Can't argue with the results on the 6 problems. All design decisions combined would have me looking at other options. I appreciate you pointing out your observations. As always you take a leveled and fair approach
@@RCTNT You bet man, always nice to chat and visit. This model just hits on a few things that bother me but I'm glad it handled your problems pretty well. Better than I expected :)
I appreciate the approach you took in the video and that you pointed out some of the oddities with geo, but also pointed out that it still does the thing. Well done mate!
Another great video fella. I bought the original ascent and put a lot of “work” into before I even drove it and I like it. A few RUclipsrs total shit on this rig but for the $ it is quite nice. 👍
Thanks, I think the thing is great for the price. I'll have more to discuss about it in the next video but it's a premium model that performs well and is excellent value, IMO. It's funny you say some youtubers have really criticised it. I've watched nothing about it yet, but others have told me youtubers have been praising it to an unrealistic level, too. I have some criticisms, mainly about the front axle and related components, but even so, it's honestly a pretty decent little thing.
Great video sir. I really like your opinions and view points. I’m excited to see Redcat offering this level of RTR out the box. Yes of course it has short comings but what RTR doesn’t. As I have stated before and will continue to that decent RTRs are a great way to get new people into this hobby. Most don’t want to spend the time and effort to research and build their own. So hats off to Redcat and Vanquish for finally offering out the box bone stock RTRs that don’t suck. Of course I feel the kits and building your own to your own specs and desires is the true happiness and enjoyment ….. but each to their own.
Thanks Brent. Well said. A decent RTR is exactly what the hobby needs. All the big names have some brilliant rigs now. Trx4 Sport, Ecto, Base Camp all are similarly capable. The Vanquish edges out the rest of them, but wow, what a great time to be in the hobby!
Really nice and well done over view as always my friend. I definitely think Redcat went the extra mile and a half on this one. I’m sure there will be bent suspension links out soon for this if not already. Think it was just one of those items they made concessions on to to have the carbon fiber and awesome electronics, as well as brass and alloy bits for proper weight distribution. I know the shorter wheelbase may change the lines typically taken with longer wheelbase rigs. Still, what a beauty of a truck ! Wish you the very best with your busy upcoming schedule! ✌🏼😎👍🏻
I did a lot of work making a gen8 a comp rig just like this fusion. Think I may sell it and move to this. So glad I'm invested in Redcat! They are doing big things!! Awesome first run thank you bro and hope your doing better 🎉🎉
Thanks, yeah we're getting there. A modified Gen8 v2 could give the Fusion here a run for its money and it's a better trail rig. I don't know, but suspect the Gen8 v2 axles will be more durable than these, too - but I'm guessing, and could be wrong. The Gen8 v2 axles have just been legendarily durable though! The Ascent Fusion is a great crawler. It will be harder to modify than the Gen8 v2, too. But it is pretty sweet out of the box, so that counts for a lot! Cheers
Awesome review Craig. Seems to be a really deadly rig for its price. I think redcat really has got their head in the game these days. I got a Danchee from about 3 years ago now and it blew me away how awesome it was for the price. The 4ws 1/10th flex machine for the same price as a Scx24. It took on the problems like they really werent a thing at all. :) Nice one man!
I always meant to get a Danchee after @sonoranscalestudios did so much with them in 2021 and 22, but I just didn't get around to it. They look like amazing rigs, and the Ascent would seem to be something of an evolution from that generation for Redcat. They're making good things, aren't they!
I'm not an authority on much of anything! Please, I'm just a dude who loves RC stuff! I share experience and wisdom earned from it, but I can be wrong, sometimes a lot! Appreciate the friendly intent of your comment though, cheers 😊
Nope. 6V/7.4A adjustable, @4A continuous. I hear that the OEM Fusion 1800kv unit in the Ascent Fusion is set at 7.4v from factory and doesn't adjust down to 6v. Haven't tested that yet.
Thanks 👍 Longer rod ends on the front would change the wheelbase and could help with rubbing, but it would introduce other issues. I think the best solution is to modify the body. Simple and quick and won't change the geometry, which is a bit odd but certainly works!
You could cut the body but it might be possible to heat the lexan up and bend it out of the way. I've done this myself on other bodies and it stops the messy cut look. 😊
15:13 that's called caster angle. Normally you adjust that with shims on the upper control arms in passenger vehicles but since these don't have it, you achieve it by tilting the axle. if you've ever driven a car that you really have to put in some effort to keep it turning, and it likes to snap back driving straight, that's due to a high caster angle. (if you didn't already know that)
@@RCTNT only reason I remember is I used to get caster and camber mixed up and my auto shop teacher rode me like a rented mule until I finally got em right! Hat's off Mr Adachi. (he also was an engineer who worked on the wankel rotary engine)
I like the idea of doing a review without much pre-testing. It's similar to what new buyer would go through. How many more expensive crawlers failed your six problems?
It happens sometimes. The biggest disaster was the Vanquish VS4-10 Phoenix. It did so poorly in stock form that my first rock test video lost me subscribers, which almost never happens. Even back then, despite being world ranked #9 overall from the 2018 Worlds, I had people telling me to go watch this or that channel and to learn to crawl before doing crawler reviews. It was such a shocker, lol
It made me look incompetent on the rocks, I guess. There are some upset commenters on the earlier phoenix videos telling me how hard it is to watch my driving. Clearly the truck would do better in their hands, etc. Lol.
Very nice video, this car is my favorite, in colombia, my country, this car don't came. I have a cuestion, this car can do offroad, i can use it like a crawler, because here people do more offroad . Thanks for your videos
Different markets, I guess. Traxxas is heinously expensive in Australia but Element is a easy sell. I'm back and working on this rig again now. Guess we'll see where we end up!
This truck is offering a lot for the price, and looks, straight out of the box, performing quite well. What is a bit frustrating with Redcat, is that you can't find a lot of aftermarket parts to modify it or upgrade it. I have seen your message below, and I'm very curious about the Ecto with the upgrades you mentionned.
The Ecto will be a beast with just those few upgrades. It's already truly capable! The Ascent Fusion here is more premium in materials and finish, I think. But it's nearly at the peak of its ability already. All you can really do is tires, foams/inners, and fixing that front geometry. The Ecto, on the other hand, is already very capable and has much improvement to be found!
(7:36) ...Actually, (I have found/IMHO), the front axle ARTICULATION "is" the most important when doing/attempting more [uphill] & steep-approach inclines !!! - "For sure"... 💯% ...And that is because you want the rear-axle articulation to be "more stiff" than the front, for "uphill ASCENTS". ...Especially when we have a FORWARD-BIAS !! 🤔... - So yuh got it backwards brother 👌...✌️
I disagree, but it's my opinion. I don't think you have it backwards, but maybe that's what works for you. For some rigs, it could be the case. My personal preference is to have more movement in the back axle than the front. But when trying to ascend, there still needs to be enough spring to push the car up. Articulation doesn't mean it can't also do that.
I'm looking for my 1st Crawler. I am torn between this and the Vanquish VRD Stance. I am not a Hardcore Crawler- I just want a good product / value piece. Which would you suggest? The Redcat plus these upgrades or the Vanquish ? Thanks !
Stance is the easy recommendation. It's simply better. VRD Carbon even better - it's value is considerably higher than the Stance, and building it will teach you much about crawling and will help you with maintaining it longer term. Either of these and also the SCX10 Pro over the Redcat. Pretty as the model is, it's performance is already at the limit due to its design. I've made it better with my overhaul but the Stance will run rings around it.
Australian Ravens (there are crows here too, and they sound similar, but these were ravens). Tracer is here and has been unboxed. Unrelated to RC, life has become considerably more difficult since the end of January, so a bunch of stuff got pushed back. And it took a few tries to get a Tracer delivered, but it is finally here and I'll do the video soon! Thanks for bearing with me!
Lol finally, I did the review barely a couple of hours after it was delivered, and I bought it with all speed from redcat on Day 1. 'Finally' for USA is 'so fresh!' for Australia, haha
Can’t deny the motor quality. Redcat is trying hard. Brass on portals Need to do short front shocks which I always like and band it down for most part and leave rear free, 1/24 band both always. But they need to because they don’t want too much bump ateer. Or servo on axle it would be best
Another option to winching down axles is to put little springs under the pistons, which draws the shock shafts back into the shock a little. One of my bigger questions is why they didn't go servo on axle. For this class of truck it makes sense. The geometry issue would be solved and performance would be slightly better. But then folks would probably criticise that too. I dunno, it still kinda works pretty well as it is. Not a lot of room for adjustment though, as it's all quite close. It is an odd vehicle!
I do not have a redcat, but I really do not care if I would have bumpsteer on a crawler. Especially if the front axle has full droop through inner springs, as this and also my performer rig. I can see in many videos that the Ascent fusion runs impressive as a Crawler out of the box….awesome RTR setup for people to get into crawling 👌 Only thing I am worried about is, that the fusion SE motor is too fast and powefull to get into the hobby.
Bump steer becomes a problem when you're trying to navigate a difficult obstacle. The suspension is flexed, you're trying to steer left, let's say, but the best you can get the front wheels is straight. Minor bump steer is fine, but it can get pretty bad. Look at a crawler with CMS and 4 link config up front and you will see how bad it can be! Regarding the Fusion, the beauty of foc is that you get the best of both worlds. Higher top speed when you want it, and deliciously slow and controlled crawling when you feather the throttle. It's great!
@@RCTNT ...I am a slowcrawl guy 😊 For real, I crawl a bit over a year now, and I still hate it to have too pitchy rigs. Especially the reverse...I loose control too fast on high turn motors especially brushless.
@PleasureAfterWorkRcCrawlers I understand your points (though you mean low turn motors, I think), but I'm also excited now I've read your message here, because I know what you're going to learn over time - and it's great news! Try an FOC system. It'll change how you look at brushless. Or, try an outrunner system, that will open your mind as well. Another thing to consider: get a radio that has Expo and dial it up for Reverse Throttle. Put it in the high 20s to mid 30s for Reverse and see what you think. I'm glad you're enjoying the hobby! Honestly, even a cheap brushed system will bring plenty of joy, so run what you've got and enjoy it 👍😎
@@RCTNT It is not the reaction time, it is the short rev. throttle input to get full speed. That is what I ment. I tryd different rigs with different brushless motors. Not my thing...maybe some day.
@PleasureAfterWorkRcCrawlers sounds like Expo will fix this. I'm not trying to bring you around to brushless, but even on a brushed motor I expect you'll have an 'ah ha!' moment if you get a chance to dial up the reverse expo. Like you, I really prefer slow crawling. Over the last 14 or so years I've tried most radios, motors and ESCs out there and I know how good (and how bad) it can get! I'm not trying to argue or anything, I just get excited about this stuff! Cheers
Hi Chris, I hadn't heard of that before so I just took a look. It's a TRX4 clone, so expect the servo to be better than the Traxxas junk and the Flysky radio to be nicer, but the rest of it to be a little worse than the real thing. It'll crawl worse too, with stock tires. I'm confident because my testing has shown that the Canyon Trails are some of the better RTR crawling tires out there. Cheers Oh just an edit to say, when i said "clone", I really meant it. Portal and diff housings look identical, C-hubs and knuckles, too. Even the battery latch style, which was something they easily could have changed to make it their own was left the same. I don't like to support such shameless copies as it's bad for the hobby, so I'll be leaving this one on the shelf. Thanks for letting me know about it!
@@RCTNT yeah totally a clone, I guess my angle is that’s a $469 crawler on the shelf in Australia. I don’t really like to see the copying of another product but I’d hate to think of spending 1000 bucks when then there’s a product that less than 1/2 the price. Servo is strong. I see it as good value.
@user-ht1br5fm7t I'm not judging. Go for it. Can't argue with the price in Australia where traxxas costs so much! But be aware of the RGT Pro Runner, FMS FCX10, Yikong 4106Pro, and the Cross RC EMO AT4. None of these are clones of anything and are all genuinely good cars too.
Personally not a fan of Redcat overall, but the results of the 6 problems shows the performance it can achieve. Personally I think there would have been more value if Redcat had spent the extra price on shrinking that pumpkin and increasing the droop ability, as a motor ESC can be installed in under an hour by almost anyone. That being said, the carbon chassis is a good step forward and I hope they put more R&D towards the me
The axles are chunky and feel very similar to RGT axles, to the point I wonder about factories and assembly being the same. That's not a bad thing if true, as RGT are quite good. I think it's a pretty decent effort for the price. Believe it or not, many people are intimidated by even a motor swap, so it's always welcome to see something like this out of the box. For the money, she's a pretty decent little rig, IMO.
@@RCTNT I agree for the price it is good and it has great performance for the price point, but I think with this entry Redcat has stepped away from the budget crawler market. Whether it's fair or not comparisons with Traxxas, Axial and Element are definitely coming, and I'm not sure the Ascent fusion has the broad market appeal that the Sport, Basecamp and Ecto have. As for the difficulty of motor swaps I agree some people may be intimidated with taking their truck apart, but it's not as big of a step as working with link geometry or a bigger droop setup which I think would have been a better value for performance.
I agree with you on the second paragraph, for sure. You make a good point. As to the first paragraph? Well, you nailed it. That's the 4-way comparison that's logically gotta follow. In particular, I was just talking with a friend this morning about putting the same Fusion SE 1800 and ~42kg 8.4v servo into the Ecto for a very close comparison between these two. They're the ones to beat. Both the Base Camp and Sport can do all 6 Problems here but the Ecto and Ascent Fusion do them better, and with the better low speed control of the Fusion SE, I suspect the Ecto will be the king. I might have to stick an FOC system into all 4 for a useful comparison.
@@RCTNT looking forward to it then! I love your evidence based comp style video comparisons, the best way to get a fair comparison is to push every rig in a fair and equal manner
If I decide to buy this I’m going to go with 4link front servo on axle the front end is very bad like all their rigs but I do enjoy them and have a marksman with my own front end steering links made. I run a 1200kv se to make up for no Gear reduction. I have a SOA from shape ways coming for my marksman I bought it at the @$300 price point check out 2FMRC he does this kind of mod on the ASCENT and personally at this comp style build should be SOA his video on “is this the best cralwer of 2023 is very very impressive. Cheers to you and God bless you and your family, thanks.
It's a little baffling that they went for CMS with an otherwise comp-style rig, yes. I've got a short list of things I want to design to help address this, including a SOA + 4-link mount. It needs it. Crikey, $300 for the SOA setup for the Marksman is steeeeep! Whew! Glad you're happy with it though - Shapeways isn't cheap, but their SLA stuff is wonderful, isn't it :)
@@RCTNTNo sorry the rtr was $300 red cats mark down deal for the whole rc. The shapeways mount is idk $30 something US, my bad 🤦♂️😂. But CMS thing is idk gen 9 axles right? So it’s not entirely new.
I get the price difference for us here in Aus, but far out it’s frustrating. I’d like to support the big blokes as much as the next person but the truth be told I’d rather just buy it off Ali or similar and still have money left over for other parts than have to fork out hundreds of $ and then some insane shipping on top. Know it won’t change but it does my head in 😅
@@RCTNT my losi nightcrawler was about the same £160 shipping and tax on top ..we might get a break one day ...the fusion was worth it . Nice quiet esc aswell 😁👍
Wow that is a chicks truck for shore lol , all the shiny bling and no functionality lol 😂 great review mate and thank you for the effort off extra costs to get this review out there so soon here in Australia, appreciate it heaps mate 👍
I don’t know why but paying extra for the car made me laugh. It seems like it would be only a few dollars for shipping. But in my mind you had a leer jet fly it over for you
Got to get another 2 Treal Beadlocks blue when back in stock getting light bars and a phew accessories before take her out plus be dry runner only so nothing goes rusty
Thankfully it was a voluntary exchange and I'd even say it was still worth it. For all its quirky geometry and odd design decisions, it's a gorgeous and very premium rig. I love it 😊 And now I'm back from Nationals, I'm back to work on getting it up to spec for WRCCA Performance Scale class, and improving a few elements of it. More on that soon!
Can't argue with the results on the 6 problems. All design decisions combined would have me looking at other options. I appreciate you pointing out your observations. As always you take a leveled and fair approach
Thanks Andy! Really sounds like you're not a fan of this thing. I dunno, it's not so bad, seems to me.
Anyway, thanks for checking it out with me ☺️
VRD stance is your best bet
For an RTR for pure performance, absolutely.
@@RCTNT You bet man, always nice to chat and visit. This model just hits on a few things that bother me but I'm glad it handled your problems pretty well. Better than I expected :)
We're going to have to put a Fusion 1800 and better steering into the Ecto or Zuul then do a close evaluation of these two rigs for capability.
I appreciate the approach you took in the video and that you pointed out some of the oddities with geo, but also pointed out that it still does the thing. Well done mate!
Thanks! Yeah, she's a bit of an odd duck but the thing performs, that's objectively true. Cheers!
I am no where near your level but watching your videos is like rc college. Thank you for what you do !!!!! 🙂
It's my absolute pleasure to share this with you 👍
I will never complain about shipping costs again base on what you had to pay!!! Always measured and complete analysis. I look forward to video #2.
Heh, yeah it was steep! Thanks
Another great video fella. I bought the original ascent and put a lot of “work” into before I even drove it and I like it. A few RUclipsrs total shit on this rig but for the $ it is quite nice. 👍
Thanks, I think the thing is great for the price. I'll have more to discuss about it in the next video but it's a premium model that performs well and is excellent value, IMO.
It's funny you say some youtubers have really criticised it. I've watched nothing about it yet, but others have told me youtubers have been praising it to an unrealistic level, too.
I have some criticisms, mainly about the front axle and related components, but even so, it's honestly a pretty decent little thing.
Great video sir. I really like your opinions and view points. I’m excited to see Redcat offering this level of RTR out the box. Yes of course it has short comings but what RTR doesn’t. As I have stated before and will continue to that decent RTRs are a great way to get new people into this hobby. Most don’t want to spend the time and effort to research and build their own. So hats off to Redcat and Vanquish for finally offering out the box bone stock RTRs that don’t suck.
Of course I feel the kits and building your own to your own specs and desires is the true happiness and enjoyment ….. but each to their own.
Thanks Brent. Well said.
A decent RTR is exactly what the hobby needs. All the big names have some brilliant rigs now. Trx4 Sport, Ecto, Base Camp all are similarly capable. The Vanquish edges out the rest of them, but wow, what a great time to be in the hobby!
Really nice and well done over view as always my friend. I definitely think Redcat went the extra mile and a half on this one. I’m sure there will be bent suspension links out soon for this if not already. Think it was just one of those items they made concessions on to to have the carbon fiber and awesome electronics, as well as brass and alloy bits for proper weight distribution. I know the shorter wheelbase may change the lines typically taken with longer wheelbase rigs.
Still, what a beauty of a truck ! Wish you the very best with your busy upcoming schedule! ✌🏼😎👍🏻
Thanks! It all works well together, doesn't it. I'm a fan 😎
I did a lot of work making a gen8 a comp rig just like this fusion. Think I may sell it and move to this. So glad I'm invested in Redcat! They are doing big things!! Awesome first run thank you bro and hope your doing better 🎉🎉
Thanks, yeah we're getting there.
A modified Gen8 v2 could give the Fusion here a run for its money and it's a better trail rig. I don't know, but suspect the Gen8 v2 axles will be more durable than these, too - but I'm guessing, and could be wrong. The Gen8 v2 axles have just been legendarily durable though!
The Ascent Fusion is a great crawler. It will be harder to modify than the Gen8 v2, too. But it is pretty sweet out of the box, so that counts for a lot! Cheers
Good to see another rig on the course. Nice run and can't wait to see more!
Was good to have one out, yeah! More coming!
Great video, really impressive rig . I’m glad I didn’t buy the first one they launched because this one is far better !
It's gorgeous, isn't it!
This truck is on my want list, great out the box so I don't need to mess with it too much
It's pretty good, yeah!
Thanks for the review I always watch your reviews before getting one rig.. thanks for the time and expend 200$ dolars more so you can review it sooner
No worries! Hope it was helpful. More to come on this one.
Awesome review Craig. Seems to be a really deadly rig for its price. I think redcat really has got their head in the game these days. I got a Danchee from about 3 years ago now and it blew me away how awesome it was for the price. The 4ws 1/10th flex machine for the same price as a Scx24. It took on the problems like they really werent a thing at all. :) Nice one man!
I always meant to get a Danchee after @sonoranscalestudios did so much with them in 2021 and 22, but I just didn't get around to it. They look like amazing rigs, and the Ascent would seem to be something of an evolution from that generation for Redcat. They're making good things, aren't they!
@@RCTNT They sure are man, making things happen for not such a high price as some of the other companies :)
Fantastic review and thank you for being such an authority!
I'm not an authority on much of anything! Please, I'm just a dude who loves RC stuff! I share experience and wisdom earned from it, but I can be wrong, sometimes a lot!
Appreciate the friendly intent of your comment though, cheers 😊
awesome video and little truck, let`s see what the TRX`s answer will be ;)
The TRX4 Sport, I'd expect. Their performance is similar. I'll do a head to head with them, plus the Base Camp and Ecto.
"I've gone out of my way to know nothing ab...THAT'S ME!!! hahaha"
haha hi there
7:13 "took care of fatherly duties" Craig: gotta keep the wife happy amirite? heheh MIKE ffs!!! lol
this one man single-handedly cracked the code
@@RCTNT Better n being a dyslexic programmer who is always "coding the crack" haha
I DO amuse me, not gonna lie! hahah
Awesome run up Craig have ordered one and hopefully delivered in two weeks and got away with a good price as well
Hope you enjoy it!
Great to see you got a good price. In OZ? Where did you buy from?
@@MrChewie1978 got it from the US not many people have stock
Thanks for the overview.
No worries! Improvements coming soon.
I wonder if the fusions BEC handels 8.4?
Nope. 6V/7.4A adjustable, @4A continuous.
I hear that the OEM Fusion 1800kv unit in the Ascent Fusion is set at 7.4v from factory and doesn't adjust down to 6v. Haven't tested that yet.
Great to see you back in the thick of the action Craig! I wonder if longer link ends wouldnt solve the rubbing?
Thanks 👍 Longer rod ends on the front would change the wheelbase and could help with rubbing, but it would introduce other issues. I think the best solution is to modify the body. Simple and quick and won't change the geometry, which is a bit odd but certainly works!
You could cut the body but it might be possible to heat the lexan up and bend it out of the way. I've done this myself on other bodies and it stops the messy cut look. 😊
Ooh now that's a great idea!
truck looks fantastic 👌 crawls nice n smooth, would definitely get one 👌😃😃👍👍🌞
15:13 that's called caster angle. Normally you adjust that with shims on the upper control arms in passenger vehicles but since these don't have it, you achieve it by tilting the axle. if you've ever driven a car that you really have to put in some effort to keep it turning, and it likes to snap back driving straight, that's due to a high caster angle. (if you didn't already know that)
Aaaah yes, thanks. I'll add that to the 17.5 metric tons of things I've forgotten about Things That Go. Thanks Mike :)
@@RCTNT only reason I remember is I used to get caster and camber mixed up and my auto shop teacher rode me like a rented mule until I finally got em right!
Hat's off Mr Adachi. (he also was an engineer who worked on the wankel rotary engine)
@muskokamike127 oh cool! Teachers who are really into their craft can be life changing.
@@RCTNT 42 yrs and I still remember him, that's sumthin.....
It’s early May & mine was just delivered so I came back to revisit the video
Nice. I've been watching their availability, nice they're back in stock again!
great video
It's gorgeous 😮
It is, eh! I'm working on it right now with some... ambitious ideas, and despite the goofy geometry, it's a lovely piece of gear!
I like the idea of doing a review without much pre-testing. It's similar to what new buyer would go through. How many more expensive crawlers failed your six problems?
It happens sometimes. The biggest disaster was the Vanquish VS4-10 Phoenix. It did so poorly in stock form that my first rock test video lost me subscribers, which almost never happens. Even back then, despite being world ranked #9 overall from the 2018 Worlds, I had people telling me to go watch this or that channel and to learn to crawl before doing crawler reviews. It was such a shocker, lol
@@RCTNT I have learned that some people don't want to hear or see the truth.
This is my experience also.
Don't worry, I gave all those guys a full refund.
@@RCTNTseriously, people unsubscribe when a crawler does badly?!
PS the panhard plot thickens…
It made me look incompetent on the rocks, I guess. There are some upset commenters on the earlier phoenix videos telling me how hard it is to watch my driving. Clearly the truck would do better in their hands, etc. Lol.
Very nice video, this car is my favorite, in colombia, my country, this car don't came. I have a cuestion, this car can do offroad, i can use it like a crawler, because here people do more offroad . Thanks for your videos
It'll do trail driving all day, no problem, yep!
Thanks...
At 670 here in canads I'd sooner spend money at element or traxxas. Awesome video Craig.
Different markets, I guess. Traxxas is heinously expensive in Australia but Element is a easy sell. I'm back and working on this rig again now. Guess we'll see where we end up!
This truck is offering a lot for the price, and looks, straight out of the box, performing quite well. What is a bit frustrating with Redcat, is that you can't find a lot of aftermarket parts to modify it or upgrade it. I have seen your message below, and I'm very curious about the Ecto with the upgrades you mentionned.
The Ecto will be a beast with just those few upgrades. It's already truly capable!
The Ascent Fusion here is more premium in materials and finish, I think. But it's nearly at the peak of its ability already. All you can really do is tires, foams/inners, and fixing that front geometry.
The Ecto, on the other hand, is already very capable and has much improvement to be found!
We cant get red cats in the uk no suppliers at all ..
I had to buy direct too. $$$
@@craigpimlott204 Same in France. Weird such a brand is not correctly distributed.
They will get there, hopefully
Awesome!!! But I wish they make another round of dodge power wagon 1/10😮😮😮
(7:36) ...Actually, (I have found/IMHO), the front axle ARTICULATION "is" the most important when doing/attempting more [uphill] & steep-approach inclines !!!
- "For sure"... 💯%
...And that is because you want the rear-axle articulation to be "more stiff" than the front, for
"uphill ASCENTS".
...Especially when we have a FORWARD-BIAS !!
🤔... - So yuh got it backwards brother 👌...✌️
I disagree, but it's my opinion. I don't think you have it backwards, but maybe that's what works for you. For some rigs, it could be the case.
My personal preference is to have more movement in the back axle than the front. But when trying to ascend, there still needs to be enough spring to push the car up. Articulation doesn't mean it can't also do that.
I'm looking for my 1st Crawler. I am torn between this and the Vanquish VRD Stance. I am not a Hardcore Crawler- I just want a good product / value piece. Which would you suggest? The Redcat plus these upgrades or the Vanquish ? Thanks !
Stance is the easy recommendation. It's simply better. VRD Carbon even better - it's value is considerably higher than the Stance, and building it will teach you much about crawling and will help you with maintaining it longer term.
Either of these and also the SCX10 Pro over the Redcat. Pretty as the model is, it's performance is already at the limit due to its design. I've made it better with my overhaul but the Stance will run rings around it.
What animal is that making noise in the background? And when are you going to review a rgt tracer pro
Australian Ravens (there are crows here too, and they sound similar, but these were ravens).
Tracer is here and has been unboxed.
Unrelated to RC, life has become considerably more difficult since the end of January, so a bunch of stuff got pushed back. And it took a few tries to get a Tracer delivered, but it is finally here and I'll do the video soon! Thanks for bearing with me!
Wow..❤❤ finally
Lol finally, I did the review barely a couple of hours after it was delivered, and I bought it with all speed from redcat on Day 1. 'Finally' for USA is 'so fresh!' for Australia, haha
Can’t deny the motor quality.
Redcat is trying hard.
Brass on portals
Need to do short front shocks which I always like and band it down for most part and leave rear free, 1/24 band both always. But they need to because they don’t want too much bump ateer. Or servo on axle it would be best
Another option to winching down axles is to put little springs under the pistons, which draws the shock shafts back into the shock a little.
One of my bigger questions is why they didn't go servo on axle. For this class of truck it makes sense. The geometry issue would be solved and performance would be slightly better.
But then folks would probably criticise that too. I dunno, it still kinda works pretty well as it is. Not a lot of room for adjustment though, as it's all quite close. It is an odd vehicle!
Thank you
😎
I do not have a redcat, but I really do not care if I would have bumpsteer on a crawler. Especially if the front axle has full droop through inner springs, as this and also my performer rig. I can see in many videos that the Ascent fusion runs impressive as a Crawler out of the box….awesome RTR setup for people to get into crawling 👌
Only thing I am worried about is, that the fusion SE motor is too fast and powefull to get into the hobby.
Bump steer becomes a problem when you're trying to navigate a difficult obstacle. The suspension is flexed, you're trying to steer left, let's say, but the best you can get the front wheels is straight. Minor bump steer is fine, but it can get pretty bad. Look at a crawler with CMS and 4 link config up front and you will see how bad it can be!
Regarding the Fusion, the beauty of foc is that you get the best of both worlds. Higher top speed when you want it, and deliciously slow and controlled crawling when you feather the throttle. It's great!
@@RCTNT ...I am a slowcrawl guy 😊
For real, I crawl a bit over a year now, and I still hate it to have too pitchy rigs. Especially the reverse...I loose control too fast on high turn motors especially brushless.
@PleasureAfterWorkRcCrawlers I understand your points (though you mean low turn motors, I think), but I'm also excited now I've read your message here, because I know what you're going to learn over time - and it's great news!
Try an FOC system. It'll change how you look at brushless. Or, try an outrunner system, that will open your mind as well.
Another thing to consider: get a radio that has Expo and dial it up for Reverse Throttle. Put it in the high 20s to mid 30s for Reverse and see what you think.
I'm glad you're enjoying the hobby! Honestly, even a cheap brushed system will bring plenty of joy, so run what you've got and enjoy it 👍😎
@@RCTNT It is not the reaction time, it is the short rev. throttle input to get full speed. That is what I ment. I tryd different rigs with different brushless motors. Not my thing...maybe some day.
@PleasureAfterWorkRcCrawlers sounds like Expo will fix this.
I'm not trying to bring you around to brushless, but even on a brushed motor I expect you'll have an 'ah ha!' moment if you get a chance to dial up the reverse expo.
Like you, I really prefer slow crawling. Over the last 14 or so years I've tried most radios, motors and ESCs out there and I know how good (and how bad) it can get! I'm not trying to argue or anything, I just get excited about this stuff! Cheers
Did you get down to doing the Kagama Teardown?
Not yet. Busy. But it hasn't been forgotten.
@@RCTNT okay looking forward to it, if things go according to plan I'll pick one up in a week or two. Just want something small as I have an xmaxx
This car isn't small. But it is solid! I think you'll enjoy it. Quite a different experience to the xmaxx!
@@RCTNT yeah I meant small compared to xmaxx 😅 looks awesome, just deciding out of red or blue.
So did I! It's still quite a hefty boy.
It’s been a minute since something handled the 6 problems to quickly, if I’m remembering correctly.
The Stance would be the most recent, and my utb18 chassis build before that, yeah. Was a pretty quick video!
I enjoy mine!!
I believe it!
Mega RC Rock Viper next please
Hi Chris, I hadn't heard of that before so I just took a look. It's a TRX4 clone, so expect the servo to be better than the Traxxas junk and the Flysky radio to be nicer, but the rest of it to be a little worse than the real thing. It'll crawl worse too, with stock tires. I'm confident because my testing has shown that the Canyon Trails are some of the better RTR crawling tires out there. Cheers
Oh just an edit to say, when i said "clone", I really meant it. Portal and diff housings look identical, C-hubs and knuckles, too. Even the battery latch style, which was something they easily could have changed to make it their own was left the same. I don't like to support such shameless copies as it's bad for the hobby, so I'll be leaving this one on the shelf. Thanks for letting me know about it!
@@RCTNT yeah totally a clone, I guess my angle is that’s a $469 crawler on the shelf in Australia. I don’t really like to see the copying of another product but I’d hate to think of spending 1000 bucks when then there’s a product that less than 1/2 the price. Servo is strong. I see it as good value.
@user-ht1br5fm7t I'm not judging. Go for it. Can't argue with the price in Australia where traxxas costs so much! But be aware of the RGT Pro Runner, FMS FCX10, Yikong 4106Pro, and the Cross RC EMO AT4. None of these are clones of anything and are all genuinely good cars too.
Personally not a fan of Redcat overall, but the results of the 6 problems shows the performance it can achieve. Personally I think there would have been more value if Redcat had spent the extra price on shrinking that pumpkin and increasing the droop ability, as a motor ESC can be installed in under an hour by almost anyone. That being said, the carbon chassis is a good step forward and I hope they put more R&D towards the me
The axles are chunky and feel very similar to RGT axles, to the point I wonder about factories and assembly being the same. That's not a bad thing if true, as RGT are quite good.
I think it's a pretty decent effort for the price. Believe it or not, many people are intimidated by even a motor swap, so it's always welcome to see something like this out of the box.
For the money, she's a pretty decent little rig, IMO.
@@RCTNT I agree for the price it is good and it has great performance for the price point, but I think with this entry Redcat has stepped away from the budget crawler market. Whether it's fair or not comparisons with Traxxas, Axial and Element are definitely coming, and I'm not sure the Ascent fusion has the broad market appeal that the Sport, Basecamp and Ecto have.
As for the difficulty of motor swaps I agree some people may be intimidated with taking their truck apart, but it's not as big of a step as working with link geometry or a bigger droop setup which I think would have been a better value for performance.
I agree with you on the second paragraph, for sure. You make a good point.
As to the first paragraph? Well, you nailed it. That's the 4-way comparison that's logically gotta follow. In particular, I was just talking with a friend this morning about putting the same Fusion SE 1800 and ~42kg 8.4v servo into the Ecto for a very close comparison between these two. They're the ones to beat.
Both the Base Camp and Sport can do all 6 Problems here but the Ecto and Ascent Fusion do them better, and with the better low speed control of the Fusion SE, I suspect the Ecto will be the king.
I might have to stick an FOC system into all 4 for a useful comparison.
@@RCTNT looking forward to it then! I love your evidence based comp style video comparisons, the best way to get a fair comparison is to push every rig in a fair and equal manner
If I decide to buy this I’m going to go with 4link front servo on axle the front end is very bad like all their rigs but I do enjoy them and have a marksman with my own front end steering links made. I run a 1200kv se to make up for no
Gear reduction.
I have a SOA from shape ways coming for my marksman I bought it at the @$300 price point check out 2FMRC he does this kind of mod on the ASCENT and personally at this comp style build should be SOA his video on “is this the best cralwer of 2023 is very very impressive. Cheers to you and God bless you and your family, thanks.
It's a little baffling that they went for CMS with an otherwise comp-style rig, yes. I've got a short list of things I want to design to help address this, including a SOA + 4-link mount. It needs it.
Crikey, $300 for the SOA setup for the Marksman is steeeeep! Whew! Glad you're happy with it though - Shapeways isn't cheap, but their SLA stuff is wonderful, isn't it :)
@@RCTNTNo sorry the rtr was $300 red cats mark down deal for the whole rc. The shapeways mount is idk $30 something US, my bad 🤦♂️😂. But CMS thing is idk gen 9 axles right? So it’s not entirely new.
Ah I see. That makes more sense!
try moving the body back to line up with the skid a bit more and not cutting
Will do, it's on the bench right now 🤔
@RCTNT another great vid 👌
Thanks 🙏
It's $319 USD right now !!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
I get the price difference for us here in Aus, but far out it’s frustrating. I’d like to support the big blokes as much as the next person but the truth be told I’d rather just buy it off Ali or similar and still have money left over for other parts than have to fork out hundreds of $ and then some insane shipping on top. Know it won’t change but it does my head in 😅
If you wait, the car will be in Australian stores eventually. Then it'll be reasonably priced. Ish.
Mine cost me just over £520 after import duty and shipping 😢 had to have it ..👍
Ooooff! That's more than I paid by a considerable margin, blimey!!
@@RCTNT my losi nightcrawler was about the same £160 shipping and tax on top ..we might get a break one day ...the fusion was worth it . Nice quiet esc aswell 😁👍
The Fusion SE is brilliant, yeah! Makes any crawler feel premium!
Wow that is a chicks truck for shore lol , all the shiny bling and no functionality lol 😂 great review mate and thank you for the effort off extra costs to get this review out there so soon here in Australia, appreciate it heaps mate 👍
I mean, it did all 6 problems and looked great doing it. Happy to add to the discussion on this rig, it's very worthy.
I don’t know why but paying extra for the car made me laugh. It seems like it would be only a few dollars for shipping. But in my mind you had a leer jet fly it over for you
May as well have been, I paid 50% of the vehicle price again for shipping!
Same here the cost😂
Yes 💀
Only one in the uk 🇬🇧
Got to get another 2 Treal Beadlocks blue when back in stock getting light bars and a phew accessories before take her out plus be dry runner only so nothing goes rusty
Sucks when you don't get a free one to review. Sucks even harder when you over pay by 200 hun...
Thankfully it was a voluntary exchange and I'd even say it was still worth it. For all its quirky geometry and odd design decisions, it's a gorgeous and very premium rig. I love it 😊
And now I'm back from Nationals, I'm back to work on getting it up to spec for WRCCA Performance Scale class, and improving a few elements of it. More on that soon!
@RCTNT That's cool Bro, good attitude. I can't wait to see upcoming vids and what you do next 💯👍🏼