Update

Started looking at swapping out the axe drill motor for the 300W scooter motor. Finally managed to get the existing sprocket off the motor (turns out I was grabbing the wrong bit) so first step was to see what the damage would be:



Lose 900g at the same time as fitting a chugging great big (and more powerful) motor? Challenge accepted!

Next step was working out how to try and fit it in to the existing interior layout. I thought a lot of stuff would have to be rejigged, including the drives, but simply by cutting one of the bulkheads in half (saving 370g) I was able to bolt it in at the back.



Weight distribution still seems good; the motor weighs 2.2kg and the 5mm steel scoop at the front is probably a similar amount, so the kilos are well spread over the drive wheels. That's all I managed to get done on it today (forgot to take a picture with the motor fitted) but I did have a cheeky little test of it. Here it's running on a 5:1 ratio at 18.5V(ish), so theoretical rpm at the axe shaft should be around 385rpm, not taking losses into account, so almost four times as fast as the old drill motor setup. It's just a short video as I was doing a direct connection to the battery and promptly soiled myself (not literally) when it fired.



I'm particularly loving the air time it gets, which is more noticeable in the slow-mo replay. I think when it's fully under RC again, it'll be crazy when it fires, which will look immense. Not fussed about damage, although I expect it to do more now, but as long as it has epic spasms, I'm happy. Just taking wagers now on what will break next. Already eliminated the first source (drill motor) so I expect either the chain to be a regular snapper or the sprocket on the motor to strip teeth or break its welds (not much boss left on it).