Friendly tip! Watch comp guys dig. Sure it helps you cut a sharp turn for a reposition but the magic is setting a hook. On an incline, when the pressure is on the back wheels, lock the dig and ease on throttle until the suspension loads/tires wrap. The opposing traction will stretch the effective wheelbase, lower the skid and exchange the bias to the forward wheels. The rig will suck down to the rock. That's hook. Pop dig and inertia is immediately shifted forward and up. There were SO many times it would have saved you. That freewheel mess is almost useless.
Thanks for the tips, it was nicely explained. The tires are hard on this thing, but there's probably sufficient traction in the rubber that it would still be possible to extend it to hook. I'm going to have a think about whether this rig can do better in its current form. You have a knack for explaining things well, seriously. I always pay attention in comps, but there's always more to learn. I don't think I've ever driven with a DIG in a comp before, thinking about it. Apart from on MOA/Pro rigs, where one automatically loads it to get it across obstacles... hmm, you've really got me thinking, now. Hey, thanks a lot for taking the time to outline setting a hook, Kip! Really appreciate you weighing in! Cheers :)
@@RCTNT I'm glad you actually read and put thought into it. Good point on tire hardness, less stretch and grip will really hamper the hook. As well as tire hight. Throw some sticky
No doubt! We'll see how far we get with these first, I'm keen to see how far OEM gear can take us :) (I read everything and think about it, but sometimes it takes me a while to get the full or intended meaning from written messages! That's why my reply was edited, I realised I missed about half of the point! Thank you for being so gracious).
Nice Video and cool Test. Dig is nice and used it on my SCX10iii. It takes a while until you think about using it whenever it makes sense, but when you get the hang of it ... it's a useful tool.
For sure! It's one area I haven't got as much experience in, after another commenter here was talking about it yesterday. I realised I've got a bit of a gap, so I'm training on them so I can share with you guys! Cheers :)
Well it definitely was a lot better. The first time you did the course without the wheel extensions was kind of painful to watch. So moral of the story to me is always testing pays off big time thanks for sharing! From my point of you why your channel has been good for me. I can only afford one truck. And maybe two sets of tires. So it really helps me make smart decisions on my purchase. Also thank you for all the information you put forward. I think it’s really unbiased and straightforward
Brilliant, thanks Dan. Happy to be of service. Plenty more to do yet but it's a good time for this hobby, despite the world going through so much right now. Thank you for watching along and being part of this little journey here, I'm glad to have you along :)
Great vid, Craig. I didn't even realize until it was done all those mins had gone by. You really are in the zone! Getting a bit sidelined, I just wondered about the tilting and rolling board baseline we discussed a while back. Was it too time consuming and/or not too telling to keep doing? For me it'd give us an objective first idea of where the rig stands before we got on with your usual problems and testing, and give us a quantifiable info on its CoG. It could maybe be just a figure mentioned or in a small popup "leaderboard", comparing with other relevant competitors, or whenever you make an upgrade, to check if it actually did something. Back to the Phoenix, I do have to agree with @Fish n RC about not being quite there, struggling and looking sloppy to just barely making the problems. It does make the Enduro and even the Gladiator look really good! It does seem that the rig likes speed... but that doesn't help it look like a scale truck, which defeats a bit part of its purpose, doesn't it? I'm still on the Phoenix fan wagon, but my interest has swayed once again towards the Gmade GS02F Buffalo (still not sure if military hardtop or the smaller-diameter wheeled pickup...). We'll see how those bent links help it. I think I'm more keen on your mods and see how far you can take this platform, than the truck itself. I'm learning heaps with your notes as we go. =)
Tilt board is coming. Have got a device on its slow way over and I'll make the platform soon. With me, "fast" means within a couple of years. Gotta work within ones limitations and all. It was a good idea and I'm planning on doing it still! There's more to be found in the Phoenix, I agree. It's better than it was, but we have more to do yet! Tire mods and bent links next!
I think your "problems" need some revamping. They are a little agressive.. some simply incline max, decline max and otjer tests would be nice. I dont know... just seems to be a be hardcore for testing. Just beats the truck up..
I can understand the thinking there and for this rig, I agree. However, for most modern crawlers, we've been finding these problems are actually too easy! I have too many RTR and kit vehicles that can walk all 6. What I'll do when I next move will be to engineer a better set of obstacles for future testing. They'll have more purpose for specific elements of crawling, helping to highlight strengths and weaknesses of test vehicles. At this point I've had something like 40 or 50 different crawlers over the 6 problem course, so there's at least a consistent base for comparison - even if it is a bit unrefined! I do agree with you though, and the poor old Phoenix really showed up the roughness here. We improved the truck with some carefully considered mods to the geometry, thankfully. Cheers
Hey mate... I get that you are going through all the stock kit parts but wondering if you are just going to ditch the stock tyres as we all know they are the weak link of this kit... I personally run a wider rim and tyre with approx a .225 hub so as to cover the portal box a bit more while keeping the wider track. Hope you have a great week Cheers 👍
G'day Mick, I don't know if I'll ditch them yet. I'll have a play with modifying them first and we'll see how they go. Your change sounds like a good idea, makes sense. Cheers
Another great video man!!! I put high clearance (bent) links on mine and it does better! Just some Amazon cheapys. I used the RCLIONS brand links made for 313mm wheelbase. The whole kit is only $18 US and I only used the lower four but it was worth it On mine I also use “bent” rod ends as well just yo give it that little extra. Anyway I always enjoy your videos. It’s obvious that you really love crawling as much as I do
Glad you got it crawling better bud as its such a beautiful rig ill be getting one foe sure in the new year, even if it was to just sit on the shelf (which it most definitely won't be haha) merry Christmas mate and wishing you all the best and success in the new year from us here in the UK 🇬🇧 👍👌🤙
Hi John, longer shocks would increase articulation, but I'm not sure that's what's needed here. Could be helpful in some areas, but we have a high cog problem already and that would exacerbate it. Angling the shocks would decrease their effect after partial compression, lessening their effectiveness. Straight up is the answer for full shock function. Angle if you want less effect in the second half of their cycle, basically. Useful in some scenarios - but again, not sure how helpful that'd be on this rig. Hey thanks for the questions and thoughts, by all means keep em coming. Cheers :)
I just put proline trenchers onto my phoenix and it has been the best improvement to its capability so far. They work very well on the western sydney sandstone around here. Still running standard shocks and links so they will be next. Great video series! Keep them coming.
Oh, I bet that transformed it! I'm going to see how far we can take the stock tyres, but you're definitely on the right track there. Nice one. I love crawling around Sydney, there's a lot of great rock! Cheers :)
Glad to see the Phoenix doing better, and you're clearly having a more fun with it too. It still looked like it didn't make it easy, but it definitely looked less tippy, more composed, and a little more predictable giving it some throttle. Looking forward to the future videos with this one and I agree that Vanquish put a lot of thought into this kit. The transmission on its own is quite a marvel! Merry Christmas to you Craig, if you celebrate it, happy crawling and have a wonderful new year!
Andy! I really was glad to see it doing better as well, yes! Got a few more things to try yet, we'll see how far we get. Thanks for the Christmas wishes, same to you and for a better 2022 in every way than this year. Cheers :)
I couldn’t use the 850mm slw hub because the 8mm adapter wouldn’t fit into the 850mm hub. So I am stuck with the narrow hubs for now. I may need to spend $30 for aluminum 850mm hubs
Hmm. That's weird. What is the problem, do you think? They're supposed to be exchangeable - I can't think what the issue might be on yours, that's a bit mystifying.
I was mounting my wheels and tires today and the wide adaptors I got is also to tight for the 8mm adapter. Guess I can sand it down with a dremel, but I think I will just give it a go with the narrow ones.
It’s a. Beautiful RC but man did it do those features ugly. Even though it got through them it struggled & was sloppy. It seems to be in an unknown place not quite a trail truck because it’s slow & not quite a crawler because it just lacks something. This was going to be on my list to get but I’ll spend my money elsewhere. I have seen another video of it doing well on steep straight climbs with ledges so if that’s the terrain you have it would be fine but I want my RC’s to be well rounded & I have a lot of boulders like your features so I’ll have to pass for now but there may be fixes for it that will make it a more capable well rounded machine. The new Capra is my next RC & I’m hoping you have the chance to test one. Nice job taking all the time & effort to film these it’s not easy time consuming & not always fun. 👍
Nicely put. I do like it still, but it's a somewhat unique machine, yes! Capra: check my playlist. Already have a review and a Capra vs Gatekeeper video & Capra vs SCX10.3 video :) ("The new Capra" - no, not heard about that yet! I'm not on social media so I can be slow to hear of things. Thanks for the tip, I'll go take a look. OK, same thing but just with rear steering, at first 20 second look. Well, it'll turn better and give a few more options there, but it'll still be a Capra. Dunno how necessary rear steering is given the DIG and already crazy good handling, but it'll take the rig to the next level. Not my cup of tea but by all means grab one if you want maximum 4x4 1.9 performance!)
@@RCTNT I know your not giving up on that Phoenix & I feel the same it’s just to nice to throw in the towel. Definitely check out the new Capra as a RC lover it’s just crazy nothing ground breaking but it’s ability to crab walk & features are not only cool but give it a nice ability to get over features. And like all RC’s it’s not perfect but I don’t have a buggy in my collection so that’s why I’m so interested. I have to admit I’d still love to have that Phoenix in my collection the way I’ve seen it painted & built up is absolutely beautiful & my gut feeling is I would be pretty happy with the performance. I wonder if wheel extenders & wider gripper tires would enhance it. Also bent links as you pointed out. Add that & it may improve it a lot no doubt.
@@RCTNT you'll always have my full support my friend for your channel. I think cause there vanquishes cheaper rig everyone with a drool on for vanquish would gobble them right up.
Friendly tip! Watch comp guys dig. Sure it helps you cut a sharp turn for a reposition but the magic is setting a hook. On an incline, when the pressure is on the back wheels, lock the dig and ease on throttle until the suspension loads/tires wrap. The opposing traction will stretch the effective wheelbase, lower the skid and exchange the bias to the forward wheels. The rig will suck down to the rock. That's hook. Pop dig and inertia is immediately shifted forward and up. There were SO many times it would have saved you. That freewheel mess is almost useless.
Thanks for the tips, it was nicely explained. The tires are hard on this thing, but there's probably sufficient traction in the rubber that it would still be possible to extend it to hook. I'm going to have a think about whether this rig can do better in its current form. You have a knack for explaining things well, seriously.
I always pay attention in comps, but there's always more to learn. I don't think I've ever driven with a DIG in a comp before, thinking about it. Apart from on MOA/Pro rigs, where one automatically loads it to get it across obstacles... hmm, you've really got me thinking, now.
Hey, thanks a lot for taking the time to outline setting a hook, Kip! Really appreciate you weighing in! Cheers :)
@@RCTNT I'm glad you actually read and put thought into it. Good point on tire hardness, less stretch and grip will really hamper the hook. As well as tire hight. Throw some sticky
No doubt! We'll see how far we get with these first, I'm keen to see how far OEM gear can take us :)
(I read everything and think about it, but sometimes it takes me a while to get the full or intended meaning from written messages! That's why my reply was edited, I realised I missed about half of the point! Thank you for being so gracious).
What a great burst of beautifully worded philosophy at the 13:00 mark!
Heh, thanks. Good to remember just how good we've got it. That thought is on my mind daily. Whichever crawler you have is the best one :)
good reviews and always relaxing to watch ,merry christmas.
Thank you! And you :)
Nice Video and cool Test. Dig is nice and used it on my SCX10iii. It takes a while until you think about using it whenever it makes sense, but when you get the hang of it ... it's a useful tool.
For sure! It's one area I haven't got as much experience in, after another commenter here was talking about it yesterday. I realised I've got a bit of a gap, so I'm training on them so I can share with you guys! Cheers :)
Well it definitely was a lot better. The first time you did the course without the wheel extensions was kind of painful to watch. So moral of the story to me is always testing pays off big time thanks for sharing!
From my point of you why your channel has been good for me. I can only afford one truck. And maybe two sets of tires. So it really helps me make smart decisions on my purchase.
Also thank you for all the information you put forward. I think it’s really unbiased and straightforward
Brilliant, thanks Dan. Happy to be of service. Plenty more to do yet but it's a good time for this hobby, despite the world going through so much right now. Thank you for watching along and being part of this little journey here, I'm glad to have you along :)
I'm going to get with Lance over at Hardcore Rc and see if I can get some lower bent links for the Vanquish F10t aluminum straight axles
Nice, give it a go and see what you think. I really should get around to making some!
very nice
Great vid, Craig. I didn't even realize until it was done all those mins had gone by. You really are in the zone!
Getting a bit sidelined, I just wondered about the tilting and rolling board baseline we discussed a while back. Was it too time consuming and/or not too telling to keep doing? For me it'd give us an objective first idea of where the rig stands before we got on with your usual problems and testing, and give us a quantifiable info on its CoG. It could maybe be just a figure mentioned or in a small popup "leaderboard", comparing with other relevant competitors, or whenever you make an upgrade, to check if it actually did something.
Back to the Phoenix, I do have to agree with @Fish n RC about not being quite there, struggling and looking sloppy to just barely making the problems. It does make the Enduro and even the Gladiator look really good! It does seem that the rig likes speed... but that doesn't help it look like a scale truck, which defeats a bit part of its purpose, doesn't it? I'm still on the Phoenix fan wagon, but my interest has swayed once again towards the Gmade GS02F Buffalo (still not sure if military hardtop or the smaller-diameter wheeled pickup...). We'll see how those bent links help it. I think I'm more keen on your mods and see how far you can take this platform, than the truck itself. I'm learning heaps with your notes as we go. =)
Tilt board is coming. Have got a device on its slow way over and I'll make the platform soon. With me, "fast" means within a couple of years. Gotta work within ones limitations and all. It was a good idea and I'm planning on doing it still!
There's more to be found in the Phoenix, I agree. It's better than it was, but we have more to do yet! Tire mods and bent links next!
I think your "problems" need some revamping.
They are a little agressive.. some simply incline max, decline max and otjer tests would be nice.
I dont know... just seems to be a be hardcore for testing.
Just beats the truck up..
I can understand the thinking there and for this rig, I agree. However, for most modern crawlers, we've been finding these problems are actually too easy! I have too many RTR and kit vehicles that can walk all 6.
What I'll do when I next move will be to engineer a better set of obstacles for future testing. They'll have more purpose for specific elements of crawling, helping to highlight strengths and weaknesses of test vehicles.
At this point I've had something like 40 or 50 different crawlers over the 6 problem course, so there's at least a consistent base for comparison - even if it is a bit unrefined!
I do agree with you though, and the poor old Phoenix really showed up the roughness here. We improved the truck with some carefully considered mods to the geometry, thankfully. Cheers
Hey mate... I get that you are going through all the stock kit parts but wondering if you are just going to ditch the stock tyres as we all know they are the weak link of this kit...
I personally run a wider rim and tyre with approx a .225 hub so as to cover the portal box a bit more while keeping the wider track.
Hope you have a great week
Cheers 👍
G'day Mick,
I don't know if I'll ditch them yet. I'll have a play with modifying them first and we'll see how they go.
Your change sounds like a good idea, makes sense.
Cheers
Another great video man!!! I put high clearance (bent) links on mine and it does better! Just some Amazon cheapys. I used the RCLIONS brand links made for 313mm wheelbase. The whole kit is only $18 US and I only used the lower four but it was worth it On mine I also use “bent” rod ends as well just yo give it that little extra. Anyway I always enjoy your videos. It’s obvious that you really love crawling as much as I do
Ah nice! Thanks for the tip! I'm planning on making some but that sounds like a good value idea, right there. Thanks!
Glad you got it crawling better bud as its such a beautiful rig ill be getting one foe sure in the new year, even if it was to just sit on the shelf (which it most definitely won't be haha) merry Christmas mate and wishing you all the best and success in the new year from us here in the UK 🇬🇧 👍👌🤙
Hey thanks, and same to you!
Just curious because I'm new to crawling, wouldn't a very slight height increase & maybe angled shocks to get more articulation help this truck?
Hi John, longer shocks would increase articulation, but I'm not sure that's what's needed here. Could be helpful in some areas, but we have a high cog problem already and that would exacerbate it.
Angling the shocks would decrease their effect after partial compression, lessening their effectiveness. Straight up is the answer for full shock function. Angle if you want less effect in the second half of their cycle, basically. Useful in some scenarios - but again, not sure how helpful that'd be on this rig.
Hey thanks for the questions and thoughts, by all means keep em coming. Cheers :)
Thanks for the update. Looks to be preforming better. Have a merry Christmas. Looking forward to seeing what you've got for us in 2022.
You bet. Thanks Warby, same to you.
I just put proline trenchers onto my phoenix and it has been the best improvement to its capability so far. They work very well on the western sydney sandstone around here. Still running standard shocks and links so they will be next. Great video series! Keep them coming.
Oh, I bet that transformed it! I'm going to see how far we can take the stock tyres, but you're definitely on the right track there. Nice one.
I love crawling around Sydney, there's a lot of great rock! Cheers :)
Glad to see the Phoenix doing better, and you're clearly having a more fun with it too. It still looked like it didn't make it easy, but it definitely looked less tippy, more composed, and a little more predictable giving it some throttle. Looking forward to the future videos with this one and I agree that Vanquish put a lot of thought into this kit. The transmission on its own is quite a marvel! Merry Christmas to you Craig, if you celebrate it, happy crawling and have a wonderful new year!
Andy! I really was glad to see it doing better as well, yes! Got a few more things to try yet, we'll see how far we get.
Thanks for the Christmas wishes, same to you and for a better 2022 in every way than this year. Cheers :)
I'm glad you're making progress with it and I agree doing something with the tires might make a big difference in it's performance....loved the video
Thanks Roy! We'll get there, I think. Plenty of potential!
I couldn’t use the 850mm slw hub because the 8mm adapter wouldn’t fit into the 850mm hub. So I am stuck with the narrow hubs for now. I may need to spend $30 for aluminum 850mm hubs
Hmm. That's weird. What is the problem, do you think? They're supposed to be exchangeable - I can't think what the issue might be on yours, that's a bit mystifying.
I was mounting my wheels and tires today and the wide adaptors I got is also to tight for the 8mm adapter. Guess I can sand it down with a dremel, but I think I will just give it a go with the narrow ones.
@@Ronh83 fair enough. With the right tires I expect it'll go just fine :)
It’s a. Beautiful RC but man did it do those features ugly. Even though it got through them it struggled & was sloppy. It seems to be in an unknown place not quite a trail truck because it’s slow & not quite a crawler because it just lacks something. This was going to be on my list to get but I’ll spend my money elsewhere. I have seen another video of it doing well on steep straight climbs with ledges so if that’s the terrain you have it would be fine but I want my RC’s to be well rounded & I have a lot of boulders like your features so I’ll have to pass for now but there may be fixes for it that will make it a more capable well rounded machine. The new Capra is my next RC & I’m hoping you have the chance to test one. Nice job taking all the time & effort to film these it’s not easy time consuming & not always fun. 👍
Nicely put. I do like it still, but it's a somewhat unique machine, yes!
Capra: check my playlist. Already have a review and a Capra vs Gatekeeper video & Capra vs SCX10.3 video :)
("The new Capra" - no, not heard about that yet! I'm not on social media so I can be slow to hear of things. Thanks for the tip, I'll go take a look.
OK, same thing but just with rear steering, at first 20 second look. Well, it'll turn better and give a few more options there, but it'll still be a Capra. Dunno how necessary rear steering is given the DIG and already crazy good handling, but it'll take the rig to the next level. Not my cup of tea but by all means grab one if you want maximum 4x4 1.9 performance!)
@@RCTNT I know your not giving up on that Phoenix & I feel the same it’s just to nice to throw in the towel. Definitely check out the new Capra as a RC lover it’s just crazy nothing ground breaking but it’s ability to crab walk & features are not only cool but give it a nice ability to get over features. And like all RC’s it’s not perfect but I don’t have a buggy in my collection so that’s why I’m so interested. I have to admit I’d still love to have that Phoenix in my collection the way I’ve seen it painted & built up is absolutely beautiful & my gut feeling is I would be pretty happy with the performance. I wonder if wheel extenders & wider gripper tires would enhance it. Also bent links as you pointed out. Add that & it may improve it a lot no doubt.
Nice to see it doing better, I can't wait to see where you end up with it.
Thanks, I'm cautiously optimistic at this stage. Bumpy start, but as familiarity grows, I'll find some optimisations I'm sure. Thanks for watching!
It looks more planted to me also. Nice driving.
Definitely! Much easier time of it with wider stance. Wasn't intuitive, but every rig is different! Onward!
this is one hard rig to get your hands on. great video my friend and stay safe.
They'll have more stock soon enough. Covid is making for challenging times with manufacturing! Thanks for the positive words :)
@@RCTNT you'll always have my full support my friend for your channel. I think cause there vanquishes cheaper rig everyone with a drool on for vanquish would gobble them right up.
@@WoodsUnknown you could well be right, there! Thank you kindly :)
Bent lower links I think you're on to something 🤔
Nice paint job!
Thanks!