Hop It Up – ARRMA Talion

A short while back I was lucky enough to review the ballistic ARRMA Talion rtr electric off road truggy.  This near bullet proof truck is fast, durable, handles well and looks great right out of the box.  That said, why not make it even faster and cooler, right?

First step – go faster!  Yes, I know, this crazy truggy can hit 60mph without modification when running on a 6S, 22.2V LiPo battery pack so why make it go any faster.  The short answer – BECAUSE!  The choice to replace the stock ARRMA BLX electronics package was clear in an instant – Castle Creations.  For esc I went with a new Mamba Monster X.  This cool esc is waterproof, can operate a sensored motor if I decide to use one, has data logging, and an aux wire that plugs into the third channel that allows for on the fly adjustments that are usually only tunable via the external Castle Link.    I set this adjustment to be drag brake as this is what I tend to tinker with the most.  As for a motor, I went with a Neu-Castle 1515 2200kV.  This motor has 150kV more than the stock BLX motor and is physically larger resulting in more torque and better heat dispensation.  As for batteries I went with a pair of powerful 3S, 11.1V, 40C, 4100mAh New Wave packs.  These batteries are the same size as a standard 2S LiPo pack and fit the battery tray like a glove.

Second step – look cool(er)!  The red anodized shock towers on the Talion are great but I really like the look of carbon fiber too.  Since there were no aftermarket carbon fiber goodies for the Talion readily available I called my buddy Bruce at Xtreme Racing and asked if he could help out.  Sure enough he said yes and I sent him the truck so he could make some parts for me.  A few weeks later the truck was back and it had new thick carbon fiber front and rear shock towers installed as well as awesome oversized thin carbon fiber mud guards to keep the rear dogbones free from debris.

Third step – have some fun! My first stop was right out my front door for some speed runs up and down the street.  So, was it quicker with the new power plant?   Considerably!  While I did not have a radar gun handy, the truck took off like a rocket when I reached for the throttle and in a near instant the Talion was at full speed zooming past my house with the tires expanding.  After a few passes back and forth a few neighbors came to watch with one telling me jokingly to be careful not to get a speeding ticket.  Happy with the result I headed inside to check everything over.  Here everything looked great with the esc and batteries cool as a cucumber.  The motor, on the other hand, was a bit hot but nothing worth causing concern.

After recharging the batteries with my iMax X400 charger I headed to Enfield, CT for R/C Madness and the large off road dirt track.   The track was extremely dry as it was a bright and sunny day so when I set the ARRMA Talion down and reached for the throttle the tires spun with a rather high level of aggression as a huge rooster tail shot out from the back tires.  Due to this dryness getting down the straight-a-way at full speed was only possible if I slowly rolled the throttle and then it was a bit tricky as hitting the brake too hard at the end of the straight would cause an uncontrollable slide.  To help with this I upped the drag brake on the Castle Mamba Monster X quickly and easily right from my transmitter.  This helped greatly and it also enabled me in navigating through the tight infield considerably better.  Additionally, the massive power from the New Wave batteries and Castle motor and esc was more than enough to send the Talion sailing through the air over every jump on the track with ease and confidence.  The only issue here, again, was the dry track.  If I got on the throttle too quickly the rear tires would break traction and the truck would not get a good enough launch to clear the jump.  Back in the pit the truck looked great other than being covered by dust from the track.  The esc and batteries were barely warm but the motor was a bit hotter than before.  I can see myself getting a Castle Blower Fan Shroud for Neu-Castle Motors in the future to help the motor run more efficiently. Additionally, if I were to run on this track more often under these conditions a tire change would be in order as the stock dBoots shoes found on the Talion, while great for general all-around use, are not ideal for dry track conditions.  Keep checking back as I hope to hit the track and or do some bashing with the Talion as this truck is just so much fun due to its size and over abundant power.