Kagama Confessions of a Kagama Killer

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HomeHere

HomeHere

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"Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum and wanted to share my experience with the Kagama. I actually bought three of them! 😅 I was new to RC cars and the Kagama seemed like a great way to get started.
I bought one, and then 2 days later bought 2 more! (I didn't wanna share)
I have to say, I had a blast with them! We did a lot of bashing at the local sports grounds (mostly on grass) and had a ton of fun.
However, I did run into some durability issues. Within the first couple of runs, I had to replace the front driveshafts on all three cars. Thankfully, they were covered under warranty. I also had a servo and a center diff replaced under warranty. (Thank you Team Corally)
Even after that, I ended up replacing two more servos and breaking about four front A-arms.
Lucky I have 3 cars, I've been able to keep 2 of them going ... 1 is pretty much just a chassis and parts now :(

Has anyone else experienced similar problems? Any advice on how to make these things last a bit longer?

On the plus side, I recently bought an Arrma Kraton 6s and was actually able to use some of the parts from my Kagama to fix it when it broke! So I guess they're good for something! 😉

I'm curious to hear about other people's experiences with the Kagama. Any tips or advice for a (former) still happy Kagama owner?"
 
Welcome to the club!👍
I only had one day with the Kagama last year at the end if the season. Can’t wait for spring to start.
I broke the wing mount, which is a weak point for TC cars. But in it’s defense, I did a lot of jumping and not all landings were on all fout wheels😄.
Apart from that only a stripped pinion, maybe the mesh of the Arrma pinion was not 100% correct. I did put a bigger esc/motor in it though (got the roller).

It may help when you set you endpoints a little bit below max, so that the servo isn’t overstretching.
 
Stock rtr servos are rubbish best to upgrade them, arms aren’t really a known weak point so you must be sending it pretty hard, but if you got three of them you should obviously having plenty fun with them.
 
The fact that you damaged 3 cars shows that you drive carelessly and push them to their limits
 
Manolis said:
The fact that you damaged 3 cars shows that you drive carelessly and push them to their limits
Click to expand...
lol.
The fact I damaged 3 cars ... Was firstly not just me damaging all 3 cars and secondly, the front drive shaft coming out is quite common. We where driving on grass no collisions.

Thank you for your assumptions and judgement.
 
HomeHere said:
"Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum and wanted to share my experience with the Kagama. I actually bought three of them! 😅 I was new to RC cars and the Kagama seemed like a great way to get started.
I bought one, and then 2 days later bought 2 more! (I didn't wanna share)
I have to say, I had a blast with them! We did a lot of bashing at the local sports grounds (mostly on grass) and had a ton of fun.
However, I did run into some durability issues. Within the first couple of runs, I had to replace the front driveshafts on all three cars. Thankfully, they were covered under warranty. I also had a servo and a center diff replaced under warranty. (Thank you Team Corally)
Even after that, I ended up replacing two more servos and breaking about four front A-arms.
Lucky I have 3 cars, I've been able to keep 2 of them going ... 1 is pretty much just a chassis and parts now :(

Has anyone else experienced similar problems? Any advice on how to make these things last a bit longer?

On the plus side, I recently bought an Arrma Kraton 6s and was actually able to use some of the parts from my Kagama to fix it when it broke! So I guess they're good for something! 😉

I'm curious to hear about other people's experiences with the Kagama. Any tips or advice for a (former) still happy Kagama owner?"
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum!

Crikey, you ain't having much luck are you?

It's bad karma to talk about Corally RTR servos here because: magic smoke.

I don't use RTR servos - they're token gestures.

There are those that say the Kagama is a much tougher version of the Kronos that it supercedes.

My version of XTR was described as 'fragile' by 'influencers'. However, the experience I had with the rig over the past 3 years has been very different. It's been excellent. Far from my definition of fragile. I suppose it all depends on whether you drive like a ####.

Front driveshafts failing on high traction grass could indicate endpoint issues on the steering setup. The Centre diff has been more or less bullet proof on mine. The TC diffs are often described as tough by Kraton standards.

Yes, I upgraded the outputs and the input cups into the front and rear transmissions - but the rig has been reliable, even when run at very high speed. I've never broken an A arm, or lost a driveshaft, or shredded diff gears.

In particular - 0-60mph runs are especially tough on drive trains. TC rig proved itself over and over.

Screenshot_20230810-193631.webp


Funnily enough, my rig now sports after market Kraton parts - it's like the exact inverse of your situation. 🤣

PXL_20240926_165835049.webp

PXL_20241004_143728389.webp

Part of my rig is Kagama - the front upper arms, which I duly filled with Carbon stiffeners.
PXL_20241024_072941495.MP.webp

The lesson you've learnt is that the 6S Kagama and Kraton will break a million different ways.

If you're new to RC, 6S 1/8th scale rigs with >60mph top speeds are arguably not the best place to start. The experience you've just described is not really a durability issue, but from your perspective, it will seem like it is.

In reality, it's that of a new starter, driving a very high power, 6S brushless rig for the first time, where there are a million different ways to break it.

Grass is very high traction and tough going on driveline, motor, ESC and servo.

Heat will generate very quickly. Clippings will make every attempt to infiltrate your ESC fan. The Corally 825 motor will breeze past 200°F and be damaged.

These are all things that you're going to find out about AFTER you've had a couple of hours blasting about.

Manolis spoke as he found. My understanding is that English is not his first language, so it may not have been as subtle as you would have liked - thus you concluded it was judgemental and full of assumptions.

So looking at the facts as you stated:

  • You are new to the hobby
  • You bought 3 excellent Kagamas
  • You own them
  • All 3 have broken
  • 1 of them is now a donor
  • Your Kraton broke also
  • Kagama donor car is used to fix your Kraton as well
Conclusion: You have driven past the limits of all 4 of your cars, because you didn't know where such limits were. Now you know, you'll be able to make repairs, perhaps upgrade things and keep it within the envelope next time! It's a very steep learning curve for the first year!

It could be worse - you could be flying RC aircraft or FPV drones. You don't get to return those under warranty. 🤣
 
Thats a shame if the Kagama is prone to having DS issues. My Muraco and Shogun have been absolute tanks; never ground up a diff or spit out a DS. Even my wing mount is still in one piece. About the only recurring issues I've had are the hingepins getting caked up with dust buildup that limits full range on the arms, the stock (red) hingepin mounts bending upwards (solved with a skid plate) and the pillowballs popping out on side landings. I've also had the stock shock shafts get a little bent, but I solved that problem by installing Kraton (gasp!) shocks.

My girls have never been bashed though. 4S racers since the day I got em with the occasional 6S squirt.
 
I just bought a Punisher 4 (Kagama), after researching several TC models, fairly extensively. The only failure pattern that matches your issues is the Kagama half shafts. I've seen so many videos of guys sending these trucks to the moon, and breaking control arms is something Few of these pro "super bashers" complain about. I know some of these vloggers are paid shills, but remember: they all test RCs to failure, because it makes them money. If you try to imitate what you see these guys do, as a new-ish driver, you will be spending a lot on spares, and won't be getting compensated with manufacturer "influencer programs" and YT checks to pay for it all. If you want to decrease failures, dial it back, until you have better control of the RC.
 
Firstly, the kagamas were 4s, secondly the driveshaft issue has appeared in many videos, any many situations. Yes, I am new and now understand much more than I did when I started, but the original issues all stemmed from a known fault.
I accept breaking arms, etc as my own fault.
The drive shaft and diff/servo issues related to the lost driveshaft where covered by warranty Team Corally support is awesome.
The little bag of lollies a great addition to ordering parts!

I wanted to buy a kagama 6s.
I chose a kraton exb V2 6s because of the out of box factory issues with the kagama 4s
 
HomeHere said:
Firstly, the kagamas were 4s, secondly the driveshaft issue has appeared in many videos, any many situations. Yes, I am new and now understand much more than I did when I started, but the original issues all stemmed from a known fault.
I accept breaking arms, etc as my own fault.
The drive shaft and diff/servo issues related to the lost driveshaft where covered by warranty Team Corally support is awesome.
The little bag of lollies a great addition to ordering parts!

I wanted to buy a kagama 6s.
I chose a kraton exb V2 6s because of the out of box factory issues with the kagama 4s
Click to expand...
I heard people repeatedly talk about the RTR servos. The driveshafts on the XTR are excellent and haven't been an issue. Are the Kagamas driveshafts much different? 🤔 You kinda expect them to be very similar.

Yes the sweets I receive from Corally Europe are Candy to make you happy! 🤩

How are you finding the EXB? I was supposed to get one, but then the XTR came up on a Black Friday sale and the EXB didn't happen.

I have often looked at them though. They look really nice..😎👍
 
Oh man! I love the kraton exb 6s.
I see V6 has just been released too!
When we head out for a bash I am lucky!
I get to use the exb and the kagama 4s
Both are so much fun!
I would like to buy a little crawler or a drift car next maybe.
I've got all the parts to fix the 3rd kagama to now, so that will be awesome!
 
Horatio said:
I heard people repeatedly talk about the RTR servos. The driveshafts on the XTR are excellent and haven't been an issue. Are the Kagamas driveshafts much different? 🤔 You kinda expect them to be very similar.

Yes the sweets I receive from Corally Europe are Candy to make you happy! 🤩

How are you finding the EXB? I was supposed to get one, but then the XTR came up on a Black Friday sale and the EXB didn't happen.

I have often looked at them though. They look really nice..😎👍
Click to expand...
My Kraton 6s EXB was a year old, last November. Stock everything, except steering servo, pinion, and smaller Minokawa (sp?) wheels. Ran it almost exclusively on 4s, and never hit a ramp with it. After ~40 packs, it got more difficult to get through a session, without a breakage (worn/snapped drive pin, pinion coming loose. Broke a wing mount, but overall, relatively reliable. Also had the latest K4s, and had good fun jumping it in the dunes (Kraton 6s broke a drive shaft a couple days before that trip, no spare), but it's been sold.
 
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