G-Made Stealth
 

i placed an order for a G-Made Stealth, their 1/8 scale crawler. i'm pretty stoked about it - i've read reviews on other crawling forums for their Spider (their other 1/8 scale crawler) and Dragoon (their monster 'racer') that said everything was very well made, instructions were super clear (they come as kits). once i saw their new Stealth, i decided to sell my JPS clod crawler and build one of these. it's by no means a competition crawler, and is exactly what i like: a very scale-looking monster that will have great crawling ability. not sure yet whether i'll put a lexan body on it or not...looks pretty wicked the way it is.

it's still a solid-axle style crawler, much like the Clod, so i'll probably keep both 55t lathe motors and small pinions, and i'll most likely get Novak's new crawler esc. there don't seem to be many upgrades (cvds, metal diff gears, etc.) so i'll probably stay brushed. i know, i know. i just don't wanna have to keep ordering plastic diff gears from korea, lol.

i'll post more pics once it's delivered.

http://www.gmade.net/image/Gmade_pro...ge/stealth.jpg

That's awesome man!

I have been checking out all the G-Made kits lately.

Let us know how it turns out.

Give us a review.

Yeah, please do! i like them a LOT, they make sexy stuff. I'm not too keen on their latest release, but the 'old style' stuff they make rocks.

i'll be sure to post info on the build as it progresses. i have my clod set up pretty strong, so of course i'll compare it to that. should be lots of fun, even though it's 'cheating' by being a kit and not a conversion.

@ serum - i'm just the opposite. i thought their Spider and Dragoon looked ok for the past couple of years, but seeing the Stealth for the first time made my jaw drop. definitely a 'have to have it!' impulse buy. the center of gravity looks so much lower than the Spider, but it could be an optical illusion from the camera angles. this kinda looks like the weird batmobile from the latest batman movie, lol. sort of.

i placed the order last friday and haven't heard anything yet about it shipping. it's coming from korea, and could be on it's way or i could see it in a few weeks lol. that's ok. it'll give me time to get my maxx put back together and tweaked.

Dont even dream of putting a shell on it, that chassis is far too nice to be covered up. If I was to get a clod, it would surely be one of those, or a similar one from INERBEECREW- they are in Korea too and make beautiful stuff.

Congrats on the purchase. I hope you like it. I love mine and was going to get a Dragoon for bashing but decided at the last minute to get a new E-maxx instead. The $300 difference made up my mind for me. Here's some pics of my Stealth.

Tried to go for a Mad Max tank look:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...476640x480.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...466640x480.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...468640x480.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...473640x480.jpg

That thing looks so nice. I really like all the dark metal plating and such. Makes it look... futuristic, lol.

I see a Mamba Max in there. What motor and battery are you running in it?

nice! how long have you had it? have you done a lot of crawling, and how has it held up? i'm with jnev - do give details on your mamba! are you running B or BL motors through it?

good call on getting an e-maxx instead of a dragoon. although, i personally would've opted for a revo and turned it brushless.

I'm running it with two Integy 45T motors in parallel, and a 11.1V 4000mah lipo. It's pretty quick for 45T, light jogging speed.

I've had it for about 3 months. I've only crawled a handful of times, because I got back in the speed thing instead. I usually crawl with this because I don't wanna break my Stealth, but I'm putting this on Ebay this weekend to help pay for my E-maxx project.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...x/CIMG0096.jpg

The Stealth has held up very nicely and I doubt that I'll even break anything on it. It's just beefy! The links and ball ends are HUGE. That's why I was looking at the Dragoon. But I think the E-maxx will suit my bashing needs better.

I did try the E-Revo thing with the gorillamaxx setup. But I kept breaking arms and I even bent the gorillamaxx frame. Tha's even I found out it was more for racing than bashing. I'm looking at the FLM Extended chassis right now.

That stealth looks pretty sick but it's wicked expensive and sorta looks impractical. I dunno. I want to make a crawler and I'd rather go with the new Axial AX10 Scorpion kit.

Quality costs $$$ I guess, but what do you mean by impractical? The Axial kit is great for people just starting out in crawling- all the hard choices/design work is done for you.

Look what came in the mail!
 

had this sitting on my doorstep exactly 7 days after i paid. not too bad for coming from korea!

i realized i only ordered 1 diff locker set, so i have to order another one. the diffs are sealed so i can add diff oil, but i'd rather just lock them. and i also need to order other things like the novak crawler esc and other spare parts. i have a NIP set of imex jumbo claw dawg's on the way for it, too. not too crazy about the stock tires it comes with, but they do look good for grip.

i've gotta get my supermaxx back together first before jumping into this build...

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../275723921.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../275723925.jpg

Yeah the stock tires look cool but they're too wide. Defnitely keep us posted on the build-up. I did the same thing with the diff lockers, only ordered one set, stupid me. I had it all on the coffee table half way through when I realized it. Wife wasn't that happy.:eek:

I think I'm going to order a Dragoon Chassis and new links to just try it out.

Excuse my French (and ignorance) but what in the hell do you have mounted on this thing? It looks like a camera or a weapon of some sort.

It looks likea 1:6 scale cannon frm some sci-fi toy set. If only it actually fired something (like BBs) it would be even cooler.

It's a cannon from the GI Joe Sigma Set at "ToysRUS". They no longer have this set anymore, but they do have others.

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/prod...3289689reg.jpg

good call on the MM for the esc, bluonyx. i was going to get the Novak crawler esc (due out at the end of this month), but for $25 more i think i'll get a 2nd MM esc... there is SOOO much you can adjust on one of those, including (and most importantly) drag brake for the crawler. i was playing around with the settings for my maxx this past weekend for the first time - a guy could get spoiled with all of those settings to adjust!

plus, i can save each of the 2 as a separate profile...and then load whichever one i want to adjust the settings for.

Any update on the crawler?

nope - it's still sitting in the box, unassembled lol. i don't have my MM yet for it, which is all it's waiting for, so i'm not even going to bother. soon though. :yes:

i have most of the chassis put together, i got my MM yesterday, and my CC BEC today. i need to run to my LHS and get a y-servo harness for the dual steering (until i can get a good deal on a DX6) and it looks like i'll be making good progress this weekend - may even finish it, and get a maiden voyage out of her...

this thing is wicked. i'll take a shot later of it next to my JPS/clod chassis - it's quite a bit longer, and a tiny amount wider. and it'll be lower, with more ground clearance - which is amazing. i think i'm going to have a lot of fun with this one. :yes:

the only thing that bugs me is the limited steering angle. i'll have mine set up with dual steering again, like my clod, but i'm thinking of cutting the steer stops off the knuckles.

pics to come!

Sounds good. Looking forward to seeing pics. I'd love one of these but I think I'll get a chopper first so I can use the radio with it. You should get a dx7. They are a far better radio, I know not much use for a crawler but get a chopper later and you won't regret the purchase of the 7 over the 6.

Can't wait to see this completed, I've been dreaming of buying one of these but have yet to read any reviews on it. Hope it goes together well and gets a good report. -Steven

Good good. With regards to the steering stops, that was the first thing I trimmed off on my TXT-1- cant really understand why anyone would put them onto a truck designed for crawling since it causes the servo(s) to bind up before they reach full throw.... Dremel time!

tim - thanks for the tip on the dx7. they aren't that much more expensive...and while i have no plans for a chopper in the near future, it can't hurt to be prepared... i have looked pretty seriously at a blade before. who knows.

2fast - it definitely gets a good report so far! i forgot how much i love kits - then again, i'm someone who has to tear a pre-build RTR down just to see what parts are in there and how they all work together. this kit went together extremely well - i didn't have a single problem. even better than my clod went together, and i'm a big fan of tamiya b/c of their well made kits.

this thing has enormously beefy parts - it'll be difficult to get the scale in photos, but i'll try. this truck will be tonka-tough. i'm very impressed with both trannys - i was worried about plastic gears, but the composite used for all the parts almost seems like it's infused with something else other than plastic. not brittle at all. i was impressed. and the 2 solid axles connect together, making one long metal axle from end to end - which undoubtedly makes it much tougher than the stock clod axles. it sure won't be light though, but that's okay. :great:

neil - yep, i think the stops are coming off...

more to come after i finish it up this weekend...

Progress!!!
 

i spent a quite a few hours this weekend building the Stealth, and at the same time cleaning up my Clod and cannibalizing it for parts (both steering servos, both lathe motors and the 4 big bore shocks). i don't have electronics installed yet - i'm waiting on an order for 4mm male bullet connectors for the motor connections, and i can throw the MM in as well as the spektrum rx.

i didn't care for the tires it came with, so i ordered the big 'ole jumbo claw dawgs. it's a good bashing tire, but i thought it would have more bite. turns out the tires the Stealth came with look like they'll have excellent bite (it's really soft rubbery material) so i may get another set of wheels to mount them to and have a set of bashing tires and a crawling tires.

she's beastly... the articulation is incredible for a big 1/8 scale rig
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../285609367.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../285609360.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../285609329.jpg


here's some shots of the Stealth next to the JPS clod crawler - big, big difference :mdr:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../285609325.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../285609357.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../285609348.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../285609344.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL127.../285609333.jpg

That looks nice nice. If the DX7 isn't too much more expensive definitely go that way. I talked to two shops in my area and neither would even sell me the DX6.

The tires are a bit strange I must admit- they look like they would grip well, but once they get a bit of dirt/dust on them you loose alot of traction. Still, they are very soft without foams inside, so they mould them selves to whatever they are crawling over to a certain extent. They are also quite good for drifting on-road and doing power slides; unintentional ofcourse..... for general bashing though, they just look killer!

i just got a y-servo harness for my spektrum dx3.0 - it'll have to work for now. it'll still be dual steering, but i won't be able to control the front and rear independently. someday i'll get a dx7.

actually neil, if you think the claws are soft, you should see a set of the g-made tires they came with! super sticky, and really bendy. i'm almost surprised they even hold their shape.

also - the biggest downside i found on the Stealth: i can't use half of my crawling pinions. i have small ones all the way down to 6 tooth. it looks like the smallest i can use are the 12 tooth ones it came with. anything less, and the adjustable motor mounts just can't give enough room to let the gears mesh.

I ran into the same problem when I put in my 10L, I had to go with a 16T 5mm pinion. It just barely fit but it runs great. I was surprisd that the axles held together with BL power. I'm going to buy the Dragoon chassis when I get some extra money and self the Stealth one.

i'd love to make this thing brushless - but it'll require 2 complete systems. and the minute i save up for that, a company will figure out a way to make one controller that can utilize 2 brushless motors. :smile: (doubt that will come to fruition, but stranger things have happened).

so do you have two 10L systems in yours? are they each paired with a MM? and why are you shelving it for a dragoon? :eyes:

I unlocked the axles and removed the front motor. I only have one BL system in it with a MM powering it on 7.4V. It seemed really peppy and moved really well. I put LST shocks on it and they are way to much shock, but look really good. When I take a jump it bounces a lot and looks really funny. I'm going to have to switch back to t-maxx shocks. The reason I wanna switch to a Dragoon chassis is because it can take more punishment. I do a lot of jumping and bashing and I know I'm just going to ruin the Stealth Chassis. The Dragoon was made for bashing.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...x/CIMG0174.jpg

With the dual BL motor thing, it is actually possible to run 2 from one esc- see griffinRu's sig for more details. It not a simple thing to do, but for a crawling application like this it may just work & be alot cheaper than two whole new systems (just add another motor the same as you are already using)....

Clod - great job on it!! Awesome looking truck.

thanks man! much appreciated. i can't take too much credit as kits don't allow much creativity (bluonyx sure put creativity in his though!), but it should be fun.

i say should, b/c i haven't run it yet. still waiting on two stupid 4mm bullet connectors to arrive...

made some progress this weekend, but this build seems to be getting held back by stupid little things i didn't think of ahead of time.

* waited over 2 weeks for some bullet connectors Bishop PP was sending as 'freebies'... they never came. guess they weren't so free after all. anyhow, bought some 4mm male bullet connectors and got the motors and ESC hooked up.

* this is the first MM i've hooked up to brushed motors - so no beeps when it arms! i never knew! anyhow, plugged everything in to make sure it worked, programmed the MM, and when i hit the throttle it would... lurch a lot. but wouldn't run. i tore my gearboxes apart, tested my motors away from the gears, everything i could think of. then it hit me... the MM is pre-programmed for brushless motors out of the box. hooked it up to the computer, changed the setting to 'brushed', and viola - she works. GREAT too! :happy:

* i can't fit both 2s2p packs of my a123 cells in there. can't figure this one out. the lower tray will only hold a single 2s2p pack. not sure what to do, but i'll figure something out.

* MORE small parts to order! servo horns for both 645mg's. oh - and the stupid y harness i bought from my LHS for the servos doesn't work, so i had to order another one.

maybe i need to do a native american dance in my living room to the God of R/C's... :grrrrrr:

Which brushed motors are you running again? Provided they are 7.2v jobbies -or there abouts-, I would have thought 4 A123 cells in 2s2p would be plenty of juice; I hear people saying things like 1hour run times with just Nimh packs, so you should be fine with 2s2p?... or maybe run 4s1p if you have 14.4v motors, something like that.

i have a pair of integy 55t lathe motors. they say they're good for 6 cells (each motor), and a single 2s2p pack will make it move well. but i wanted the extra 'pop' and torque of 4s2p. :happy:

(if i'm going to do it, i may as well do it right! right?)

unfortunately i can't do 4s1p with the packs i have. i have two 2s2p packs and two 3s1p packs. i could always go with a single 3s1p, or..... GULP... try 5s2p! woo hooo!

Nutter.... 3s1p sounds good to me.

nutter.... hey, i resemble that remark!!

sure 3s sounds good, in theory, until you see and feel this beast. it's big and heavy, whereas comp crawlers (even the supers) are made to be as light as possible. plus these guys have anywhere from 6-10 cells in a pack at the axles. i'll weigh it tonight, but i'd guess she's around the 10-12 lb. mark. the motors/electronics are on par with a maxx in terms of performance (higher turns tho). so, 3s would run a maxx too... but not as well as 4-5s.

granted, it won't be a speed machine... but the lack of speed will be gained in torque and crawling performance (seemingly unlimited power to go over and up anything). 3s is only 9.9 volts - and the system i have can take much more.

who knows - i'll try it on 3s, but i have a feeling i'll be trying to figure out how to get those 4s packs into it somewhere. gotta get those last few parts from tower to finish her though! C'MON TOWER, YOU CAN DO IT!

Lol, have you considered something like a 'saddle pack', that way the 2nd pair of cells could mount on a custom shelf mounted maybe up front or in the rear- like a parcel shelf in a 1:1?...

As for weight, yeah, I see how lots of guys stick their cells as low as possible, some even manage to fit them on the steering knuckle joint area, so they are almost inside the wheel rims on either side. Not for me/you though- my TXT-1 creation weighed 12.5lbs; definately not for comp crawling....