When I received the Tower Terror, I assumed I would open the box and find an almost ready-to-run truck, wheels and radio on one side of the box and a truck on the other. This assumption couldnt be farther from the truth; the Terror is completely ready-to-run. All that needs to be done is to oil the air filter and install the batteries...a feature that will score well with anyone who just cant wait to break-in their new monster truck.

Tower Hobbies has provided a great looking body to complement the Tower Terror. The colors are bright and the graphics look really cool. Also included is a generous sticker sheet with more Tower Hobbies logos than you'll know what to do with! My only suggestion, which is outlined in the manual, is to cut some airflow holes in the front and rear of the cab before you tear up your neighbor's lawn. It also doesnt hurt to trim the body near the heatsink to access the pull-start. Removing the body everytime you want to run gets old really quickly.

With the body removed, you begin to wonder what Tower Hobbies was thinking when they created this over powered four-wheel drive cruise missile! My first thought was, "This engine is way too big for this truck..." and that's a good thing! When you are running at half-throttle and gas it, the motor explodes with enough power to throw the front end skyward; the secondary reaction is an instant smile. The engine fits snugly between the super strong chassis plates with the high-speed needle exposed for easy tuning. The low-speed needle is hidden behind the tuned pipe which must be pushed up a little to access it. If you look long enough at the engine, your eyes will eventually fix themselves on a mysterious third needle. For those in the know, this is the mid-range needle. First timers and less experienced nitro enthusiasts could mistake this for the low-speed needle and to further confuse you, there is no information in the manual about it. I found only one sentence on Tower Hobbies' website that referenced the mid-range needle, and they suggest you turn the needle so it is flush with the body. Viewing the rest of the engine and it's components, you will see the fuel lines are routed well to prevent any damage and the air cleaner is of standard design. I suggest running a prefilter to reduce engine contamination.

The .25 engine drinks alot of fuel and Tower Hobbies has graced the truck with a hefty 170cc fuel tank. With run times exceeding twelve minutes, theres plenty of time to explore your local bashing spot. The tank is held in place by two body pins. Over the course of testing the Tower Terror, I had no problems with the hinged fuel cap, debris entering in the tank, or any fuel delivery issues from the tank.

Power is transferred from the motor to the wheels through a single speed transmission. A single driveshaft runs from the front differential, through the spur gear, to the rear differential. Again, no problems were experienced with the transmission or differentials during the review but I am concerned about the exposed spur gear. It is sandwiched between the transmission case halves and exposed on the bottom. A few centimeters of frame are all that protects it from the ground and Im afraid a hard impact with a stone could damage it but this has yet to mainfest itself as a real problem. The clutch is a 3-shoe design and engaged predictibly every time. There is no slipper clutch on the Tower Terror so care needs to be taken to avoid power-on landings when possible. The dual disc brake proved itself worthy of stopping the Tower Terror in a hurry and endos can happen if proportional breaking is not practiced. In other words, try not to jam the breaks at full throttle! They are setup just right from the factory and I experienced no break fade after heavy use.

Right from the start, I noticed the truck was sprung a bit on the light side. There's just too much mass for the annodized aluminum shocks to handle over rough terrain at high speeds. The included shock spacers help a bit but a little work is needed to fine tune them. I suggest either using a thicker shock oil, anything above 40wt, or replacing the shock springs with heavier ones. For a newcomer to the hobby, this should not present itself as a problem as the truck does have adequate damping in but if you operate your rc vehicles on the edge, you will notice that it bottoms out quite a bit. The 19mm hex mounts seemed strong yet limit the truck in wheel selection, but 23mm hex conversions are available should you want to add aftermarked wheels. During the review, I had no problems with the hubs, a-arms, turnbuckles, or hexes as they withstood repeated hits and off-camber landings..

A 10th scale truck with a 1/8th scale engine requires a special piece of equipment to remain user friendly; a wheelie bar! Not just any wheelie bar will do, a heavy duty composite bar is needed here. The Tower Terror spends just as much time on two wheels as it does on all four and it should be noted that endless wheel stands are part of the Terror's daily routine. The bar is adjustable but seemed just right at it's factory setting. Here's a bonus; it also doubles as a carrying handle!

The 2 channel AM transmitter and receiver operated smoothly. I drove the truck as far away as I felt was needed without loosing control. The transmitter felt comfortable in my hands and the trim knobs were easily accessible while operating the truck. The electronics compartment is composed of two sections that share a single lid. The lid is held in place with two body pins. The servos, on the other hand, performed poorly. They are weak and failed to even operate at an acceptable level before the break-in was complete. This is detailed in the driving section below.

One more thing worthy of noting before we prepare the truck for it's first run is that the Tower Terror does not include tire foam. I have seen complaints circulating around the internet about Tower Hobbies reluctance to include foam in their tires and frankly, I dont see it being a big issue on the Terror. I made the assumption that tire foam is a necessity on any high performance r/c vehicle but after reviewing the Terror, I could barely tell a difference. The lack of foam gives the truck a more plush ride over bumpy terrain by allowing the tire to flex more and seems to keep the center of gravity lower, reducing the tendancy to flip over in turns. For high speed running over rough terrain, having tire foam would have definately helped. I did not get a chance to test the truck with foam but if it seems to be what the people want, maybe Tower Hobbies should take note.

To prepare the truck for break-in, I oiled the filter and installed the batteries into the transmitter and receiver. The antenna needed to be threaded through the tube so I placed a small drop of household oil on the end of the tube and slid it through. This makes the job so much easier as it would not go through without being lubed.

The needles were set to the recommended break-in settings and the mid-range needle was turned so it was flush with the outside of the body. With the body off, I double checked all the servo throws and checked the gear mesh on the pinion and spur. I pulled the glow plug and marked bottom-dead-center on the flywheel with a marker. A quick visual inspection deemed the Tower Terror ready for break-in and I was off to the testing grounds.

After filling the tank with 20% fuel, I primed the engine by placing my finger over the outlet on the pipe and pulled the starter a few times. I attached the glow igniter and a few pulls brought the engine to life. The recommended needle settings were right on as the engine sputtered and smoked at idle. After a few tanks worth of figure eights and low speed passes, I began to notice a problem. While turning, the throttle servo would not operate until the turn was completed. Also, when applying brake or gas, the steering servo would not operate until the throttle/brake released. I replaced the receiver batteries but the problem persisted. Were four AA batteries supplying enough power to operate the servos? A 5-cell hump pack was installed and, even though the problem was lessened to an extent, the Terror was still having operational issues with the servos. After a quick call to Tower Hobbies customer support, two new high-torque Futaba servos were on their way. Installing the new high-torque servos completely solved the problem. The stock servos are just too weak to operate the truck especially with four AA batteries. The use of a rechargable hump pack is almost mandatory. I have heard of some people not having any problems with their servos. Was a bad batch of servos being sent out with the truck?

Breaking-in the truck was painless and Tower Hobbies has included a detailed break-in procedure to follow. Theres also a section on engine maintainence and a troubleshooting flow chart to handle any issues that may arise. Tuning the engine for power proved a simple task as well, with the engine making optimum power, idling well, and producing a good smoke trail.

After the break-in was completed and I had tuned the engine for power, it was time to really see what the Tower Terror was made of. The power-to-weight ratio of this truck is phenominal, acceleration is out of control fast and top speed is impressive for a single-speed. Run the Tower Terror at any speed aside from wide open and pull the trigger and you can expect an instant burst of acceleration followed by an impressive wheel stand. With the suspension being a bit soft, the truck can easily get out of control during hard acceleration off road. I found myself rolling into the throttle in the loose stuff to maintain directional control. On the pavement, expect to wheelie until you let off the gas.

The Tower Terror performed well in a bashing setting, but soon it was time to take it to the track. Chris Gleason of Loganville R/C Speedway in Loganville, Ga was kind enough to let me use the track for the review. I warmed the Tower Terror up for a few laps and then pushed it as hard as I could. What really surprised me was how the suspension soaked up the bumps across the moguls section. The Terror took every double the track had but I had a little trouble maintaining control on the back straight, once the rear end started moving side to side, I had to roll off the gas. Overall, it handled fairly well on the track even though it is more of a basher.

What Tower Hobbies has created with the Tower Terror is a fully ready-to-run 1/10th scale monster truck with the heart of a 1/8th scale. The .25 ABC engine provides more than enough power to rocket the truck up to top speed and the acceleration is incredible. The one major flaw that the Tower Terror has to live with is the stock servos; if they fail, your done for the day. None of the other issues mentioned in the review will leave you sidelined but rather boil down to one's person taste, some like soft suspension, others like a more stiff ride. The good thing about the Tower Terror is that it can be tuned to suit your individual needs. Plus, for a price tag of under $300 dollars, you get a ready-to-shred truck that will hang with the big boys all day. I would recommend it to the person looking for a great performing truck at an entry-level price.

Tower Terror .25 4wd RTR
Distributed exclusively by:
Tower Hobbies
PO Box 9078
Champaign, IL 61826-9078
Support Phone: 800-637-6050
Website: www.towerhobbies.com

Loganville R/C Speedway
1441 Highway 81
Loganville, GA 30052
Web Site: www.loganvillerc.com

Special thanks to my friend Brad Kaye for the great photography in my reviews!

Brad Kaye Photography
Web site: www.bradkayephotography.com