Review Details

Raptor Radio Controlled Electric Truggy - Brushless Version

Product Review (submitted on 24 August 2015):

I was looking for my next upgrade from a 2WD WLToys L959 I purchased via a different retailer and decided after reviewing what was out there that this one seemed best value for money - I'm new to the whole R/C car thing but having experienced the L959 I craved more speed/accceletation and something with better tyre wear; the L959 used to destroy the edges of its tyres.
After reading the reviews and seeing a few youtube videos I opted for the pre-assembled version of the Raptor as coudln't see the value in buying one to assemble for same price.
Inside the box you get the car with battery inside, transmitter (a lot smaller than shown - they must have revised it) which now takes 4xAAA batteries, and a Lipo charger. Specs on the site are misleading and the brushless motor is not 2399kv, its 2082kv which i presume is less powerful but the official documents included confirms it should be the latter. The ESC is also a 35A not 60A as advertised again correct by the included documentation - not sure what difference it makes.. just pointing that out if there any sticklers for detail.
Build quality appears very good compared to what I had last and it really shifts which takes a bit of getting used to. I love the fact this one has oil filled adjustable shocks, makes such a difference across uneven surfaces. 4WD is awesome and I'm enjoying thrashing it around lots albeit learning the controlability still. Its quite cool the way you are able to change the settings of the ESC to control brake force and other behaviours which are not changeable on cheaper models - instructions a bit complicated though so I might tackle that in the future if i feel the challenge.
The battery lasts me at best 10-12mins on very short grass, I guess this may be improved if you stuck to a less friction surface. I've purchased two more batteries 2200mah 30C which will hopefully give me more drive time- standard one is 1800mah 25C. Its good that the battery compartment is adjustable to allow you to fit physcially larger units in there too.
I tried to measure top speed using an iphone strapped inside and it comes out at a modest 27mph; I could swear it seems faster than that (that's if my app is measuring it right). I was sure I read somewhere it could do 40mph+ but I guess getting closer to that may required more powerful batteries or a motor upgrade. That said its plenty fast for me.
Time will tell if this car is durable as I've only used it twice and hopefully I won't need to buy too many spare parts. The blue alloy undercarriage has some scuffs already but i guess thats what its there for :-). There are small foamy rings around linkage connection points which I presume are to protect from debris getting in, these don't seem robust and some have already come off. Tyres seems to be wearing ok; will be interesting to explore if I can get other makes and models that fit.
On the whole very pleased with my purchase and if you are looking for you first agressive 4WD RC truggy then this could be the one for you.

Nitrotek says: Thanks for the in depth review. Please note the foam rings are just for transport and are not meant to stay there so can be removed.