Himoto Wild Thing (Maverick SC EVO) - 1st impressions

[capri-boy]

Having set the wee one up with an old TL01 for his Birthday I found myself  itching for something to knock around with him (My Savage is out of action atm).  Due to bumping the 1:1 funds we're a little tight, and whilst looking around for a good used motor I fell on a new Himoto (brushed) for a price that was too good to turn down.

 

It duly arrived yesterday and after checking her over took it out for a blast on the street today.  Some initial thoughts below:

 

Positives:

 

Faster than the TL01 with stock silver can + MSC.  Whilst the TL01 has had some hammer it seems to run almost as well as I remember stock Tami TC did in my youth, yet the Himoto was a good deal faster.

 

Build - nothing to adjust - all screws nice and tight, lock nuts done up etc.  No binding anywhere, steering and suspension positive.

 

Electrics - we'll see how long they last but all's good so far - motor runs well, steering servo quick and plenty strong enough for the job.

 

 

 

Not so positives

 

Quite a bit of play around the truck, particularly the front end - will prob try some shims.

 

Shell is fugly.

 

Plastics are painfully thin, especially the chassis.  We'll see where she starts to show stress marks / crack first and reinforce the replacement accordingly.

 

Shocks are very very soft, thankfully combined with the less than grippy tyres I don't think It'll roll over on level ground...

 

 

 

That's about it, bearing in mind I've only run 3 packs through.  Nothing in the above was unexpected having read reviews  and other's thoughts, and overall I'm fairly impressed.  Seems a good buy for it's money and prob ideal if a new budget off road RC is what your looking for, even for a younger child.  

 

 

Some stationary pics below, inc with an old Savage shell I bodged to fit.

 

 

 

 

[capri-boy]

Little update, not addressed any of the niggles but thought I'd take it for a bash last night.  Whilst the wee one was playing cricket I gave her some hammer on the hard concrete skate park adjacent the green.

 

Drove it fairly hard, why not - the whole truck cost less than a good sessions broken parts on the savage.  Only 2x2500 nimh through, and perhaps I didn't drive it hard enough....  Nothing broken, just one lost screw from underneath the chassis that appears to hold the spur gear cover.  I checked them all over so it appears I need to remove as necessary and apply some locktite.  A few scuffs and scrapes - the worst to the front and rear diff guard, caused whilst I got the hang off landing a much lighter truck than my savage, jumping from half pipe to half pipe.  I think the soft chassis is more of a boon than a hindrance - if flex's well and absorbs damage rather than transmitting force to more delicate areas / shattering itself (some owners report a weak spot at the front and rear where the diff's mount).

 

Decided to use the fugly shell too, the 1:8 savage shell just looks daft.  The official Maverick shell is cheap enough, comes in red/ blue or clear and to me looks a little easier on the eye.

 

[capri-boy]

Well.........

 

Good news - nothing broken at all in all these months!  Only issues have been a hairline crack to a rim (glued for support but hasn't propagated) and a slightly bent chassis from a heavy nose first landing - requiring some manual bending of the top chassis brace to straighten her up.  Top brace is very very flimsy - I think a carbon mod is on the cards.

 

 

Bad news!  It's way to slow.  So I've just converted it to brushless.  Fitted a used 3300kv 540 size Turnigy with a 60a Trackstar esc all running off 2s.   Budget city.  Will take it our over the weekend hopefully and give it some welly but first impressions are great - 2 packs through doing shake down and speed runs on the street and everything is holding up well.  Given that other than the spur the entire drivetrain is metal, and thats there's no slipper I expect the odd stripped spur -we'll see!.

 

[ghazghul]

Nice upgrade. If you want some damping in the shocks change the pistons. Stock ones have such large holes in them they are useless. Hpi part 6818 fit the plastic and alloy hsp/himoto/maverick shocks.

[nr73]

Looks good. Would that brushless combo be suitable for something such as the Helion SC 1:10 I have arriving this week? Mind if I ask how much the brushless cost?

[ostewart]

For the helion volition, this hobbywing combo would be great:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-HOBBYWING-EZRUN-SC-C2-3656-4000KV-RC-Brushless-Motor-WP-SC8-ESC-Combo-/230962105453?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item35c66a0c6d

 

make sure to tighten up slipper if you go brushless

[capri-boy]

Nice upgrade. If you want some damping in the shocks change the pistons. Stock ones have such large holes in them they are useless. Hpi part 6818 fit the plastic and alloy hsp/himoto/maverick shocks.

 

Thanks - there on my to do list - I'd planned on filling the hole / redrilling a smaller one - good to know of a compatible part though .

 

Looks good. Would that brushless combo be suitable for something such as the Helion SC 1:10 I have arriving this week? Mind if I ask how much the brushless cost?

 

Yes - I bought it used but you'd want something like this (budget choice):

 

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__25140__Turnigy_TrackStar_Waterproof_1_10_Brushless_Power_System_3520KV_80A.html

 

For the helion volition, this hobbywing combo would be great:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-HOBBYWING-EZRUN-SC-C2-3656-4000KV-RC-Brushless-Motor-WP-SC8-ESC-Combo-/230962105453?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item35c66a0c6d

 

make sure to tighten up slipper if you go brushless

 

Better quality than the turnigy but overkill for a 1:10 budget SC.  Never going to run 4s through that Helion without spending enough money to buy something that could take the power (esc rated to that). 

[ostewart]

I run the 120A in my blitz, also use a 4800kv hpi fluz motor, its overkill but fun to bash

[nr73]

What lipo's were you running in the Volition when it had the flux motor fitted, were you on 2s or 3s?

[ostewart]

2s, which is plenty fast enough.

[capri-boy]

What lipo's were you running in the Volition when it had the flux motor fitted, were you on 2s or 3s?

 

 

2s, which is plenty fast enough.

 

ostesart - you ran that combo in a volition or your Blitz flux?  

 

 

Neil - there's other combo's should you want more revs:

 

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__41131__Turnigy_TrackStar_Waterproof_1_10_Brushless_Power_System_5200KV_80A_UK_Warehouse_.html

 

The ebay combo above has an esc rated for 120a and upto 4s lipos - it's a good one too for the money (I have it in my hyper) but it's not a great match in the volition imho - way overated - so unless you think you might use it elsewhere (like a 1/8 scale with a different motor and the one won't manage a 1/8 4wd) your paying for something you don't need.

 

Turnigy are budget stuff, and your mileage may vary, but lots of people have good experiences of them.

[ostewart]

I ran the Flux MMH 4000kv with WP SC8 ESC in the volition. The Vektor 4800kv is in my blitz with WP SC8.

[ghazghul]

I have a SC8 and 4400kv TenShock 401 v2 in a Strada SC which just fits. I wouldn't put it in a stock one even on 2s but mine is not stock and pretty heavy.

Does you himoto sc have the wide grub screw secured 12mm hexes?

[capri-boy]

I have a SC8 and 4400kv TenShock 401 v2 in a Strada SC which just fits. I wouldn't put it in a stock one even on 2s but mine is not stock and pretty heavy.

Does you himoto sc have the wide grub screw secured 12mm hexes?

 

Nope, just 'std' plastic hex and tiny pin.  I've some alu ones with grubs on route from China as mini me pinched the ones I had for his TC.

[ghazghul]

Nope, just 'std' plastic hex and tiny pin. I've some alu ones with grubs on route from China as mini me pinched the ones I had for his TC.

The Maverick comes with the weird wide ones and no pin through the axle, just a flat for the grub screws and they are useless... Took me a while to find an axle / dog bone combo to replace them. Hoping for decent weather tomorrow so I can test mine on the bmx track.

[capri-boy]

The Maverick comes with the weird wide ones and no pin through the axle, just a flat for the grub screws and they are useless... Took me a while to find an axle / dog bone combo to replace them. Hoping for decent weather tomorrow so I can test mine on the bmx track.

 

 

Ignore me, I had a friday moment before!  You mean these:

 

 

So far mine have withstood the move to brushless, but I've done nothing more taxing than running up and down the street on offroad tyres...

 

Let us know how you get on / what you found work if you would?  I've this Himoto and the same chassis as a MT thats just a artr atm as I bought it and nicked the radio gear for something else.

[ghazghul]

Ignore me, I had a friday moment before! You mean these:

So far mine have withstood the move to brushless, but I've done nothing more taxing than running up and down the street on offroad tyres...

Let us know how you get on / what you found work if you would? I've this Himoto and the same chassis as a MT thats just a artr atm as I bought it and nicked the radio gear for something else.

That's the things. I fitted proper 1/10 sct wheels which didn't help but I found they either came loose on the shaft or slid when doing up wheel nuts which side loaded bearings and killed them and hubs. The extra length also put load on the bearings.

I'm now running maverick scout stub axles and normal 12mm alloy hexes with pins and some 79mm (I think) dog bones which are just right not to bind during suspension cycles. Tomorrow will be first jumping test...it's been fine on tarmac. I'll try and vid the carnage.

[capri-boy]

I've not used mine hugely tbh do that's possibly why I've not noticed any issues. Now its brushless, lipo'd and I've temporarily killed the 1/8th that'll prob change. Vid will be good.

[ghazghul]

http://youtu.be/Ct5mUqRX32M

Lost the end off a front hinge pin quite early which effected steering so went straight for the big jump... Which killed it. Probably a bit evil for a cheap car. It weighs 5lbs now too which I think is why axles don't cope.

Edited October 18, 2014 by ghazghul

[capri-boy]

Lost the end off a front hinge pin quite early which effected steering so went straight for the big jump... Which killed it. Probably a bit evil for a cheap car. It weighs 5lbs now too which I think is why axles don't cope.

 

 

Ouch.  Sheared the axle?  I've got some CVD's (I think) that I bought from China when I got mine if you need something?  Happy to help for whatever they cost plus postage.  I bought a load of spares and haven't used a thing yet.

 

Quite a jump - looks like it may have bottomed the shocks thus loading up the axles instead?

[ghazghul]

Yep, sheared just after the hex:

 

http://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/gallery/image/30695-sheared-axle/

 

Maybe I over tightened the wheel? Al\so think I hit a large pebble on landing. The shocks do need some stiffer oil in them but they are set so the chassis hits the ground before I run out of travel so they don't break the shocks or put all the load on the wheels.  I think I'd better avoid that jump...

 

Thanks for the offer of bits but I have load of Maverick Scout stub axles so it should be up and running again in no time.  I had a set of CVDs but they fell apart first time I hit the throttle when I fitted them.

[capri-boy]

 

Yep, sheared just after the hex:

 

 

 

Maybe I over tightened the wheel? Al\so think I hit a large pebble on landing. The shocks do need some stiffer oil in them but they are set so the chassis hits the ground before I run out of travel so they don't break the shocks or put all the load on the wheels.  I think I'd better avoid that jump...

 

Thanks for the offer of bits but I have load of Maverick Scout stub axles so it should be up and running again in no time.  I had a set of CVDs but they fell apart first time I hit the throttle when I fitted them.

 

 

 

Np - I bought these with the idea of doing all 4 corners, anticipating losing a bone or two running off road.....  Hence there still in the packets.  Even at ~

[ghazghul]

Np - I bought these with the idea of doing all 4 corners, anticipating losing a bone or two running off road..... Hence there still in the packets. Even at ~

[capri-boy]

Pics?

They are a lot of fun for the money and I've learnt a lot from mine. I'm going to have to be more gentle with it or learn to get better landings. Fixed it today with a new hinge pin and an axle. The other rear axle was bent as well so it was quite a hefty landing. I'm going to see about losing some weight on it too.

I'll try n get some tomorrow after work. I'm only running mine with teeny 2200 nano's that usually get used in the EMB. Whilst the hyper is poorly I had considered putting bullet connectors onto this so I can use the hypers 5000 hard cases. What had put me off is the weight of it - truck seems pretty light as is, adding that huge lipo is bound to cause issues, not least handling wise loading one side up.

[b_hawk111]

How do you find the shell on this model? The official one if you have one? I plan to get one for my kyosho project as the wheelbase is about right!