Hoyle33

Hello all, I am pretty new to the RC world. My brother brought over a Traxxas Slash Unlimited the other day and we had a lot of fun together.

After doing some reading online and watching some videos, I like these three:

Team Associated Nomad DB8 - 1/8 scale
Traxxas Slash Ultimate - 1/10 scale
Arrma Senton 6S BLX - 1/10 scale

Pros/cons of each?

FYI I know that the Nomad is in a different class than the Slash/Senton, but they all look like great RC's.

This will most likely be my only RC for a while and I will mainly be using it for fun around the neighborhood/yard/park/trails for bashing around.

The prices are right around the same ballpark so I'm really just looking for first hand experience.

bill_delong

ARRMA would be my first pick with Associated as a close second pick, more info here to consider other options:
Which 1/10 4WD SCT is best?

Hoyle33

bill_delong

Oh man, that's really hard to say, generally most quality 1/10 SCT's are based on 1/8 Buggy platforms to begin with and the Senton 6S is no exception here where both options offer comparable 4S power. It's really splitting hairs but in general I feel that the Senton 6S will be a pinch more durable mostly because it includes a few more upgraded metal parts and the biggest difference is the Senton includes threaded shocks. Open wheel designs will tend to be a little less durable, the SCT provides better protection with larger front/rear bumpers, however the SCT body will tend to take the brunt of the abuse and the SCT bodies will tend to need replacement more frequently than the DB body. For the most part you can't go wrong with either choice, if one is more appealing than the other, then I say go for the one that looks better to you.

My only concern with the Senton 6S is that is comes with 2 x 2S packs in series which will require a little more effort to ensure they are swapped out between each use, more info here:
SMC - LVC Adjustments and Packs in Series ( I would encourage you to replace with a single 4S pack eventually)

Another bonus with the SCT is it will be less likely to require marshaling, if you land on the side, simply turn the front wheel into the ground and blip the throttle to get the SCT back on all fours, you won't be able to do this with the DB.

Hoyle33

RustyUs

Depending on how much you value time savings during wrenching, I'd take a good hard look at the Arrma Senton with it's quick access front/rear diffs. Hands down, the Associated Nomad has got the looks. Based off of the RC8, the Nomad should be durable. My RC8.2e is like a lot of 1/8 scale buggies out there...like a tank. Knowing what I know now, quick access diffs are atop of my "must have" feature in the What To Look For In A RC list.

bill_delong

I would not recommend running either of these on 6S unless you want to wear parts more quickly and increase maintenance costs, do you really need more speed?
F=MA
The faster you go means the faster you break parts, just keep that in mind

https://www.arrma-rc.com/rc-cars/latest/senton/blx



They show 2 x 2S Packs in series in the pics, not clear if these packs come with the RTR, but I would go with a single 4S pack if it were me.

RustyUs

Even though the Senton 6S is considered RTR, no batteries are included. I think you would find that using a 6S LiPo pack would be stupid fast insane IMO.

Hoyle33

bill_delong

I would definitely consider getting 2 packs to start out with, always nice to have 1 pack on the charger while using the other, these are decent quality, 100W per port is a minimum I would consider, that should get your packs charged in about 30-45 min:
HobbyStar 5200mAh 14.8V, 4S 30C Hardcase LiPo Battery

SkyRC D100 V2 AC/DC 2 x 100W Dual LiPo Balance Charger

RustyUs

The charger that is linked above is a really good charger. I love mine (Hitec's version) until I wanted to charge larger packs at 1.5C charge rates. To unlock the charger's full potential, you need to hook it up to a power supply, then you will have 100 watts/channel. With AC power there is only 100 watts to split between A/B channels. 4S charging is possible with the charger, on AC power, but you would need to "distribute" more of the power to one channel. Charging a, for example, 5200mAh 4S pack at 1C charge rate, you would use 87 watts on one channel and have 23 watts left over for the other channel to use (on AC power).

Hoyle33

RustyUs

I'd choose the lesser of the two evils. If ESC, and battery are using Deans T plugs, then I'd solder a charging lead with your favorite choice of connector. I don't know what "this charger" is. If you are referring to the SkyRC charger, it should come with a bare charging lead for your choice of connector to be soldered. There is all kinds of adapters premade as well.

Hoyle33

RustyUs

Just make sure you get the correct male/female configuration for the adapter. If going with something like the Arrma Senton 6S, that uses the XT90 connectors. You would be dealing with three different connectors...XT60 (charger), XT90 (ESC), and Deans (battery). This is a very good instance where soldering skills would come in handy.

Hoyle33

RustyUs

I know I'd be all hyped up if the Arrma Senton 6S arrived at my doorstep. I hate to see you not be able to run your Senton when you get it... all because of mismatched components using different connectors.

Two adapters needed:
Battery to ESC...https://www.ebay.com/itm/No-Wires-Co...S!-1:rk:1:pf:0
Battery to Charger...https://www.ebay.com/itm/No-Wires-Co...S!-1:rk:2:pf:0

I'm 99.9% sure Arrma gives you the XT90 adapter to run the optional single LiPo battery setup.

I've used all kinds of connectors over the years, Deans Ultra plug having the longest tenure. Nowadays, that style just seems outdated to me. The little bullets, and tubes, in XT style connectors, gives me piece of mind that I got the most surface area.The good news, XT connectors are easiest connectors to work with when you feel like you are up to soldering. That's my opinion of course.

Good luck, and get out there and throw some dirt!

Hoyle33

Hoyle33

bill_delong

That's really splitting hairs, I have ran 20C packs on 4S without issue, generally the higher the C rating, the longer the lifespan of the pack before it starts to swell.

I would invest in a temp gun and just make sure the heat of the pack doesn't go above 120°F, more info here:
What gearing for upgraded electronics?

Worst case scenario, you might need to reduce the run time if your temps start to get too high too soon, or dial back the EPA on the throttle a pinch if necessary to stay within optimal temps.

Hoyle33

RustyUs

My general rule of thumb, for 1/8 scale RCs, used to be to run nothing less than 40C packs. That's because I have ruined a few 25C LiPo packs while running a truggy. The LiPo batteries that I found to be questionable were the 25C rated ones that came with the 1/8 scale RTR truggy package . But, LiPo discharge ratings are pretty much inflated numbers across all packs. You can search/research that subject. If you search hard enough, you can find the good/bad in just about any brand of LiPo batteries.

RustyUs

I don't know what type of batteries you are using on your Slash, but here is probably the best write up on LiPo battery information that I've found: http://www.rogershobbycenter.com/lipoguide/

bill_delong

If you want peace of mind, and they accept returns, then go for it, but I can tell you that I've used those packs for racing in my 1/8 buggy and they lasted about 6 months before they started to swell and needed to be replaced. I now run these packs which are more expensive and they tend to last almost a year before they start to swell and lose capacity:
https://www.rcjuice.com/lipo-batteri...ry-low-ir.html

I put a lot of abuse on my packs with racing in extreme heat with lots of hard acceleration on medium grip dirt track with lots of jumps and typically dump all the juice out of the pack within 10-12 min... if you're just casually bashing around with moderate acceleration and minimal jumping then you won't be putting much strain on your packs and they should last considerably longer than mine.

Hoyle33

I think there is a little confusion here - the Arrma Senton 6S is a 1/10 SCT, not a 1/8 scale buggy

Maybe you guys already knew that ... LOL I'm not sure

I have no problem keeping the batteries if they will work for my truck, but if they are truly undersized, I might as well swap them out now while they are brand new

P.S. Rusty, I do not have a Slash either
P.S.S. Bill, those batteries look to be better sized for my Arrma Senton 6S