The Kraken Rabbithole

[Jray2955]

So I started a thread about the 30DNT and was all set to pull the trigger but then I started looking at Kraken.....
I bash hard, I can't ride Motocross anymore due to CTS so this is my outlet big jumps and hard running in a sand pit.
I'm really liking the Kraken platform now for my next buy as its so different but its hard to find information on them and after going through all the pages on here I still haven't really made my mind up.
Things break and I understand that but are the Krakens this fragile unicorn machine that people are saying?
I really like the TT platform but Mike at TaylorRC kind of steered me away from it and as he is the dealer in the UK I'm not sure he would even sell me one
So my question would be the 3 Kraken platforms, the Vekta, the Velsla and the TT how robust are they?
Can they do hard bashing without disintegrating?
I love working on them so I don't mind the usual bits and pieces but i don't want to buy something for £1200-1500 and then spend another £1000 upgrading to make it half reliable.
And how do these 3 models stack up against the usual Baja, 5t etc?
I have a Baja that's getting rebuilt on X3 chassis TSK cage etc so I'm steering more towards the LSE but again all advice is welcome.
I'm aware there are build threads with massively indepth chat but I don't have the time or patience to wade through chit chat to get to the information hence why I've made a new page.
These Krakens seem like a really niche product with really passionate following and I like that.
Sorry for rambling and I appreciate any advice you guys can give me, the knowledge I have seen on here, I could only dream of having a fraction off!

 

[Rceverywhere]

If you want to bash hard and do lots of jumps your going to spend money on any model you choose! Lots of money!!!
Luckily the aftermarket have got you covered on almost any model.
I'd say x maxx for the best out of the box basher, first sure there are weak points but they just love big air. Also keep some weak points that can bend then come back, like control arms for example, the stock ones are cheaper than metal and will save on other things getting smashed up somewhere else.
I do have primal rc mega truck, savage x, arma outcast 8s, baja 5b, kraken vekta.5, and a vesla with a big block in my cart at Taylor, plus many others sitting waiting for me to choose them for bashing. End of the day it depends what you want to see go flying! Smaller rigs will hold up better, plastic will flex, 1/5th scale is for noise and power and your imagination/budjet is the only limit

 

[Jray2955]

If you want to bash hard and do lots of jumps your going to spend money on any model you choose! Lots of money!!!
Luckily the aftermarket have got you covered on almost any model.
I'd say x maxx for the best out of the box basher, first sure there are weak points but they just love big air. Also keep some weak points that can bend then come back, like control arms for example, the stock ones are cheaper than metal and will save on other things getting smashed up somewhere else.
I do have primal rc mega truck, savage x, arma outcast 8s, baja 5b, kraken vekta.5, and a vesla with a big block in my cart at Taylor, plus many others sitting waiting for me to choose them for bashing. End of the day it depends what you want to see go flying! Smaller rigs will hold up better, plastic will flex, 1/5th scale is for noise and power and your imagination/budjet is the only limit

Thanks I'm talking specifically about the Kraken products and what people think of then, weak spots etc

 

[Rceverywhere]

Do like everybody does, read the forums, watch u tube videos, ask the vendor to recommend the most sold parts, vekta is better than the TT mainly cause its wider so it doesn't roller over sideways. Just if your not ready to spend thousands like you said, my advice is x maxx. I just got them one after the next with no end in site. Not shy to put hop ups. Did you run motocross bone stock? Some guys can putt around and not break parts, if you want to send it, get ready to spend it

 

[Jray2955]

Thanks you've been a real help

 

[Seandonato73]

No 1/5 is going to take constant hard bashing and jumping and hold together like an 1/8 scale.
having said that, I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that kraken are fragile. Like any model they have their weak points.
When I was looking at them, I too was told not to get the tt, as it's narrower then the .5. It's kinds dopic from what I've been told and seen. I've had my vekta .5 for a few years now and with the upgrades I've done to it have found it quite robust. I do not like it near as much 5ive t. It doesn't handle nearly as well, but it does jump better. I mainly attribute this to the rear suspension set up and travel. Other then that, I'd rather run my 5ive t.
There are some specific mods most of us have done to the vekta to keep it reliable, front diff housing, transmission, rear drive shaft, brakes etc. After done it holds together quite well.
the vesla has much to be desired at this point as far as I'm concerned. Too high of a price point to throw 3/4 of it in the trash for upgraded parts. Truly if I was into 2wd I'd just do a ground up baja build and call it a day. If it was cheaper, and offered in kit form for quite a bit less I may have looked into it. Not worth it atm, in my opinion.
Ill echo above, if you want something to beat the crud out of, grab an xmaxx. It's not a 1/5 scale but close enough. Parts are cheap and they take quite a bit of abuse.

 

[Jray2955]

No 1/5 is going to take constant hard bashing and jumping and hold together like an 1/8 scale.
having said that, I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that kraken are fragile. Like any model they have their weak points.
When I was looking at them, I too was told not to get the tt, as it's narrower then the .5. It's kinds dopic from what I've been told and seen. I've had my vekta .5 for a few years now and with the upgrades I've done to it have found it quite robust. I do not like it near as much 5ive t. It doesn't handle nearly as well, but it does jump better. I mainly attribute this to the rear suspension set up and travel. Other then that, I'd rather run my 5ive t.
There are some specific mods most of us have done to the vekta to keep it reliable, front diff housing, transmission, rear drive shaft, brakes etc. After done it holds together quite well.
the vesla has much to be desired at this point as far as I'm concerned. Too high of a price point to throw 3/4 of it in the trash for upgraded parts. Truly if I was into 2wd I'd just do a ground up baja build and call it a day. If it was cheaper, and offered in kit form for quite a bit less I may have looked into it. Not worth it atm, in my opinion.
Ill echo above, if you want something to beat the crud out of, grab an xmaxx. It's not a 1/5 scale but close enough. Parts are cheap and they take quite a bit of abuse.

Thank you I'm not interested in an Xmaxx I like the 2 stroke machines.
You have answered my question perfectly which is what I've been trying to explain, I don't want to buy a new rc to then throw half of it away because straight out of the box it isn't fit for purpose.
If I'm buying a budget rc like the KM or even the 30DNT then I would expect it to crumble at the first hurdle but if I'm spending twice the money I want twice the product.

All I wanted to know if how durable out of the box the Krakens are on average.
There's no such thing as a maintenance free machine and in the environment I run in there's no wonder stuff breaks.
Also I love your use of the word Dopic!
So what are the issues with the Vesla then?

 

[Ferrebee88]

I have over $3000 into my Vekta. By suggestion from other members, I upgraded a lot of parts. The Vekta is awesome and fun to drive. It jumps well off of normal sized jumps. I don't think it would hold up to hard bashing. I hit some bumps at full speed that made the rear end kick up which led to it flipping end over end about 6 or 7 times. From that crash I am upgrading the rear upper arms to aluminum heim joints because it stretched out the rod ends. It also stretched out the rod ends on my shocks. I think the little flaws like that will really add up after a while of abusing the rig.

Mine has a ESP 34cc race ported engine. Some of the "must upgrade" parts can be pretty expensive like the front diff case, transmission parts, CVD driveshafts, heim joints...

Maybe a Losi 5T would be more up your alley. Kevin Talbot launched his off of a ramp and the thing kept on going.

 

[Rep732]

Here's really the minimum we here considered the vekta.5 to be reliable and yea it wasn't a one order deal.
https://www.largescaleforums.com/threads/rep-kraken-5-build.26730/



You can run the rig right out of the gate but the plastic front diff case won't last long as the diff bearings started to get very loose in the plastic case. The brake disc was an immediate requirement as the aluminum disc and steel brake pads did caused the truck to bind and lock due to the aluminum transferring to the steel pads. The plastic rear diff cover is a joke and is warped, and you really want the upgraded rear drive shaft cv. I like it as its different but I sold it and I love my 2 5ive-t's so im biased as it is very nose heavy in the gas version and if you hit the brakes hard enough with grippy tires the truck will do a summersault from flat ground.

 

[Rain13a]

So I'm fairly new to the 1/5 market but bought the Vekta because it was unique. It's going to be my basher rig because I know to race it would require a serious diet. But in terms of bashing so far it's a tank. With the combination of plastic and aluminum parts it breaks where expected in extreme wrecks but average price to repair. If you want to beef it up as the plastics break upgrade to aluminum. But as said above it's not a fragile shelf queen. Happy hunting.

 

[Seandonato73]

Here's really the minimum we here considered the vekta.5 to be reliable and yea it wasn't a one order deal.
https://www.largescaleforums.com/threads/rep-kraken-5-build.26730/



You can run the rig right out of the gate but the plastic front diff case won't last long as the diff bearings started to get very loose in the plastic case. The brake disc was an immediate requirement as the aluminum disc and steel brake pads did caused the truck to bind and lock due to the aluminum transferring to the steel pads. The plastic rear diff cover is a joke and is warped, and you really want the upgraded rear drive shaft cv. I like it as its different but I sold it and I love my 2 5ive-t's so im biased as it is very nose heavy in the gas version and if you hit the brakes hard enough with grippy tires the truck will do a summersault from flat ground.

Yeah, that was a good build rep, can't remember what I stuck into mine, I know I went moderate top end with my build and you went mid build.