This is my first radio control review for my website.
While others may do similar reviews, I'll base mine on two things.
One maneuverability inside and then outside if I find the need arises to
test it on a larger smooth surface such as a driveway.
Two is how powerful the vehicle is not as in speed but torque such as
running inside on low-pile carpet. This is because most of the
vehicles I will be reviewing are 1/16 scale or smaller which is more
suited to indoors. The Race-Tin Auldrey Toys Dodge
Challenger looks to be about a 2012-2013 but the body style is the same as
current 2009+ models. You can get this in either metallic blue or
black with stripes. The car comes with a pistol style controller
with metal antenna. The steering is done via a wheel which is either
left or right thus pulse steering. The throttle and reverse is via a
trigger. The throttle has two positions, half way is low and full is
high or "turbo" as they used to say on most r/c cars in the 1980s. I
put in two AAs in the controller and four AAs in the car. Each
battery door is held in place with a screw. A good idea to keep kids
from losing them but a pain for the bigger kids (adults) to deal with.
The car has LED lights which go on in forward and two rear ones for
reverse. Initial test was on inside on the carpet. The car is
slow and doesn't have the low end torque like others with direct-drive so
it is hindered and can get stuck easily. The turbo forward speed
helps it get out of a jam but reverse is no use if you need to back-up.
The car steered great with fast response once I got the hang of not
getting in a jam on the carpet.
So I needed a smooth surface to try it out on which
meant the driveway. I have drove many a r/c vehicle here from hobby
grade or toy grade so I was prepared for anything. The thing I
wasn't prepared for was the car blowing its rear tires off the rims in
turbo high speed mode while turning. This Challenger is quick in a
straight line on smooth surfaces
when you give it full throttle, you can steer fine just keep it near you
as the internal antenna doesn't allow you to go too far outdoors.
When I first tested it, I wondered why the car slowed to a crawl.
Upon further inspection, I noticed the rear tires came off the rims so I
adjusted them and the car was back to running without trouble. The
slow speed is fast enough on the driveway surface but you'll want to hit
turbo (full
throttle) for some high-speed runs. Remember to be cautious when you steer at full
throttle as the rear tires will have the tendency to come off the rims. Low speed doesn't affect it as much.
In summary, is this worth $20? I would give it
a 3 out of 5 rating because it should be able to run indoors on low carpet
without getting hung up and not just smooth surfaces. It would be
too fast indoors if you want to run it on say a kitchen floor so it is
mainly an outdoor driveway car just to mess around with. The body is
fairly detailed well, better than others in the same price range. I
just wish it was a better runner inside. The plus side is the
detail, good steering and lights without any goofy extra stickers or
graphics. A good car for the shelf if you wish to display it and
then take it out on the driveway for some fun now and then. Not bad
but not good enough to get a two thumbs up.
Street Price: $20.00
Pros:
Inside Antenna on Car
Quick Pulse Steering
Use of Regular AAs
Two Forward Speeds (Activated via Controller)
Cons: Slow on Carpet
Open Differential
Rear Tires Come Loose Easily (High Speed Turns)
Summary: Great for display
but not that impressed with its ability to run indoors. A car in
this scale should be able to drive on low-pile carpet without much trouble
instead of having to find a smooth floor or to take it outside such as on
a driveway. I give it three out of five stars. Just OK.
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