to ya.
As far as drivability, id again give it to the Mo. they handle similarly, soft suspensions, higher COG compared to giant wheeled monsters and buggies. Boy oh boy they’re both an absolute blast to drive on any surface, handling for both is realistic/scale, but the DR blows it away with realism. In direct comparison the Mo handles better. The DR is planted to the ground and runs much “heavier”. The Mo floats across terrain at speed like a boat up on plane, much easier for me to drive fast. So its all in what you like, if you want to detail paint the interior and put it in a display case when you’re not running it then get the DR. If you wanna run wide open from the time you throw the switch until you put it on the bench still dirty then get the mojave. if you want to modify it into an overpowered ballistic missile go mojave. That said, just get whichever one gives you a stiffy... you wont be disappointed either way, they are just expensive toy cars after all.

sorry for the book... you could just buy both lmao

DP,

Thanks for this insight. A few comments:

1. I really enjoy READING comments and reviews, and I am completely sick of the You Tube video reviews as a whole. There are some great videos out there ( not knocking the member videos here ), but it's just my opinion than when you sit and write something of detail, you tend to organize the thoughts better and hit more key details. So to that end, I love these long posts / comments. Sometimes when I watch a video that's 5 minutes long, there is about 30 seconds of useful info and then a bunch of "umms" and skipping around. Having done both videos for my company as well as long text documents ( + 30,000 words ), and I think the text docs are just a better overall package.

2. I think you are spot-on in this assessment, but I am only basing that on my Senton 3s BLX vs my friends UDR. I have been hard thinking on the Mojave as my next truck, but then there is the Team Associated DB8 which for some unknown reason has caught my attention. I'm just not quite ready because in my mind there is significant overlap between a beefed up Senton 3s and a Mojave, but that's just a feeling I have at the moment.

3. This line: "if you want to modify it into an overpowered ballistic missile go mojave." is the crux of the matter. I think the ARRMA has so much potential for building into whatever beast a driver wants is the key element. The Mojave has so much room to grow and get beastly, and I feel that's a major enjoyment factory to the RC world.

s

 

[SrC]

I was a life long fan of Associated, until Thundertiger bought them some years ago. Then their Race line lagged for a while. Didn't seem like they supported older variants and kept changing out designs too often. That got expensive. Thundertiger got AE into the RTR market. The DB8 appears weak in construction and is not a real Associated design at all. Its a relabled older Thundertiger.
2 years ago I got a Associated Pro4x4 SCT for bashing. I called AE direct to inquire before the purchase, they said it was a popular truck with all parts support. Within one year all the parts were on B/O. Called again, and they said be patient. I wanted all the upgrade alloy stuff. hubs etc and arms and stuff that always broke. I waited and waited. No retailers had anything. I went to AE's site and found a few parts left for it on their clearance link. I was stuck with a rig that has broken diff gears ,etc. with no replacements anywhere. It became a $500+broken shelf queen a year later. I called AE to try and source some parts through Thundertiger which are universal,( Diff gears) but Thundertiger also discontinued them. They said SOL. Went to an Ebay seller where AE said most of their clearance parts were sold to and found one set of diff gears marked up 100%. AE list was $32 and the Seller wanted over $65 plus shipping. I called the seller and he said they are discontinued take em or leave them. I needed two sets no less. He only had one for double price. For cheap cast metal gears that break if you sneeze on them. Bad experience with Associated RTR stuff. I wouldn't touch the DB8. I wouldn't even buy their supposedly nice race kits any more. I would NOT touch that new Rival 10 MT.( A Helion in disguise) Just my thoughts. I wouldn't use their stuff unless I was 100% sponsored by them. That wont happen.

 

[Steve B in Vegas]

I was a life long fan of Associated, until Thundertiger bought them some years ago. Then their Race line lagged for a while. Didn't seem like they supported older variants and kept changing out designs too often. That got expensive. Thundertiger got AE into the RTR market. The DB8 appears weak in construction and is not a real Associated design at all. Its a relabled older Thundertiger.
2 years ago I got a Associated Pro4x4 SCT for bashing. I called AE direct to inquire before the purchase, they said it was a popular truck with all parts support. Within one year all the parts were on B/O. Called again, and they said be patient. I wanted all the upgrade alloy stuff. hubs etc and arms and stuff that always broke. I waited and waited. No retailers had anything. I went to AE's site and found a few parts left for it on their clearance link. I was stuck with a rig that has broken diff gears ,etc. with no replacements anywhere. It became a $500+broken shelf queen a year later. I called AE to try and source some parts through Thundertiger which are universal,( Diff gears) but Thundertiger also discontinued them. They said SOL. Went to an Ebay seller where AE said most of their clearance parts were sold to and found one set of diff gears marked up 100%. AE list was $32 and the Seller wanted over $65 plus shipping. I called the seller and he said they are discontinued take em or leave them. I needed two sets no less. He only had one for double price. For cheap cast metal gears that break if you sneeze on them. Bad experience with Associated RTR stuff. I wouldn't touch the DB8. I wouldn't even buy their supposedly nice race kits any more. I would NOT touch that new Rival 10 MT.( A Helion in disguise) Just my thoughts. I wouldn't use their stuff unless I was 100% sponsored by them. That wont happen.

Very interesting...... I have heard this in a few places already, and your comments are in line with the others.

My short list is looking like

Mojave
TLR 3.0

I was told to forget looking for the unicorn SC truck, and just sample what catches your eye. I pretty much settled on staying in the ARRMA family, and maybe the TLR will satisfy my tuning desires. Mojave to become that super beast, and the Senton for my sons and random driving.

Thanks for taking the time to share. I appreciate it.

s

 

[Mongoose]

Wow, a lot of really great info in here. Thanks guys.

 

[bicketybam]

I had a Senton 3S and the Mojave is a much more capable truck. Start with the fact that it has a center diff while the 3S doesn't and go from there. The Mojave will absolutely eat up terrain that the Senton 3S can even begin to navigate.

 

[Steve B in Vegas]

I had a Senton 3S and the Mojave is a much more capable truck. Start with the fact that it has a center diff while the 3S doesn't and go from there. The Mojave will absolutely eat up terrain that the Senton 3S can even begin to navigate.

It's like you are on a mission to burn up my lunch money. I would block you, but your insights are super valuable. Will probably order a Mojave once I get my Senton nits worked out. When I do, I'll hit you up. Time to make that truck really shine out here in our open spaces.

s

 

[Devils_Perm]

I’ve been a die hard monster truck guy years. I purchased a 4x4 slash vxl hoping to get into sct but found the performance on the surfaces i ran lacking due to the nature of the design. I’m not a racer, mostly because it’s not popular enough where i live to sustain the tracks and series’s. I do however love to drive and do so quite a bit, 1/10 sct just arent big enough to be versatile on whatever terrain my friends and I are running on. They are a blast to drive and nice departure in dynamic from the standard MT. I ended up turning my slash into a scale-ish styled MT but again caught the bug to do something other than MT bashing. In comes the UDR, big enough to run on just about any terrain a MT can. I fell in love and had a blast with it. Went into my LHS in late December and they had one green Mo left for 100$ off and I bought it on the spot (525$ OTD). Had no first hand experience with Arrma but watched plenty of video and reviews on them the past few years so I knew they were solid and it was such a good deal I couldn’t pass it up. Sold the UDR to my buddy and ever since have not taken my MT out to run lol. If you like scale handling characteristics its fantastic, I lose track of time whenever I take it out to run. It really is a great little truck right out of the box, I will eventually mod it a bit with aluminum braces and diff cases just to strengthen it but it’s not necessary. Probably experiment with stiffer sway bars and fluids just for fun. I can wholeheartedly say you will not be disappointed with it.

 

[3x9rtse]

Very interesting...... I have heard this in a few places already, and your comments are in line with the others.

My short list is looking like

Mojave
TLR 3.0

I like your choices , but have to ask , why the TLR 3.0 ? ( I assume you are talking about the SCTE 3.0 ) 4x4 SC race kit . It is a kit @ $429 , still need to buy tires/servo/esc/motor/radio . This is a race bread truck , I guess you could bash with it , I have one , but is setup for racing ( indoor offroad carpet / outdoor astro turf ) . Never do I run it in dirt/bash with it .

 

[Steve B in Vegas]

My desire for the TLR is something to experiment with on suspension settings, balance, and to work on driving skill. My thought is to keep the ARRMA products for general fun and mayhem, but when I want to work on my fundamental driving skills, I wanted a car which will really show just how bad of a driver I am and hopefully the progression.

I'm also frustrated at the lack of adjustments of the ARRMA, but I also see it for what it's intended use is. I feel the TLR will appeal to my nerdy mechanical side. No bashing for sure with the TLR, but is also looks like an amazing machine for what it can do. I'm not worried about the cost; I have been saving my lunch money for a while now.

 

[Contrakt]

That said, my goal is to develop my skills with the Senton 3s over a year, then get a TLR 3.0 STC.

Why do that? Just buy some race tires and throw them on your Senton.

Before Corona shut our local indoor carpet track down, I was absolutely smacking guys around with my Senton on the carpet. It was the real deal you know, 4 minute qualifiers, 6 minute mains, about a 16-20 second track layout. The Senton is absolutely a capable race truck for the 4x4 short course class. Smacked around guys driving Tekno 410.3, ProLine ProFusion, Losi 22SCT 3.0, and lastly, the fastest guy on our track that I've never been able to beat, driving a Team Associated SC6.1... I have only beaten him one time, and it was probably a fluke. He's FAST though, inhuman fast. In spec slash he's a GOD and sets records every time he drives a new track layout. So I don't exactly count him... Haha!

Enough babbling... All I'm saying is, I have a BONE STOCK truck. Stock servo, stock 3s system, full size 2s hardcase batteries (no fancy race batteries), mounted to some real bonafide PRO DRIVERS DURATRAX carpet tires (total joke, they are cheap tires that anyone can afford and they're amazing. Got them on Amazon for 50 bucks for all 4 tires and rims pre-glued), and with that bone stock system I smack guys around with rigs that are double the money and bred for racing, not for bashing.

I'm by no means a professional driver. I just focus on driving well, not crashing, and not sending it over the big jumps unless I'm lined up nicely. In a 6 minute main I might, MIGHT, tumble one time. Often times I don't tumble or crash at all. THAT is how I win.

Additionally, the Senton takes big jumps better than any SCT I've seen on the track, PERIOD. With the 3400 grams of weight and a nice even weight distribution, I just squeeze the throttle, leave the jump face, and let off the throttle, flies BEAUTIFULLY over big big doubles and triples designed for lightning fast carpet buggies.

The Senton 3s is absolutely an amazing truck. JUST BULLETPROOF and I mean.... GOOD LORD dude when I was first learning to drive the carpet I crashed that truck so hard it's made people drop their tools and look up from their work stations to see the yard sale of parts all over the track... Nope. Keeps going. The one bottleneck of the Senton, for ME, was shock shafts. When I was first learning to drive it on the carpet, I went through like 6 shock shafts or something to that degree... But now that I'm smooth, consistent, and smart, I don't crash, I don't spend money on parts, and I'm guaranteed to get on that podium in every main I run. It's about time behind the wheel and consistency... Who needs a race bred chassis?

Now... I understand that tinkering with setup and all that is fun, intriguing, and satisfying when you find a setup that works and it pays off, but you CAN tune Sentons, too! Shock oil weight, ride height, tire brand, tire compound, diff oil weight, tape on tires, camber adjustments, toe adjustments, punch adjustments, pinion and spur, the list goes on! I've thoroughly enjoyed making guys raise their eyebrows and say, "wtf kind of truck is that?" after I pass them, and I reply with a "It's an Arrma Senton". I think my head's gotten kind of big after getting that question a few times.

PS - My Mojave will be here tomorrow. I can't tell you if you should buy one or not, but after I get out and rip it tomorrow, I'm sure I'll have a strong opinion. Super excited.

 

[olds97_lss]

My desire for the TLR is something to experiment with on suspension settings, balance, and to work on driving skill. My thought is to keep the ARRMA products for general fun and mayhem, but when I want to work on my fundamental driving skills, I wanted a car which will really show just how bad of a driver I am and hopefully the progression.

I'm also frustrated at the lack of adjustments of the ARRMA, but I also see it for what it's intended use is. I feel the TLR will appeal to my nerdy mechanical side. No bashing for sure with the TLR, but is also looks like an amazing machine for what it can do. I'm not worried about the cost; I have been saving my lunch money for a while now.

Maybe look at what tekno has to offer as well. They seem to be very well built/highly regarded vehicles. Or Mugen Seiki. Not sure where parts support is for them though.

Seems like those that want the best go with Tekno out of the gate and those that want to go with something more budget friendly end up with arrma. If I had known I'd have put as much as I did into my outcast to do what I wanted... I would have started and stopped with Tekno.

 

[pl9171]

Maybe look at what tekno has to offer as well.

Yep, Techno is a solid competitor.
In regard of a TLR... Well, from our Saturday morning little SCT races experiences, a good local TLR SCT 3,0 driver will be really hard to catch on 10-12 laps race... For sure, a well tuned + good Senton driver will be effective, but instead of big crash, I don't remember a Senton winning a little "regular race".
@Steve: Optimising the Senton + good driving is a start of something. Yes, the Senton is always ready for +30 Celsius, -30 Celsius, rains, snow, ice, inside track, wet outside buggy track... But, most of the guys with TLR only do inside local SCT clay track with no dirt; so their truck is always more than ready for the little challenges...
And I give a point to Src about TA parts.

 

[3x9rtse]

Yep, Techno is a solid competitor.
In regard of a TLR... Well, from our Saturday morning little SCT races experiences, a good local TLR SCT 3,0 driver will be really hard to catch on 10-12 laps race... For sure, a well tuned + good Senton driver will be effective, but instead of big crash, I don't remember a Senton winning a little "regular race".
@Steve: Optimising the Senton + good driving is a start of something. Yes, the Senton is always ready for +30 Celsius, -30 Celsius, rains, snow, ice, inside track, wet outside buggy track... But, most of the guys with TLR only do inside local SCT clay track with no dirt; so their truck is always more than ready for the little challenges...
And I give a point to Src about TA parts.

Well said . My daughter and I race on an indoor carpet track , our main focus is 2wd SC , and we have and race a TLR SCTE 3.0 also . The ones who have the Tekno , while very good/durable trucks , it seems like the TLR edges it out just a little in the chassis tuning/steering department . If one wants to get into 4wd SC indoor carpet racing , you are NOT going to be choosing a 3s Senton . It does not have multitude of tuning the TLR has ( shock position/anti squat/toe adjustments/center diff/sway bars/steering ackerman/etc ) . It is a race bred truck , period !!!
On our outdoor big turf track ( this is where the SCTE 3.0 shines , VERY fun !!! ) , the Senton would not even be close , I would bet on the big triples the wind would blow it around compared to the SCTE 3.0 which has more weight . Even our 2wd SC6.1's which we added weight to , don,t fly thru the air like the heavier 4wd TLR .
Bottom line , the Senton is a great basher for outdoors , and if you already own it and want to race it , sure throw on some carpet tires , do some tuning and run it on the carpet , why not , but if you are going for strictly indoor carpet racing , no , go with the TLR .
When my track re-opens , now my curiosity is there , my friend has the Senton 3s , I will have him bring it and I want to give it a go . I had the Typhon 3s which is the same as the Senton , and couldn't stand the slipper clutch compared to having a center diff , thats why I sold mine and got the Typhon 6s as well as the Senton 6s .