The adventure begins
As you may know, I am into the RC hobby. I already own one crawler – the TRX-4 Bronco. It is a nice truck, but I wanted something new and something that I can use in competitions in the future. So, I bought myself a Traxxas TRX-4 Sport kit.
What’s in the box?
If you read the title and the intro, then you already know what’s in the box. Or do you?
Well, it appears to be way more than just the Traxxas TRX-4 Sport kit.
Let’s go over the content of the box here.
The Traxxas TRX-4 Sport Kit
Obviously, the kit itself. This is a great platform that everyone likes and that performs like a champ. A good start for an awesome build.
I bought it in Europe from here.
Wheels
Although great, I will not use stock wheels that come with the kit.
Tires and foam
I went with the Hyrax Predators by Proline with their stock foam for now. If, however, they don’t perform good enough I might swap out the stock single-staged foam for a dual-staged one.
I bought this from eBay.
Rims
These are some cheap-ish alloy rims from AliExpress. I like them because of the blue rings. However, the amount of screws scares me…
Bought from AliExpress.
Electronics
Radio system
The transmitter is the FlySky GT5 with its BS-6 receiver. A very good radio system.
I am not sure where I bought the transmitter from, but the transmitter + receiver combo can be found at HobbyKing.
ESC
Brushed system. Hobbywing Quicrun 1080 is a best-buy ESC that performs really well and it is really customizable. I will use it along with the XT-60 power connector.
Bought from AliExpress.
Motor
Two cheap motors. On the left side is the 540 55T motor. On the right side is the 550 35T motor. I think I will go with the 550 can for now.
Motors are bought from HobbyKing and AliExpress.
Servo
This is the servo that I like the most. It is around $20, it is fast enough for a crawler, has 25 kg of torque, metal gears, dual ball bearings, comes with a metal horn and it is waterproof. Just perfect.
Bought from AliExpress.
Battery
This is a very big battery that barely fits in the TRX-4 battery tray. 3S, 5000 mAh, 65-130 C. It will be used for long light trails, but for some serious crawling and better performance I will swap this for something smaller (up to 2200 mAh). This battery comes with an XT-90 connector, so these connectors are used to convert it to XT-60. Also, one connector has a JST lead that is perfect for the BEC used with a light kit. And lastly, I have that switch that is typically developed for TRX-4 stock XL-5 ESC. I will see if I will put it to use.
I bought all this from different places:
- Battery
- The switch was bought from eBay, but the link doesn’t work anymore
- Connector with JST
- Connector adapter
Shocks
GPM Racing shocks with internal spring. I have never used or seen one of these. I wonder how well will they perform.
I bought them here.
Shock oil. One bottle of 15 wt, one bottle of 20 wt and one bottle of 25 wt. I think I will put 15 wt in the front shocks and 20 wt in the rear.
I bought them off of eBay:
Lights
I love the lights. On the left side, there is a light kit with a controller. This will go in the light buckets in the body. Then there is a Traxxas BEC, Traxxas roof light bar, Traxxas front bumper light bar, a remote switch for my Channel #3 on my receiver and some cheap red and white LED lights just in case. I want to be able to drive in lower light conditions. However, I still did not order the rock lights for the fenders. I don’t see the need for them at the moment.
These are bought from different places:
- The light system with controller
- Traxxas BEC
- Traxxas roof light bar
- Traxxas front bumper light bar
- Lights remote switch
- Cheap LEDs #1
- Cheap LEDs #2
Other upgrades and parts
Here are some body pins and stainless steel screws.
Both from AliExpress – screws, and pins.
Metal motor mount. It should take away some heat from the motor.
Bought here.
Some protection for diff pumpkins and other parts in the lower section of the truck.
Bought here.
Traxxas narrow fenders and front battery tray. This gives the truck a better look and prevents mud from getting all over the truck.
Bought here.
Some thread locker for screws that go into metal parts. I bought this at my local car parts shop.
Paint
I have some Abisma paint spray cans, and some Tamiya cans. Both for Lexan bodies. Also, some tape is necessary for covering up the details on the body during the paintwork.
I bought this in different places:
- Thin tape
- Thick tape
- Metallic blue spray
- Dull coat spray (matte)
- White spray
- Black spray
- Gun-metal spray
- Color remover liquid
Why this kit?
It is proven to be a great kit and a great truck. I really wanted to give it a go. Also, my plan is to build something that looks scale but performs well. My TRX-4 Bronco with its heavy body is not really a competition truck, but I might build one off of this kit.
Stay tuned to see how the build turned out.