Kraton What's a full build cost?

[Raginbull74]

I have around $6k between my Outcast 8s and EXB K8S. Trust me. They are not shelf queens. I run them as hard or harder than my 1/8 and smaller rigs. And when it comes to insane terrain, like construction sites, the K8S, Outcast 8s and my upgraded Xmaxx (around $2.5k in that one) can power through that stuff way better than the smaller stuff.

Agreed...I have an open construction site I run my O8 and from a distance it looks good, but depending on the stage of where the graters are, the dirt can be literally as hard as rock and super chucked out. 1/5 scale and bigger are really the only things that can run on that terrain without major problems. I'd never run any 1/8 problems smaller. You just shorten the life of your drivetrain.

 

[Fishtank]

I have around $6k between my Outcast 8s and EXB K8S. Trust me. They are not shelf queens. I run them as hard or harder than my 1/8 and smaller rigs. And when it comes to insane terrain, like construction sites, the K8S, Outcast 8s and my upgraded Xmaxx (around $2.5k in that one) can power through that stuff way better than the smaller stuff.

I don’t think most people have driven a 1/5 scale thru a construction site. 1/5 scale love big open areas WAY bigger then 1/8. I get nervous in smaller areas with my 1/5 scale. I’m a electrician so I bring it to big construction sites and tear it up And my 1/5 can go thru some CRAZY stuff that would end my 1/8 Kraton. Just say’n
also no self queen but we do have self queen bodies!!

 

[Jon NC RC]

I don’t think most people have driven a 1/5 scale thru a construction site. 1/5 scale love big open areas WAY bigger then 1/8. I get nervous in smaller areas with my 1/5 scale. I’m a electrician so I bring it to big construction sites and tear it up And my 1/5 can go thru some CRAZY stuff that would end my 1/8 Kraton. Just say’n
also no self queen but we do have self queen bodies!!

Yep...I bought a body for bashing and kept the EXB body pristine for the shelf.....

 

[Raginbull74]

I don’t think most people have driven a 1/5 scale thru a construction site. 1/5 scale love big open areas WAY bigger then 1/8. I get nervous in smaller areas with my 1/5 scale. I’m a electrician so I bring it to big construction sites and tear it up And my 1/5 can go thru some CRAZY stuff that would end my 1/8 Kraton. Just say’n
also no self queen but we do have self queen bodies!!

Nice to see a fellow sparky on here

 

[Fishtank]

Yep...I bought a body for bashing and kept the EXB body pristine for the shelf.....

I

Nice to see a fellow sparky on here

fortunately/unfortunately I don’t do much Feild work anymore lol. I’m old (50) so I project manage nowadays. But I was in the Feild for 13 years before I came into the office 11 years ago.

 

[joshludden]

I

fortunately/unfortunately I don’t do much Feild work anymore lol. I’m old (50) so I project manage nowadays. But I was in the Feild for 13 years before I came into the office 11 years ago.

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Killer paint bro!!

 

[SrC]

There has already been much wisdom shared above.....

I have often wondered about the need vs want factor in $upgrades$, and if there is any real benefit to them.

I bought my K8S EXB and did probably the LEAST EXPENSIVE build while getting the Max 5 1100kv Hobbywing setup.

Dumbo RC tx.rx
CNHL batteries
$50 servo (see my build thread)

Got the EXB from @joostin420 for a discount (GREAT DEALS WHEN HE HAS THEM)

$1250 in it so far (this is about as low dollar as it gets for all new)

Oh man, the frame will bend eventually
the arms will break eventually
so much more will break eventually

But I have fun with mine, and nothing has broke yet, but I'm still gettin used to it

And I will change what breaks as it breaks with suggested replacement parts from people who know whats best from personal experience

I like what @SrC said.....that there is an 'operating expense' with RC rigs..... and yeah, the weight of the Armma 8S line is NOT to their benefit.....but it is what it is....

There is other brands - mentioned above..... that are alternatives....

Traxxas X-Maxx and Losi DBXLE 2.0 (plus others that I am not as familiar with)...... I did about 6 months due diligence between the 3 before I made my decision FOR ME.....

K8 EXB

Its not an easy decision, but comparing the way they run , I chose what I chose, and I don't regret it.

1/5 Arrma 8s appeals to me no doubt. If anythng the OC8 (short wheelbase) Seems that will a tad lighter. Maybe the better platform??
I am gun shy however, and may never get one.
From what I see, the 8s line has issues with Shock damage, Diff cup screws shearing off, frequent Arm breakage, chassis bends, etc. The parts that always break are under engineered. The heavy weight comes from other parts being over engineered. No droop screws or Sway bars were included. Bean counters responsible IMHO. I think Arrma went over budget on this platform and cut corners, rushed to the market due to brand competition reasons. I doubt highly that it was put through a good Test. And sometimes what Arrma UK designs ends up being watered down to meet a price point. Quality wise. What happens when some brands get greedy. This bit Arrma and HH in the ass. I think it was the most over hyped Arrma to date upon it's release. And failed horribly with the first release. A let down.
I think many expect it to run crazy like a 6s rig. It simply cannot.
1/5th EXB Kraton is on sale right now. Amain. $600. I'm sure these are slow/low volume sellers overall. 1/5 scale has a very small niche market. Always did in the RC industry
The 1/5 $Losi DBXLE$ looks nicer. Losi plastics and shocks are usually better in general. And I believe still made in Taiwan. Not much upgrade support last I checked however. Maybe it doesn't need much support???
Arrma 6s rigs offer more fun per dollar, more time spent driving versus wrenching/repairing. Better supported. Much more mature platform. Arrma 1/8-1/7 Parts alone are roughly half the price of 1/5 scale.
I find it very hard to believe that anyone would say it is their most durable Arrma rig. And compared to which ones???
Maybe if you parade it around at 10 mph or leave it on the shelf, it won't break and be the most durable of all the Arrma models....

 

[Raginbull74]

I

fortunately/unfortunately I don’t do much Feild work anymore lol. I’m old (50) so I project manage nowadays. But I was in the Feild for 13 years before I came into the office 11 years ago.

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I'm originally from OC HB, but moved up north because I work outta 332 San Jose. One reason I can afford what I can...

 

[Armarookie43]

I don’t think most people have driven a 1/5 scale thru a construction site. 1/5 scale love big open areas WAY bigger then 1/8. I get nervous in smaller areas with my 1/5 scale. I’m a electrician so I bring it to big construction sites and tear it up And my 1/5 can go thru some CRAZY stuff that would end my 1/8 Kraton. Just say’n
also no self queen but we do have self queen bodies!!

Do you have fish tanks? I have a 75G African cichlid mbuna tank and two salt water nano tanks (10G and 24G). I usually just clean them and that'd it. I used to be much more into aquariums before the RC stuff.

 

[Fishtank]

Do you have fish tanks? I have a 75G African cichlid mbuna tank and two salt water nano tanks (10G and 24G). I usually just clean them and that'd it. I used to be much more into aquariums before the RC stuff.

For 25 years I had a fish room in my house anywhere from 4 to 15 tanks going 2-3 saltwater tanks the rest freshwater. I Breed Discus for 5 years. About 10 years ago I got into breeding dart frogs so I’ve gotten rid of my fish tanks and breed dart frogs now.

 

[joshludden]

For 25 years I had a fish room in my house anywhere from 4 to 15 tanks going 2-3 saltwater tanks the rest freshwater. I Breed Discus for 5 years. About 10 years ago I got into breeding dart frogs so I’ve gotten rid of my fish tanks and breed dart frogs now.

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Are there frogs in there? This isn't one of those "find the frogs" puzzles?

 

[Fishtank]

Are there frogs in there? This isn't one of those "find the frogs" puzzles?

There the best hiders you’ll ever see

There the best hiders you’ll ever see

I put a red dot by the frogs

 

[joshludden]

There the best hiders you’ll ever see

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I put a red dot by the frogs

Or not see!!

 

[Fishtank]

Or not see!!

They come out in the morning eat mess around then go back to there homes they each have there own spot they sleep at.

 

[joshludden]

They come out in the morning eat mess around then go back to there homes they each have there own spot they sleep at.

Aren't dart frogs from the Amazon & really poisonous?

 

[arrmadillo]

Yeah they're poisonous, that's why they call them dart frogs. Could use a couple to rub on a few people I know.

 

[Fishtank]

Aren't dart frogs from the Amazon & really poisonous?

There’s many parts of the world that have dart frogs . There only poisonous in the wild not in captivity. In the wild they eat ants that have poison in them they eat so many that the toxin builds up in there system and gets excreted out of there skin. In captivity they eat cultured fruit flys and isopods,springtails nothing that would give them toxins. Now there’s wild ones still be imported so you better know where and what you are getting. I’ve been breeding darts for about 10 years there super cool and there’s tanks are beautiful when done right.

 

[Armarookie43]

Yeah they're poisonous, that's why they call them dart frogs. Could use a couple to rub on a few people I know.

I'd like to rub them on people that are always tail gating me for doing the speed limit on the RIGHT LANE

 

[joshludden]

There’s many parts of the world that have dart frogs . There only poisonous in the wild not in captivity. In the wild they eat ants that have poison in them they eat so many that the toxin builds up in there system and gets excreted out of there skin. In captivity they eat cultured fruit flys and isopods,springtails nothing that would give them toxins. Now there’s wild ones still be imported so you better know where and what you are getting. I’ve been breeding darts for about 10 years there super cool and there’s tanks are beautiful when done right.

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Man, I learn something here every day!!

 

[Jeremy15086]

Seems I see something similar in a lot of extreme build threads. Often about the time the build is done, another build is announced. Be curious to hear how many +$3k builds get driven for more than 1-3 batteries. (note - in my mind, spending $3k in upgrades on a new kit before it is driven the first time is very different from spending $3k over a year or two upgrading things that break.)

Not hating, building a shelf queen is a valid part of the hobby...

No shelf queen here. I built it to bash it. I have already bashed it stock and with about 80% of the mods it has now. I already blew out and rebuilt diffs. The only reason I haven't bashed it yet in its current form is because the stupid stock servo saver crapped out on me. I am going to order an aftermarket set up soon and do the snap ring solution in the mean time. I built a tank to use it. I don't have any shelfs to put it on anyways.