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QUADIFYRC RC Car Review and Upgrade Guides

WL TOys 144002 Monster Truck Review

26/1/2022

30 Comments

 
The WL Toys 144002 1/14 scale RC Monster Truck is a recent release from WL Toys setup as a monster truck and based on the hugely popular 144001 buggy which I have extensively reviewed, modified and tuned in over 40 guides here. This newest version looks to be better suited off-road with the larger wheels and has a number of improvements that are not noticed at first glance. Here I'll review the car in full and let you know what I like about it and what I don't like about it (+how to fix it)
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The 144002 is now the 7th time the original 144001 platform and gear have been recycled by WL toys and I've reviewed them and modified every step of the way. In case  you are wondering:
  • WL Toys 144001 - The original 1/14 scale 4wd buggy based on the LC Racing EMB-1
  • WL Toys 124019  - The lengthened 144001 buggy (now considered 1/12 scale)
  • WL Toys 124018 - Lengthened 144001 made in a desert buggy style
  • Eachine Eat14 - Factory brushless version of the 144001 
  • WL Toys 124017 - Factory brushless version of the 124019
  • ​WL Toys 124016 - Factory brushless version of the 124018
  • WL Toys 144002 - Monster truck version of the 144001 and subject of this review
This summary is simplified but all along the way WL toys have been making evolutionary improvements to poorly setup or weak points of this car meaning that this latest truck is very much improved over the original 144001. I will of course detail these in the review. Sadly there are still some fundamental flaws too which I will also outline. Let's have a closer look at the car before we take it for a drive so we know what we are dealing with. I'll break this down into sections of power train, driveline, suspension, steering, body and chassis to give it a bit of structure. Then, I'll follow up with a full review of the performance in all areas (including GPS-measured top speed) and my conclusions and recommendations.
A Closer Look
Power Train. This is the same motor and ESC that has been used in all of the brushed releases since the 144001 was launched about 2 years ago. A non-adjustable 60A ESC/receiver combo and a very torquey 550 17t brushed motor set with 0° timing. In my opinion this motor is too large for cars of this scale but it helps these cars to a pretty decent top speed albeit at the cost of weight, battery life and heat. At least with the heat management they have used the excellent passive solution that I have detailed more here. It is a predictable and low cost setup though if you ever need to replace a component.
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550 17t brushed motor
60A brushed ESC combined with receiver
Suspension. The strong point of this style of car has always been the suspension which is modelled after the fantastic LC EMB series. Many revision have been made since the initial launch of the 144001, and this 144002 truck includes all of these improvements. If it's anything like the other cars this should handle beautifully
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Staggered front and rear shock lengths to take advantage of the LC racing inspired suspension geometery means the car sits well
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Correctly filled shock oil level
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Strengthened hinge bolts that first showed up on the Eachine EAT14 that addresses a known weakpoint
Drivetrain. Like all of the other WL toys car of this type, the 27t metal pinion drives a 44t plastic spur gear. This sends powder back and forward to the rear and front differentials via a solid aluminium drive shaft. The driveshaft transfers power to the metal diffs via metal bevel pinions. All of the internal gears inside the diffs are metal as well. Since the 124019 release these have been shimmed which have greatly improved diff service life. Metal diff cups transfer power to wheel hubs with metal dogbones on the rear and metal CVDs on the front. Wheels are driven by a plastic 12mm hex drive.

Overall a well proven drive train but I still dislike the gear ratio that they continue to stick with that is likely made worse with these bigger wheels. I would have preferred a smaller pinion and larger spur to focus on torque / acceleration and battery life rather than focusing purely on top speed.
Steering. Steering is powered by a 17g sized servo but using the outboard PWM control on the ESC meaning it is a 5 wire setup. This make upgrade tricky but otherwise it is a good servo that is fast and reliable - well suited to this task. Steering geometry is good with little to no bump steer and an acceptable level of play. 
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5 wire connection to ESC which is essentially proprietary
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Standard 17g size servo meaning there are multiple replacement options
Chassis. The chassis is well proven and tough. In addition this is the first WL toys release to now include metal front and rear hubs and hub carriers - a very welcome addition especially since I recently recognised the front hub carriers as the most likely part to brake. There are lots of variations and the ones on this car look to be different again but seemingly well enough made with very little play. Front and rear bumpers are new and look the be fairly useful particularly with the shock absorption pieces built in which are design to better take impact.
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Metal Front hub carriers and knuckles
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Metal Rear hub carriers
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Strengthened front bumper (also one on rear)
Body. The body is a new design based loosely on the 104009 in style. It is fairly intricate with the additional moulded parts and is wired pretty extensively for lights. It seems to fit well but I'm not sure about long term durability. It seems ok so far.
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Lights front
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Lights rear
Wheels. At first glance these look like a directly copy of the EMB-MT wheels but on closer look they are not. Offset is big like the EMB-MT wheels (which I like) but the rim diameter is larger. A lower profile tyre means the outside diameter is the same. Speaking of the tyre, the tread pattern is similarly shallow to the EMB-MT but has a different pattern. Rubber compound is quite hard, almost identical to the EMB MT. Overall the wheels are light which T feel is important and perform very similarly to the EMB-MT wheels.
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Similar width and diameter to the LC Racing EMB-MT wheels on the right
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As you can see the 144002 tyres are much lower profile which offer less shock absorption compared to the EMB-MT but more precise handling
Review
Performance. Top speed feels pretty good and during some GPS run I was able to get 45km/h which is actually quite respectable and faster than I was expecting for two reasons: The gearbox and drivetrain is extremely quiet so you don't get a lot of sound feedback; and acceleration is very weak. This is because WL Toys have stuck with the large 550 brushed motor and 27t pinion as the 144001 and 124019 but they have also gone with larger diameter wheels making the effective gearing even taller - much too tall in my opinion.

Gearing that is too tall with large wheels results in poor acceleration as mentioned above but also poor battery life: about 6-8 minutes with the stock 1500mah battery. This is really not great. It also means that the motor and ESC get unnecessarily hot. At least they have taken the learning from the 124019 about how to cool the engine using the chassis as a heatsink which should at least improve motor life.
Handling. The handling is excellent. Suspension is very well refined and has the staggered length shocks that better suit this cars geometry that was first released on the 124019. Furthermore shocks were filled with the perfect amount of shock fluid which was an issue that plagued earlier models like the 144001 - in fact I had to make this guide to help people fix the issue. 

In addition to the well tuned suspension the tyres and wheels are a big improvement over the buggy wheels we are used to with these cars. They offer a much bigger contact patch and more ground clearance meaning they are more capable off road and add to shock absorption with better grip yet the shallower tread pattern means they are not too noisy on road. This is one of the few times the hard tyre compound works in this cars favour - they should wear well whilst the bigger contact still manages decent grip. The smaller sidewall of these tyres compared to the LC Racing EMB-MT tyres which offers comparatively sharper turn in.
Lastly the weight balance is actually really good too. It jumps very neutrally with throttle or brake mid air allowing you to modify the landing angle. Skate parks aren't really my thing but I thought the RC Kiwis did a really good job of showing this:
Oh yeah, it helps that the servo is actually pretty quick too:
Durability. So far this has been a tough truck. This is not a fair comparison to the earlier model WL Toys product because there are so many evolutionary improvements that have been made to address durability. These include:
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M3 nut and bot hinge pins front
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M3 nut and bot hinge pins rear
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Stronger bumper and shock absorption bar
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Metal hub carriers front and knuckles
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metal hub carriers rear
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Motor thermal paste which allows chassis to be used as heatsink.
Furthermore the style of a monster truck body compared to a buggy means that shock towers and suspension components are better protected in crashes and tumbles. For a low cost truck this is really durable, especially for the kind of driving I do. In my experience it is pretty much just Youtube reviewers trying to prove a point that run at skate parts and if you repeatably launch it then you will break something in the same way that you would break a Traxxas or Arrma car. In short it's very tough for the money and you could do much worse.
Conclusions and Improvements I recommend
In summary this is a tough, great handling monster truck that uses a proven chassis meaning that you can leverage off multiple upgrade guides from the community with many parts available. I've written over 40 articles on this car already. Unfortunately they have let it down with the same tall gearing from earlier models made worse with the large diameter wheels which means a very decent top speed is offset by poor acceleration, poor battery life and a hot motor. Overall I would still recommend it because there is a lot more upside than downside to this car, especially if you are willing to tinker. If not though it is still a good car as long as you understand limitations
My recommendations for upgrading... If you are willing to tinker though this car would really come alive with a better power system and I know precisely what would suit this truck: My recommendation would be a budget brushless system along the lines of the one I used in my Drop In Brushless Upgrade with the 3600kv 2445 motor. Alongside the smaller 15t pinion gear this should improve every measurable performance aspect of this car - a top speed bump to around 55 km/h, an increase in acceleration that would barely be recognisable, a motor and ESC that runs ice cold and a battery life that would double or triple the stock one. In order to keep costs downs I have made some minor updates with parts I have used and trust to be a good mix of low cost and reliable performance:
  • WL Toys 124017/8 receiver (allows you to keep stock transmitter)
  • Surpass Hobby 17g metal gear servo
  • Surpass Hobby KK 35a brushless ESC
  • Racerstar 2445 3600kv motor
  • Unicorn 15t M0.7 pinion gear
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Use this guide for install instructions
All of this should cost between $50 and $70 depending on sales and coupons (use code BGRCParts8 for 8% off if nothing else). Don't forget you can probably get $20-30 for your old ESC, motor and servo if you really need as well).
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I ordered my Wltoys 144002 RTR 1/14 4WD RC Truck from Banggood. Check out my coupons and discount page to see if any current specials are on or otherwise try code BG5RCtoy  for 5% off retail
If you are looking for a discount on this car, I will post any coupon codes or flash sales for it over here on my coupons and discounts page. Remember buying from any of these links supports my page without any cost to you and is appreciated especially since I don't ask for money via patreon and the like. If you want to get involved in this discussion, feel free to join the QuadifyRC Facebook Group Here or like my page below.
30 Comments
Rcfreak
26/1/2022 09:32:41 am

What about the new 19t pinion and new motor mount. Very cool to have more options imo.

Reply
QuadifyRC
27/1/2022 11:34:46 pm

I personally think the 19t is a bit too tall still but definitely an improvement over stock.

Reply
Rcfreak
4/2/2022 03:39:49 am

Yes you are probably right, I haven't tried it yet, but do have a few on order.

I'll probably lower the motor KV to compensate? Not sure, it's fun messing with this stuff anyway.

My 144001 is probably in it's fourth or fifth iteration now. I recent bought a carbon fiber set for it. Just got it together, seems to work fine and is a lot lighter. Will report back with other findings.

Have you tried it yet quad?

Isaac
30/3/2022 03:27:56 pm

My 144001 has had several "iterations" too, 4 I think. The first is of course, completely stock.

The second iteration was born when I stripped the stock plastic gear servo and decided to just change all the electrics except the motor, for future upgrade potential, and do it'd be "up-to-date" with current hobby standards (seperate receiver and ESC, and a 3 wire servo). So my 144001 got a HobbyWing Quicrun 1060 brushed 60a 1/10 scale ESC (that's where the "1060" comes from I think), the popular, affordable basher radio, none other than thew DumboRC X6 TX/RX! And servo duties are handled by the somewhat underrated JX PDI-1181MG (Metal Geared) servo that Quad recommended.

For the 3rd iteration, I ordered a few LC-Racing goodies, the black "Truggy" wing, stiffer 1.3mm rear springs so the car won't squat so badly under acceleration and bottom out when jumping (especially with the big ol' 550 brushed motor, *cough* that gives you a little idea of the 4th iteration!), and a rear shock rebuild kit so I'd have those parts handy (I recently ended up using the O-rings in the front leaky shocks).

And then the fourth, more recent iteration was born when I decided that the stock brushed system (used light-moderately, at best, for about 1.5 years) had a few seasons left on it (ok, fine, it probably could've served for another year, give or take).

Ok, fine, the main reason I did the 4th iteration was I wanted to mess with my 144001 some more, and take it up to another notch, more power, significantly better effeciency (ie. better battery life, and less heat), great acceleration, even more agile/nimble handling (by unweighting the rear end a little), of course I'm talking about a brushless upgrade! I went with Quad's "best budget brushless guide"!

I'm very happy with my mods, I've also done some other mods that I haven't included here, like thicker 50wt Team Losi Racing shock oil in all four corners, a TBR (T-Bone-Racing) Tocan Soar (which is the same car as the LC-R EMB line, and Wltoys 14400_, 12401_, and Eachine EAT 14) front bumper, not to mention some homemade bits and bobs!

Reply
QuadifyRC
28/5/2022 09:37:58 pm

Good timing, I'm writing up a brushless guide just for this car right now

A
26/1/2022 10:35:01 pm

Hi, you are modding your RCs a lot, any recommendations for a tool kit to do so? Screw drivers and so on...
Thanks
A

Reply
QuadifyRC
27/1/2022 11:35:54 pm

I use hex drives from TBS and am currently using the sequre electric screwdriver https://www.quadifyrc.com/rccarreviews/sequre-sq-es126-electric-screwdriver-review-and-comparison-to-other-precision-drivers

Reply
A
1/2/2022 08:04:16 pm

Awesome, thanks for guiding me there...

A

James
27/1/2022 04:15:08 pm

Nice review as always. I'm in the process of turning my stock 144001 into more of a basher based on your reviews and recommendations. What parts from the 144002, if any, would work on the 144001?

Reply
QuadifyRC
27/1/2022 11:37:34 pm

Thanks James. I linked the hub carriers and think especially the front ones would be useful. They may have the body on Aliexpress too? Check out this article, should be helpful for you https://www.quadifyrc.com/rccarreviews/wl-toys-144001-basher-upgrade-make-it-tough

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Isaac
28/1/2022 09:56:48 am

Good article Quad! I was looking at the HBX and Wltoys website, and it seems that HBX stocks parts for a lot of different Chinese-based brand, including Wltoys and XLF. Interesting, I'm not sure if HBX owns all the brands, or just stocks some parts for them.
http://www.haiboxingtoys.com/ shows that apparently there will/is a new version of the popular 901A brushless, called the "Dune Thunder". It looks to be the same car, just with white rims, and a somewhat different bodyshell, with lights, and in a blue color.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/News-WLToys-104001-1-10-scale_1600176002981.html?spm=a2700.shop_index.98890.1.22691458bRwok5 Shows a green and purple 104001 next to the original red and white 104001, interesting too, I wonder if we will see both these new colored cars. What do you think?

Reply
QuadifyRC
28/1/2022 01:05:52 pm

Those are not official sites, just some guys selling parts who scored a domain.

Reply
Isaac
4/2/2022 10:20:48 am

Oh, ok. I hope the new blue HBX 901a actually exists! So you're saying Alibaba is not an official site either, just some random site that some guys made? Info on these Chinese websites isn't abundant. I'm not planning to order from them, just curious about that purple 104001!

Rcfreak
4/2/2022 01:52:29 pm

Yeah what's the deal with this?
What's the official site and the ones we should watch out for?

abbazaba
29/1/2022 05:14:35 am

I'm guessing you'd take the 16889a pro over this one every time?

Reply
QuadifyRC
1/2/2022 01:20:42 pm

For out of the box? yeah for sure. This one handles better and has more potential though.

Reply
Mark
31/1/2022 10:37:20 pm

Hello and thank you for building such an amazing knowledge base around these fun little cars.

I thought I'd add a little bit of info around the new improved hinge pins. I've been searching high and low for a similar replacement for my son's 124019. I have a 124017 which also have them. They are actually M2.5 and 47.5mm long. Its really hard to find an equivalent screw or bolt anywhere. Possibly a M2.5 threaded rod could be used with two nuts.

However, I have finally tracked down the part number.
144010-2159

I haven't tried purchasing any yet but thought this might be useful to others.

Thanks again for the amazing articles!

Reply
Rcfreak
1/2/2022 03:51:00 am

Lemme know if you find any. Thanks for the info!

Reply
QuadifyRC
1/2/2022 01:22:58 pm

Cheers Mark and thanks for the heads up on the hinge pins - assumed to quickly on these! Good on you for finding the part number, I'll ask my contact to stock as the are presently only on aliexpressed (overpriced) or on some even less reliable sites.

Reply
Isaac
16/2/2022 10:12:38 am

Hey Qaud, I'm sure you've heard of the new 124016/7 V2, with the smaller 19t pinion and I think an upgraded motor or ESC? I was wondering, could you review one of these, or could you please get a hold of the new motor mount for the 19t pinion and the 19t pinion itself?

I see an opprounity here, this could be the best drop in, no cut option for fitting a 28__ size motor to one of these cars. I have a brushless converted 144001 (I used your awesome budget brushless guide), and I'm thinking of upgrading it to a 28__ size brushless motor down the line from the 2440 4600kV I have in there right now.

So I'm really curious about how this new mount and 19t pinion works, and maybe you could do just a quick guide, where you use both these parts, your favorite 28__ size affordable basher motor and ESC in there? Or maybe just slap one of your existing 28__ motor brushless setups in a car with these two new parts??

Thanks a lot in advance!

Reply
QuadifyRC
12/4/2022 12:36:20 pm

Got one on the way but wouldn't recommend it for this car, wheels are too big. I'd recommend 2445 3600kv and 15t here. If there is enough interest I'll do the conversion.

Reply
Isaac
13/4/2022 07:35:43 am

Yeah, I was thinking for my 144001, not the 144002. Couldn't you go with a little lower kV on the 28__ motor if you did it for the 144002, and/or use smaller wheels, something like the stock 124017/6/EAT 14, or the new 144010 brushless wheels, which are the same as the ones I listed but have green font? Or how about the a lower kV with the great Remo wheels?

Speaking of the Remo P6973 wheels, they are currently scarce, on BG you can only get the pair of them for $13 (which I think is an OK price, could be a smidge lower if possible), but the 2 pair (4 wheels) pack listing is GONE from the site, and that's a shame as that was the best value listing for the Remos. And the 2 or 3 Remo listings I found on Ebay are out of stock too...

Yeah, so could you consider the 28__ BL motor conversion on the 124019/8/144001?

Ryan
11/3/2022 05:03:48 am

If someone is not as mechanically inclined to convert to brushless, could they simply install a smaller diameter tire? Is there a tire brand/ model that would accomplish this?

Reply
Isaac
30/3/2022 03:36:05 pm

Quad, I want to point out a few things that I think might have been overlooked by others (being nitpicky here lol!), BTW great article, like usual!

1) Has anyone else noticed that the newer cars (since the 124019/8 I want to say, or since the 124016/7), there's an extra 2 reinforcing ridges on the top of the diff housings?

2) The 144002's tires look a LOT like the *cough* HBX 16889's (and all it's copies and versions) *cough* tires. Seriously, compare them, I know you have the 16889A Pro, I have the brushed SG 1601! The rims however are different, but also have the orange ring!

3) The stock plastic gear servo will strip, and stripping the gears isn't super duper hard, in early 2020, I was hooning around indoors (I know, stupid idea!), and crashed into a table leg going at jogging speed maybe. My 144001 did thwack against the leg, but it wasn't a terrible crash at all. I hadn't so much as touched the servo saver's tightness, it was the stock setting. The gears just stripped! Anyway, that was actually kinda good (ironic), now I have a brushless converted 144001 somehow...lol!

4) You say that now the 144002 is pretty dang durable, I take it that the HBX 16889 still has a slight edge over it in durability though? I have the SG 1601 brushed, which is a re-colored 16889, and I have a brushless 144001, so I have the best of both worlds!

Reply
Chris
5/4/2022 01:16:11 am

Hi,

nice article. Also based on this review I bought this as my first RC car. I like it very much. Planning on converting it to brushless to get more battery life and more torque. I have a lot of 4s batteries laying around from my drones, which motor/esc would you recommend for 4s? I'm comfortable with soldering and mounting new parts, but not with drilling holes in for example a motormount. Which pinion would you recommend?

Best regards, Chris

Reply
Isaac
6/4/2022 07:42:34 am

Hi Chris, I'm not Quad, but I'll try my best to help!

So, 4s is typically found some larger 1/10 scale bashers, as well as some 1/8 scale vehicles. These vehicles are much larger than the 14400_ or the 12401_. 4s for these 1/14 scale or 1/12 scale cars is understandably EXTREME, 4s is a lot of power and volts! If you try to run a 4s pack in the 144002 stock, well, let's just say you won't be able to use those electronics again!

I don't think it's worth modding your 144002 to take 4s, that's double the power of the stock, recommended 2s pack. Even 3s in these cars is iffy, the brushed cars will almost certainly go up in smoke when you try 3s. In the newer, V2 brushless models (124016/7 V2), 3s is viable, but it will put 50% more strain on the electronics, drivetrain, and just the whole car. So 3s in the V2 brushless models is best saved for speed runs and bragging rights, not bashing!

In order to 4s in your 144002, you'd need to upgrade a lot of the drivetrain, like LC-Racing (or Wltoys stock 1240_ aluminum hexes, not the "upgraded" metal hexes for the 14400_) metal hexes, LC-R CVDs all round, in fact, you'd probably want to upgrade a lot of the drivetrain to LC-R, like an LC-R spur/pinion (so you'll also need to go brushless, obviously, to handle the power and all the other benefits of BL), motor mount, diffs, center driveshaft, diffs, and diff pinions.

You'll also need to change all the electronics out, so new radio/receiver, 3 wire servo, a 4s capable motor and ESC, as well as someway to mount the chunky 4s pack; as there is NO WAY IN HECK it's fitting under the shell, so you're going to be looking at outboard mounted packs, like in the speed run Wltoys that people have going over 100mph!


So, TLDR, IMO, it isn't worth the hassle and $$ to make your 144002 run on 4s, you'd spend at least double the cost of the car with new, 4s capable electronics and a beefed up drivetrain. Just get a couple 2s or 3s packs!

I don't want to scare you away from RC modding, or these awesome Wltoys cars, it just that 4s is really extreme for these smaller cars, they just aren't built for it. It'd be like shoving a Dodge Hellcat engine in a Honda Accord of Civic (my dad actually has the Civic Type-R, 🤣🤣), if that makes sense. 4s power would be absolutely BONKERS, you'd probably be doing standing back flips, blowing off tires, ect! If you want to use your 4s packs in a budget RC surface vehicle, you could get the 104001, and convert it to a 4s brushless beast, like this article by Quad. The 104001 is larger, at 1/10 scale, so it'll handle 4s power better, but it's still pushing it!
https://www.quadifyrc.com/rccarreviews/wl-toys-104001-big-brushless-upgrade-and-installation-guide

I understand why you'd want to use 4s packs, convenience and all. I almost forgot, there is one way you could use 4s packs, that is if you intend to get hardcore into speed running and are chasing those high speeds of over 90mph, and really want to get up there. However, speed running, especially when you want to use 4s power, does require you to be fully comitted, and with the money for the mods.

I've rambled enough, bottom line is IMO, the juice isn't worth the squeeze, so to say, (the "juice" being a 4s pack, and the "squeeze" is modding the 144002 to take 4s).

Reply
Mike
12/4/2022 10:39:19 pm

Hey looking for a fairly good car that can also be used on the grass in the park by my toddler. He's currently driving a little 1:32 car but it struggles on the grass. How is the size of the transmitter and does the throttle knob let you set max speed to quite slow, as he hasn't worked out proportional throttle yet he just always dives everything at max speed so crashes a lot.

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QuadifyRC
13/4/2022 09:14:13 am

Hey Mike. Consider a Crawler like the C24 I reviewed here. These are slower and easily move through grass https://www.quadifyrc.com/rccarreviews/wpl-c24-116-review-a-cheap-mini-crawler-to-get-you-hooked
If you want something faster that is tough then it is hard to go past the HBX 16889a pro. You can limit the top speed with a little dial, this is called throttle dual rate. https://www.quadifyrc.com/rccarreviews/hbx-16889a-pro-review-i-think-this-is-the-best-small-basher-ive-ever-had

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Isaac
15/4/2022 07:30:07 am

Mike, if you turn the throttle dual rate (AKA the "speed dial") way down, the car will either not move at all, or go at a slow walking pace. I can't remember which, as it's been a long time since I used the stock radio with the stock electronics in my 144001 (I've upgraded all the electronics except the brushed motor, and then late last year I converted my 144001 to brushless). Either way, case in point, you can make the car go real slow, probably more than slow enough for your son!

I personally am a more conservative driver, and almost never go full throttle, especially since the brushless upgrade, which will spin out the worn stock wheels at basically any speed! I mostly drive at 50% throttle or less, and I actually haven't really broken anything (other than stripping the stock servo which prompted the electronics upgrade).

So so set to a slow speed, your son will be hard pressed to break the 144002, and especially since these cars are reasonably tough, and the 144002 has bumpers and metal front knuckles, hub carriers, and metal rear hub carriers, so unless your son drive it under a moving car, drives it off cliff, or something else extreme, it will probably sustain little breakages at that speed, even with toddler-finger control skills.

And when he's taking a nap or something, maybe you'll turn up the throttle dual rate a little for a quick rip yourself, just don't have him wake up to discover his "toy", uh, "somehow" broke...🤣🤣

It sounds like either this car (or the 144001, or 12401_) or a crawler will suit your needs. Crawlers are a lot slower, their max speed is usually about a walking pace, but they have lots of torque, and are made to slowly navigate rocks, and just more extreme terrain with control.

They're basically the RC version of Jeeps or Hummers, they're slow but steady, and climb up challenging terrain. They're not speed demons, but I've heard crawling can be relaxing, you don't break many parts because you aren't hitting jumps at 30+mph, ect. and you can go to the moon with scale
accesories, and performance enhancing upgrades.

I'm assuming you aren't looking for a high-end, full blown 1/10 scale trail truck or competition crawler, but a smaller, more affordable one under, say, $150ish?

In that case, check out the WPL C24 like Quad suggested, that's like the cheapest crawler you can buy that's still "hobby grade". It doesn't have many bells and whistles, but you can upgrade it, and it's only $45-$60. It's 1/18 scale IIRC, so a little smaller than the 144002, but at least double the size of the current 1:32 scale car your son has.

Next, is the HBX Devastator, a decently affordable, capable, tough, 1/24 scale crawler. It is a bit smaller than the 144002, but these "mini" crawlers are very popular, along with their bigger 1/10 scale brothers. The Devastator features 4 wheel steering, and there are like 4 steering modes you can switch between via the transmitter. It's about $100.

Last but certainly not least is the one, the only, Axial SCX 24! These things are EASILY the most popular mini crawlers, TONS of aftermarket parts, and community support. It's about as capable as the Devastator in stock form, but it doesn't have 4 wheel steering out of the box. You can upgrade it to have 4 wheel steering though, and you can upgrade it to the moon if you want to make a very capable mini crawler.

Just go research the SCX24 a little, there are lots of different body options, some with slightly different chassis, the Deadbolt version is the cheapest version at $125, with the new, longest, and most expensive '24, the Jeep Gladiator coming in at $150. There are almost 10 different versions of the SCX 24 currently.

All these crawlers have a top speed of about walking pace, are smaller to you'll easily be able throw them in a backpack or small bag, as with the 14400_ and 12401_ (thought the 12401_ cars are longer than the 14400_s).

I hope you find this helpful, sorry that I rambled on a bit there!

Reply
Mike
28/5/2022 09:46:47 pm

I got a hbx 16889a pro, my 2yo son has figured out pretty quickly how to drive it around 1/4 throttle (with the exception of reverse).




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