dudeinmyrtlebeach

Be careful with the 1/18 it has no bearings uses bushings instead. That was a breaker for me.

Pulled the trigger on the 1/16 buggy. Got it from the USwarehouse along with a couple of batteries. The 1700's are out of stock, so Iwent with a 2s 1300 nano and a 2s 2200 turnigy. Looks like they'll fit with some modding.

So, now I'm off to the China warehouse for parts. There are a lot on backorder, but if I'm not mistaken, I can use a lot of mini inferno parts.

What spares should Ibe on the lookout for? Ihear the spur gears are a must have. There aren't any listed in the buggy spare parts section so will the ones from the beetle work? These:

www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__14157__Spur_Gear_110BS.html

They're what's listed in the parts explosion for the buggy, but Ithought I'd be sure. These manuals have been known to be wrong from time to time


What else should Ipick up?

Will Ineed dogbones?

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

J0EC00L

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Hey bud,


You said the buggy was at the USA warehouse? I wonder if the beetle is yet?? That's the one I really want.

Skora, can a bigger battery fit without too many modifications?

Joe

gforce2448

My Feedback: (12)

I know they had bushings instead of bearings. I had one of the Helion Animus trucks and figured out the 1/16 Traxxas bearings I had fit perfectly so upgraded it then. Made the truck move so much smoother as the bushings would gather dirt and the wheels would stop turning. So the new 1/18 from HK would probably be the same.

I am still leaning towards the Turnigy 1/16 buggy as I already have an extra 2.4 system. Also could use the same lipos from my Traxxas Rally since I don't have nimhs anymore.

J0EC00L

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Hey gforce,

Do your mini e revo's have the mamba micro pro esc or the mamba max pro esc?

Go with the Turnigy beetle. They have them in stock at USA warehouse now.

Joe

brianjskora

My Feedback: (3)

I am going to test out the buggy on 3s soon. Wish me luck

gforce2448

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They had the 1/10 Mamba Max Pro Esc. I actually like the buggy look better and have been looking at various buggies. I honestly don't like the beetle. lol I would of kept my Merv instead if I wanted the beetle.

brianjskora

My Feedback: (3)

The buggy uses the same spur as the beetle. Pick up spare shock towers, tie rod links, a-arms, and hubs. I am still using the 1st spur, but its pretty beat up. Be sure to check the mesh when you get it, mine was way off.

Joe, the 1700 seems to be the largest battery still using the stock mounting brackets. It would be easy to use a larger battery and use a velcro through the chasis design.

dudeinmyrtlebeach

As Isuspected, most of what you mentioned is out of stock, so I've added myself to the notify list for each one. Why Ihave no idea, as I've never been notified of anything that's ever come back into stock. Has this worked for anyone here?

Idid pick up a couple of tie rod links, and 4 spur gears as they were in stock. I also grabbed a few other things that looked useful.

No dog bones, though. All out of stock. Fortunately, Ithink they're easy to come by even though the ones Ifound were pricier.

The dog bones are 35mm and 37mm, correct?

I'm an avid heli modder and flyer, so I'm really looking forward to keeping things on the ground with this. First thing that Inoticed looking at the exploded diagram of the buggy is the sheer number of parts. Wow! If Iget too crazy and break something, I don't think there isn't a whole lot that Icant either find quickly or make myself.


Thanks for the input. It's really appreciated!


Forgot to mention I'll be stripping it down to parts when Iget it. No better way to learn how something works than to have to rebuild it. I'll be sure to check the mesh all the way around, as well as the bearing quality. I'm kinda picky about these things 'cause Iknow they affect overall performance.

Thanks again.

brianjskora

My Feedback: (3)

Too bad the parts werent in stock... When I got my buggy, NOTHING was in stock. I added myself to the notify list, and within a few days, almost everything was in stock again! (Might have been lucky with the quickness) I put the order in the next day, but unfortunately it took about 3 weeks before it shipped out, and just under a month before I got it. I think they might have listed it "in stock" a little early, and it didnt actually arrive in the warehouse for a few weeks... Either way, I got a TON of parts for $35 bucks or so.

Be careful... a few mini inferno parts i've ordered have NOT been a fit... this has been mostly my mistake though... First I got mini inferno ST arms... They were too long, so avoid "inferno st" parts, unless you know it is a universal one.

I also got a few parts for the nitro mini inferno I think, such as the center diff. It did not align with the drivetrain at the rear.

Since you mentioned bearings... go ahead and order a replacement set for the stock ones. They are tons better than bushings, but they are barely able to be considered bearings. That being said, I am still running the stock ones and they are okay for now, but they are low quality. I will look for the size when I get a chance, or if you look it up and dont mind posting, please let me know

dudeinmyrtlebeach

I have a $25 gift certificate from Boca Bearings. Thinking about using it for this.

I'm going to have to wait and measure the wheel bearings, as Ican't cross reference the part number with anything on the HK site. The part number is 30773. Ifound the 8pack of 30774, but the other is nowhere to be found. Based on that lack of info, I'm just going to wait and measure them myself. Not gonna guess when ordering Boca bearings, lol.

They (boca) have a complete kit for the mini inferno st for $24, but I'm almost certain it's not going to fit. They've been good about creating kits in the past, so I'm hoping they'll do that for this application as well.

Thanks for the ST compatability heads up. Being new to trucks, Ikinda assumed that they were all the same. Ishould know better, lol.

Look forward to getting this buggy. Iordered it Sunday night, and it shipped this morning with tracking info. Ishould have it in 3 days. I'd give my left arm if whoever runs the american warehouse would spend a few hours training the folks at the asian warehouses. Every single order I've ever placed from there takes at *least* 6 days to even get out the door, then another 2 weeks to get to me. 54 orders, and only ever seen 1 within 10 days - and it shipped EMS. Coincidentally, the EMS order was the only one I've ever placed from the asian warehouse that shipped in 24 hours.

I'll let you know what Ifind with the bearings. Minimizing vibrations and impact damage have kind of been a specialty of mine in the heli world, and I'm hoping some of that will carry over to this hobby. I'm pretty anal about things like bearing quality, gear mesh, component alignment, etc. What Ifound in the helis was that if you create a smoothly operating mechanical system, you can even get away with low cost parts - provided of course they're not so cheap that they fall apart due to manufacturing defects (air bubbles in plastic parts, etc).

dudeinmyrtlebeach

oops..

J0EC00L

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I am figuring I can get the beetle, and just order the necessary upgrades that are meant for the mini inferno. So, just to be clear, only get parts for the mini inferno, not the nitro version or the stadium truck version?

Still trying to figure out what esc and motor they have in it. Is it the ezrun? Or a copy of it? I know turnigy makes esc and motors, but the ones I saw were for flight rc's.

I say I'm getting the beetle, what I mean is, I will eventually get the beetle the mini 8ight still gets the money attention for the time being.

Joe

brianjskora

My Feedback: (3)

I'm not sure which esc it is. It doesn't look like any of the ones they sell separately.

dudeinmyrtlebeach

Here's a pile of buddy codes - including the spur gears - for misc parts for the buggy:

hk.rc-international.info/swarm/dudeinmyrtlebeach

brianjskora

My Feedback: (3)

The ESC was not happy on 3s. At first it seemed okay, then it suddenly locked at full throttle, launched off my table, and luckily landed upside down with throttle still stuck at 100%. I turned it off and tried again, this time the throttle was like cruise control, and when I would let off, it would stay at whichever speed I brought it up to, and not slow down until I hit the brakes... When I went back to 2s, everything was back to normal so I did not fry it!! Lesson learned? ESC doesnt like 3s.

Edit- tried it again the next night and it worked fine on the bench for a few minutes. Ill give it a run soon on the street. It looks FAST.

brianjskora

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Where did you get the buddy codes? I've gotten tons of stuff from hobbyking but never have seen this?

brianjskora

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Found the buddy code for the car! http://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?c...5-48045799C608


No buddy codes for the batteries, but here are the links...


Here are the batteries I use in the USA warehouse
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...589&aff=191131

And here they are in the international warehouse
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...088&aff=191131

brianjskora

My Feedback: (3)

3s seems to be okay now. I cut a hole in the windshield for more airflow, the body really seals up any airflow on the esc or motor, this should help, escpecially on 3s. Ill post a video soon.

And yes that is gorilla glue holding one of the ball ends together. I thought I had the part but did not. Suprisingly they shipped out very fast from HK which is not common

dudeinmyrtlebeach

Got my buggy today! I've also realized that my charger has no xt-60 connectors, so I'm using alligator clips for the time being till I get some ends to solder on.

I have absolutely zero experience with land vehicles. Having said that, I'm wondering if the incredible amount of slop/play in the driveshaft is normal. There's a lot of slop in the swaybar and the linkages. Also, it may be my imagination, but it looks like the pinion on the motor is out of alignment with the spur gear. I'm assuming that these should be near perfectly aligned shouldn't they?

As I said, I'm new to cars/trucks/buggies/etc, so if anyone can point me to a 'buggies 101' primer I'd appreciate it.

Actually, a 'what you need to do after you unbox a cheap hobbyking buggy' guide would be best, lol. Something that explains how/what to tear down first. I'm assuming (again) that the fine folks at hobbyking are consistent in that there's only going to be loctite on 1/2 of the screws that need them.

Any advice is appreciated..

brianjskora

My Feedback: (3)

Glad you got it in!

Driveshafts- Yep, mine have a alot of play. I've seen it before on some other cars, shouldnt be a concern as long as they stay in which mine have. Its to allow to restriction with suspension moving I believe, but this seems a little more than normal.

Sway bars on these RC's believe it or not, are suppose to have the play in them back and forth when you move the silver piece. The instructions for the sway bars on my traxxas slash said the same thing, only to tighten enough so they can still move side to side freely. I had them tightened for about a year before I saw that, so It really is probably ok to tighten up the bolts up front/rear to keep them from sliding, probably will stiffen up the suspension more in sharp turns.

Yes,the spur seems to be pointing downards to the middle of the car compared to the motor pinion. I've NEVER seen this before, but it seems fine to me. I am still on my stock spur... see below...

I havent used any loctite, and nothing has fallen out... yet.

dudeinmyrtlebeach

Wel, well, well. After hooking up a spectrum rx, and binding it to my dx8, Ithink Inow see why you folks use a pistol grip.

Iwas holding it in my hand, bound it to the dx8, and sat it on the ground. Little twitchy. Couldn't get the esc to arm, so Iread the manual, and found that Ihad to put the throttle stick at 0. Ok, esc armed. Applied just the tinest bit of throttle, and it lurched forward... On instinct, Ihit the throttle hold.

Big hairy bad idea.

The think locked into reverse. At full throttle. Left 5' skid marks across my kitchen floor and slammed into a wall narrowly missing my cat. I couldn't get it to stop no matter what Idid to the sticks, throttle hold, or just plain powering off the TX. Still running full throttle blacking up my floor. Gently picked it up, removed the body, and turned it off.

So, now I'm going to:

1. Wire the power switch so that it's accessible even with the body on.
2. Buy a pistol grip.

lol. that really startled me.

Didn't break anything, tho.

J0EC00L

My Feedback: (3)

Dudeinmyrtle,

When u get a pistol grip, start with a basic 2.4ghz, or at least budget one. Th flysky gt3b on HobbyPartz.com will,be sufficient, in fact, it's cheap and very nice. You'll have plenty of options, LCD screen, and it's even programmable/hackable to upload new firmware and open even more options down the road. Will perform about as good as the 2-300 priced ones, at a fraction for only 40$

There is even a controller more simple for about 20-25, it too is 2.4ghz, but doesn't have screen, not is it 3ch.

Since you have a budget rc in the buggy... Go with budget controller until you decide what will work best for u. If you onlu own one land car, then theres no need for high dollar comtrollers. However, if you end up getting smitten on these brushless run runners, youll probably want something nicer and with better support and features.

Joe

J0EC00L

My Feedback: (3)

I clicked the buddy code link.... Nothing. Just went straight to the car.

I'm still going to get the beetle. My mini 8ight will serve as my buggy.

Joe

dudeinmyrtlebeach

I'll be getting one of these pre-hacked fs-gt3b's:


overkillrc.webs.com/products.htm#ecwid:category=1019819&mode=product&p roduct=5583397

Also ordering a beatle today, lol.

brianjskora

My Feedback: (3)

Here is a video running 3s today. Its not a great video, my 11 year old neighbors were recording with my iphone. They were over for 3 hours helping work on my new track, then watched me fly my micro planes, and then watched the RC cars.


Here is the video of the turnigy running on 3s... [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNqi3IBRcgs&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Here is a video of the new track coming in April... [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GsrPnrzz5s[/youtube]