RC Defender "clone"
Discussion
What make is it? you can spend a lot in the RC world and sometimes it's a good product, but can still be flawed and cheap.
Some of the cheap kits are actually pretty good. But some aren't, so it really depends. Spare parts are key, often the cheap Chinese models have no parts support. So if it breaks, you won't be able to fix it.
Some of the cheap kits are actually pretty good. But some aren't, so it really depends. Spare parts are key, often the cheap Chinese models have no parts support. So if it breaks, you won't be able to fix it.
300bhp/ton said:
What make is it? you can spend a lot in the RC world and sometimes it's a good product, but can still be flawed and cheap.
Some of the cheap kits are actually pretty good. But some aren't, so it really depends. Spare parts are key, often the cheap Chinese models have no parts support. So if it breaks, you won't be able to fix it.
The advert I have seen shows the Traxxas TRX-4 (RRP about $500) and they are selling it for about $50...The video includes all the Traxxas logos on it.Some of the cheap kits are actually pretty good. But some aren't, so it really depends. Spare parts are key, often the cheap Chinese models have no parts support. So if it breaks, you won't be able to fix it.
filski666 said:
300bhp/ton said:
What make is it? you can spend a lot in the RC world and sometimes it's a good product, but can still be flawed and cheap.
Some of the cheap kits are actually pretty good. But some aren't, so it really depends. Spare parts are key, often the cheap Chinese models have no parts support. So if it breaks, you won't be able to fix it.
The advert I have seen shows the Traxxas TRX-4 (RRP about $500) and they are selling it for about $50...The video includes all the Traxxas logos on it.Some of the cheap kits are actually pretty good. But some aren't, so it really depends. Spare parts are key, often the cheap Chinese models have no parts support. So if it breaks, you won't be able to fix it.
I've ordered one, paid by PayPal, and screen-scraped everything so if anything wildly different from what is advertised arrives, hopefully I can call "foul".
I've done a bit of googling and the general consensus seems to be it's good value, plenty of speed and power but let down by the shocks/suspension...which can easily be upgraded with better ones. I want one for me and my young son...no way on the planet am I spending pukka Traxxas/Gelande money on one, but this seems a reasonable compromise and I'm hoping it might be the equivalent of "Lepin" Lego...not the real deal, but perfectly OK for the non-serious, non-geeky occasional user. Will report back!
The FTX Kanyon is a pretty reliable well supported make of RC.
It looks like a defender and has pretty good reviews and parts are cheap and easily available. It can be modded too.
Only £160
That £50 Traxxass (lolololol) is just a scam. Just like the rash of Trek mountain bike ads for £30. Why would you risk buying something from a dodgy company that lies from the outset and blatantly too.
It looks like a defender and has pretty good reviews and parts are cheap and easily available. It can be modded too.
Only £160
That £50 Traxxass (lolololol) is just a scam. Just like the rash of Trek mountain bike ads for £30. Why would you risk buying something from a dodgy company that lies from the outset and blatantly too.
Cheers all. Yup, it was a scam, one of these turned up...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goolsky-Crawler-Remote-Co...
...but after a bit of a wrangle PayPal refunded me and I kept the car. It looks quite nice but the battery lasts 5 minutes and the steering is pants so I want to get my son something half decent for Christmas that we can both play with.
I'm very tempted by one of these...
https://www.banggood.com/Double-E-E101-003-18-2_4G...
...on the basis that £181 is a lot less than £479 for a TRX4, the body looks spot on where the Kanyon just doesn't look like a Defender to me, and my lad will soon be only 4, so the fact that the 1/7th scale Defender is bloody mahoosive will be way more exciting than the fact that it's not full on hobby grade.
Any thoughts?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goolsky-Crawler-Remote-Co...
...but after a bit of a wrangle PayPal refunded me and I kept the car. It looks quite nice but the battery lasts 5 minutes and the steering is pants so I want to get my son something half decent for Christmas that we can both play with.
I'm very tempted by one of these...
https://www.banggood.com/Double-E-E101-003-18-2_4G...
...on the basis that £181 is a lot less than £479 for a TRX4, the body looks spot on where the Kanyon just doesn't look like a Defender to me, and my lad will soon be only 4, so the fact that the 1/7th scale Defender is bloody mahoosive will be way more exciting than the fact that it's not full on hobby grade.
Any thoughts?
Slightly OT, but about 11 or 12 years ago I was lusting after a HPI Baja 5b, which is a 1/5 scale 23cc 2 stroke petrol RC buggy. Retail they were about £700 so way out of my reach. I did however find out that you could get a clone for half the price. Me and my dad bought one each and it just seemed as though at 5 o'clock when HPI stopped paying the factory in China to make 'genuine' ones, the factory would carry on stamping out the 'fakes'. Everything was identical fit wise, but some of the materials were different could or lesser quality, but anything that broke could just be replaced as and when with genuine parts. It is tricky sometimes to know when something is real, a clone, or a fake.
The_Jackal said:
My money would still go on the Kanyon. You are guaranteed to get parts cheaply and it's only 7cm shorter than that Bangood thing that might get caught by customs.
Ignoring the customs thing for a moment, what are your reasons (parts excepted)? I'm not being funny, I'm new to this and looking to learn!I'll be honest, I just think the Kanyon bodyshell looks rubbish...not really anything like a Defender (where the EE is absolutely spot on). Having watched the "Kanyon weak spots" video, I also think the body mounts look a bit weak too.
Is there another option? Is there a Defender body that would go on an Axial SCX10?
Or is it just a case of getting what you pay for, and the TRX4 actually offers so much more for the money?
Don't get me wrong, my lad will only be 4 when he gets it, but obviously I'm looking at this as something we can do together and will last.
Ooooo...typed this and just spotted the FTX Outback. Looks like proper Defender, and presumably parts availability is good too. Is this a good buy?
The Outback was their original entry into the Off road/crawler market.
Bottom line is FTX is a know brand with support. That Bangood one is a one off design and is sold on its size.
The FTX ones will be perfect for you and your son, and are suitable for upgrades and improvements.
On the other hand if you want one more suited for daddy and his wallet it becomes expensive very quickly and very easily as there are untold goodies and nice makes out there.
Once you go down the accuracy and upgrades route, it stops being a toy your son can use.
Those two are very capable RCs and should last you a while.
I bet you by Christmas you will give the Kanyon to your son fully and you will be making a very expensive shopping list for your own project to take out with him.
Bottom line is FTX is a know brand with support. That Bangood one is a one off design and is sold on its size.
The FTX ones will be perfect for you and your son, and are suitable for upgrades and improvements.
On the other hand if you want one more suited for daddy and his wallet it becomes expensive very quickly and very easily as there are untold goodies and nice makes out there.
Once you go down the accuracy and upgrades route, it stops being a toy your son can use.
Those two are very capable RCs and should last you a while.
I bet you by Christmas you will give the Kanyon to your son fully and you will be making a very expensive shopping list for your own project to take out with him.
Thanks for the insight. I'm going to order an Outback as it ticks the boxes (good quality, looks like a Defender, spare parts availability, UK availability). I'm also worried about getting my fingers burned again on the chinese import...Double E do a hobby grade crawler and the smaller toy one. I actually had a reali fight with PayPal initially convincing them that the crappy toy 1/12 scale D90 was totally different to what was essentially being advertised as a Traxxas TRX4 1/10 D110, so lordy knows how much of a fight it would be if the orange "toy" turned up instead of the "model"! Even more confusing when some of the chinese sites mix the pictures of the toy and the model on the same listing!
I take your point on the upgrades thing. To be honest, with a real D110 sat in my driveway and my son's Toylander, we probably have enough to get on with without spending vast sums on serious kit and another hobby! I do think the TRX4 is lovely, but crazy money (and crazy engineering!) for an r/c car.
However, once he's a bit older and hopefully stops crashing and rolling it all the time, I do like the look of adding one of these scale D90 hard bodies. I guess it's possible to extend the wheelbase by 30 odd mm to get the body to fit by moving the shock towers back along the chassis, and adding some longer control arms (steel rod and a die set) and a longer rear drive shaft (carbon or ally tube). IMHO you then have something that looks better than a TRX4 (which isn't quite scale) for a fraction of the cost...job done.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32798828299.html?s...
I take your point on the upgrades thing. To be honest, with a real D110 sat in my driveway and my son's Toylander, we probably have enough to get on with without spending vast sums on serious kit and another hobby! I do think the TRX4 is lovely, but crazy money (and crazy engineering!) for an r/c car.
However, once he's a bit older and hopefully stops crashing and rolling it all the time, I do like the look of adding one of these scale D90 hard bodies. I guess it's possible to extend the wheelbase by 30 odd mm to get the body to fit by moving the shock towers back along the chassis, and adding some longer control arms (steel rod and a die set) and a longer rear drive shaft (carbon or ally tube). IMHO you then have something that looks better than a TRX4 (which isn't quite scale) for a fraction of the cost...job done.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32798828299.html?s...
So I ended up ordering the FTX Outback 2 and it arrived today. I've had a quick whizz around inside to check it works and then it can go back in it's box until Christmas.
I have to say I'm really impressed. It looks great...much more "scale" in the flesh than in the pictures. It seems really well engineered too, everything has a really nice quality feel to it. If I do decide to go down the hard body route, it does look like a very easy conversion to lengthen the wheelbase a bit. But it's almost a bit pointless...the existing body looks great, and with the addition of a few 1/10 goodies/accessories, will look absolutely great. The very Land Roveresque "steel" wheels with 5 wheel nuts and scale looking hubs are a lovely touch.
Looking forward to Christmas and getting out there with my lad, it's going to be fun. If he does get into it and we find some good places to drive it, I could almost feel another coming on for a "convoy"...first rule of proper green laning, don't do it as single vehicle!
I'm really glad I avoided the banggood thing, and for that matter the Kanyon. The Outback looks absolutely great, and to be honest is a far more sensible size for a 4 year old to carry. Many thanks to those who contributed and kept me on the right track!
Interesting video here of the FTX and TRX4 going over the same terrain...I appreciate that the TRX4 is an amazing bit of model engineering, but I don't really see it doing anything the FTX can't do at well under half the price!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s93lJlNM3S4
I have to say I'm really impressed. It looks great...much more "scale" in the flesh than in the pictures. It seems really well engineered too, everything has a really nice quality feel to it. If I do decide to go down the hard body route, it does look like a very easy conversion to lengthen the wheelbase a bit. But it's almost a bit pointless...the existing body looks great, and with the addition of a few 1/10 goodies/accessories, will look absolutely great. The very Land Roveresque "steel" wheels with 5 wheel nuts and scale looking hubs are a lovely touch.
Looking forward to Christmas and getting out there with my lad, it's going to be fun. If he does get into it and we find some good places to drive it, I could almost feel another coming on for a "convoy"...first rule of proper green laning, don't do it as single vehicle!
I'm really glad I avoided the banggood thing, and for that matter the Kanyon. The Outback looks absolutely great, and to be honest is a far more sensible size for a 4 year old to carry. Many thanks to those who contributed and kept me on the right track!
Interesting video here of the FTX and TRX4 going over the same terrain...I appreciate that the TRX4 is an amazing bit of model engineering, but I don't really see it doing anything the FTX can't do at well under half the price!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s93lJlNM3S4
Hard-Drive said:
Cheers all. Yup, it was a scam, one of these turned up...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goolsky-Crawler-Remote-Co...
...but after a bit of a wrangle PayPal refunded me and I kept the car. It looks quite nice but the battery lasts 5 minutes and the steering is pants so I want to get my son something half decent for Christmas that we can both play with.
I'm very tempted by one of these...
https://www.banggood.com/Double-E-E101-003-18-2_4G...
...on the basis that £181 is a lot less than £479 for a TRX4, the body looks spot on where the Kanyon just doesn't look like a Defender to me, and my lad will soon be only 4, so the fact that the 1/7th scale Defender is bloody mahoosive will be way more exciting than the fact that it's not full on hobby grade.
Any thoughts?
I have a 1:1 version of that. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goolsky-Crawler-Remote-Co...
...but after a bit of a wrangle PayPal refunded me and I kept the car. It looks quite nice but the battery lasts 5 minutes and the steering is pants so I want to get my son something half decent for Christmas that we can both play with.
I'm very tempted by one of these...
https://www.banggood.com/Double-E-E101-003-18-2_4G...
...on the basis that £181 is a lot less than £479 for a TRX4, the body looks spot on where the Kanyon just doesn't look like a Defender to me, and my lad will soon be only 4, so the fact that the 1/7th scale Defender is bloody mahoosive will be way more exciting than the fact that it's not full on hobby grade.
Any thoughts?
What about a cheap chinese D90 hard body approx £50 that can be modified to fit an Axial or in this case i did on a Vaterra Ascender kit.
https://youtu.be/NO-nrrbQT88
NS66 said:
What about a cheap chinese D90 hard body approx £50 that can be modified to fit an Axial or in this case i did on a Vaterra Ascender kit.
https://youtu.be/NO-nrrbQT88
This is my 1.1 and the RC model above is based on this :-)https://youtu.be/NO-nrrbQT88
Hard-Drive said:
That's excellent! Got a link to the body?
here you gohttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Killerbody-1-10-Hard-RC...
Gassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff