I have over 20 years of RC experience flying model airplanes with some toy level RC Cars and Boats. Lately, I have taken an interest in taking a low-cost step up in the RTR RC vehicle area. This will be my report on my new truck.

Goals -

• Able to run on my lawn a week after its last cut
• Proportional steering and throttle
• A training tool for my Grandson

The box says Item No:18859 - 4 WD Race Truck, 1/18 scale off-road truck. I purchased it on Amazon for $69. This is an RTR package including a fully assembled truck, 2 batteries, charger, and 2.4 GHZ Radio. The brand is Haiboxing. I have no financial relationship with Amazon or Haiboxing.

I have had two of what I would call "toy" class RC trucks. They were purchased to introduce my 4-year-old Grandson to the RC hobby. They were RTR packages at $20 and $25, respectively. The first one was fun, on a hard surface, but would not run on the grass in my yard, where we usually play. It didn't have enough ground clearance. The second one was supposed to be able to run on grass, but didn't have enough power. It would bog down after about 5 feet. I returned the second one after one day. It was fine for a hard surface but not grass so I returned it. That led me to this purchase.

Batteries - Upon first examination, I was impressed with the build for such a low-cost package. It included hobby-grade 2-cell 850 mah lithium batteries. There is no C rating on the batteries. I am going to assume they are at least 15C packs. My 850 70 C aircraft batteries will likely fit, but I have not tried them yet.

The batteries include balance plugs and Deans connectors. I use Deans on my airplanes. The included charger plugs into a USB port/charging block and charges through the balance plug. I was surprised that a USB charger could charge a 2-cell Lipo, so my first test was to see how well this worked. After charging, I pulled out my testing equipment, and sure enough, the batteries were charged to 8.12V, about 95% of a full charge for this type of Lipo. I checked the balance on the cells, and they were properly balanced. It will be interesting to see if that balance continues to be maintained with this charger. However, I am likely to eventually use my hobby-grade balancing charger as it will charge faster, and I am confident of its balancing ability

Motor - The motor is listed as a 380 brushed motor. (There is a brushless upgrade kit available.) After running the truck in my yard, it has plenty of power to run over my lawn a week after the last cut. So it passes that test. The hand control, side steering wheel style, has a low-speed and high-speed setting, which can limit the top speed. This will be helpful when teaching my Grandson. I could run on the grass at low or high speed without a problem. And the truck reverses by moving the throttle trigger in the opposite direction. Speed control is proportional.

Radio - 2.4 GHz. I have no idea what protocol it is running. Binding is automatic, so no binding procedures to learn. I believe the range is around 250 feet, which is more than adequate for a vehicle of this size. I imagine you could upgrade to one of the branded 2.4 GHz systems, but I have no intention of doing so. My planes fly on Futaba FASST and Spectrum 2.4 GHZ full range receivers.

Steering - The steering is fully proportional and easy to control on the grass. When I took it to the street, with the switch set to the low speed setting, the truck is still fast enough to be fun. The steering can take it through turns with good control and stability. When I flipped the speed switch to normal (higher top speed) I was impressed. At top speed, this baby flies down the street. Make a hard turn at top speed, and it goes through an exciting skidding turn but remains stable. I have not seen any tendency to flip. I was messing around to get a feel for the slide and bashed into the curb. No damage!

Body - This has a pickup truck style thin shell body that is held on with 4 clips. It has good bumpers, front and back, to help you avoid damage to the body. However, these kinds of thin-shell bodies can be a bit delicate. It comes with a thin plastic film over the body that the instructions say is to help avoid scratches in packing and shipping. It suggests removing the film before putting on the included decals. I plan to leave the film on to help with endurance. I may also add some clear packing tape to the inside to enhance durability, as I will be using this as a trainer for my 4-year-old Grandson. I am not concerned about the decals, though my Grandson may overrule me on this.

Amazon reviews say the clips that secure the body are easy to lose. They do include an extra set of clips, but the ones that came attached look plenty secure to me. I presume the risk is more about dropping them in the grass.

Water - The specs say this is highly water-resistant. The listing and documentation say it can run through wet grass, mud, and puddles. They do caution against submerging it.

I have only made a few runs across the back lawn, then done some high speed runs in the street. So far, I am impressed with this relatively low-cost package. There are upgrade options that offer a brushless motor and ESC/Receiver, upgraded shocks, and battery upgrades. I believe there is a tire package, too. I look at this as an entry-level RC hobby class vehicle rather than a toy class package. Your smileage may vary. For $69, you get a full package that works well, but you can upgrade it. Reports I have read say the upgrades make a big difference, but I like it just the way it is, at least for now.

I look forward to your comments or questions.