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Rlaarlo JK07 Pro: the Search is Over!

by Craig | Mar 15, 2025 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, Rlaarlo

Dessert First: My Conclusion

A cheeky spoiler first: the new Rlaarlo JK07 Pro has quickly become one of my all-time favourite RC vehicles.

Now, I want you to appreciate what a momentous feat this is. I’ve been into RC since the 1980s and currently have a shipping container to hold my models. There’s a total of 7.5m (26ft.) of shelving, with 6 levels, to store my 1/10 and larger models, side-by-side. I have many, many RC cars as part of my RC-TNT ‘library’ of models for content creation.

Okay, so once more, the Rlaarlo JK07 Pro is one of my all-time favourite RC vehicles. Now you may see what a big deal this is!

The Search for Scale

This is not a review of the Rlaarlo JK07 Pro. (I do have a video for that, if you’re interested – it’s at the end of this article). But no, today, I am inspired to tell you a bit of a story. It’s still ultimately about the new 1/7 scale beauty from the pointy green R, but it’s quite personal and very much a recalling of times past and dreams unfulfilled – until now. But I get ahead of myself.

I have Rlaarlo to thank for inspiring me to share this with you. I also must thank them for sending me one of their rare ‘Pro’ versions of their epic new trail truck. So, grab a coffee, find a comfy seat, and please enjoy my tale of…

The Search for True Scale!

Four Decades Ago…

I had a blessed childhood. I’m well aware of that. My parents were soil scientists and throughout the 1980s and 90s, they travelled in their Toyota Landcruiser 60 series (and later, 80 series) crisscrossing the many trails of much of the NSW public forested land. They dug small holes, took soil samples, and assembled reports about the state of the land for the NSW Forestry Commission. Some of those reports are still in use and I heard recently they are still today considered the gold standard for this sort of work. Way to go, mum and dad!

I was the eldest of three kids. I’ve always been a tinkerer and have always, always loved things that go. My first word was ‘car’, followed by ‘mum’. That should tell you something! Well, we kids sometimes rode along with our folks on some of their shorter forestry trips. We stayed up the road with our grandparents for the other, longer ones – still had to go to school, after all! But those trips were pretty great.

Grounded

My Dad had installed a small, 12V TV on the center console of the Landcruiser and a 12V VCR underneath it (it played analogue video tapes on the TV, for those of you born this century). We’d bring snacks and some toys and would play near the car, make things from sticks, and generally just be kids between the many stops mum and dad would make.

One thing I always took along with me was a small RC car. But it was a two-wheel drive thing that ran on 4x AA batteries and with the electronics of the late 80s, it wasn’t particularly capable nor efficient on power. But the batteries were rechargeable, and I had two sets, so I often was able to keep the thing running for about half the stops we made.

The Dream

My little RC car had basic suspension, no diff (just an axle with a plastic gear on it, driven by the motor) and weak, 3-position steering. It could handle a little water – it was just a basic AM radio system and there wasn’t much to its electronics – but it was quite limited. Still, I had a blast with that thing. Many fond memories were made, driving up little gravel gullies, across obstacles, down sandy animal trails, and just generally around the place. I played in my own little imaginary world and it was great!

Back then, I didn’t know it, but what I longed for was a more scale experience. I had the imagination, but was limited by electronics of the day. Plastics manufacturing was still new-ish, basic radio technology was sketchy and there was a very small (but rapidly growing) toy and hobby market for RC cars. Despite this, the scene was set.

The Mid 90s

We moved to Coffs Harbour, NSW in December 1988. It was notable because it started raining in early December and didn’t stop raining until mid-late January 1989. Back then, Coffs had a population of around 55,000 people (the greater Coffs area is pushing 180k people now).

There was a Tandy Electronics in town, and I have a vivid memory of my first trip in there with my dad. He needed a new CB radio. I was distracted by their hobby and toys section – there were so many different cars there! And trucks! They stocked a lot of Tamiya and I had no idea about any of it – but I knew right then that I wanted IN!

It Began With Tamiya

It was 1993 and I bought my first hobby-grade car. I hadn’t realized that crawlers were even a thing – and much of the time, they weren’t anyway, as people were cutting and modifying various monster trucks and scale runners like the Clod Hopper and Bruiser, turning them into slow rock machines. So, I started my time in the hobby with a Tamiya Stadium Blitzer.

I had a great time with it, burned through many a NiCAD pack and sets of tires, both on- and off-road sets, until I sold that to my cousin later in the 90s. My brother had a monster truck with two speeds for a time, and that was cool. His first foray onto rocks ended up blowing its plastic transmission. (Oh, how times have changed!)

My First Crawler

If you know me from RC-TNT on YouTube, you may be surprised to learn that it wasn’t until 2011 that I experienced my first real rock crawler. It was a Losi MRC (or Mini Rock Crawler) and I had SUCH a great time with that thing! When I retired it, the car had a 1/10 80 Series Landcrusier body on it with a home-made winch, metal sliders, 1.9” wheels and 4.3” tires. I drove the wheels off that thing – several times, in fact!

In the years following, I dipped into the 1/24 scene (starting with the Losi Trail Trekker in 2013) and into 1/10 and bigger (starting with an old, well-used SCX10 Deadbolt I picked up second hand). A new Vaterra Ascender soon followed, and that puts us in about 2015.

Getting Into Scale

By now, the rot had truly set in. There was no turning back. I was busily building scale obstacle courses at home and meeting people near and far to trail drive with during weekends and even after work, into the night. I could not get enough of RC scale driving and models!

Of course, the problem with meeting other people to drive with is that you see what they’re up to in the hobby. You start to get more and more ideas about what you want to do with your rig/s. And once your mind starts spinning away on these things, there’s only one cure…

More and Bigger Crawlers, Please!

You can no-doubt see where things are heading at this point. By 2017 I had probably 50 lipo batteries and several balance chargers, and various 1/24, 1/18, 1/10 and 1/8 scale machines, some of which I’d built myself and some that were kit builds, and others that were used RTR machines from local buy/sell groups in the hobby.

I have a photo of my Trail Trekker in LC80 guise using its winch up the side of a rock from around 2013. It’s my first photo of a scale crawler showing how I was really trying to capture that feel of a real car. The more realistic, the better. I thought that meant better bodies, better tires and more accessories. To some extent, that was correct. But I was missing something.

Running Gear Matters

Sometime in 2017, Traxxas announced a bold new RC crawler with a previously unheard-of feature: remote locking differentials. In a 1/10 scale crawler. I came across a leaked photo of a shiny grey Defender on oversized tires and looking incredible. My jaw just about hit the floor, along with the rest of me, as I fell off my chair when I saw it! I think I called a couple of friends right then to tell them about it. Guys! Remote lockers! On a 1/10!?

When it was released, I bought one of the first Traxxas TRX4 models available in Australia. Man, I drove that thing for YEARS and its running gear was amazing. But over time, inevitably, I wanted more! More scale! More running gear! And more realism!

Just Like My ‘Real’ Car

A few years later, Boom Racing released the BRX01 (article here) and along with it, a transfer case option that included selectable 4WD/RWD. The car had full-time locked axles, but with overdrive gears in the transfer case, that was a sublime option for an already brilliant scale rig. (You can read about that one here, it’s still one of my favourite trail rigs today).

My full-size 80 series Landcruiser was RWD most of the time, with an open diff. Lock the hubs and you’d have 4WD high and low range. And then, if you wanted, you could install lockers so you could lock the front or the rear diffs, too. But no RC model ever had that level of detail. For some years now, I’ve been patiently waiting for such a thing to become a reality. Here’s where it gets good. Better than good!

Rlaarlo To The Rescue!

This brings us to 2025 and Rlaarlo has, unexpectedly, incredibly, delightfully, come through for we scale afficionados. My dream of the ultimate scale, trail crawler may have actually, finally, been fulfilled! It’s time to talk about the new Rlaarlo JK07 Pro – I have one of just five in the world at time of writing – and I’m SO excited to tell you about it!

There’s a video review and drive demo I’ve made for this car that you can find at the end of the article. It’s very worth watching. But here, I’m going to take you over some of the scale detail and goodies that I couldn’t include in the video, else I’d still be filming it right now. It’s a bit of a list!

Rlaarlo JK07 Pro Features

Ok, ready for this?

1/7 scale long wheelbase;
full working light kit (with working LEDs on the front fenders and bendy mirrors!!);
selectable RWD/4WD/FWD;
high and low speed;
selectable remote locking diffs;
working windscreen wipers (3 speed settings!);
huge brushless motor and servo;
a longer wheelbase AND body than the Axial SCX6 (yes, really!);
a GPS-measured top speed on 4S (yes, 4S!) of 29kph (or 18mph);
working side awning;
working rooftop camper with collapsible ladder;
sand ladders and scale shovel;
a full interior including a steering wheel that turns with the wheels; and,
everything’s waterproof!

The whole thing weighs around 8.4kg (or 18.5lb), it looks fabulous, and the body comes off and goes on without body clips or other tools. It’s hinged and has gorgeous cable routing, and the entire machine is controlled by a DumboRC (Rlaarlo-branded) 10-ch radio transmitter.

I honestly and truly think the Rlaarlo JK07 Pro might be the most complete package of ANY RTR I’ve ever had. Really. If you’ve seen my toy shop of a studio, you’ll know that means of most cars on the market today.

What I Love

The previous section pretty much tells the story there. This is a durable car with very well conceived execution. All the plastics are nice and bendy for good durability. Components are thoughtfully placed. The car runs well and has a wonderfully scale body roll to it. Driving in just RWD and unlocked is a hoot! And I LOVE being able to slowly increase the car’s ability to match increasingly challenging terrain: RWD open diff, 4WD open diff, 4WD front/rear locked. So fun.

The battery tray is huge and fits a 7A 4S and a 10A 3S lipo – both are ideal for a car of this size. (Adapters here, if you buy either of these). Rlaarlo sells suitable batteries and many spare and upgrade parts for the JK07 as well.

The body is beautifully appointed and there’s a complete interior. There are many stickers included with the thing so you can customize it a bit, and the tires and foams are very good. I wouldn’t add more brass to it, I think the car is balanced just nicely out of the box. It’s quiet, power-efficient and just plan fun to drive.

Things Needing Improvement

There aren’t many things on this list, but a few items are in need of attention if you’re going to use this a lot. Firstly, the two rear tow hooks are plastic. They snap very easily if you tip the car on its bottom for cleaning or inspection. I wish these were either metal, hinged, or both. (My Rlaarlo contact has confirmed they’re looking to iterate on this in future). Also, the rear springs are too soft, even with full preload applied. I’d prefer slightly thicker diameter rear springs so the car can ride a bit more stably, especially on corners and steep ascents.

The steering wheel needs a bearing in the shaft so it doesn’t grind around when its servo tries to move it. And lastly, if you’re crawling with it beyond anything mild, the large wheels and mass of the vehicle overwhelm the 45kg brushless servo. I’m going to fit a 70kg brushless unit to mine. Lastly, the manual is a bit vague on features – more on that in a moment.

Wipers & Steering Wheel

These seemingly unrelated things had one factor in common: neither worked properly for me, but for different reasons.

Steering Wheel: the steering wheel was installed too tightly, so instead of rotating with its micro servo, it kinda ground left and right. Loosening the retention screw behind it fixed this. Simply a factory installation issue, no biggie.

Wipers: The wipers have a button on the radio (CH10) but the manual isn’t clear on how this works. A single press makes them wipe once. Holding it down for a few seconds turns them on. Pressing CH10 3x rapidly adjusts the wiping speed. A single press will turn them off.

My Overall Impression

This is not just Rlaarlo’s best car to date. The Rlaarlo JK07 Pro is one of the best RC trail rigs on the market, period. I’m completely serious. For me, at least, the complexity afforded by the various servos and design are such that I can have a true scale adventure with this thing. I can get stuck, get recovered, and even winch myself out if I wanted to install a winch on one of the two spare radio channels (both of which conveniently have a dial). It’s such a great car.

The Rlaarlo JK07 Pro won’t be for everyone. But for those among us who are still kids at heart, dreaming of scale adventure, this flagship model from Rlaarlo may be just the model you’ve been waiting for. I am so, so pleased with it. Oh yes.

Where To Buy

Rlaarlo sells direct from their website.

Also consider the JK07’s predecessor, the shorter-wheelbase Rlaarlo MK07.

See It in Action

I’ve got a detailed video of my experience with the Rlaarlo JK07 Pro below.

Also learn about other Rlaarlo vehicles I’ve examined here: https://rc-tnt.com/rlaarlo/

See my Rlaarlo videos here, on YouTube.

Craig Veness

RC-TNT

Craig has been into radio control since the 90s and into RC crawling since about 2010, when a Losi MRC started the obsession! Now it's all rocks this and crawl that and upgrade all the things! ...You know how it is, right? Welcome home 🙂

A note on affiliate links: we were provided with this car by the manufacturer for review purposes. The Rlaarlo and other seller links in the above article are affiliate links, which means we may be paid a small commission if you choose to click on them to make a purchase. As always, we make effort to ensure that no review is impacted by this – we still report on bugs and issues encountered during product testing, and our fixes or solutions if found. Thank you for reading and happy RC-ing!

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RGT Intruder: An Important Release!

by Craig | May 22, 2024 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, RGT

Heard of RGT?

Before we get to the RGT Intruder EX86020 (available here), I think some context would be helpful. Previously a lesser-known manufacturer, Chinese company RGT have been making quite a splash with their 1/10 trail rig releases over 2022 and 2023.

For instance, you may have already seen our recent comparison article, “Which RGT is best for you?”. In this one, I compared three of their best and biggest recent releases: Rescuer, Challenger and Pro Runner. I’ve also looked at the Tracer, Pioneer, and the 136100 range either here or on the channel – and all have their merits.

What’s the Big Deal?

So, what’s the fuss about the RGT Intruder? Isn’t it just another car? Well, no: for a start, it’s their first big release for 2024. Secondly, it looks the same as the RGT Rescuer EX86190, which will inevitably lead to comparisons with the older, larger model. We’ll see below that this apparent similarity is only cosmetic in nature – but more on that in a moment.

I see it as an important next step after their successful, more ‘standard’ models. Their previous SWB (Short Wheel Base) models have been underwhelming, or, if finished beautifully as with the 136100v3, weaker than it should have been. (Both my 136100v2 and v3 have a broken front axle and both were the CVD joints not standing up to crawling). But now, folks are starting to pay attention.

The Big Reason

RGT has proven they can make great vehicles. They’ve shown how their own designs are working – obvious IP infringement aside with the bodies and often the tire treads. And they’ve shown that they can make a decently durable model that performs well AND has parts and upgrade availability. That’s actually quite a big deal.

As these models draw new potential customers to consider the brand, their newest model releases matter all the more. From where I’m watching, the RGT Intruder EX86020 is possibly their most important release. This is their first high-level scale model RC crawler that doesn’t have the extra bells and whistles that many folks disparage. It has a gorgeous body. The price suggests quality. The running gear is solid (U-joints in those front axles, for example). And it’s all 1/10 scale kit.

In short, this model needs to be good. Better than good. Newcomers to RGT are watching this one!

What’s It Like?

The first thing that jumped out to me was that gorgeous body. I made a post on my YT community page that said something like, “Gosh, this car just looks amazing from any angle” – and it really does!

There are a bunch of extras they throw in so you can add more lights, mount a larger battery tray, add some scale extras and have a play with suspension mount points and so on. There’s a lot of good here, though the main ‘feature’ of this model is its appearance. I mean, just look at it!

Body Issues

There’s only one issue with the body: it is not licensed. This has been the case for all of their crawlers, to my knowledge. Toyota may not be pleased, and I don’t condone the practice. Unlicenced bodies are a problem for the hobby, as are cloned parts. I really need to do a blog post on just this topic, as there are a few things to unpack here. But the car is pretty and the colour choices are all quite good.

This model comes with some extra plastics for both the cabin and the exterior of the body, like a rear-view mirror, extra spotlight cases, wipers, and so on. You need to fit these yourself. The folding side-mirrors come installed though, as do the door handles and the rear pillar air vents. If you do nothing with the extras after you unbox it, the car is still very complete. I also appreciate the captured body pins – you won’t lose these during a battery change on the trail!

RGT Intruder Interior

Well, it has one. My original RGT Rescuer did not have one (see? Even I’m comparing this car to the Rescuer! It’s inevitable!), though now the EX86190 does ship with an interior. I bought mine separately. The interior in the Intruder here is the same as the one I bought. This is a good thing, as it helps keep RGT’s costs down. It’s attractive, functional, and being polycarbonate, about as light as it could be. Good!

There are no lights in the cabin, but there are lights on all corners, controlled by a central module that’s attached to the underside of the body’s mold piece. It connects to the LED port on the all-in-one Receiver/ESC/Light Controller on the chassis. I’ll get to that further down.

Wheels and Tires

There’s the promise of performance, with vented tires (including foams), and they’re about as large as could reasonably fit under this scale of body. They’d be 43” tires in real life – and on this kind of vehicle, even something like 35” tires are BIG. So, RGT have pushed the performance there as far as they dare. It’s a compromise, scale vs capability, and I think it was the right move to max the diameter out.

They’re glued 4.31″ tires on plastic 1.9″ wheels. However, I do think the tire carcass is too stiff for the weight of this car. The foams feel about right, but the rubber in the tires is either too thick or too rigid, and to my feel, they don’t bend enough around rocks. Traction is lost that the car really needs. We’ll get to this shortly.

Chassis and Links

This is a talking point: the rails are 3mm CNC-milled aluminum with a stunning finish. They are really pretty! And the chassis is very stiff, too, thanks to the generous plastic-fiber cross bracing from nose to tail. The shock hoops are part of the rails and even the panhard mount is finished in the same lovely material. Full marks for that.

Links and geometry are also well designed. There’s full movement for both axles, no binding, and plenty of room for everything to move as it needs to. And the car isn’t heavy. These are all great things, too. Honestly, we’re off to a very solid start at this point.

Oh, those links are 6mm stainless steel with stainless steel ball ends, too. It’s so premium. Not everyone will appreciate how nice this is, but as an RC guy with ALL the cars and a lot of experience at this point, I want to emphasize just how high the quality is on this vehicle. RGT have not cut corners on chassis and links.

Suspension

The coil-over shocks are also very nice. Aluminum body, thumb-screw adjustable pre-load, appropriately plush springs and intelligently mounted. I like these.

However, my unit arrived with empty shocks. Not everyone will notice this, and not everyone will care, but you want some oil in your shocks. It limits how bouncy they are, which limits how much the wheel reacts to changes in terrain at high or low speed. I’d recommend 30 wt. oil, give or take. Worth doing.

The shocks move well and the car is in good shape with this setup. Just don’t forget the oil like my car’s assembler did!

Straight Axles

No portals here. But the best thing about these straight axles is how tough they are. I love seeing steel universal joints on front steering axles in a crawler. It’s really the only way to go for performance and strength. Yes, they’re not as smooth as CVDs and similar, but the extra steering angle the unis afford you make the trade-off well worth it.

The housings themselves aren’t particularly scale, but the size is small and they are attractive. It’s a high-pinion position like Axial’s AR45 axles and the gears are helical cut (or spiral? Can’t quite tell from the photos). Either way, they’ll be strong, and with the default tooth count of 30/8, overdriving/underdriving using the diff gears for better crawling and steering should be a straightforward undertaking. (I’m confident these will fit, though I haven’t tested them yet!)

Radio & AIO Rx/ESC/Lights

After a couple of vehicles with the new FlySky MGXX-BS radio systems, this is my first one with the middle-spec option, the MG6-BS. It’s a 6-channel radio (4x AAs) and an AIO (All-In-One) receiver, 60A ESC and light controller with discrete light hub for body-mounting. The radio is comfortable in the hand, all plastic, and with two stand-out features/design elements:

Channel 5 is a spring-loaded thumb dial that returns to center. What a perfect controller for a winch! (The chassis and bull-bar have a mount point and fairlead respectively for exactly that, too!); and,
A set of DIP switches on the radio that give you control over drive mode (Fwd/Brk/Rev and Fwd/Rev); LiPO/NiMH; Drag Brake (0%, 25%, 50%, 100% – though it’s weak even at 100%); and all the channel reverse options.

It’s a good system. Be aware the light kit is a cut-down version that gives you headlights or no headlights, and indicators and reverse being always enabled based on steering and throttle inputs respectively.

The biggest drawback is that Reverse is WEAK. Slow and underpowered, it seems to have been a cost-saving choice, as you need less MOSFETs in the ESC for reverse for this outcome. Saved FlySky a buck or two, though you miss it on the trail. Apart from this one drawback, I like the whole system.

Our Test Course

If you’re not familiar with how we test RC rock crawlers, we have a course that challenges any 4x4 RC crawler in many ways:

Approach and departure angle: these are challenged on Problems 2 and 3;
Side-hill ability: tested on Problems 1, 3 and 5;
Breakover (skid clearance): tested on Problems 4 and 6;
Suspension articulation and centre of gravity: challenged on problems 2 and 5; and lastly,
A punishing ascent on problem 6 tests all of balance, break-over, articulation, tire traction and approach and departure angles.

Put together, we have a gnarly, challenging set of problems that challenge all crawlers. If a rig can conquer 3 or more of them, chances are you have a reasonably high-performance rock crawler. There are some machines that can claim all success on all six in stock form – but not many!

Driving Woes

I tested it on my 6-Problem course. Bad news first: that slow and underpowered reverse is a big enough drawback to be quite noticeable. I also found the steering servo to be slow and it faded under heavy crawling within a few minutes (though it didn’t fail outright).

The motor and gearing is too fast for crawling and too slow for trail driving. There’s no second speed here, so unlike the Rescuer (there’s that comparison again!!), you’re stuck with your gearing, battery and motor choice. This feels just like comparing the TRX4m to the FCX24 with its 2-speed, actually!

The tires are too stiff. The suspension moves like it should, though being filled with oil would have helped. The car is top-heavy and it tips over easily.

Driving Wins

On the bright side, this car looks magnificent on the trail. It looks amazing on the rocks. It moves nicely, with plenty of scale body roll without being too much. It’s quiet, and very pleasant to watch it work over the ground.

Without upgrades, in stock form, this will be a frustrating car to drive if you’re going beyond basic obstacles. The waterproofing is a nice touch, as are the lights, but that capability limitation will make itself known regularly.

With upgrades, though? Yeah, I think this could easily become one of my favorite cars. I’ll get back to you on that, as I’m planning on doing all of the upgrades I list below. The car drives okay. Could be better. 4/10.

Value Proposition

So, did they pull it off? Is the car worth the asking price? For a bigger, established brand name, the price is good. Although, newer names have been creeping in with very durable and very capable options in recent times – just look at the Ecto if you’re not convinced (review here)!

I think this car represents real potential for the owner who loves the Landcruiser body and has plans to improve it. As a stand-alone crawler, it’s not as good as a similarly priced rig from Element, such as the Sendero HD. But as a scale crawler with potential to go ultra-scale at low speeds, it leaves the more expensive TRX4 and Axial CJ7 in its dust. But those crawlers will be better on the trail with their second speeds, and better on the rocks, with their better tires and overall performance. So, what to do here? Buy it if you love the body, but be prepared to upgrade as you’re able.

Upgrades?

Open your wallet for this one. I try to be reserved in my upgrade recommendations usually, but this rig really wants a list of things. Ready?

Wheels & Tires

First, the tires need to go. They aren’t great. And since they’re glued, go with a weighted beadlock wheel too. I’m quite partial to the Boom Racing Hustlers – check them out (and I even found some period-correct steel ‘Sunraisia’ style beadlocks that go *perfectly* with this car)!

Also, you’ll want to install wheel wells (I’ll design some soon to download and print).

Electronics

The slow, weak servo needs replacing. Try my favorite budget crawler servo and you can even run it directly off the 2S battery (signal and ground wires to receiver, positive wire to battery connector, via a switch if you want). Or, my fave 7.4v brushless all-rounder is this guy.

While we’re on electronics, the AIO Rx/ESC and motor combo is sufficiently lacklustre that you’ll eventually throw your hands up and slap in a Fusion system instead.

You’ll want a radio system too, in that case – buy a receiver for any other radio you have, or consider the ever-reliable FlySky GT5.

Banggood sells really cheap 6-ch receivers so you can use this handset for up to 20 models, which is handy.

Lights & Accessories

Lastly, lights: use a Y-splitter for the light control module on the throttle channel and hope for the best (I will try to make an Arduino-based adapter for this to piggy-back off throttle and steering channels soon).

Down the track, you may consider a servo winch – the car is certainly ready for one! And perhaps also some scale accessories and you’ll be sorted!

Bottom Line

It’s a worthy body on a basic car. With upgrades, it’ll be a SWB beast! Without em, it’ll be a bit frustrating to drive. Pick obstacles appropriate to its capability and you’ll enjoy yourself. Just keep the limitations in mind if you’ve got your heart set on this gorgeous model.

My thanks to Banggood for providing RC-TNT with this model to review. I’d have purchased it myself if they hadn’t, because, just look at it! But they made the investment and have my thanks. Grab your own RGT Intruder EX86020 from Banggood here.

Craig Veness

RC-TNT

A note on affiliate links: we were provided with this car by the manufacturer for review purposes. The Amazon and AsiaTees links in the above article are affiliate links, which means we may be paid a small commission if you choose to click on them to make a purchase. As always, we make effort to ensure that no review is impacted by this – we still report on bugs and issues encountered during product testing, and our fixes or solutions if found. Thank you for reading and happy RC-ing!

RGT Intruder: An Important Release!

by Craig | May 22, 2024 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, RGT

The RGT Intruder EX86020 may be RGT’s most important release this year. Is this something great under a pretty body or more of the same old?

Which RGT Trail Rig is Best for YOU?

by Craig | Dec 17, 2023 | RC Crawlers, RGT

Three epic trail rigs from RGT: Rescuer EX86190, Challenger EX86170 & Pro Runner EX86130. They’re all great, but which one should you buy?

RGT 136100V3 Rock Cruiser RC-4 V3

by Craig | May 7, 2022 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, RGT

The RGT 136100V3 is a fun RC crawler with potential for better performance. It looks great on the trail and debuts some trick new electronics!

TRX4 Alternative? RGT Rescuer Review

by Craig | Mar 5, 2022 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, RGT

The new RGT Rescuer (EX86190) is RGT’s latest and greatest premium RC rock crawler. Does it have what it takes to challenge the Traxxas TRX4?

RGT Adventurer V2 Review

by Craig | Jan 18, 2022 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, RGT

The RGT Adventurer V2 136240 is a brilliant little 1:24 RC rock crawler. We’ve properly tested it, including in water. Video review too!

RGT Pioneer EX86110 1/10 4WD RC Rock Crawler

by Craig | Jan 7, 2022 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, RGT

The RGT Pioneer EX86110 is cheaper than competitors and has a respectable specs list that suggest it’s a serious 1:10 RC crawler. Let’s test!

Which RGT Trail Rig is Best for YOU?

by Craig | Dec 17, 2023 | RC Crawlers, RGT

RGT Pro Runner

The RGT Pro Runner EX86130 is just the latest in a growing line of interesting and capable RC crawlers and trail rigs. And hasn’t RGT been on a roll this past year or two!

On our YouTube channel, RGT has featured every now and then when there’s an interesting release to examine. But it was almost as if the company was just warming up for 2023’s big releases that we’re now so lucky to be able to choose from!

RGT’s Other Options

Fans of the channel will recall the well-received RGT Pioneer EX86110, which was arguably a forerunner of the current upper echelon of EX861XX models. (Find our RGT Pioneer video series here). With some careful upgrades on a budget, the Pioneer is an exceptional all-rounder. The EX86010-CJ is also a budget stand-out, while we’re at it. (Video here).

Also, I should note up-front that there’s a gap in our coverage of this family of models: the RGT Tracer EX86180Pro. This is a 4WS-enabled SCX10 Pro type vehicle, and one I think we should try to get hold of in the new year. For now, just be aware that it’s an option for those with a rock-crawling focus rather than trail aspirations.

The Three Contenders

If you love a mix of trail driving and scale rock crawling, things are now very interesting. As of the start of 2024, there are three fantastic models that the discerning RC trail driver and scale crawler driver will want to know about:

RGT Rescuer (EX86190) – buy here
RGT Challenger (EX86170) – buy here
RGT Pro Runner (EX86130) – buy here

Let’s take a look at them!

RGT Rescuer EX86190

There’s a complete article about this model on RC-TNT.com here – have a read when you’re done with this one. The scale crawling and trail driving community had their interest drawn to RGT’s mid-2022 release of the RGT Rescuer (EX86190). And it wasn’t just the attractive 70-series Toyota Landcruiser body – though unlicensed – that made this RC crawler something special. Sporting essentially the same feature set as the full-version Traxxas TRX4, the Rescuer’s scale looks, 2-speed and remote locking diffs made for a very attractive option.

What really stood out to me in my testing of this model was its fun factor. The vehicle rides on 4.75” tires and the live portal axles work under alu-shock, oil-filled, coil-over suspension on all corners. With a moderately high center of gravity, this leads to a scale model that moves pleasingly, with body roll that mimics the real thing. There are many RGT mods available. You can improve the vehicle’s CG (Center of Gravity), for better crawling with some brass parts. Or, you might better light the way with bull bar and roof rack light bars complement the existing light kit. Maybe you want to improve the scale model experience with a complete, polycarbonate interior, with driver. You can do all of this!

RGT Challenger EX86170

On the heels of the Rescuer, RGT next released the Challenger. This was more of a retro style pickup truck and in my opinion, its features put it roughly in between the Rescuer and the Pro Runner. Like the Rescuer, the RGT Challenger sports a pair of portal axles, with a 2-speed transmission that incorporates a DIG (rear axle locking), opposite-spinning drive shafts to minimise torque twist, and a built-in 6.6% overdrive to the front axle.

This attractive machine also sports a rear-facing servo winch, sway bar system on the rear end and a functional light kit! Priced only marginally less than the Rescuer, this is another compelling model. I found there were a few ways to modify this model to make it more convenient to use, but there’s very little this vehicle needs addressing, out of the box. A solid choice.

RGT Pro Runner EX86130

I found the Rescuer to be fun and the Challenger to be quite complete. And so the RGT Pro Runner EX86130 took me quite by surprise, not least because it costs about 20% less than the other two! The Pro Runner is another unlicensed body that looks very close to the Traxxas TRX4 2021 Bronco, even down to the smaller details such as the ABS plastic folding side mirrors and similar front grille. (Quick note: the top photo in this article shows the Pro Runner with different tires. The plastic, silver beadlocks are standard, with the 4.19″ tires. See the rock test video for how good they are).

However, the Pro Runner is special for two reasons, I think. First, the price – in Australia at least, I can buy two Pro Runners for the price of one TRX4 2021 Bronco. That’s already quite significant. Secondly, the feature set – it is vast! Check this out: 2-speed transmission with DIG, 6.6% overdrive and opposing rotation drive-shafts, just like the Challenger; full-function light kit, including brakes and reverse options; straight axles rather than portals for added scale; front-facing servo winch; servo-on-axle hidden in such a way that you’ll miss it if you’re not looking for it; steel universal front axles for greater turning angle and strength than the CVD-equipped Rescuer and Challenger’s portal axles. What a list!

How Do You Choose?

That really is the question, isn’t it? I am in the process of making a video about this, and I suppose writing this article is helpful in distilling my thoughts on this difficult choice. There are some little quality-of-life things, like how the body attaches to each (see the below picture), but the unique blend of features, capability, appearance and handling all add up to something different in each case.

So, I do have some thoughts that you may find useful. I’ll try to use this to guide you on why you may (or may not) decide to select each one. Read on!

Fun

This is the first, and to my mind, most compelling reason to consider any of these vehicles. For trail driving with some crawling, one vehicle really stands out to me: the Rescuer. Why? Consider the remote locking diffs in the portal axles, for a start. The Challenger has portals and the Pro Runner straight axles, but being able to remotely run them unlocked means more scale fun on the trails. When traction gets harder to find, lock one or both ends!

The second part of the fun formula is scale handling to match the gorgeous looks. With the suspension setup on the big, bouncy tires, the Rescuer rolls and moves like few others. I’ve driven this through deep water, mud, rocky ground, and long dirt paths. It just keeps on trucking and it looks great doing it. Vote 1 for Rescuer if you’re shopping for fun!

Modding

There are two kinds of RC crawler owners: those who mod their rigs, and those who just haven’t done it yet. The Challenger is a very complete vehicle out of the box, yes. However, there are a few things you can do to improve its design for easier daily use. I actually cover some of these in my modding video, linked at the end of the article.

But, aside from fixing wiring and putting a body-stand in place, there’s one mod in particular that this vehicle is just begging for: converting that rearward-facing winch to power a rear towing assembly! They’ve actually done most of the work for you already. A boom assembly could be made from aluminum, braised from mild steel, or even achieved with some 3D-printed beams (the last of which I think might be the way I go with it). You already have the winch, so re-route the cable and add a tackle block under the end of the boom and you’ll be done! The Challenger gets my choice as most promising for mods.

Budget All-Rounder

Fun is subjective and not everyone wants to convert a trail rig into a tow-capable machine, I get that. Where I think we’ll all find common ground is on the subject of sheer value for money. On that front, the Pro Runner absolutely and completely delivers.

I took this car with me last weekend to a meet-up with a bunch of folks and we went on a 4-hour mudding adventure in the Aussie bush. Water crossings, treacherous rocky ascents, muddy gullies, greasy clay climbs – this day had it all (video here). I ran the Pro Runner on 3S, which the included WP-1060 allows (and all three vehicles have the same ESC and steering servo, by the way), and this vehicle was reliable and fun. It wasn’t the most capable, with those small 4.19” tires and straight axles, but oh, boy, was it satisfying to wheel. I can’t recommend the Pro Runner enough, if you’re on a budget and want a single all-rounder. Get this, you won’t regret it.

The Bottom Line

So where does that leave us with the choice? Chances are, you already have a pretty good idea of which you prefer after reading the above sections. And if you’re noticing that, wait a minute, none of these three has the remote locking diffs AND a DIG AND portal axles AND a winch, well, yes, you’re right. But not even Axial or Traxxas will give you all that, out of the box. The TRX4 2021 Bronco comes close, as it currently even includes a winch, at time of writing – but no DIG. The Axial SCX10 III gives you DIG and portals, but the diffs are locked full-time. And they are both considerably more expensive than any of the RGT offerings, at least, in Australia.

If you can’t decide and all three grab you, I do have one final suggestion: buy the one that moves you. Pretend you’re going with one of them and see how you feel about not getting either of the others. Repeat for all three vehicles; you may just find you’re most wistful about ‘missing out’ on one of them in particular, and that would be the one to get!

Reviews & Test Videos

Now, if you’ve come this far and you’re pretty sure you know what you want, great! I have a growing catalog of videos that may be useful in helping you get to know any of these three vehicles better. Check them out here:

Trail Run video: coming soon!

Mods video: coming soon!

Craig Veness

RC-TNT

A note on affiliate links: although RC-TNT purchased all vehicles in this article, the AsiaTees links contained herein are affiliate links. This means we may be paid a small commission if you choose to click on them to make a purchase. As always, we make effort to ensure that no review is impacted by this. Integrity first, always. We still report on any bugs or issues encountered during product testing, along with fixes or solutions if found. Thank you for reading and happy RC-ing!

Redcat Marksman 1/8 RC Crawler

by Craig | Aug 29, 2022 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, Redcat Racing

What Is It?

The Redcat Marksman is a different RTR RC crawler in more ways than its 1/8 scale size. It sports a (mostly) decent electronics package and 2.2” wheels. A pretty body with paint on the outside gives the polycarbonate body an interesting finish.

Whilst not a flawless execution, there’s a compelling case to be made for price to performance, especially if you’re after a trail-oriented rig. Join us as we take a closer look at this interesting, larger-scale crawler.

How Big Is It?

For some comparison, we’ve put the Redcat Marksman between a Traxxas TRX4 2021 Bronco 1/10 and an Axial SCX6 1/6 RC crawler. Note that while the Marksman is similar in length to the TRX4 Bronco, the track width is considerably greater on the Marksman. Also, the overall vehicle size is similar to 1/10 scale rigs, but width is the greatest difference – if a little less than obvious at first glance.

The vehicle doesn’t weigh more than many 1/10 scale crawlers and its close enough in ‘feel’ that you could reasonably trail this with others driving 1/10 scale rigs and fit right in. Certainly, some rock problems that might defeat the Redcat Marksman may be traversable by smaller rigs on account of that track width! More on performance in a bit. First, let’s look at what you get with this RTR model.

What’s In The Box?

There’s the vehicle itself, the radio transmitter, manual, scale accessories and ESC programming card. The Redcat Marksman is a Ready To Run (RTR) model, which means all you need to get it going is a battery for the rig and 4x AAs for the radio transmitter. The included Electronic Speed Control (ESC) is a HobbyWing WP-1080. This gives you the flexibility to run either 6-to-8 cell NiMH or 2S or 3S LiPO batteries.

Redcat also includes an accessories bag with some red plastic scale parts – though no obvious way to mount these to the body. There’s a spare wheel adapter for the back of the body – pictured below – but no spare wheel. We’ve used an old Axial Trepador from the original SCX10 on ours as its nice and lightweight and still looks convincing near the Marksman’s larger tires.

Radio System

The radio is the standard rebranded Flysky FS-GT2E AFHDS 2A transmitter, though the sticker calls it an RCR-2CE. This is the 2-channel unit Redcat Racing uses on their entire ground model range at present (2021 and 2022).

One nice thing to note is it runs Flysky’s AFHDS 2A protocol, so if you already have a FS-GT5 for other models, you can bind that to the Marksman here as well. The radio feels good in the hand and has a nice feel on the wheel. There is a sufficient, if sparce, amount of adjustment on the dials and it isn’t heavy. Overall, a good basic radio.

Holmes Hobbies For The Win!

The brushed motor in this machine is a Holmes Hobbies Crawlmaster Sport. This is a 13-turn 5-pole (or 5-slot) 550-sized motor. Being a 5-pole means you get buttery smooth torque at the expense of the punch delivered by 3-pole motors. On a crawler, this is generally desirable.

For trail use, the motor is a perfect choice. There’s sufficient speed for trail driving and still enough low speed control to be satisfying on the rocks. However, we found that if you’re more biased toward crawling than trailing with this rig, a motor with slightly more turns may give a more rewarding experience.

After some testing, we’d recommend the 16-turn 550 Crawlmaster Sport and the same gearing. On 3S power, you’ll be all set with long runtimes, good low speed control and more than ample speed for trail driving. If you keep the 13-turn motor, going down one tooth size on the pinion and sticking on 2S power could also be a reasonable way to slow it down enough to feel a bit better on trickier rock problems. Of course, this is largely a case of personal preference and the stock configuration is fine.

HobbyWing Is Good!

We have a good, solid radio system and a workhorse motor. Redcat have opted for a high-quality ESC for the Marksman in the HobbyWing WP-1080. This is a popular ESC for good reason. It delivers smooth and reliable control and is very customisable. We like this ESC so much that we’ve written an entire how-to article for programming it, right here on rc-tnt.com!

You can use the stock settings for the most part, but we would recommend making one change in particular before running it. Enable freewheeling, which is option 15 on the programming card. Set that to 1 instead of 2 and you’ll effectively have an active drag brake. That means the WP-1080 will apply braking to the wheels even while you’re giving throttle input, helping to hold the vehicle on a hill at the speed you’re indicating, rather than allowing the rig to run away down the hill. A good thing!

Servo Avoido

The electronics package with the Redcat Marksman is excellent! That is, until you come to the servo. This is the same Hexfly 25KG 4.8v-6.8v unit that Redcat puts in most of their vehicles, even their diminutive 1/10 short course truck (which is really a 1/12 sized machine). The servo is slow and too weak even on the smaller Redcat Gen 8 V2, we’ve found. That they’ve also put it on the Marksman leaves one wondering if they’ve actually, y’know, tested the big rig with it. Because it isn’t good.

If you change just one thing on the Redcat Marksman, make the servo your first upgrade. The WP-1080 has an adjustable BEC and while it comes at 6V by default, you can change that to 7.4V with an upgraded servo and the Marksman will be worlds better. Seriously, budget for this if you plan to buy this rig.

Nearly any other crawling servo would be better. Here are a few options we use and recommend, from cheap to expensive:

JX Servo WP-5318HV ~16.5kg @ 7.4v, waterproof, cored, metal gear (lower rating but much better than the stock Hexfly unit).
JX Servo CLS-6336HV 35kg @ 7.4v, waterproof, coreless, metal gear.
JX Servo BLS-HV7132MG 32kg @ 7.4, splashproof, brushless, metal gear, alu case. (Fast and doesn’t fade under heavy load. Probably our favourite semi-budget crawler servo).
JX Servo CLS-HV7346MG 46kg @ 7.4v, waterproof, coreless, alu case, metal gear.
Holmes Hobbies SCX500v3 ~42kg @ 11.1v (direct run from 3S), waterproof, brushless, ultra tough – our favourite comp servo!

Body and Accessories

In a break from the usual, the Redcat Marksman sports a polycarbonate body that has been painted on both sides! The matte green finish on the outside looks very smart. They’ve finished the inside of the body in a rust-brown color. If you think about it, as the outside green paint gets scratched off on rocks and branches, the underside’s brown will gradually show through, giving the appearance of rust! Very clever little scale-ageing trick they’ve incorporated there!

There are light buckets for headlights only – taillights are stickers on this body. The plastics and faux interior on the Marksman are all of a high quality. Finish is solid and this body should last well. It’s very attractive and is enhanced further by the spare wheel holder included in the accessories package. We’ve mounted ours and the weight difference is minimal on a bigger crawler like this, so we found it very worthwhile for the improved look. You do have to poke a few holes in the pretty body to add this extra bit, so think about it before you do it – but we can at least show you how it looks. We like it!

Chassis & Running Gear

The steel C-channel chassis rails are solid. Reinforced with plastic cross-braces, the Marksman has a nice, rigid feel. We like that the vehicle doesn’t weigh a lot, despite its size, and as you can see from the photo below, there’s a lot of spare room on the chassis. Included wheel wells are a nice touch also – you get the aesthetic benefits when the body is on, and they also work to keep crud and debris out of the internals.

The axles are solid and well designed. They’re straight rather than portals, which is nice to see when portals seem to be everywhere. You’re going to be scraping the diff pumpkins over rocks, given the width of the vehicle. Larger tires are helpful, but clearance will be something to keep in mind when driving. For us, this adds to the appeal of scale fun. The skid plate is also intelligently implemented and has a nice, smooth finish. Drive shafts are tough plastic with steel universals. All up, the Marksman is a strong and lightweight platform. Simple and reliable.

Drive Feel

We said earlier we found this vehicle to feel a little faster than we’d like on the rocks. On the trail, the speed is good and it turns well at speed – impressive given its size and locked axles! The adjustability from the WP-1080 ESC means you can make the Marksman feel more like a cruisy trail rig or a precise rock crawler. It’s nice to have that control.

Another thing to note is torque twist. This is the phenomenon where the chassis twists under throttle in the opposite rotational direction to the drive shafts. It’s quite pronounced on this vehicle. On a smaller rig, torque twist can unsettle a crawler significantly. While it’s pretty pronounced on the Marksman, even to the point of lifting a wheel at times, the whole machine does not lose its track or become unsettled. It could be that the effect is weakened by its greater wheelbase and track width than on 1/10 crawlers. Something to be aware of, then, but not a deal-breaker.

The only let-down in the rig is that weak Hexfly servo. We almost never say this as we don’t like to waste things, but do budget in a better servo when you buy the Redcat Marksman. It’s the only shortcoming we’ve found after running several packs through it.

Our Verdict

This is a mid-range crawler as far as pricing goes. You have the choice of numerous 1/10 scale crawlers for similar money. If you like the idea of walking a trail and crawling obstacles as you find them, the Redcat Marksman could be for you. It’s not as capable as some 1/10 scale crawlers largely on account of that track width, but it’s a lovely, smooth machine. We haven’t driven it enough yet to give an idea of longer-term durability but will update this section in a few months to note this.

We love its look. Its simplicity under the body is alluring and it feels great on the rocks. What do you think? Feel free to leave comments and questions in our review video above and stay tuned for more videos in future on the Marksman’s performance, what upgrades we do (*cough* servo *cough*) and how we find its durability. After a few LiPO packs so far, we really like it.

Get Yours Here

AsiaTees sells the Redcat Marksman globally. Get it here.

Craig Veness

RC-TNT

Remo Hobby 10275 – World’s Cheapest 1/10 Crawler?

by Craig | Jul 31, 2022 | RC Crawlers, RC Reviews, Remo Hobby

The Old Adage

The Remo Hobby 10275 is interesting for its features and price. There’s a real promise of value in this most budget of 1/10 scale RC crawlers – IF it performs! There’s an old adage in the motoring world that goes, “fast, cheap and reliable: pick two”. Apply it to RC crawlers and it may be something like, “capable, cheap and reliable: pick two”. The Remo Hobby 10275 may be attempting to cover all three of these measures – and honestly, on paper, it looks like there may be something to it.

Trust, But Verify

As always, we test our 1/10 scale rock crawlers on our 6-problem course. This gives a decent, broad-level indication of performance relative to others. We’ll get to performance in a bit. First, let’s take a closer look at what you get when you buy a new Remo Hobby 10275.

What’s In the Box?

Aside from the car itself, there’s a radio transmitter, manual USB charger, 1500mAh Li-ion 7.4v battery and a handful of basic tools and spare body clips. The manual is pretty good, for a cheapie. It includes basic operations, troubleshooting steps, exploded parts diagrams and a list of spares and upgrades available for the vehicle. The package is well assembled, protects the vehicle nicely and is attractive. This is about as nice as one ever might expect of cheap RC vehicles – five stars on inclusions and packaging here.

Power Play

The radio transmitter requires just two AA batteries. You’ll need to supply these yourself, but that’s the only thing you’ll need to bring to this party. Remo has you covered for the rest. The Li-ion USB charger is slow but it’ll get the job done in a few hours. The Li-ion battery is made of two 18650 cells and is appropriate for this type of vehicle. As far as power and charging is concerned, this is a well-rounded package.

Assembly Required?

The wheels are not attached to the vehicle in the box. There are spacers on the axles to ensure the metal wheel hexes and drive pins remain in place, so you’ll have to remove them. Also note the tires are directional, so pay attention to that when putting the wheels on. The wheels are plastic, three-part bead-lock design with 5 self-tapping screws each. It’s easy to get the tires mixed up – evident in the photo below! – but otherwise, that’s it for assembly. Easy!

About the Vehicle

The Remo Hobby 10275 has steel chassis rails and fibre-infused plastic spacers throughout. There is a standard 4-link design with plastic links with nylon ball ends on each end of the vehicle. The servo is chassis-mounted, with no panhard, so steering is imprecise and worsened when suspension is articulated. With a 4-link setup, you’d want the servo mounted on the axle itself rather than on the chassis in order to preserve steering accuracy and full throw. We modified ours after initial testing – more on that below.

The driveshafts are plastic, telescoping universals with E-clips holding the unis together. They’ll be strong enough on this vehicle to never need replacing, we think. There are unshielded ball-bearings are the pinion end of the diffs and brass shims on the rest of the vehicle. Though this is seen often as a negative, for this cheap, lightweight rig, shims could well be a good thing. They don’t seize up as readily after exposure to mud and water – something to consider!

Remo Hobby 10275 Suspension

Suspension on all corners is plastic bodied, oil-filled shocks with metal caps and coil-over springs. The springs are too firm for the low weight of the rig, but the shocks do not leak and some articulation is still possible. We modified ours after the initial rock test – again, we’ll cover mods in a bit.

Body & Lights

The body is a single-piece, polycarbonate shell with through-holes for body posts and basic stickers applied on top. Our unit’s stickers were not applied with much care and things are poorly aligned in several spots. This is forgivable, given the low price of the model, we think. There are light buckets at each end for 2x 5mm white LEDs up front and 2x red LEDs in rear.

Remo Hobby 10275 Electronics

The company claims the Remo Hobby 10275 sports a 40A ESC (Electronic Speed Control). Under moderate throttle, our unit kept cutting out with the included 390 motor and stock gearing. We suspect the ESC is more likely to have a limit of somewhere around 20A, but this is unconfirmed. There is a way to address this – we’ll cover this in the Mods section, below.

The radio system is integrated with the ESC, along with a 5V 2A BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit) that powers the steering servo. This 3-in-1 device has a single Futaba-style plug for the 3-wire servo and another micro-JST plug that outputs 3V to power LEDs. We installed a set of LEDs in ours and they powered perfectly from this second port, which is otherwise unused in the default configuration.

The radio transmitter is small in the hand but will suit kids very well. There’s a 50% throttle limiter button on the radio, as well as steering trim and steering dual-rate dials. It’s a basic unit but fine for this vehicle.

Steering

The Remo Hobby 10275 gets an entire section for steering, and that is unfortunately not for good reasons! The trim and dual-rate dial system on the radio creates an unnecessarily low limit to steering end-points. There is more throw available in the throttle than what the radio allows, in other words.

We tested this by maxing out the dual-rate dial first, then steering fully left and/or right, then holding the wheel and adjusting the trim further in that same direction. For both left and right we found there was more throw available in the servo. There’s no way to fix this without replacing the ESC with a discreet ESC and radio receiver, which would also mean a new radio transmitter too. Not ideal given this is possibly one of the world’s cheapest 1/10 RC crawlers – there will not be a budget for all that in most cases, we’d think. This is especially unfortunate given the CMS (Chassis Mounted Servo) and 4-link front setup already limit steering and so the car needs every bit of throw it can get from the servo!

Fit For Purpose?

This is a very cheap RC car. It’s certainly not a bad vehicle – just search the web for “cheapest RC car” or “best cheap RC car” and you’ll find many blog and store sites loudly proclaiming how good this or that cheap model is. In our experience, most of these “best cheap” models really aren’t so good.

The Remo Hobby 10275 gets really close to being a good choice for bargain-basement 1/10 RC crawling. The electronics and components are not terrible! There are imperfections and limitations by design and everything is made to a price. Much is forgivable at this price-point.

However – and this is the kicker – the Remo Hobby 10275 is not a rock crawler in its stock form. The ESC cutting out is an issue, as is the poor steering and low traction. There’s a poor drag brake and a throttle delay when changing directions. See all of this in our video series below:

Our Test Course

If you’re not familiar with how we test RC rock crawlers, we have a course that challenges any 4x4 RC crawler in many ways:

Approach and departure angle: these are challenged on Problems 2 and 3;
Side-hill ability: tested on Problems 1, 3 and 5;
Breakover (skid clearance): tested on Problems 4 and 6;
Suspension articulation and centre of gravity: challenged on problems 2 and 5; and lastly,
A punishing ascent on problem 6 tests all of balance, break-over, articulation, tire traction and approach and departure angles.

What Is It Good For?

All is not lost with this model! For all the challenges we found with rock crawling, keep in mind that we tested this vehicle on the same course that challenges vehicles costing fully ten times this amount! The car is durable in its stock form and materials used are fully appropriate for its intended purpose.

Yes, it’s a poor rock crawler. But it will make a fabulous backyard basher. It’ll handle puddles and creeks and it’ll deliver fun while doing so! The light weight and bouncy suspension combined with the tall-ish gearing and fast 390 brushed motor mean this thing is a hoot on bumpy ground.

Remo Hobby 10275 Mods

Keeping in mind this is a very cheap new RC crawler, any changes we’d make to this model need to be low-cost. We can’t just rip out all the electronics and replace them with high performance gear and do the same with wheels and tires. That would defeat the purpose entirely!

No, for the Remo Hobby 10275 we want only to change or upgrade things whilst keeping the price as close to $0 as possible. We wanted to lower its center of gravity, slow it down, improve its steering and address that ESC cut-out issue. We managed to achieve all of this for about $15!

Our Verdict

For the price, we think the Remo Hobby 10275 will deliver on both longevity and fun, particularly in the hands of kids. For this purpose, we recommend it. However, if you’re after a rock crawler first and foremost, look elsewhere.

Where To Get It

We have a 10% discount coupon available care of Banggood, who also graciously supplied us with the Remo Hobby 10275 for review and testing.

Craig Veness

RC-TNT

Craig has been into radio control since the 90s and into RC crawling since about 2010, when a Losi MRC started the obsession! Now it’s all rocks this and crawl that and upgrade all the things! …You know how it is, right? Welcome home 🙂

« Older Entries

Dessert First: My Conclusion

The Search for Scale

The Search for True Scale!

Four Decades Ago…

Grounded

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It Began With Tamiya

My First Crawler

Getting Into Scale

More and Bigger Crawlers, Please!

Running Gear Matters

Just Like My ‘Real’ Car

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See It in Action

Craig Veness

Yes! I want in!

Heard of RGT?

What’s the Big Deal?

The Big Reason

What’s It Like?

Body Issues

RGT Intruder Interior

Wheels and Tires

Chassis and Links

Suspension

Straight Axles

Radio & AIO Rx/ESC/Lights

Our Test Course

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Driving Wins

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Upgrades?

Wheels & Tires

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Craig Veness

More RGT Articles…

RGT Pro Runner

RGT’s Other Options

The Three Contenders

RGT Rescuer EX86190

RGT Challenger EX86170

RGT Pro Runner EX86130

How Do You Choose?

Fun

Modding

Budget All-Rounder

The Bottom Line

Reviews & Test Videos

RGT Rescuer EX86190

RGT Challenger EX86170

RGT Pro Runner EX86130

Craig Veness

What Is It?

How Big Is It?

What’s In The Box?

Radio System

Holmes Hobbies For The Win!

HobbyWing Is Good!

Servo Avoido

Body and Accessories

Chassis & Running Gear

Drive Feel

Our Verdict

Get Yours Here

Craig Veness

The Old Adage

Trust, But Verify

What’s In the Box?

Power Play

Assembly Required?

About the Vehicle