Review: Kraken RC VEKTA.5 Class 1500 Unlimited 1:5 Scale 4WD Buggy

The Kraken Has Been Unleashed

If you’re into large scale RCs, I’m sure you’ve heard about the upcoming release of Kraken RCs new VEKTA.5 4WD 1/5 scale buggy. This is a much anticipated vehicle modeled after 1:1 scale Class 1 desert buggys, complete with an independent front suspension, solid rear axle, mid-mounted 2-stroke gas engine and a realistic roll cage covered with Lexan panels. The design is very different from any other 1:5 scale rig out there but looks amazing in the videos of it tearing up the desert terrain. That being said, there was some skepticism about how it might actually work on the track or if it can compete with the tried and true race trucks like Losi’s 5IVE-T or HPI Baja 5T. Notice I said was…

Kraken RC invited CompetitionX out for a preliminary shake-down out at the Irvine Lake RC track, an invite I just couldn’t pass up. While it is bad ass looking, I was curious if that was all this buggy had to offer. I’ve seen similar suspension setups designed for other scale vehicles and, honestly, they’ve all fallen short in the performance department. I loaded up my camera, my snacks and my positive attitude and headed to the lake for some fun in the sun.

Specifics
Product: Kraken RC VEKTA.5 Class 1500 Unlimited Buggy
Part #: KV7701 – VEKTA.5 ARTR, No Engine
Price: $1499.99
Recommended For: Intermediate to Advanced Drivers

Features
Chassis
The ultra cool thing about the VEKTA.5 is its scale chassis setup based around a short, 5mm aluminum plate. The layout from front to center is pretty standard; the front bumper, suspension and gearbox are followed by a heavy duty dual-bellcrank steering. To the left, a single steering servo, throttle servo and receiver/battery box are nestled close together while the engine mounts to the right. Just behind that is the transmission, a beautiful unit that uses multiple CNC-machined gears to provide forward motion. That, my friends, is just about where the chassis ends. After that it’s all about the long-travel rear suspension. We’ll get to that next.

Suspension
The meat of the Kraken VEKTA.5 is all in the front and rear suspensions. Up front, heavy duty nylon suspension arms swing on 8mm thick, steel hinge pins. To damp the up movement, mammoth 38mm MEGA SHOCKS are attached to a ridiculously thick 8mm, CNC-machined shock tower. Then there’s the upper A-arm with adjustable camber, stocky caster blocks and aluminum hinge pin braces.

Out back, the 4-link triangulated design is awesome looking, using a pair of CNC-machined trailing arms and fat, 12mm upper links to hold the gargantuan rear axle in place. Completing the rear are a pair of 5mm plates and 10mm aluminum tubes for shock support. Linking everything together is another set of long travel, 38mm MEGA SHOCKS and a hefty 4.5mm anti-roll bar to control rear torsion.

While being a solid rear unit, Kraken has come up with a very unique system to adjust both rear toe and camber with the use of a rotating hub ring adapter. Simply put, the hub has multiple markings on it in the form of dots and, when paired up with a tech chart in the manual, you can rotate them to adjust both toe and camber. It’s actually quite ingenious and is a fantastic tuning option that I haven’t seen on any other solid axle vehicle.

I need to touch on another major feature with the VK5, that being the MEGA SHOCKS. This is one big buggy and, in turn, quite heavy – roughly 5lbs heavier than a Losi 5IVE-T when all is said and done. Along with that, it has some extremely long suspension travel, so a typical off-the-shelf shock just wasn’t going to do. To remedy that, Kraken modeled up some MEGA 38mm aluminum dampers that are in excess of 11.5″ long. They’re huge in comparison to any other 1:5 scale shocks – the picture shows a pair of Losi 5IVE-T shocks, an HPI Baja 5T shock and the MEGA Shocks. The MEGA SHOCKS threaded bodies allow easy adjustment of ride height and optional pistons are on the list of upgrade items. Be warned, though, that these shocks take a LOT of fluid to fill, so stock up now.

Drivetrain
The KV5’s 4WD system is also similar to other 1:5 scales, using a center transmission to power the front and rear ends of the buggy. Up front, a heavy duty, fluid-filled all-metal gear differential drives a pair of thick, 8mm CVDs that use 24mm hexes at the end, making the KV5 compatible with a huge selection of wheel and tire combos. An 8mm dogbone extends back to the center transmission, allowing the owner to easily remove the entire front clip for maintenance or repair.

It’s certainly not hard to miss the beauty piece of the KV5, the huge, shiny solid rear axle. This is a masterpiece of bullet-proofness, being CNC-machined from aluminum with molded upper link and trailing arm mounts. A pair of 8mm CVDs extend out to the 24mm hexes here as well, with a thick universal slider shaft leading to the center transmission. An all-metal, fluid-filled gear differential is used in the rear axle as well, easily accessed via an aluminum rear plate on the back.

In the center of all of this rides the heart of the KV5, the transmission. This workhorse consists of multiple, CNC-machined gears for maximum strength and even includes an integrated slipper clutch. A Lexan cover is used to protect the gears but is easily removeable for maintenance.

To stop this beast, Kraken uses a dual-disc brake system that is located just behind the transmission. This is a wonderfully smart setup; it’s easily attainable for maintenance or adjustment and it’s also a bit more out in the open that other 1:5 scale designs, allowing cool air to flow around it to help prevent fade.

Engine
While the VEKTA.5 is available with or without an engine, our test rig was loaded with the Zenoah G320RC that is offered as an option. Everything about the engine was stock right down to the unique plenum-style filter system, however to give it a little extra oomph a DDM Dominator tuned pipe designed specifially for the VEKTA.5 was installed (stock form is a standard exhaust can). The whole package is shoe-horned into the chassis, keeping the CG as low as possible. The power on this setup was excellent for a stock motor and was quite competitive on the track with the other vehicles. It was easy on fuel and, with the overall design, easy to start by just reaching through the front windshield and giving the pullstart a tug.

Fuel Tank
Sitting right behind the center transmission is the monster 800cc fuel tank. It’s a custom design for the KV5, mounted high to avoid the massive up-travel of the rear suspension. It’s also very easy to access and doesn’t require the removal of anything other than the gas cap to fill. It’s securely mounted at 4 points for easy removal.

Electronics
Since the VEKTA.5 comes as an ARTR, it’s outfitted with a pair of identical servos already installed. Designed specifically for the KV5, these two servos pump out 555oz of torque on a 6V NiMh and a whopping 684oz of torque on a 2S LiPo! Those are beastly numbers, but certainly something suggested for such a large vehicle. The test vehicle I ran had a 2S LiPo installed; there was no shortage of quick steering or very strong brakes. If you’re going to throw down the coin for this ride, grab a 2S LiPo. You can thank me later.

Performance
Testing the Kraken VEKTA.5 took place at Irvine Lake RC Raceway in Silverado, California. This is a recreational area that has fishing, camping, RV’s a kid’s lagoon and, yes, RC racing. The track sits atop a large dirt pad that uses the beautiful lake as the backdrop – it really doesn’t get any better than this.

I rolled up to meet with Rob Wee and his crew; his wife Melissa, Summer (the Parts Manager) and test driver (and one of my long-time friends) Thunder Wessels. On the bench were two VEKTA.5s … a shiny new show model and the well-used pre-production model we were about to beat up. We talked a bit, I drooled alot; then came the moment of truth. Let’s see if the KV5 has what it takes on a track against other 1:5 scale rigs.

Speed and Braking
The KV5 is a beast of a vehicle. It’s quite heavy out of the box, so I was half expecting that weight to show on the track. I can honestly say that I was quite impressed at the speed it has with the stock motor and DDM tuned pipe! It’s fast and easily kept up with other large scale vehicles on almost all parts of the track.

At the beginning of the run, acceleration is really good as well, however the more you run it, you can definitely feel the weight taking its toll on the stock clutch. Rob informed me that the clutch had quite a few miles on it, but my experience is that fade is inevitable in 1:5 scale vehicles. Fresh clutch shoes are good for a short time, but not a long-term solution. That’s ok though, because there are a few new clutch systems coming out that will completely change the way the KV5 operates.

There was really only two sections of the track where I had to use the brakes, both being hairpins where you were carrying a good bit of speed. Thanks to the 684oz of stopping power, I was able to bring the KV5 to a halt in a minimal amount of distance. Braking was stable and consistent with very little fade, but this might be different if your track layout has more braking zones.

Steering and Handling
Another area I’m impressed with is the steering and rough track handling. Overall, the VEKTA.5 has excellent steering and changes directions really well. Through both the low- and high-speed sections of the track, I could put the power down and exit a corner without waiting on the vehicle to finish it’s rotation. I do prefer a tad more oversteer for a little bit more of a drift exit, but that’s something I’m sure I can tune into the buggy, or a better clutch for harder engagement.

Handling-wise, for me the stock setup wasn’t the best for track duty but, as you can see from the video, it does get around the track very fast! It is a little twitchy and requires constant throttle to keep it from getting out-of-shape but, again, a little tuning should get that under control.

One thing to remember is that this is a desert-designed rig, not a full-blown track racer, however nobody told that to the KV5. It’s offroad ancestry actually gives this buggy a massive advantage over jumps and rough sections of the track! In the middle whoop section, it literally drives through there like it’s flat. Watch the video – I easily pulled 2-3 car lengths through that section with the throttle pinned! Lap after lap, I also felt more confident with how the KV5 jumps. It’s a nice, level flight with a good, solid thump on landing – no sideways action, no bouncing all over – no drama at all.

The only complaint I have, and it’s a nit-picky one, was the transition between braking and acceleration. It seems a bit unbalanced when going from hard braking (or sliding) to heavy acceleration, bucking back and forth between a slip-or-grip situation. Again, I know this is a result of tuning and can be fixed, I just wanted to point it out to those of you that may be tuning-challenged.

Durability and Maintenance
Since this was a pre-production model, it had been fairly well used to test parts, engines, gearing and, well, make some pretty cool videos. Throughout the day of testing, we only had two issues with the buggy; bearings in the rear axle output shaft letting go and a screw in the upper link mount falling out. The screw was a fluke – we may not have fully installed it when we replaced the bearings. The bearings, on the other hand, was just a failure … they just do that sometimes, but ending with good results. Rob told me this rear axle has been in the truck since day one and has seen many, many, MANY miles on it. Understandable.

After replacing the bearing, I suggested changing the trailing arm link locations to test out how the buggy reacts, so we did. This, however, also changed the angle of the rear universal joint, aiming the output shaft in the rear axle down and putting alot more stress on the bearing we just replaced. After about 10 laps into the next run, the new bearing let go, causing us to stop once again. We examined the situation and realized that the output shaft needed to be more inline with the universal shaft to reduce this stress, so Rob took some notes down and stated that the production cars will come with shims (and possibly longer upper links) to cure this problem. I don’t expect this to be an issue again.

Typical maintenance is suggested for the KV5, like any vehicle, and can be done once the one-piece caged body is lifted off. Removal is easy with 4 screws and a pin – you can get to the air filter, receiver battery, fuel lines, servos, etc. The only thing that might be a little more difficult to modify is the transmission or clutch. I haven’t had a chance to get to those yet but, if the VEKTA.5 is like any other 1:5 scale, it’ll just be a few screws on the bottom side of the chassis.

Tuning
Even with it’s unfamiliar design, there is quite a bit of tuning available. Camber, toe and ride height are adjustable as are shock locations and anti-roll bars. The diff and shock fluids can be changed, the trailing arm attachment points moved up or down and even a dual servo steering setup installed. I’m a bit bummed that I didn’t get to play with any of these to see how they affect performance, but rest assured I will be. Rumor has it that the 2016 1:5 Scale Worlds are going to be having a ‘Solid Rear Axle’ class – oh ya, if it’s at all possible I’ll be there campaigning one of these rigs!

Additional

Spec Data

Conclusion
The Kraken VEKTA.5 is the perfect vehicle for those wanting a rig to take just about anywhere. It is a bit pricey, but you’re getting something quite unique that actually works! It’s up for the task of serious 4-wheeling and will look absolutely killer doing it. The suspension for rough terrain is fantastic and, with the optional pipe installed, is surprisingly fast. For track duty, well, it’s going to hold it’s own just fine. I had the KV5 in my hands for one day and was putting in some very competitive laps – no additional tuning and a weakening clutch. A few more weekends with this buggy and it’s going to be a major track contender. I’m ready for that challenge.

Features – 8
Appearance – 9.5
Performance – Speed & Braking – 9
Performance – Steering and Handling – 9.5
Performance – Jumping – 9
Performance – Durability and Maintenance – 8
Performance – Tuning – 7.5
Overall Value – 7.5

Connect
Kraken RC, www.KrakenRC.com

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