An overly hot motor means short life and less power. Big kudos to the Dromida crew on the scale detailing.Įven though the Dromida only tops out at 16 mph (indicating it is not geared too high), the motor likes to run hot. The spare tire, lights, roll cage, and other scale details are great touches. While there is a lot of wiring inside the body of the DB4.18 (for the lights) it is smartly done and worked well for us (read- we didn’t have problems with the lights quitting). Overall? It didn’t break during “normal” type driving, we had to get abusive to bust some parts. On that jump we broke a rear hub, broke two driveshafts, and ended up shoving the a-arm through the rear wheel. Finally we did a roof jump from about 10 feet high and landed at a weird angle on the drivers rear wheel. We chunked out a spur gear after a couple of full speed slams into a curb, but we had a hard time breaking any suspension parts. The wheel was also in a good spot in relation to the trigger and the grip.īroken Parts: We found the DB4.18 capable of taking some decent abuse. We liked the serrated trigger face and the foam covered wheel, things that most other RTR radios do not have. It had good range, it never glitched, and its ergonomics were good enough for long term use. Radio: For a RTR radio the included unit was solid. However, if you are an experienced hobbyist you’ll grow tired of the soft power system quickly and be looking for more yank. ![]() Is this a terrible thing? No, it was perfect for noobs and we had fun with the stock power system. Its low end is quite soft, the mid-range is electric smooth but with very little yank, and the top end signs off at just 16 mph. They were best for street use, but weren’t bad on packed dirt and light loam. Tires: While not made from super soft race rubber, we found the stock tires did a solid job on a variety of surfaces. Yes, it can get around in short grass, but anything taller and it simply gets stuck. Grass: While the DB4.18 is far from the smallest rc we’ve ever tested, it is still on the small side for serious grass bashing. It soaked up bigger bumps at speed quite well and generally was a blast to play with on pavement. On-Road: The tuning of the suspension seemed best suited to driving on the street. Thankfully thinner shock oil is cheap and easy to install to make it more compliant in the rough. It comes with too much compression damping in the front, which is great for higher corner speeds on high bite surfaces, but makes it bounce over small potholes and dirt clods. When looping out a light tap of the brakes easily brought the nose down, but the relatively low rpm stock power system did have enough yank to pull out of an endo.īumps/Whoops: The DB4.18 had a bit more bounce in rough sections than we liked. The buggy stayed nice and straight up jump faces and its suspension soaked up landings quite well. It had about the right amount of steering around the apex and had good on-power steering. Once past the initial oversteer the buggy turned well. This wasn’t as noticeable on loose dirt, but on high traction surfaces it made the buggy hard to drive. For example, when doing speed passes you sometimes have to make slight corrections to maintain the heading and the buggy would steer too much with very little input. ![]() Turning: The DB4.18 had some pretty hard oversteering at initial turn-in. For a battery we used a Duratrax 7.2v 1600mAh NiMH and for charging we enlisted a TrakPower VR-1. Set-up Notes: We ran the DB4.18 all stock with two exceptions. Test Venues: St Louis Dirtburners off-road track, Minnie Ha Ha park, e-Fest expo hall in Champaign Illinois, and our course our friendly local CostCo parking lot. Test Drivers: Sam “Da’ Noobie”, Robbie G, Iron Mickie, T-$$$, and yours truly. The pinion/spur mesh was fine, the shocks were properly filled, and we didn’t find any stripped screws. What’s Needed To Complete: Nothing, zero, nada.īuild Quality: We didn’t find anything out of order when first inspecting the buggy. Primary Competition: Other 1/18th scalers from Helion and Associated. Speed Controller: Dromida RE18 combo unit Unboxing Pictures: BSRC Unboxes the DB4.18 ![]() Is the DB4.18 a good noobie vehicle? Does it have enough performance for an experienced hobbyist to have fun? Keep on reading to find out… Dromida has sold boatloads (literally) of 18th scalers over the last couple of years and recently we got a chance to test out their new DB4.18 Desert Buggy. There are plenty of good reasons to buy an 18th scaler, but most people buy them because they are so affordable and typically hard to break. Dromida DB4.18 1/18th Desert Buggy Review
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |