23
West Watkins St
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Tel. 602-454-6445
HITS
Price
Durability
Size
MISSES
Battery/Receiver
Case
Gas Tank Position
White Gear Cover
SPEED TEST RESULTS
Redcat Racing has been making a difference in the r/c
world with new products that challenge the big companies. With
the introduction of the 1/5 scale Rampage MT, they're trying to tap
into a quickly growing market long dominated by one or two other
products.
While
1/5 scale has been around for many years, it's not really been given
consideration by the masses due to the often prohibitive
costs. Fast forward to today, when competition is driving
prices down and quality up. This has allowed the masses to
afford what once was out of reach, products like a 1/5 scale monster
truck. And Redcat Racing is right offering new products to the
market with the best of them.
I've
been impressed with the service Redcat Racing offers its customers
and feel they've done a nice job getting quality products to the
market. Given their history, I'm looking forward to seeing what they've done with
the Rampage MT. Let's take a look.
Model
......................................
Rampage MT
Price
...............................
$949.00
(truck only)
Type
...............................
1/5 Monster Truck
Length
............................
29"
Width
..............................
23.5"
Height
.............................
13.75"
Wheelbase
......................
20.25"
Weight
............................
33.5 lbs dry
37.75 lbs
wet
Engine
.............................
23cc Gas
Transmission
...................
2-Speed
Differentials
.....................
CNC Metal Gear
Clutch
.............................
3-Shoe Racing Slipper
Chassis............................
4mm - 6061
T6 Aluminum
Wheel Rim........................
8.25" High
Shocks
............................
4 Oil Filled
Brakes
............................
Dual Disk
Fiberglass
Fuel Tank
.........................
700cc
So
just how big is the Rampage MT? I'm sure you read the specs
above, but let's take a look at some pics that show perspective
and really give you a good idea about the enormity of this
truck. First, you'll see a picture of the Rampage leaning up
against my Chevy Silverado truck tire. The next two
pictures show it next to a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi.
Chevy
Silverado Tire
2-Liter
Pepsi Front View
2-Liter
Pepsi Side View
DECALS
After
taking a couple pictures, I applied one of the RCUniverse.com
decals on the front bumper. It's subtle, but kinda cool
at the same time. This is also the time I like to inspect
the vehicle. It's always a good idea when you get a ready to
run or almost ready to run vehicle to check it over prior to
starting it up.
ADDING
DECALS
RCU
DECAL
GAS
TANK
When
doing my pre-run inspection I noticed a few things. The
first thing I noticed was the gas tank position. Because I
got the truck with the optional tuned pipe, access to the gas tank
is now limited. It's not a problem when you first run the
vehicle (provided you have a funnel), because everything on the
truck is cool to the touch. After that first run when the
tuned pipe gets hot, filling the tank is going to be more of a
challenge. It's very likely I will have to let everything
cool down before refilling is safe.
Another
option is to flip the gas tank so the fill cap is on the other
side of the truck. This isn't a huge task, but will take a
little time. Because the tank wraps around the drive shaft,
it will require removal of the roll cage and engine first. I
was too anxious to fire this thing up, so it's something I might
do later should I find it a major inconvenience. For now,
I'll use a funnel and make sure the pipe has cooled before
refilling.
Gas
Tank
Tuned
Pipe Over Tank
Gas
Tank Fill Cap
BATTERY
BOX
Next
is the battery installation. Getting to the receiver, fail
safe and battery isn't as convenient as I would like. It
requires the removal of 4 screws, one of which is a different size
from the others. I would like to see this changed in favor
of a hinged top with one post using a pin. It would allow
much easier access and eliminate concern with stripping the
housing by over tightening the screws.
Battery/Receiver
Box
Removing
Cover
Inside
Battery Box
THROTTLE
LINKAGE
After
installing the batteries I turned on the radio then
receiver. I immediately noticed the truck was braking
properly, but was not engaging the carburetor. It turns out
the collar and spring were on the wrong side of the servo
arm. It was a quick fix as you can see.
Incorrect
Throttle Linkage
Correct
Throttle Linkage
GEAR
COVER
One
final thing I'd like to point out before we get to what makes up
the Rampage MT. As I was going over the truck there was one
particular thing that really stuck out and needed my attention,
the gear cover. To be blunt, it's ugly. Fortunately
the fix is a can of spray paint away and I just happen to have
some black paint in my workshop at home.
Spraying
about 6" from the inside of the cover, I lightly applied an
even coat of paint. When it was dry, I applied a second
coat. Of course painting the inside will prevent it being
scrapped off as I drive the truck.
The
result as you can see is noticeable. I don't even see the
cover any more as it blends in so well with everything around
it. It's one of those simple things you can do to set your
truck apart from others. Paying attention to details like this
will help you customize and make it your own.
Stock
Gear Cover
Painting
Painted
Gear Cover Installed
Included
with the purchase is the truck, necessary wrenches and instructions.
You'll need to supply the transmitter, receiver, fail safe,
batteries and fuel. Of course, all but the fuel are also
available at redcatracing.com
when you order the truck. In case you've missed it, this is a massive 1/5 scale truck.
I am used to 1/8 scale and its impressive size, especially when
presenting it to a newcomer. However, even I was a bit
surprised with the presentation of the Rampage.
It
ships without the wheels installed, and to be honest the box does
not really hint to the size of the monster inside. It really wasn't
until I opened the box top and began removing the truck from the box
did I realize what I was getting.
RAMPAGE
MT FRONT
RAMPAGE
MT SIDE
RAMPAGE
MT BACK
SUSPENSION
The
Rampage has stout, aggressive styling with a wide stance for
stability. The shock tower assembly is very thick and will
be a good basis for the suspension components. There are 4
fully adjustable, oil filled, shock absorbers. They feature
a threaded aluminum body with 2 piece cap, which should keep the
truck pointed and in control.
Accompanying
the shock absorbers are lower suspension arms which appear more
than capable of handling the 35+ pounds and are seemingly built to
last. There is also plenty of adjustability in the front and
rear suspension components. The upper Y-arm will allow
4-wheel camber adjustment, and the front have adjustable links to
adjust the wheels toe in or out.
The
short of it is if you don't like how your Rampage MT is handling,
you can adjust the camber in all 4 wheels, adjust the front wheels
toe in or out, and finally adjust the suspension with different
weights of oil and spring loading.
Transmission
Gear Drive
Clutch
Bell Housing
Dog
Bone / Differential
ENGINE
The
Rampage MT comes equipped with a 23cc engine. Because it's
a 2-stroke engine, a ratio of 25:1 oil/fuel mixture is a good
place to start. That means 25 parts fuel to 1 part oil or about
5 fluid oz/gal.
You'll
also find the engine equipped with a user friendly choke
mechanism, which is also clearly labeled to what is open or
closed. And finally, notice an emergency kill
switch. Reaching your hand under the body to hit the
switch is easily doable if its needed.
23cc
Engine
Choke
Emergency
Stop
BRAKES
AND ACCESSORIES
Now
that you have the Rampage MT going, you need to stop it. Taking on this challenge are 2 fiberglass brake pads and 3 steel
discs. Protecting your steering servo is an integrated
servo saver. Any one who's stripped the gears of a
steering servo due to less than perfect landings can appreciate
this simple little device.
The
engine is protected by a large air filter, which looks like it
will feed plenty of needed air to the engine. I also like
it's location as it is in the perfect spot to avoid as much crud
as possible.
And
of course where there's air coming into the engine, there is air
that needs to escape. Doing so on my test truck is the
impressive tuned pipe; an upgrade to the stock pipe. This
should give it a little more oomph at take off and push the max
speed up just a touch. And of course I'm sure the decibels
will increase as well.
Finally,
all the power in the world does no good if the wheels can't
handle it. Because of the weight and power the tires have
to handle on this truck, the Rampage MT wheels are 7" in
diameter and bead-locked with a total of 24 screws per
wheel. I'm pretty sure there's not much that will separate
these from each other.
This
is where the rubber meets the road. Priced well below its
competitors and combined with awesome support from the people at
Redcat Racing make this an absolute winner. It's not without
its flaws however, so let's take a closer look at the Rampage MT's
performance.
First
things first, let's range test the radio. Don't overlook
this step, especially when dealing with a truck of this size,
weight and speed. If it runs away from your control
something could get damaged, or more importantly to consider,
someone might get hurt. This truck has a fail safe
installed, but I like to take the extra precaution and know when
I'm stretching the limits of my radio.
With
the receiver and transmitter on with the antenna down, I started
walking away. I would expect a solid 25' before noticing
servo jitter. I made it about 3 times that distance before
the servos began jittering erratically. Even then, with the
antenna down at 75', I had control of the truck.
Next,
I started the engine and did the same thing. With someone
standing next to the truck to prevent it from driving away, I
began walking. I made it nearly the same distance as before
so I don't need to do anything else, this is a successful
test all around.
As
I learned to drive a 1/5 scale monster truck, the handling was a
little better than I imagined. A truck of this size cannot be expected to be
agile in its performance. However, I found it actually felt lighter
than I thought it would and was very controllable. Of course the nose
pushes like a charging bull when turning with any speed
(under-steer),
but a little throttle manipulation keeps it going where it's
pointed without too much trouble.
I
felt the acceleration was just ok. It's not a rocket ship
off the line, but the 23cc engine combined with the tuned
pipe does a nice job once this huge truck is rolling. The
higher the rpm's get the faster it accelerates. And once up
to full speed, stopping it is no problem with the hefty
braking setup. Braking stayed strong throughout the testing.
With
the engine still puffing a fair amount of smoke (running
rich), I was able to get 32mph from the Rampage. I am
sure I can get above 35mph if I start tuning the engine a
bit more for performance. However, I want to give the
engine a little time at the rich setting before trying to
get more out of it. I'm very pleased with 32mph from a
truck this size.
Of
course all this would be pointless if it wasn't durable enough to handle
a back yard bash. The weakest points on any truck are going to be the
body and body mounts when you flip the truck on its back.
Next will be the suspension components. Because I possess
such awesome driving skills I was able flip the truck on its back
and test the body and its mounts often. Despite my continued
efforts to drive the truck upside down, the body and the mounts
have yet to fail.
I
was also able to test its abrupt stopping strength, also due to my
excellent driving skills. On more than one occasion did I
find a stump, curb, wall or rock with my Rampage MT. I was
able to drive away after each accident with the Rampage MT asking
for more. I have no doubt a couple of those incidents would
have ended my day with a few of the 1/8th scale trucks out there.
This really is one
tough truck.
WRAP UP
So
if you can't tell yet whether I'm stoked about the Rampage MT, I
am. Size, sound, durability and Redcat Racing all combined
make this truck a real pleasure to own and drive. You can't
ignore its size and you certainly cannot ignore its sound.
And fact is no matter what I drive, I want it to last and the
Rampage MT has proven durable. When I do push it beyond its
limits I want a company that will stand by and support their
product. Fortunately, Redcat Racing's support is second to
none. They have built a reputation for their products based
on their support.
The
most enjoyable thing about driving this truck comes down to 2
things. First, its ability to soak up rough terrain that would otherwise
baffle, confuse and stop a smaller truck. The Rampage MT is just
not affected by the more difficult terrain in the same way.
It doesn't get all squirrelly on you like those silly 1/8 scale
trucks. Sweet! Of course, the flip side to that size
and weight means you'll need a sizeable jump and some decent speed
to get the Rampage MT flying. Even with a full tank of fuel,
it felt a little too nose heavy and difficult to control in the
air. Its weight makes corrections much more difficult, which
is not a fault of this truck, just a fact of any vehicle this
size. However, the Rampage MT impresses me in ways the others
can't
so we'll leave all those high flying circus stunts to the smaller,
lighter trucks
Second,
fuel economy. With nitro getting to more than $30/gal,
$3/gal for gas is a bargain. And then consider the run time
on gas vs nitro. A 1/8th scale truck might give you 15
minutes of hard core bashing. I barely go through a 1/4 tank
of gas in 15 minutes running the Rampage.
I
mentioned a few frustrations while discovering the Rampage, but
they were clearly overshadowed once I started the engine. If
you're looking for a 1/5th scale, I have yet to experience how you
can go wrong with the Rampage MT. It's cheaper than its
competition, has proven very durable, is huge, aggressive, loud,
and is backed by one of the best customer support businesses in
R/C right now; Redcat Racing.
A few comments...
1) I would leave the gear cover opaque so that you can easily check on wear.
2) 25:1 mixture is not 25% oil! Yikes
3) Why is being loud a positive?
No offense, but an experienced large scale person should have done this review.
Thank you guys for pointing that out, I have corrected the error in fuel/oil ratio.
This review is based on my experience with the Rampage. And based on experience that goes as far back as the Jackrabbit. Checking wear on the gears is as easy as pulling off a few screws. It's not something that needs to be done all the time, so I'd rather have a cover that blends in and looks nice. It's ok that you don't.
In this case, loud adds to the over perception of the truck. It was in fact a positive I enjoyed about the Rampage. I just don't expect a truck this big to be quiet, I want it to grab the attention of those around and it does.
Great review Nathan, thought this was pretty sweet. I am planning on getting into the 1/5 scale scene myself so this is a pretty neat option for the price. Thanks for the great review!
I have a Redcat Racing Rampage MT with a 28cc engin and it came in a box which had a sticker on it that stated that the petrol / oil ratio was 75% petrol and 25% two stroke oil. There were no other instructions in the box. I have run two tanks of fuel through and it seems to run fine! (still just running it in at the moment, I presume that these engines still need running in these days?)
Having read above I'm still not clear are you saying that it
should be 25:1 (ie approx. 97% petrol and 3% oil)?
Thanks in advance.
The comments, observations and conclusions made in this review are solely with respect to the particular item the editor reviewed and may not apply generally to similar products by the manufacturer. We cannot be responsible for any manufacturer defects in workmanship or other deficiencies in products like the one featured in the review.
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