2019 Kraton s6 V4 .. The New King ?
The 2019 edition of the ARRMA V4 arrived in our offices just a few months back and initial impressions were positive. it looks meaner and tougher than ever. However after some intensive sessions on the track, we were struck by a litany of issues cutting it short from achieving greatness. So began a Custom RC Upgrades mission to fix these issues.
2019 KRATON V4 SPEC SHEET
Type: Monster Truck
Scale: 1/8
Length: 23.39″ (594mm)
Width: 18.15″ (461mm)
Height: 7.68″ (195mm)
Ground Clearance: 1.85″ (47mm)
Wheelbase: 14.84″ (377mm)
Weight: 10.67lbs (4.85kg)
Chassis: 0.12″ (3mm) thick 6061-T6 aluminum
Suspension: Independent
Drivetrain: 4WD Shaft Drive
Tire Type: dBoots COPPERHEAD2, 6.65″ (169mm) diameter
Motor or Engine: 4074 Brushless, 2050Kv, sliding mount for easier maintenance
Speed Control: BLX185 150A w/cooling fan, 6.0V/3A continuous output, 12A max, IC5 battery connector
Radio: Spektrum STX2 2-channel with SRX200 Receiver
Servos: ADS-15M waterproof 15kg-cm metal-geared servo
Speed: 60 mph+
Gear Pitch: 1.0 Module
Wheel Size: 3.82″ (97mm) diameter, 1.6″ (41mm) width, 17mm Hex
Kit/RTR: RTR
Shock Type: Oil-filled, coil-over springs, filled with 1000cst silicone shock oil
Body: Trimmed and painted molded polycarbonate, new body mounts for better adjustability and durability
Ball Bearings: Full ball bearing drivetrain
Experience Level: Intermediate
Recommended Environment: Outdoor
Is Assembly Required: No
Includes:
- (1) ARRMA KRATON 6S BLX 4WD Speed Monster Truck RTR
- (1) Spektrum 2.4GHz STX2 Radio Transmitter
- (1) Product Manual
So what was our first impressions?
Straight out of the box, it’s what we were expecting from the 2019 edition – a big gutsy looking ARRMA Kraton that looks ready to take one hell of beating. The 2019 Kraton V4 2019 edition comes along with a few welcome changes. They have changed the body, decals and graphics which altogether, quite frankly look awesome – much more like a monster truck and not like a space truck like we had seen in previous incarnations.
Deeper cut burlier tyres harking back to the original V1 model and a few parts under the chassis which looked set to improve our experience.. Oh and they’ve given us an altogether different receiver.. we loved the original but ok, let’s see..
So.. new receiver..
ARRMA had stuck with a tried and tested receiver in all the previous Kratons. However, with the latest edition, they decided to change things up. It now comes with a spectrum STX200 receiver. Ok lets go into the positives first. It features reverse switches for throttle and steering, throttle and steering trim, along with steering and throttle dual rates and a throttle preset limiter switch for changing up power modes from 100%, 75% to 50%.
All in all, a great selection of cool features and it is all reasonably compact with no antenna ready to get snapped off. With all these great features, it is a total shame that our receiver tended to cut out on a number of occasions. It also otherwise felt like a VERY low end plastic controller built for a far lesser model. Also the throttle button had an unsatisfyingly ‘light’ action, and the grip plain sucks. Despite the cool features.. We’ll take the original receiver any day of the week over this model.
A few issues under the lid..
Pulling off the body, we see a sliding motor mount. Being able to slide the motor out without having to remove the whole centre section is a super awesome welcome addition. ARRMA really paid attention to their fanbase here.
And who can miss the super chunky stock tower to tower chassis brace which we have seen retro fitted on a number of RC’s?. Sure they could have increased the chassis thickness or changed the grade of aluminium to increase strength but this appears to be a great alternative that gives an excellent weight to strength ratio. That said, the rods are mounted to rather flexy steel brace brackets – a major weakness in an otherwise solid design, an oversight perhaps? Let’s be honest here – it was an oversight on our part; that is until a heavy rear wheel landing managed to bend our chassis.
After our bent chassis dissapointment, we took a harder look at what’s going on under the hood and noticed that the stock steering rack was also a little flexy. For a top of the line power house, we would have expected something a great deal more solid.
We also would have loved to have seen a rear skid plate on the underneath to protect our chassis..
New tyres anyone..?
The new tyres filled us with warm fuzzy feelings harking back to the original design of the brilliant V1 originals. . A much deeper a burlier tread than the 2018 edition also. Unfortunately we contended with a couple of instances where one of the tyres got pulled off the rim and a tyre splitting. Dissapointing.
Fixing The Issues - Our Recommendations
Despite the fantastic new body, and the genuinely great design updates under the lid, the issues surrounding a stock Kraton V4 2019 Edition leave it flawed enough to be too much of a frustrating experience after a few months of use. Gladly these issues can be easily and affordably resolved. So here’s a quick guide to transforming your Kraton V4 into the 2019 king we had been feverishly waiting for..
Firstly, ditch the receiver – it really doesn’t do the latest Kraton justice. The number of times it cut out, and the overall unsatisfying plastic feel just doesn’t feel right for a high-end RC car like this. Grab yourself the original receiver, feels a great deal more comfortable and responsive.
We were confident from the look of the new tyres that these were to be a welcome upgrade from last year’s 2018 edition, and a respectful nod to the original V1 tyres. Sad to say though, The new tyres just don’t cut it. You could revert to the 2018 edition tyres or better still, grab a set of Outcast’s dboots backflips. Chunky and hardcore enough to handle the 2019 V4 power.
In terms of the support brace – a great addition for supporting the overall integrity of the chassis … only let down by plastic brackets that support the brace? We can’t help but feel this was quite a real design oversight on ARRMA’s part. We offer super lightweight, solid F1 grade alluminium braces to fix this visit the shop to grab your braces here.
The Kraton V4 is serious on power so don’t compromise with the sub-standard flexy steering rack when you’re hammering that tight berm, it will eventually fail on you, You can get hold of of one of our solid alloy steering racks here. And to show just how much you really love your Kraton’s chassis, perhaps consider a rear skid guard here.
Conclusion
As soon as the Kraton V4 2019 Edition landed, we were blown away by the aesthetics. It looks bigger and meaner than ever. The stock Kraton V4 2019 edition was almost a classic, with that gruff and mean shell and a host of excellent design ideas under the hood. It is a shame that; off the shelf, it’s bugged out with some flaws and poor choice in tyres and reciever. That being said, it inspired our build team to design the perfect upgrades to solidify this ‘off the shelf’ flawed performer into a bombproof superstar.
We hope you enjoyed this article, there is plenty more to come. Are you a V4 Kraton owner? what has your experience been like? Let us know by dropping a comment below!
