atm92484_3
07-14-2004, 09:17 PM
Prior to the actual release of the truck, I was basically convinced that this was just another money-pit truck that had little use other than getting people into the hobby. Surely all the media hype and the fact that it was named "2004 Truck of the Year" prior to its release to the general public didn't help any of these notions. Afterall, we saw the exact same act play out 5 years ago with the T-Maxx and look at what kind of money it took to make the truck somewhat durable. After driving a TON of T-Maxxes, from some well kept and hopped up trucks to some of the most beat to hell Maxxes on the face of the earth, I wasn't expecting the Revo to be all that everyone made it out to be.
When the box was first cut opened this morning, the truck was sitting next to a LST. Initially it was agreed that the truck didn't seem to live up to the hype. After looking it over, it was very evident that the Savage, MGT, LST, Mammoth, and Titan were built much beefier in most areas and there was a lot more material in places that mattered on the truck such as the arms (although the engineers at Traxxas did do a much better job redesigning and reinforcing with what material they did use, keeping weight to a minimum). Armchair engineering isn't an exact science but it was somewhat disappointing to see that Traxxas didn't follow suit and try to build similar to their competitors.
All of this changed after a few tanks of tooling around during break-in. I initially felt that many of the magazines' initial comments were a ton of corporate BS when every one said that this was the best truck ever. It was hard to imagine a monster truck that actually handled consistently and predictably out of the box....until now.
I've driven a large majority of the trucks in production right now and this thing easily out handles a large majority of them. Maybe its the truck's lighter weight combined with the super soft suspension out of the box and the lower profile tires, but this thing turns on a dime. The dual steering servos make steering and countersteering in turns a breeze. Infact I would be willing to bet that this truck turns as good out of the box as any T-Maxx (or any truck for that matter) with an upgraded servo saver and servo.
As for climbing, this truck also does that very well; infact as well as the larger Savage. Three to four inch tall obstacles were no problem and the truck's suspension easly kept the rubber on the ground. The one thing that I didn't not like initially is the fact that the truck jumps like a T-Maxx; NOT level unless you correct. Stiffening the suspension would defiently help a lot considering the stock suspension is a little on the soft side and obviously aimed for the track.
I was also pleasantly surprised with the 2.5R. From past experiences with the 2.5, most of them always wanted to run hot on the T-Maxxes due to the weight of the truck, even when both needles were at factory settings and the carbs were sealed. With the needles pretty rich at the factory settings, the 2.5R had a TON of get-up-and-go and it never temped beyond 240. I'm really hoping that this is how this new breed of engines run.
I cannot comment on the durability right now, but hopefully tomorrow we will get to see what the truck can do. At this time, the only downfall I see to this truck is its durability. Maybe Traxxas threw us a curveball, but I see it kind of hard to believe that the arms are going to hold up to some of the serious thrashings that myself and others have put trucks like the Savage and MGT through. On a positive note though, the ONLY thing thats looks like its going to ever break in a crash will be the suspension arms and those are easily, and cheaply, replaced. Everything else looks like its very well reinforced with either metal plates or webbing.
I will post more updates tomorrow, but from a first glance it looks like Traxxas produced one heck of a new truck.
When the box was first cut opened this morning, the truck was sitting next to a LST. Initially it was agreed that the truck didn't seem to live up to the hype. After looking it over, it was very evident that the Savage, MGT, LST, Mammoth, and Titan were built much beefier in most areas and there was a lot more material in places that mattered on the truck such as the arms (although the engineers at Traxxas did do a much better job redesigning and reinforcing with what material they did use, keeping weight to a minimum). Armchair engineering isn't an exact science but it was somewhat disappointing to see that Traxxas didn't follow suit and try to build similar to their competitors.
All of this changed after a few tanks of tooling around during break-in. I initially felt that many of the magazines' initial comments were a ton of corporate BS when every one said that this was the best truck ever. It was hard to imagine a monster truck that actually handled consistently and predictably out of the box....until now.
I've driven a large majority of the trucks in production right now and this thing easily out handles a large majority of them. Maybe its the truck's lighter weight combined with the super soft suspension out of the box and the lower profile tires, but this thing turns on a dime. The dual steering servos make steering and countersteering in turns a breeze. Infact I would be willing to bet that this truck turns as good out of the box as any T-Maxx (or any truck for that matter) with an upgraded servo saver and servo.
As for climbing, this truck also does that very well; infact as well as the larger Savage. Three to four inch tall obstacles were no problem and the truck's suspension easly kept the rubber on the ground. The one thing that I didn't not like initially is the fact that the truck jumps like a T-Maxx; NOT level unless you correct. Stiffening the suspension would defiently help a lot considering the stock suspension is a little on the soft side and obviously aimed for the track.
I was also pleasantly surprised with the 2.5R. From past experiences with the 2.5, most of them always wanted to run hot on the T-Maxxes due to the weight of the truck, even when both needles were at factory settings and the carbs were sealed. With the needles pretty rich at the factory settings, the 2.5R had a TON of get-up-and-go and it never temped beyond 240. I'm really hoping that this is how this new breed of engines run.
I cannot comment on the durability right now, but hopefully tomorrow we will get to see what the truck can do. At this time, the only downfall I see to this truck is its durability. Maybe Traxxas threw us a curveball, but I see it kind of hard to believe that the arms are going to hold up to some of the serious thrashings that myself and others have put trucks like the Savage and MGT through. On a positive note though, the ONLY thing thats looks like its going to ever break in a crash will be the suspension arms and those are easily, and cheaply, replaced. Everything else looks like its very well reinforced with either metal plates or webbing.
I will post more updates tomorrow, but from a first glance it looks like Traxxas produced one heck of a new truck.