Initial Review: I've only had this a few days, only ran it once, but I see there's a lack of reviews.
Compared to my old Vaterra Glamis Uno, this accelerates much harder and corners much tighter. However, it has less ground clearance, so for bashing, it is a wash. I took off the stock wheels/tires, which I'm sure are good for racing and put on some Pro-Line Badlands. Adjusted the suspension for maximum ground clearance, and ran it around the local park. (oak trees, with thin grass underneath) with the stock 1800 KV motor, on 4S, it was fun, but needed some top end. It could probably be geared up a bit if you're going to stay 4S. If you're going to go higher than 4S, you'll need to immediately replace the ESC, and it would probably be perfect on 5S.
I took the Mamba Monster 2200 KV setup from something else and put it in this; now it's perfect. For newer drivers, stick with the stock motor; it is plenty fast for them, even on 4S.
Coming from an E-Revo Brushless, Stampede VXL, Rustler VXL, Summit, and Stampede 4x4 VXL, the parts feel much stronger. (though admittedly, they need to be, because this is so much heavier) The chassis is a work of art. I almost cried when I put the first scratch in its belly. The suspension works with no slop at all. The battery bay comes packed with removable closed cell foam spacers, so a big variety of batteries will fit. With a pair of SMC 2S 7.2 Ah LiPos, I still left two spacers in. It won't take Revo-length batteries though.
Room under the body is pretty tight, compared to the trucks I'm used to. When series connecting two 2S packs, the wiring is pretty crammed down; careful not to let it be rubbing against the steering parts. A single 4S pack is much preferable, for reducing wiring.
It comes with an EC5 connector on the ESC, which is probably the best on the market right now. Too bad I had to cut it off and put Deans on. If EC5s weren't so expensive, I'd have converted my whole garage right then.
The motor mount is also a work of art: nicely finished anodized aluminum. Loosen one screws and the motor mount slides smoothly away from the spur gear. It is so easy to get the perfect gear mesh. There's no cover for the gears, but the body and pan are such a snug fit, dirt doesn't really get in. I was worried about getting a rock jammed in there, but it was a non-issue.
The steering servo is kind of slow. The AVC was super-annoying, but I noticed I had it turned all the way up. To turn it off, one just needs to re-program the receiver, but with TWO binding plugs: one in the BIND jack, and one in the DISABLE jack. Only one plug is included, so if you're an experienced driver and don't mind correcting your own oversteer, have an extra binding plug handy. I found it really annoying, and couldn't turn it off fast enough. It effectively slowed down my steering inputs. Maybe with a faster servo and faster processor, it would be bearable, I don't know.
I bought this because some of my trusted RC buddies on URC said it is a very solid basher; hard to break. I was tired of repairing lesser vehicles, and just wanted something that is no drama to drive. For example, my CEN Colossus had soft steel outdrives which wore out after maybe 10-15 packs through it. The shocks leaked right from the start. The front lower arm pins bent without much impact. This has quality shocks that don't leak and properly hardened outdrives. This is where the money goes, fellas: in getting the details right and not cutting corners.
I wish they'd go ahead and make an electric 1/8 4WD monster truck to this level. (their current offerings are only nitro and 2-smoke. Yuck.) Traxxas is getting over seven hundo for their Brushless E-Revo. I'm confident Losi could make a better truck at that price point.
