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STRC 2wd LCG Kit -Traxxas Slash

Posted by flash1000s on September 10, 2013
Posted in: Radio Control, STRC, Traxxas. Tagged: , , , .

IMG_3504So I wanted  to buy a LCG Slash, but since I already had a Traxxas Bandit I decided to convert it with the STRC LCG kit. It cost $46 and included shipping from OmniModels. The install looked pretty straight forward, but I did need to go online to find the instructions because there were two pieces I could not figure out where they went. Apparently there was a change in the design, but not noted anywhere in the instructions. I found the STRC instructions to be pretty vague and found that the RC Soup instructions had much better pictures with detailed steps. With a bit of confidence and 2mm, 2.5mm allen keys, this is quite easy to install. It took me about a hour to complete the upgrade. A couple of downsides to the kit, is that you now have to use 2 sided tape to hold an ESC in place, instead of screwing it to a mouting plate. Also have to shave the plastic at the fornt of battery mount to allow a 7cell nimh battery or a 2s hard case lipo, due to instalation of the battery bar.

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As you can see the 7 cell battery barely fits and I actually tore the plastic covering attempting to install the battery. Once I shaved the lip, the batteries fit much better.

Overall the kit added approx. 4cm to the overall length of the Bandit. I also changed front and rear arms, camber links and tie rods to slash ones  to complete the conversion.

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Once I finished installing the kit and my Venelion brushless system. I went to do some testing. Overall without doing any real setup changes(still using original shocks/springs) this kit turned the Bandit into an actual vehicle that is now fun to drive and is fairly competative. If I could tell you what the guys I race with said about the Bandit…….. well needless to say, the Bandit is now retired. Anyway overall I am impressed with the kit, and for a low budget conversion I think it is very good.

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On a side note I e-mailed STRC with a couple issues with the kit, the not so great instructions and the two pieces I could not find, and I did not get a response. This I find this odd because other members have had good customer service, and had replies to their e-mails.

Dedicated RC Area Petition

Posted by flash1000s on August 17, 2013
Posted in: Radio Control. Tagged: .

In a further effort to convince HRM, that there is a large group of people, that feel there is a need for a RC park , we have started a petition. Go into Mighty Small Cars, and show your support by signing  the petition. We would like to Thank Mighty Small Cars for their support.

Bearings

Posted by flash1000s on July 30, 2013
Posted in: Radio Control. Tagged: , , .

boca_logoSo its time to replace my bearings. I did some looking trying to upgrade from the Traxxas versions, which seemed ok, but I had already replaced the wheel bearings twice in less than 2 years. One of  the higher recomended bearing places was Boca Bearings. Their website I found easy to navigate, they had 8 different levels of bearings, from basic to high end ceramic. They range in price from $19-238(US$). I ordered the green seal bearings ($31), which seemed to fit my needs the best. Also noticed that once I placed the order,they offer free shipping if the weight is under 1 lb. Used Pay-Pal and it took 5 days, and that includes crossing the border. They include 15 of the wheel bearings, that are also used in the gear box, also 4 bearings for the bell crank.

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There website says that the green bearings are sealed for life and should last approx. twice as long as the factory bearings, but with regular maintence they can last even longer. To this point I’m very happy with the whole experince, and only time will tell whether they are as good as they claim. In the end they also send you an e-mail roughly once a month with tips/offers and different products. The last one I recieved was for 25% off my next order. So when looking for new bearings, check out Boca Bearings.