VS4-10 Project

Page 1: Chassis Assembly

The VS4-10 Pro comes in a modest, full color box which at first glance seems to be mostly filled with a body and interior. All the other parts are packed inside. This kit has a lot of metal, so the box is heavy.

Here the part bags are arranged on my build table. It doesn't look like there is that much here. The bags are A-H with some sub-divided into multiples.

We'll start with bags A-1 and A-2 which constitute the front axle. Those axle housings may appear to be black plastic at first glance, but they are actually black anodized machined aluminum. They are very carefully machined and therefore quite light. The universal axles and spiral cut gears are hardened steel. The locked spool uses hypoid gears for clearance.

B-1 and B-2 are for the rear axle. Everything is pretty much the same here apart from the lack of universals because the rear axle doesn't steer. Note that the VS4-10 is available with portal axles, but this model doesn't use them. Full ball bearings are naturally included.

Here are the completed front and rear axles with part of the drive shafts attached. The drive shafts use splined connections to slide and adjust length with suspension articulation. There are even little red scale drain plugs in the pumpkins, and the rear axle has an integrated back brace. These are licensed, scale Currie axles with the name embossed in the housings. The drive shafts are Incision which is Vanquish's own house brand.

Bag C-1 is mostly plastic parts and contains all the cross members, shock mounts, and rock sliders for the ladder frame. There are plenty of screws for this step.

Here the ladder frame has been assembled. The frame rails appear to be stamped steel and are plenty stiff. I've also installed an impressive Protek Black Label steering servo up front (this model uses a chassis mounted servo. In the back is a scale fuel cell. You can put your radio gear in here if you want to run wires all the way to the back. Which I don't. I'll just use waterproof electronics.

D-1 is the best bag because it builds the VFD transmission. The housings here are aluminum like the axles, but pretty much all the internal shafts and gears are steel. An optional dig unit is available for this transmission, but is not included by default, so no control servos are needed. The transfer case in integrated into the gearbox housing and includes about 6% overdrive by default. Higher overdrive ratios are possible with optional gears, but since I hate overdrive I left it alone. Because of the way the gearbox is configured, there is limited length available for the motor. I wanted to use a Hobbywing Fusion FOC (Field Oriented Control) motor with an integrated ESC, but those are usually a bit longer than average. The new Fusion Pro Elite, on the other hand, is just right.

VFD stands for "Vanquish Forward Design", and this completed photo helps explain what this means. A normal RC transmission has the motor in front of and above the gearbox where the engine would be on a rear wheel drive car. This is realistic but results in a high center of gravity and a lot more weight over the front wheels. The VFD transmission puts the motor below the gearbox. This makes the CG very low and the truck very stable. It does mean there is a higher chance of getting mud and gunk in your motor though. On the right you can see the transmission installed and how low the motor is. It is actually partially below the center frame rails.

E-1 contain the Incision shocks. These are 90mm coilover shocks that have a pretty small diameter and are filled with fluid for damping. The lower shock perches are integrated with the rod ends which is nice because then they can't fall off on the trails. The upper collars are threaded onto the shock bodies for preload adjustment.

F-1 is a giant pile of links. The links are stainless steel which is excessive for strength, but since the links are all down low, it further helps with the CG. Rod ends are plastic with steel balls. By my count, there are 10 links with 20 rod ends to make here, so I better get cracking.

Now I can use those links and shocks to install the axles and complete the suspension. The rear end uses a triangulated 4-link setup. The front uses a 3-link setup with panhard bar to help keep the axle centered. The front knuckles are connected with a steering link, and a drag link connects them to the steering servo. The right hand image shows the complex front geometry. Note how parallel the drag link and panhard bar are, which is exactly what you want to prevent bump steer. You can also see the long skid plate which protects the motor from below.

Bag G-1 comes back with some unexpected aluminum plates and a bunch of miscellaneous plastic parts. What is all this stuff? It seemed like the chassis was basically done. Nope.

Here the front and rear plastic bumpers have been installed. Of course aftermarket ARM aluminum bumpers are available, but they won't actually make it better. At least that's what I'm telling myself. The rock sliders have been extended outboard and will also serve to lock in the sides of the body so they don't flap. A battery tray has been added behind the gearbox. Those aluminum plates on the sliders help to lock everything together and double as electronics mounting trays. Because my ESC is integrated into the motor, all I had to install was a receiver. I'm using a 3s battery because, why not?

Vanquish sells some incredible scale, licensed, tires and aluminum beadlock wheels. These are not those. They are scale KMC Machete wheels with XD center caps, but the main body is plastic. The locking rings are aluminum. The tires are very nice but are a generic Vanquish style. Installing beadlocks always takes a while...

The final step is installing the inner fenders. These are just Lexan, but they have been pre-cut which makes things a lot easier. I painted them black from the inside and then put flat clear on the outside to make them a bit more realistic. I also couldn't help but install a fancy aluminum Reefs RC servo winch in the available location. Servo winches are almost useless because they tangle so easily, but I have no resistance to open accessory slots.

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