As to the hoppy rear end it may benefit you to try a different antisquat plate. They are saying to use the 1 degree for bumps with round edges and more antisquat (stock is 2.5) for bumps with sharper edges.
To the guy building a new kit: get shock booties from the X1 CR (non FTE) kit or Kyosho SP2 booties instead of the red wipers.