Posted by on May 24, 2017 in Tech | 0 comments

Welcome to Part 6 of our Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer kit build. In the previous installments of this kit build we covered assembling the transmission, axles, and chassis. Now, it is time to install the axles and suspension under the chassis, which is exactly what we will be covering in Part 6. Ready to get your wrench on?

 

Everything required to install the shocks and links on the front axle.

 

We started by installing the single upper link and the track/panhard bar.

 

Next we installed the lower suspension links and the amazingly smooth Vaterra aluminum shocks.

 

Moving on to the rear axle, everything needed to complete this step.

 

Install the upper suspension links on the rear axle.

 

Then, we installed on the lower suspension links and shocks.

 

Starting out front we attached the steering drag link to the steering servo and attached the track bar to the chassis.

 

Pop the lower links into place on the chassis skid plate, slide the lower link pin through the skid and rod ends. Then, secure the pin with the supplied M3 set screw.

 

Attach the single upper front link to the chassis and the front axle is ready to go. Front axle installed!

 

For the rear axle we attached the upper links first, then installed the lower links.

 

Rear axle installed!

 

Next, flip the chassis over and install the screws for the upper shock mounts. It is starting to resemble a vehicle now! If you find that things are not lining up correctly with your axles when you try to install them, double check your skid plate mounting points on the chassis to ensure they are in the correct location.

 

Time to install the bumpers and a little bling in the form of the Vaterra RC aluminum winch fairlead.

 

Winch fairlead and kit D-rings installed on the front bumper.

 

Next, install the front bumper with the supplied hardware and spacers.

 

Install the supports for the plastic rocker guards. Make sure they are properly oriented with the squared edge on the ends of the supports facing up.

 

Install the rocker guards next.

 

Attach the supplied plastic D-rings to the rear bumper, and install the rear bumper with the supplied hardware and spacers.

 

Now it is time for us to glue the wheels and tires. And by the way, the scale licensed Super Swamper tires look spot on to us.

 

We like to use the “stitch method” when we glue wheels and tires. First we seat the tire beads on the wheel. Then, we peel back the tire from the bead seat in spots and add a dab of tire glue. Spin the tire and wheel 180* and add another dab. Spin it 90* from there, ad a dab and keep going around the wheel from there.

 

Once the glue on the tires and wheels is dry, you can install them on the chassis. We also installed the body mounts at this point too. She’s coming together nicely now. We are really getting excited to take this thing for a test drive!

 

That wraps up Part 6 of our Vaterra K5 Blazer build. Follow along next time as we work out the paint scheme and try to bring this scale Blazer to life! As always, thanks again for checking out the RPP Hobby blog.