Traxxas Sledge M2C Jackhammr conversion...

[RCFinger]

Hi boys and girls,

 

To cut a long story short... Not  had an RC since the 80's (so i'm basically a beginner) I've been blown away by the bashing I've seen online, and thought I'd like me a bit of that!

Not on "paper-round" money any more so thought I'd skip the popular starter basher (Rival MT10) and just go "full retard"....

This has lead to a choice between two (1/7'ish) beauties. The Kraton XL M2C Mojave chassis, and the rest.. Or the M2C Jackhammr (Jackhammer?). The Jackhammr is the one i really fancy.

I know this is stupid and going to be hard but i'm aware of that 🙂

 

Looking and learning a lot around net i have noticed something and thing i may have come up with a cunning plan....

Everybody who has converted the Sledge has binned/removed/replaced so much of it, i'm not sure how much Sledge is actually left?

So, instead of buying an (overpriced) RTR, would it be more economical to buy the M2C conversion kit plus upgrades, and just buy the remaining (mostly plastic) Traxxas parts separately? I know it'll cost a few quid either way.

 

Would love to hear anybodies thoughts on what is clearly the thinking of a sound mind...

 

 

[Kpowell911]

You could buy the parts from Jennys RC to save some money as they split kits. Its possible, it will cost you a fortune as theres so many things you dont realise you need (bearings, diffs, screws, shock internals etc. I do get the idea though as Im forver buying a Traxxas model and selling all the electrics before I even run it. Thing is you do make a bit of money back doing it that way so its not too bad.

 

I personally think for 99% of people M2C stuff is over priced and not necessary, but its a fun, albeit expensive project. Id possibly suggest buying a used Sledge (or Kraton) RTR, sell the electrics and use it, then upgrade as you go

Edited February 28 by Kpowell911

[RCFinger]

10 hours ago, Kpowell911 said:

You could buy the parts from Jennys RC to save some money as they split kits. Its possible, it will cost you a fortune as theres so many things you dont realise you need (bearings, diffs, screws, shock internals etc. I do get the idea though as Im forver buying a Traxxas model and selling all the electrics before I even run it. Thing is you do make a bit of money back doing it that way so its not too bad.

 

I personally think for 99% of people M2C stuff is over priced and not necessary, but its a fun, albeit expensive project. Id possibly suggest buying a used Sledge (or Kraton) RTR, sell the electrics and use it, then upgrade as you go

Hi, thanks for the reply.

 

I appreciate all the small parts that are easily overlooked, my reverse build parts list is getting very long..,  Egay has a lot of packs of small parts that i imagine must be on par with the stock parts? I mean, it's not like the manufacturers are running  NTN/SKF or similar quality bearings are they?

 

The M2C stuff is clearly very expensive, but i suppose it's small production runs and is an import.

Isn't Jennys RC is also in the States? Is it really cheaper getting them sent over rather than buying in the UK?

 

Second-hand is a great idea, i don't think i would buy a Traxxas new...

Where is the best places to look apart from the obvious? Any tips on buying a used? I'm sure the S/H RC market is a bit of a minefield? 

 

Thanks again!

 

[Kpowell911]

Its considerably cheaper buying from Jennys mainly because theyll sell, lets say wheel hubs as a unit with maybe  6 or 7 parts in one go including bearings or something like this:

 

https://jennysrc.com/collections/sledge-1-8-6s-95076-4/products/fits-sledge-plastic-set-side-guards

 

that will get you a load of parts for minimal outlay, and mainly parts youd forget about. 
 

Ive done this before (buying hop ups, then the rest of the parts from Jennys) but only on things like the 2wd Rustler/Stampede. Its obviously possible with the Sledge but its going to cost a fortune regardless of which way you go so I dont think budget is the factor. 
 

Depends if you believe you need to be this strong/fast. Its took me years and 200+ RCs to realise the one with all the hop ups the internet says to get isnt necessarily the best RC and you can save a fortune just doing what you need. Nothing is indestructible, regardless of how much you spend. As I say Id find a used Sledge if youre gonna go the ultimate hop up route. 
 

For actual use, Id maybe say get whatever the latest RTR Kraton EXB 6S is (I didnt get on with mine but Ill accept its maybe a stronger platform than the Sledge, arguably with better electronics). Use it and upgrade as you go

[RCFinger]

Thanks! I see what you mean about that bundle of parts from Jennyrc!!

The Arrma platform is appealing, as you can kind of buy one model and the convert it any other, which is cool.

I'm really after a LWB (Kraton XL, Jackhammer) version. I like the the way they look and how they are said to handle, but it limits my options.

Currently joining alsorts of FB groups hoping to find a Sledge in good nick..

If i wasn't going for LWB, i would get a Team Corally Kagama or ultimately a Tekno ET48.2 kit, the Tekno's look stunning and i would learn a great deal building one, i'm sure

 

Cheers.

Edited March 6 by RCFinger