(Obeast). I doubt that the OEM would sell just one to someone overseas myself. But I another distributor decided to pony up the cost for a load of them as Redcat would normally do, then we'd have something. I'm sure Rovan and King Motors are VERY similar, to what extent I can't say. But I assume two different distributors decided on buying what is very likely to be the same product and sell under different brand names.

Ya I agree completely, the question is, who?
Im fairly certain we will see both versions here in the states. Ive been a fan of Redcat ever since I purchased my first Rampage. Yes I know they need some work out of the box, but they can be made into some very nice machines. Darin@ Redcat and Rob@Rampagehopups have always been very good to me, and I would prefer to support them if possible.
I decided to try out 1/10 on road. Instead of buying a Redcat I jumped the gun and bought an Ofna JL-10e w/a MMP 5700kv combo. Then after buying pinions, a steering servo, an extra RX, a 3s 5k mah lipo and a body im into it for just over $450. My friend, after hearing me preach Redcat buys the Lightning EPX Pro for $159 shipped RTR. He chucks the nimh battery and buys a 3s lipo, so hes sittin at $200 rtr. After a few runs I begin to notice something. His runs cooler, is just as fast both in speed and acceleration, and hasnt gotten leaky shocks or diffs like my Ofna. I guess I shoulda taken my own advice.

I dont know about the KM/Rovans being the same OEM. I havent really looked into it.But I do know there are several companies that buy from HSP under their own brand. Redcat just happens to be the one in the United States.

Sorry for double posting. But I felt this is worth it. I emailed Darin and Ali @ Redcat, they've given me permission to post a few pics. I hope you guys like it as much as I do.


Heres a few pics of the brushless buggy:
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...t/DSC_0105.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...t/Tmp00023.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...t/Tmp00019.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...t/DSC_0097.jpg

It doesn't look like it has a center diff! LOL I like it though. A 1/5th scale truggy would be stupid great!

This is a huge quarter for big scale RC. Its here.

dude, that thing is lookin pretty gnarly. that motor looks pretty beefy too. i wonder what motor that is? if they are going to build it like a 1/8 buggy though i wish they would put mech brakes on the center diff mount like a 1/8 and leave them on for the brushless version too. having esc braking on a 1/5 is hard to come by. even is the esc is capable i still would prefer the mech brakes. but the kit is looking pretty sick aside from that. will definitely be buying one when they come out.

Nope, no center diff. Neither does the Rampage, which this is based off of. Im still stunned how well it runs on just 6s. Thats fast enough for me and I wont need to buy anymore lipos :)

Will that be state side in time for Christmas? if so whats your stock?I know a company that will fare very well this year hehehe.

Subscribed, I'll be watching for this.

thats what i want for christmas:yipi:

Not much news as of yet guys, Im sorry.
This car is next on the list to be brought in. The gasoline version of this car is still being tweaked and once that is completed they will start addressing this one. Im not-so-patiently waiting my test sample from the guys in charge. As far as I know they are currently testing one in the US and when they are done with it, its supposed to be sent my way. I know its taking a lot longer than expected, mainly because the gas version has proven to be a bit troublesome with a few issues. I PMed Patrick@Castle about getting the mounting dimensions for the MMMXLHVOMFGWTFBBQ 1/5 esc so I could possible have it pre-drilled for a drop in fit. Unfortunately I havent recieved a reply back :(
I have no official position with Redcat, im just an RC guy thats been around the www.redcatrampageforum.com for a while. On that site there are a few Youtube links of it in action on 6s and 4s. I wish I had more info for you guys, but unfortunately I dont right now.

Here is a little update for those that are interested :)
They are due out mid/late January and testing has been going rather well on the car. I never recieved my test model, unfortunately. Im assuming they liked it well enough and thought it didnt need to be thrashed by me :D
Heres a few of Ali's vids on it which should give you a clearer idea of what to expect with the car. Weight should be in the 16lb. range fully RTR on 6s.
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I have the gasoline version already and I can tell ya its a LIGHT machine. Im expecting the protype belt drive for it anyday now so I can get some pics/vid of it running. Even the gas version is going to be ballistic :)

Watched all three video's, I'm loveing that thing.

Certainly looks beefy, it's crying for the XL-HV and 8-10s !!!!!!!!

I want a roller !?!?!

16lbs? Mmms... really? My Savage 5T conversion is 16.4lbs with a 2200kv and 5S. So I can't imagine this thing would be less than 18-20lbs. Granted they are saving a bit of weight with not having beadlock wheels...

4S/6S? With a 1150kv? SLOOOOOOOWWWWWW. If indeed its at 16lbs, 6-8S, should really make it rip.

Axles look whimpy. I'd rather seen 24mm hexes so you could easily run Baja tires/wheels if you want. This would probably be the reason I'd avoid it that and from the look of it, none of the adjustments you can do on a buggy/truggy. Otherwise looks good especially for a 5th scale RTR.

The buggy weighs in at 21.8lbs with a gasoline motor, full tank of gas and Jet-pro side pipe as per DemonRC. The Electric will be WAY lighter than that because the gear plate, motor and pipe are gone. The square drives are FG style, what more tire options do you need than that? If you have to run Baja wheels/tires 24mm Baja adapters are in the works by Ramtech. Plus a few other companies adapters can be easily modified to work. In the latest video its running on 6s. I wish they'd offer rollers but I don't see that happening at all.

If the weight is true, that would be really awesome and I'd be really interested! Hell if it comes in under 20lbs RTR with 8s in it, I'd be interested.

Redcat is weird with their wheel hexes. Their other vehicles are 22mm I believe. The buggy in the vids is using the FG style square drive, if they were smart it would be the same size as the FG too. I saw turnbuckles for the basic adjustments, didn't look close for the more race oriented adjustments though.

ROFL :-) that 1/5th wheel is the size of that guys head, granted that guys head is the size of an orange hahahahaha shoulda worn a hat or something hahahaha

Man, I'm thinking 1717 on 8s for this thing! I can't wait to grab one. Obeast, was there any mention of when the truck version would be released? Any idea of pricing as well?

Well must say they, and FG, have definetly beaten HPI to the punch.

whats the over all lenth of this thing ??

I havent heard of the truck version being released in the electric version. BUT you could buy the E-Buggy put the Trucks tires, body and body mounts on it to convert it into a truck I suppose. I havent been told a definite price as of yet. As soon as I do I will let you guys know :)
The overall length is mentioned in the closeup. Ali states its 750mm, I havent taken the time to reassemble my gas XT yet to take any measurements to verify that yet. Im waiting on a few bits here and there and then I can begin reassembly.

I would guess closer to 20lb on 8s (which is what I'd want to run it on), if the gasser is 21.8lb - but who knows?

It looks like it handles great for being that size - I was impressed by the videos.

The third video gives the dimensions (length 750mm; height 320mm; width 540mm; wheel base 515mm; and ground clearance 42mm). That looks like a nice size - my only concern is that the ground clearance seems a bit low for off-roading. My preference is to have something a little higher off the ground.

Its probably out of the box ride height, mine was dropped all the way down. Im working now so once I get a chance in the morning I will measure maximum ride height for you guys :)

I just finished watching all three videos, I had a hard time not laughing thru the last two.
That guy either has really small head or those tires are bigger then the 8.5 inch dia ones on my baja. haha

So are we all thinking a MMM on 6s and maybe a Neu 1521 for power?
Is this drivetrain they same as the gas version?

Give me about an hour after I go get breakfast and I will get some pics up of the Front/rear suspension. I will also get ya the tire diameter. Along with the correct ride height. The tires are definitely not bigger than 8.5in diameter they are close to Baja fronts. Which I think is 6.5 inches diameter.
Bear in mind I currently have the gasoline version but all the applicable dimensions will be the same :)

Ok, I took a few measurements for you guys that are interested. The wheels/tires are 6 inches tall and 2 1/4 inches wide. That puts them fairly close to 5B fronts. I also rechecked the ride height, I set it as high as I could with minimal pressure from the droop screws (yes it has them). I got a measurement of 2 1/4in.
As you can see in this pic, the gasoline version has ALOT more going on than the much simpler direct driven electric version. The huge 4-gear plate, the fuel tank, rollcage , radio box and layshaft aren't needed.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...ket/XTB003.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...ket/XTB005.jpg

I dont see any caster adjustments, just camber and toe are adjustable from what I can tell. If you have any pic requests let me know and I will do the best I can with my crappy camera :)

Can we get a close up of the front axle carrier without a tire, curious of design and material used ?

Also, any idea of cost for the elec version ?

Big Thanks OB !

I just Emailed Darin@Redcat to see about pricing information. I will post it up as soon as I know.
The front suspension uses an all plastic C-Hub design. Its almost identical to the same setup my Nutech Thunderbolt 2 uses, and that thing is unbelievably tough. Not to mention its several pounds heavier than this buggy.Heres a few pics from my crappy camera:
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...ket/XTB009.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...ket/XTB008.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...ket/XTB011.jpg
I dont know if I mentioned or not but its got CVDs in the front and dogbones in the rear :)

Looks just like the older Hot Bodies Lightning buggy front C-hub, looks reasonably robust.


THX

For reference, Tower has the standard Baja tires listed at 6 11/16"; not always spot on, but usually I've found their measurements to be close enough. So that means these are ~2/3" smaller in diameter. And the wheelbase is about 2" shorter.

Well sorry for the lack of updates, the weather has not been cooperating very much at all here lately. I finally got a chance to run my Gas XB against a bone stock XBe in a drag race.
The gas XB has a 28.5 CY, 8k spring, Jetpro and prototype belt drive. So its reasonably quick out of the line and is a fair comparison in performance. The XBe has been nothing short of fantastic. I have been trying to torture the electronics and get a failure but so far they have been holding up quite well. The motor does get a little warm but I can hold my finger on it indefinitely. Once I get a suitable temp gun I will run the stock batteries down doing nothing but high speed runs and donuts and report the ESC, motor and battery temps.
Here is the full unedited video, most of the details are in the video description:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxihH...layer_embedded
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i think this buggy is over priced

Well it wasn't...for me :D

You think a rtr brushless 1/5 scale buggy should sell for less than $700? Maybe it should, depending on the quality of the bl system, but that's not much more than an e-revo.

Considering the RTR is $700.00 and comes with a 2.4 radio and Hobbywing ESC/Motor that have good resale value to lesser knowledgable folks, I think after recouping some money it can be had easily for $400-$450.

Sorry, but I think it's a killer deal for a 1/5 scale . :whistle:

Wish I had the money to buy one, have a XL/HV and a 1527 1500kv ready to drop in one.

it is over priced for the electronic they used a cheap 2.4 ghz radio cheap batteries and a cheap motor esc is only thing i like about it also you get the same buggy in the nitro option for 200.00 less...and considering most of here go for upgrading these things that too much money i would not mind getting a roller around 350.00 - 400.00

I think your expectations are a bit high ?

If you buy the gas version to convert your gonna spend that couple hundo you saved on additional E parts anyway.

Dont forget the E version also comes with cheezy lipos that can be sold to offset cost.

That was my first thought. But really can't imagine you'd get much for the cheezy lipos to make it worth the hassle.

Why not, MA does it every farkin' day ? :neutral:

For $699 you can buy one of these and a free charger from a guy on RCU. The stock 2.4 may be plain but its got great range, and works well. I still sold mine for $20 to a friend. The stock Lipos are adequate enough to give 8 minutes of hard runtime, and are hardcased to boot. I sold them for $20 each to another
friend.
I think its a great deal personally. Its a brushless 1/5th scale, not a 1/8 or a Revo/Savage. Of course its gonna be a little more expensive. I have well over $699 in my gasser, so how can it be a bad deal?

I bought one and await it's arrival. Before buying, I considered a Baja clone and then ditching the gasser for an electric conversion. Cheapest I could fathom all that was $800. And at best I still had a RWD car whereas I preferd 4WD. On the other hand, I'll use the supplied lipos, radio esc and motor for some of my other cars rather than sell them off. I'll be using a 1717, MMM and dual 6s 40C 5000mah lipos for this (and some spare pinions). Should hump the ground pretty well..

Obeast, was the video run under stock conditions?