Far from Good - Killerbody Mercury Chassis Review
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- Опубликовано: 20 янв 2024
- I'm done building the Killerbody Mercury Chassis now, and deliver my final thoughts and share some running footage in the cold arctic tundra of midtown Toronto. It could have been great, but it's still far from good. If it's any consolation, the body is one of the finest hardbodies I've ever built, and it looks very realistic outside. Enjoy the review!
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I shoot all my videos on the Sony a7c and a6500 in 4K, with Sigma 16mm, Tamron 28-70 and 55-210mm f1.4 lenses and the Zhiyun Crane V2.
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It's refreshing to see a creator in the rc realm keep it 💯 a majority of them would simply praise it mention no fault with it and urge you to but it. So nothing but respect for you Matt ..props🤘🏻
Thanks man! I really appreciate it!
Im a simple man. I see a SBG video, i watch it immediately. No regrets
This
Hell yes
Yes... No "regerts" 😂
@@macmccartney5760you need a snickers 😂
You know, once you "mentioned" that rear axle, now I just cant stop staring at it, lol😄
2024. The year of transparent titles!!
I still don't want to build one but I was surprised by how well it did. Seems to perform decently when you keep the obstacles in check for what type of vehicle it is. If it didn't have such questionable durability, it seems like it would be a great "Super scale" crawling experience.
It’s very much a super scale driving experience, but it’s shocks, slop in transmission and excruciating build experience forces me to not recommend it. Which really disappointed me.
@@scalebuildersguild Wait, are you saying that Josh isn't working on a VFD conversion for this? ;)
The selected song in the end on point 👌 thanks for a great review! SBG 🙌
Great video. Thank you for the honest review. That is a bummer because it does look so good like you said. Can’t wait for the next video!
So, yeah, started building mine this weekend - man, hats off to you. I not only moved on to something else, I created some new 4-letter words in my frustration. Going to tackle it this week - a hour a night. Should be done by late February.
My sympathies to you and your family 😂. The frustration level was HIGH!
Thank you for your honesty. These will be display pieces more than anything.
Glad I could help!
Great video as always Matt, awesome job on the running video. As far as scale performance, I thought it did well, tackled some impressive obstacles compared to a 1:1 rig, sometimes we have to keep in mind that there’s no way our 1:1 vehicles could do anything that even a stock Scx103 or other modern rc crawler can handle easily. Looking forward to your next video, and appreciate the effort you put into this channel!
Thanks for watching!
Your comment about enjoying the build reminds me of my favorite build out of the box, Tamiya High lift... I drove it all of 15 minutes in the last 10 years but... I got my money's worth building it.
Amen Doug! Hope you're doing well!
@@scalebuildersguild and you as well. Enjoy keeping up with things via the channel. You've done a great job with SBG.
Another awesome episode. Incredible scale detail. Really appreciate your patience in building it. Seems to intense to build one myself.
Thanks for watching!
I built the body and the interior and even ordered the lighting kit. Based on reviews I decided to use the Traxxas TRX4 chassis. The body was a great build. Really enjoyed it. The TRX4 is likewise. Getting to two married is horrid. I have an interior if you want it because it won’t work. My last foot seems to tell me I have cut 1/2’ off the frame rails and the rear shock mounts aren’t far enough apart for the pick up bed to sit on the frame.
I love the " I am lost" plate on it ..
I'm here for it brotha! OOOOOO YEAHHH!
So glad you built this so i dont have to. Looks like a perfect example of to scale to trail. Great video and enthusiasm 😂
Thanks for pushing yourself through to the other side on this. Great series of videos nonetheless 👏 ❤
You are so welcome!
Love the video, your honesty, and the sound track. The truck, not so much. Thanks Matt.
I appreciate that!
Keeping it honest and fair 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Great video and content, really nice scale rig,would have to be a shelf queen for me!!!
Man but that does look incredible to watch. I always judge by wether or not it is capable to make me zone out. This surely does scratch that itch. I already have the body so this is a strong possibly for me.
Thanks legend for this honest review. I was looking at this but you saved me blood sweat and tears. I hate frustrating builds, not getting any younger LOL! Builds should be fun, never stressful. However, that Jeep body has superb scale detail. And as always, excellent run video!
Glad I could help!
The sound of it running and the look of it moving definitely give it that model look and feel, thanks for doing it so we don't have to 😅
Another fantastic video, Matthew.
Thanks for the hard work so that we don't have to.. I think we'll give this one a miss!
You're welcome!
A wonderful video, as always. I do not see myself ever purchasing one of those, I love scale but I love something that last and relatively easy to work on.
I hope I saved you some time! Thanks for watching!
Love the build and demo. Understanding its almost true 1:1 scale.
I feel there a little to much going on in the chassis itself.
The body is very awesome, but would consider putting that on a little more tried and true chassis such as a trx4 or gen 8 of sorts.
Keep them amazing videos coming, we all love watching them.
Stay safe and warm
Thank you for the honest opinion. I really wanted the LC, my girlfriend was looking at the Gladiator. I've built plenty of kits, but she has not. I don't want to turn her away from RC, its taken a long time to get her out with me. The work you did on the body is amazing, by the way. Have a great weekend.
Thanks for watching! This is definitely not for a newbie builder! Got to keep the gf happy!
Nice honest review. And great drive video. You sure can see the need for dampening.
Well I’ve gotta say, it does look pretty killer. Awesome video man
I love how it fell apart during the video. :) I am a LC fanboi and really want to build one anyway. The running footage makes it all worth it. Cool scale build.
I really appreciate that you take on this pain and suffering for us.
also Killerbody, Mehchasis
Happy to help!
I commented before watching the running video and now after watching it, you are definitely correct that it is a beautiful model. It’s a shame it bounces around like an SCX24, but it will look very nice sitting on a shelf.
Boy that gladiator body looks fantastic. Agreed this was a gnarly build. I bet I have 20 hours into my LC70 build. I am considering myself lucky that I got a complete and functional unit though. No missing pieces, leaking axles or any other issues. Diffs are my only pain point at this point. It will be a shelf queen though
It feels as if the Gladiator was an afterthought addition to the lineup. Almost as if they knew that if they didn’t offer an alternative the 70 series wouldn’t sell well enough.
The Shocks are Shocking!
Great “looking” truck. Thanks for going through the frustration for the rest of us. Interesting music choice 😂
I've just built this chassis for the lc70 body, the kit comes with a manual and I've have enjoyed building it, it is the most scale of chassis and therefore won't be the best performing, the shocks are poor and I remade inner pistons with ball link lowers and they work fine and offer good dampening, the diff lockers are a poor design and finding a servo that is strong enough to operate them and not burn out is a challenge, I reworked the linkages and installed them inside the fuel tank, my chassis is sorted, I bought this as a project because of the negative reviews it got, with a bit of thought and simple engineering this can be a good working scale chassis, should you have to rectify issue no, however I've enjoyed the challenge and ordered the body kit, btw I didn't pay RRP for my kit so for the lower cost and the fact its 90% true to a full scale chassis it has my thumbs up,
But that rear coil setup would be wicked for a super scale 70 series coil conversion 🥵
Seems like a waste to design in a bunch of shift servos if it’s not really meant to drive often . Also seems like a big hassle to build for something that sits on a shelf , just my opinion. Thanks for the honesty Matt
It’s like those super functional model kits.
I build RCs not exclusively for driving them, but for the mindfulness exercise I get while building them and customizing them.
@@roadrash76 well said , it’s all part of the hobby 👍
It looks so nice. I daily drive my '23 rubicon gladiator and I absolutely love my truck. I've been waiting for your review on this and I am as disappointed as you are. This won't keep up with the rest of the guys and their trucks, no way. And for the price... not worth it imo. I love this build but it does seem like a model with a motor. Thank you for another awesome video.
Thanks for watching!
Your videos are just so good to watch! This pos looks good tho :p keep up your good work sir , love you bye!
Thanks for watching... love you bye!
Thanks for the video Matt, May not be the greatest tiny truck, and it looked like a pain in the rear to build, thank you for doing it so we don't have to... unless we want the pain of the doll house shelf queen.
Glad to help!
Despite the compromises it looks excellent in the running video. With functional dampers it would be spot on. The Gladiator body makes so much more sense when fitted to this chassis because it's too small for anything else.
Thanks for the honest review… what a big let down, I was pretty stoked when this first announced but after your build … i’ll have to backout on this chassis kit UNLESS it’s under $200 or even better $150 lol
Wow dude ive never heard you actually diss a truck. Some sarcastic comments that it's not very good. Love that your honest on this one. Already have a LC70 on a scx10.2 chassis. sits low, lots of work, but its one of my favourite trucks
I guess you haven’t watched my TF3 review…
It does look fantastic. I wishnthe suspension was higher quality and more tunable, my only complaint with the looks is that it sits higher than i personally prefer
If anything I’d buy the body and stick it on a better chassis like I did the LC80. You did a great job given all the headaches though.
If I was having a midlife crises and had bought a full-size Jeep Gladiator… I could definitely see buying and building a Killerbody Gladiator and making a scale clone. Thankfully, I don’t need either, but I am surprised Josh doesn’t have one built and displayed on the dash of his truck.
If Josh builds one of these, I'll eat my hat.
I know you don't answer them yourself but Josh made me do IT
😂
Really appreciate your time and hard work Matt in building this model and creating the video. And that is exactly why I wouldn't want one. Too much of a headache.
Glad I could save you some precious time and multiple headaches!
I bought the body when I first came out and was waiting for a scale chassis. That is so unfortunate. Great video Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Well you got some good running footage anyway, I enjoyed that
From other videos i have seen I assumed the same. Everyone says its great but running footage always looks so rigid that it moves like a toy grade.
Looks like I was right. Glad there are honest vids like this. Subbed
Thanks for the sub and welcome to the channel. Yes, I try to make my reviews honest and unbiased!
As of 1/22/24 killerbody will email a pdf copy of the instruction manual. It includes building of the trans, transfer and axles. It shows putting diff grease on the "shocks".
My manual had all of those things as well. Be sure it's for the model you're building before starting!
Hey Matt, worth noting that the off-center rear diff and radius arms were common to Land Rovers (Killerbody even has them offset to the correct side) before they switched to independent suspension. Would have been nice if Killerbody made a kit specially aimed at the Team Raffe Discovery or Range Rover bodies.
Body Definitely looks Awesome but it reminds me of like a 1985 Fiero kit with a Lamborghini body on it Thanks for the videos
All I can say is thank you for building it so I won't have to.
Anything for you 😂!
I bought the 1/8 Double Eagle Defender purely on the very detailed landrover body. Drive train needed upgrading but a very capable truck and its currently only $350 RTR. With all new drive train and electronics mine has only cost me $550 and its every bit as detailed as the Gladiator
The Difflocks so strong, my tr4 overheated
It drives like an SCX24. If it was all metal with proper dampers along the lines of the Boom Racing trucks it'd be very impressive!
Great video! I wish the Boom Racing trucks had the selectable-everything drivetrain of this one. That would be my perfect truck. Also, an appropriate song for the running footage would have been More Bounce to the Ounce by Zapp and Roger.
😂
You'll need to get some of those 2s lithium Ion batteries like the WPL RCs come with they would defo fir in that compartment. Not huge power but fair run time.
Ok, ive now watched both these videos on this chassis. Ive got yhe killerbody gladiator on its way and i was all excited about getting this chassis when it comes out (looking like mid to end march from what ive been told in the US. BUT, now im a little concerned. What would be a good alternative thats not going to break the bank? The $300 price was very appealing. I was thinking of maybe the trx4 chassis kit? Thoughts on a good alternative? Also, will it take an act of congress to mount my gladiator body on something that is not this mercury chassis? Oh, last question. Can we use other wheels on the mercury chassis or you are tied to the wheels that come with it?
The gladiator body is very small, and narrow. Finding another chassis to work will be a challenge due to its odd wheelbase. You can use other wheels, it’s a 12mm hex
My dx5c sucks.. the scroll wheel goes crazy! Radio is a few years old but not abused or nothing! So now I’m looking at flysky gt5 🤷♂️
I’m excited to get the LC70 version. I have no delusions about being anything other than a model that also happens to be an RC. I’m much more interested in how scale it is.
Thanks for the clear statement about the chassis, but the video is really nice. And the car looks really scale. What a waste!
But the chassis has one advantage: nothing can rust.
It looks fantastic and seems to perform really well in scale trailing situations. However, it reminds me of that really attractive girl in HS. You knew better not to chase her but you did anyway and were miserable. Thank you for the review and making me happy I went with the LC70 and alternative chassis.
Yeah but you knew you could fix her ;)
😂 There's one of those girls in every high school... even in Canada 😂
So in other words, it's POS!!! Gotcha!!!! Thanks Canadian Guy!!!!👍👍👍
lol, that made me really laugh out loud
You're welcome American Guy!
Wait, AND the rear diff is offset?! lol. Those bumpers are awesome👌🤠🍻
Thanks for building it so I don't have to... best statement ever... :D
Thank me for my service! 😂
The Mercury chassis I have which is for the Land Cruiser. Suggest a 2in1 motor. Nit sure if the fusion se would work. Try UTB18 battery. Lol
If that's a first chassis of killerbody, they should take into account all the feedback and come up with an improved version
Did I miss something with the window moldings? How come 3 are body color and 1 is black?
I probably missed adding the rest of the decals.
I appreciate its a pre production kit but it seems they sent it out far too early. Looks like it still needs a good amount of revisions. Now it does look damn nice but for how much it costs its not for me . Great video as always Matt
I think it looks fantastic but I feel like this was meant to be a shelf queen and not an actual crawler, so I share your frustration in that regard........ thanks for building it so I didn't have to! 🤓
You're welcome!
It’s hard not to watch a SBG video, and this one I really looked forward to - holding my breath 😅. Having a Boom Racing BRX01 - I really hoped this Mercury chassis would be “a bit cheaper BRX01, but still hold high quality for the scale rc enthusiast”. It seems very much as a modellers chassis. So now I’m torn: Wait for Boom Racing to release axles with remote diff locks - which I think they end up doing, sometime.. Or ending up battling a chassis that’s not specially durable and upgradable - could be hours and very expensive and frustrating.
Appreciate your struggle to be straight honest! And to Killerbody to dear to put this very scale chassis out! We want it, but will you please revise it!?
I’d definitely go the Boom route. It’s such a wildly more robust and versatile chassis. It may not have all the features, but when they’re as unreliable as they are in the Mercury there’s no choice.
This looked genuinely difficult for you to say. As of you really wanted to like it. If this is the case I agree. They nailed the body... In the case of the Mercury beauty truly is only skin deep.
From the build video and this video I think it’s a cool little thing. Super scale. Frame rails probably should have been metal instead of multiple peices of plastic. But it seems like it’s packed with too many features for its own good. Going through the effort of being super scale just to skip oil filled shocks is weird. Definitely one I’m gonna skip unless they make some refinements. Also didn’t know jeep owners were swapping in Toyota axles 😂
Can ya do a side by side comparison with a 10.3 gladiator?
👍awesomeness
Please let Matt know that the shocks are supposed to have grease between the sliding parts. This isn't fantastic, for a number of reasons, but it does provide damping. Other videos on the Mercury show this. That would diminish the bouncing greatly. (as would the customary slowing of the video) I believe there's a clear grease in the kit for this.
There was no mention of the optional metal parts, like for the $58 frame rails and $35 axles. The offset pumpkin in the rear is obviously to save cost... and terrible. The Boom BRX01 is in another class, but the chassis is $225 more, and with the Killerbody LC70 body, interestingly it's only $100 more than the Killerbody Mercury with Gladiator body. The TF2 chassis kit is the same price as the Mercury, and their RTRs range from $60 less to $170 more. Most are within $30, but come with electronics.
How does the driving of this compare to TF2s and 3s? We know that the BRX trucks are superior.
If it breaks during scale driving, or it won't stay adjusted, then it's probably not worth the money. That said, I don't know of anything this scale at this price range. Yes, the body is expensive, but it's also far superior to anything from RC4WD (and Boom Racing uses Killerbody for many(all?) of their trucks. The panel gaps on that are unbelievably tight.
I feel like the assembly video and process was super discouraging. We felt for you, for sure. I hope that they make improvements, and that the scale community will contribute their own fixes, because we need options for scale chassis.
I did the grease trick when I assembled it, and it didn’t do any better than what was shown. It’s disappointing, and I haven’t seen any of the upgrade parts until you just mentioned. Not any better than a TF3 or TF3 and I’d save my money for a BRX.
Holy cow, that song in the running section is stressing me out.
Those look just like the falcon wild peak at3
Okay so I pass now; I’d anticipated this release and the SBG video review.. The damping issue and stiffness are the issues that push me away. The thing looks like CGI from the nineties the way it moves over obstacles. It seems a lot like the 1/12 FMS Jimmy in its scaleness to the point of being less fun to drive but also undamped and bouncy so it’s bad for video. Thanks for your insightful review and heartfelt advice. You know, it’s rare to find a critical review these days. I attribute it mostly to the industry as a whole; these companies are constantly working to engineer top quality products and there are so many great choices out there from so many companies, big and small. It’s nice to know that Matt has our backs with the truth.
Always got your back! Thanks for watching!
Sorry the build wasn't great but I love the body.
I also love the snow running footage.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Besides the offset pumpkin problem, those axles look way too wide to be oem. It is cool to see a company attempt to make a very scale truck but unfortunate that there are so many issues.
Agreed!
I have built the lc70 version and a 540 Can still doesn't let you use the fan. Smashes against the servo. And I didn't get any stickers or instructions either. Had to download myself
That sucks!
What chassis would you recommend for the body?
Sadly, not many choices for this narrow width!
Love the body! It’s a real bummer the chassis is such a “let down”. Too bad the body doesn’t more easily fit on a better chassis.
I'm a new scale builder and I am not in the know, what is it that you're eluding to with the rear diff? What kits would you recommend for a new builder?
Those are Toyota axles. On a Jeep. 😉 For a first time builder, anything from Axial, Vanquish, Element or Traxxas will be a pleasure compared to this.
Do you think the body set would work well on another chassis?
Sadly, not many choices for this narrow width.
I'm really interested in this but think I will wait to see the after market picks it up. To myself it looks to ride like a WPL which really puy me off to be honest. Shame about the shocks.
Hello all. Can the VRD carbon hold a 550 can motor?
No, sorry, 540 only!
🤘🍻🤘
That is some serious level of honesty - and I would like to stress that it is very much appreciated! What do I think? I was already skeptical based on other videos I have seen (though none of them got anywhere close to your level of honesty). I would rather save 6 months longer for a BRX01.
Well said! Just trying to save you time and money!
@@scalebuildersguild again - thanks a lot 🙏👍
i told you awhile back remember in my long other comment on some guys review on this bc he was saying nothing but great words and its a dumpster fire...save ur money and go brx01 all day...
@@josecanseca8979 haha, I definitely remembered your words in that other video when I saw this one. I appreciate you replied here as well :)
its pure shit my man sorry for swearing save ur bread...@@matusknives
I know it’s off topic, but I have a 5pro that’s getting a little beat. What’s a comparable tx? Would you be interested in making a video about mid/high level radios?
I don’t have a lot of high end radios, but I do recommend the Radiometer MT12. So feature rich and very affordable. Future of radios right there.
Great video!! Great song at the end!! Disappointing model 😕
As a fan of yours, I'm curious as to why you point to the rear differential without saying anything in the video. Does the suspension damper have no oil or springs inside it? The driving performance is so toy-like that I want to tune the suspension. As you said, the lack of assembly instructions is also very shocking. Thank you for the detailed build review. I will always enjoy it.
It’s a Toyota axle under a Jeep. 😉
It seem to trail pretty well from your video but yeah the smaller scale and no suiting instructions on such an complex build could easily be a pain it looks great but I hear you for the price the difficulty and the end performance and durability are just not there
It reminds me the small 1/12 FMS when trailing, too bouncy/lightweight for me. Also the scale, it is more 1/12 than 1/10, and it looks tiny when going in groups with other 1/10 cars (commercial bodies are more 1/8 than 1/10th scale...). This would be a "no" for me :)
Would this Body fit on a Element RC Kit V2 Chassis?
Not without a lot of modifications to the chassis. Wheelbase and track width are going to be your biggest problems.
Wow Thank you. Is there any alternative with small amount of modification?
@@Braindog not that I can think of. Maybe do some research online. Good luck!