BEST RTR RC Crawler?? Redcat Ascent First Drive and Review
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- Опубліковано 26 лип 2024
- For awhile now, I have touted the Element Ecto as the best RTR RC crawler...but Redcat has now released the Ascent....is it better? Have they dethroned the RTR King??
I got my hands on this Ascent to give it a full test, and in this video, you see the results.
Interested in getting one? You can get it straight from Redcat here: www.redcatracing.com/?ref=faS...
Or you can get it from AMain Hobbies here: bit.ly/3PZEPwY
Video timeline:
0:00 Ascent
0:28 Unboxing
2:35 Overview
8:55 Test Drive
20:54 Review
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Music provided by the UA-cam library.
I definitely like the red one better than the blue.
Same. I don't buy anything blue, if I can help it. 😍
Blue one has the duck tail removable bed tho
I wish they made the blue body style in the red color. I just gave the blue one to my son for his 8th birthday. He’s in heaven.
@@Thedudeabides803 Nice.. Such a good rig right out of the box
I love this red color, but the functionality of the blue body is so much better. Honestly, I love the blue color also but the blue body just looks funky, but that is because it’s more functional.
Troy, these things are super impressive! It handled your fence course impressively and that rock wall like a true mountain goat . Your complaints are valid and I totally agree from my vantage point. Really minor complaints though. The Ecto has some serious competition! I love this and truly an awesome and thorough review buddy!
Thank you!
Holy crap I was sitting here watching this video and thinking to myself I believe this would give the element ecto rtr outta the box a run for it's money. Lol then you come off with that statement at the end 😅😅. Awesome review as always thanks for the video. I believe this may be on my list for the next crawler I buy. Looking forward to that head to head with the ecto.
Yes! I love the ECTO, so will be very curious to compare them. Mine isn't stock anymore, so want to mod this a little to make the comparison fair.
Ecto has way more flex
I’m sold on this Beast! Very very graceful crawling! Great video!
It really is a very solid truck!
I really want the tucked blue one. Awesome review as always. One of the very few RC people that you can trust
Thank you for those kind words. I really appreciate it!
Always fun to watch!
Thank you!
Got mine in blue. You always do a great job. Thanks.
Thanks!
Hope you enjoy it!
I just preordered the red full body one from Amain along with a Fusion 1800 SE. With the $25 coupon Amain is giving it’s $349.98 for the combo. Best value in an RTR ive ever seen from any manufacturer
Yes! Agree 100%!!!
Does the 2/1 work with the redcat RX?
@Richieboy81 It should without issue.
That's awesome I like the red better, I like the wheels and tires surprising they are glued but not really a big deal
Yes! The red looks amazing in person!
Red, don't like fiddly beadlocks. Tires are nice.
bad ass rig. Thank you for your honest review. You brought the 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you sir!!!
Excellent video Troy. Really appreciate it👍🏼
Thank you!
Awaiting the head to head for sure.
Great! My ECTO isn't stock, so want to do a few mods to this Ascent to make it more comparable.
Can’t wait for this, too. Me and a friend are actually considering buying 2 Ectos or 2 Ascents soon🤩 Why not doing both, first stock Ascent vs modified Ecto, and modified vs modified later😅
Nice footage on the crawl. Rig looks really good, really good.
Small request: turn down the music, let us hear the truck a bit more. IMO. Thx.
Thanks for the feedback!
Great video!
Thanks!
1:04 nah nah, ask Joe from Exocaged RC what that storage compartment is for.
In case you’re hungry while crawling…. Vienna sausage storage
That is funny!
Excellent video...man torn between the 2 colors but now I want the Red one. Looks cool with the bed & color is BadAss💯
It really looks great in person!
Wow! your fence mounted trail is fun. Awesome
Thanks! I enjoy it!
Watch out gspeed here comes red kitty. 😮
Great video & awesome backyard crawler course. For the price point this truck is a win 🎉
Yes!
Almost pulled the trigger on getting one of these but I went RC4WD instead. Might grab one just to add to my collection after seeing it perform. Thanks for the review. Oh, by the way new sub here!
Thanks!
I can't recommend this truck enough - it is VERY good!
Hi Troy! Redcat for the win! I love my Redcat crawlers and they just keep getting better and better with each new version. I love the red color best but I would have bought the blue boat shaped body to avoid any rubbing. The new tires seem pretty great too, I probably wouldn't get my usual Hyrax or landmines. But I'd definitely put a fusion combo in it, you wouldn't need anything else, it would climb like Billy goat 😂Great review and video my friend! 💯 🤜 🤛
Yes! This truck is really surprisingly good!
Thanks for the great video! Greetings from Munich Germany 👋
Thank you for watching!
Very impressive, especially compared to the gen9 scout,I will be ordering one in a couple weeks and be waiting for your free mods
You know a "free mods" video is coming soon!
Me too...
That's a awesome rtr looks like it will be a big hit I was thinking about getting one myself I can't wait to see what you do with that rig
Thanks 👍
What a course, awesome!
Thanks!
Nice and thorough review covering the entire car. Waiting for mine to arrive. Living in Europe and popularity no telling if and if so when these can be bought over here. Decided this will be my 1st 1/10 crawler and ordered one. Although this way the shipping costs don’t make it a “cheap” buy anymore… 😅 meeehhh…. We only live one… hoping it will arrive before Christmas. Time to save some money again to go brushless soon.. 😊 subscribed, curious about upgrade videos
Awesome! I really think it is one of the best 1:10 you can buy. I hope you like it!
Yours is the second video I've watched and you and the other UA-camr were very impressed as I was. I wish I had taken advantage of the Black Friday sales Redcat had going. Redcat has really stepped up its game as far as quality. It also looks good and has so many positive features. You review is excellent. The other reviewer I watched ran almost submerged and it kept going. I think you pointed out some ways to improve it, as you should, and would be even better. I've never owned a Redcat, but that may change. Thanks.
Thank you for the kind words! Yes - this truck continues to be great. I have made changes to it, continued to drive it...and even came in 3rd at a recent competition!
Damn! We don’t have any RedCat dealers in Finland. I’ve been looking for a great RTR crawler for a while and now I think I found what I want. I don’t want anything very expensive . Now I seen few reviews about this crawler and everybody has.said it’s impressive. Thank for this review and test video.
Glad to share.
Thanks for watching!
First of all, really great, well done review. I have a Redcat Gen 8 Axe edition, and I think out of the box, it is still the best. I noticed a few things, like no parts for lights, etc., brushed motor, lesser radio, non licensed body stuff like that. My Gen 8, out of the box, had more to it, Was expensive, but probably the best RTR Redcat ever made.
Fair points!
Just picked the blue one up on Monday and now I want the red one as well. Really can't wait to put it up against my ecto
Nice! It really is a great crawler!
@@RoadsideRC I will have to get some treal wheels for the ascent so it is the same as the ecto. The ecto has treal wheels and proline flatirons xl's other then that all stock
I'm not normally a fan of red, but that shade is pretty slick.
It really is quite nice!
Redcat knocked it out of the park with this one. All the way around performances and price tag are perfect. I personally dare say its underpriced. Great job. Nice little coarse you have there.. that's half the fun too building the course. How many times I changed up lol its definitely not for those of us who are OCD lol for me the traxxas sport is the truck best out of box' I do like my gen 8 as well the traxxas is just "solid"
I agree - performance/dollar is as good as it gets!
Hay Troy.. Wow what a release from RedCat ...Great LCG Crawler from them... I see issues plastic gears ..This is way they installed high turn count motor. Now price point not bad .. all the same things we replace for greater control motor/ESC, servo and Tires/Wheels..
Having looked at the gears, I am not worried about stripping them. They are wide gears with big teeth.
They do list metal gears in the manual as well.
awesome, this truck may have the best rtr shocks i`ve ever seen, this is BUY
Agree 100%!!!
Excellent video. You definitely helped me make my decision. 14:12
Glad I could help!
Nice 👍 Looking Vehicle 😅Troy!! Have you got your Gorgon yet .. it’s pretty awesome 😊
I don't have the Gorgon!! It is still sitting at the LHS!
As always a great review I was impressed how well it did on the test drive
*big like👍Au👀full view always🦘*
Thank you 🤗
I love how far back the rear tires sit.
The tires are really good, maybe some venting would make them even better? I would also install the Fusion SE motor. Looks like I will have to purchase one of these rigs. Thanx for the review...
Glad you liked it.
I have wondered if some cutting of these tires would make them even better!
can fit your 1/8th in the bottom of the radio also!
Redcat can make crawlers that are super capable out of the box, they just lack in scale
Not sure this one was supposed to focus on scale looks. The performance is clearly the focus.
Also - licensed bodies cost more!
Looks like an Awesome crawler for little money !!!!!!
It really is!
Just called my LHS, I’ll have one very soon!
Great! I hope you like it!!
Would be interested to see how much lower you can get the body, is there room on the body posts/shock mounts to trim the body sides, say where that crease runs, and really get it slammed?
I am interested in this as well. I think the truck would look good with the body trimmed at the bottom.
As it sits, the hood is touching the top of the shock towers. So would need to cut holes in the hood to get the front any lower. Would need to ditch the flipping body mount as well - which is fine.
Good review, did the tires rub the fender as much as it looks like they are in the video? Looks like every time it's flexing the tire is rubbing on the fender
The front tires rub the back of the front fender at max flex. I will simply trim a couple mm off and it will be solved.
Not sure if this happens only on the red body since the blue body is shaped differently.
@@RoadsideRC I should have been more clear oh, what I was talking about was more the top of the fender while flexing, I saw and heard it rubbing when you turn but was wondering because it looks like the top of the fenders was rubbing on the tire to when flexing
@@SteadfastRC Nope - not the top of the fender. Only area that rubbed was right behind the tire.
This rig looks amazing so far! How’s the bump steer, I haven’t heard anyone so far say anything about it. Is it better than the Gen8?
I'm a bad judge of that. It never bothered me on the Gen8. But - the front suspension design is mostly the same as the Gen9, where they said they had fixed it.
Looks dialed in pretty well
It really is - straight out of the box!
Troy, wonder if some gentle heatgun work and reshape the fenders by the wheels, maybe tuck the body. Ill try it when mine arrives. Happy Birthday to me!!
You should consider joining us and the Missouri Scalers at Annual Rigs & Coffee 2023 on Nov18th at Elephant Rocks State Park...should see 200-300 crawlers hit the rocks!!
Bring your kidos and grab a cabin, hit the rocks at Elephant Rocks. After the main event stay at the nearby park and night crawl the creeks with us..
Hi there!
Thanks for letting me know about the event. Do you have a link to the event on Facebook?
@RoadsideRC I sent the flyer in your IM. Did you see it?
BTW: Through a unique turn of events, we also ended up with the blue split cab.. Fusion Pro transplant coming soon !! Have red and blue...need a white COE Hauler!!
@@stlrider4714 Yes, I did see it thank you. Not sure if I can make it, but checking on it.
great video! I want to buy my first 1/10th scale crawler. i was wanting to get a scx10 base camp and do upgrades like dig,dsm elastic winch,cheaper injora tire and rims,brass,and overdrive,and free mods too.but now i dont know.what do you think?
This truck is MUCH better than the Basecamp.
From the looks of thing this vehicle doesn't need much to make it much better than it already is. I would go with two simple up grade. A Hobby wing 1080 G2 esc and metal wheels...not much needed it's a trooper right out the box
Agree! Very good straight out of the box. More to come on this truck!
I like the fact they don't say Fordyce or something else really stupid on the hood in big letters.
Great.
That is an odd recognition, but makes sense.
I'll be curious to see how it does with a Fusion SE. It definitely makes me pause if a 42 turn 550 doesn't have good modulation. I wonder if they built it with enough gear reduction? Otherwise it's cool they included the underdrive gearing and nice to see a lighter 3S lipo in that rear position doesn't throw off the weight distribution. Also interesting the cab-body mounts on the sides are molded vs screwed on. Maybe there is enough space for one of the really tiny 650 or 850mAh packs there?
Hi Andy!
For the modulation, I think it is more to the ESC, perhaps the controller - not down to the motor. A brushless swap will solve it.
There is certainly enough room for pretty good sized battery packs. I think I am going to focus on moving that battery weight all the way to the front and just skip the middle mount position.
@@RoadsideRC Yeah I'm sure one of the Fusion SE's will simplify the layout and allow the battery to live in the front position. It should be pretty easy, and it was nice to see it wasn't flopping over backwards on the really steep climbs. It suggests they got the cg and rear link geometry working better.
im curious how are the rod ends on the new truck i had issues with my Wendigo constantly breaking rod ends
These are the same as the Gen9, so should be nice and strong. Seems rare for folks to break rod ends on them.
@@RoadsideRC awesome i ended up using axial ones on the wendigo glad to hear they improved them
What weight percent front to rear was it at during box stock
It was just shy of the 60/40 balance, but depends a lot on what battery you run and where.
I'm new to redcat, is the gen 8 axle parts compatible with gen 9? Not seen much available for gen 9?
Most are. Major difference is the inner front knuckle. It has a different design. But center diff cover and outside portals are the same.
Assuming you are talking about adding brass parts.
@@RoadsideRC yeah bud thanks, will be ordering from the UK so will have to order the truck and upgrades at the same time to save on the shipping. Will get a center diff and outer portals from a gen8 👍
I would love that body to put on my Gen 8 redcat though
That would be a good upgrade!
Can the bed on the red one come off like the blue?
Nope - red is all one piece body
Those are high clearance links on there. They just put them on sideways from the factory.
My understanding is they are bend in that direction to have clearance around the motor and driveshaft.
Does this have programmable crawler throttle mode?
I'm not sure what kind of crawler modes you are looking for. Can you explain more?
@@RoadsideRC The TRX-4 has a crawler mode you can set on the ESC. I wondered if this has the same , if the ESC is programmable
hello, im new here. what is ur oppinipm pm strada short course brushless? thanks. i want to buy it
I would not suggest getting that truck. Check out this one instead - it is a great value with great performance and durability: bit.ly/46Ou4V9
how wide is it, outside tire to outside tire?
Looks like around 240mm, or 9.75"
@@RoadsideRC thank you
If I could hit a button and wheelie into 35mph, I'd buy one . Still might anyway .
Odd request for a crawler, but you do you! :)
I like these. But no mention of weather it comes with a battery and charger. Where to buy them and how much they cost. One of my pet peeves with these more expensive RC's is they don't come with a battery or charger. Can not find any mention on amazon either. So how many people buy these assuming they can pull it out of the box to play with it only to find out they still have to spend untold amounts to make it work.
This video starts with an unboxing - where I show you everything that comes in it...which there is no battery or charger.
Then, before I run it, I show the battery I am going to use and tell you there is a link for where you can buy it.
You are correct. The exact words, "it doesn't come with a battery and charger" never come out of my mouth. But I expect most folks can understand the situation.
Crawls good factory, but needs more articulation
I'm not sure it does need more articulation. There is certainly a thing as too much. Based on the performance out of the box - I'll let it ride until I see a need for more.
🎃🎃👍👍
Looks like it has very little suspension articulation. It seems to carry one wheel alot instead of articulating to keep 4 points of contact
I noticed this as well...but the proof is in the performance. The truck just drives over everything!
I was already to pull the trigger on the blue one unit I seen it on video. Seems very flimsy the connection between cab and body. I am disappointed that both bodies have horrible tire rub
The body connection has been solid for me. Not worried about it. Could it rip/break eventually...sure - but that is part of plastic bodies.
The body rub really is not that big of a deal. Trimming a couple mm from behind the fender and it will be gone.
@@RoadsideRC perfect that's the type of input I wanted to hear. Thank you.
Link ?
Here you go: alnk.to/d3AZBQL
Most people will at least switch to Hobbywing ESC or 2 in 1 spend money and go snub nose outrunner. this is best crawler and ecto still likely better Trail truck with high clearance.
I am excited to put this head-to-head with the ECTO. I am a big fan of that truck as well, so interested to see the comparison.
Wrenches? Naw, a few J's and a lighter for me lol.. Wrenches can go in my pocket lol
Ha!
Only let fown by the esc, wonder why they didnt go with something dirt cheap and tunable like the isdt esc70? Probably have contract agreements with hexfly?
Comparing dollar for dollar, its beats other 'budget' offerings outta the park.
Agree 100% - this is the best value in crawlers out there.
I will be throwing a brushless setup at it rather soon, and assume most other folks will as well.
@@RoadsideRC I would put a fusion in too but for the folks on a tight budget a better brushed esc would go along way. Have you revisited the esc70 or checked out the new esc80 from isdt? I know the esc70 had issues at launch but my two units have been performing great for $29, I now have a 1080 to compare them to and I would say they are better pound for pound but the RC community gets very entrenched lol.
@@thindigital I had a really bad experience with the ISDT ESC. Perhaps I should give the new version another shot.
@@RoadsideRC you weren't alone and I get it, hard to get people to go back for another bite if it didn't perform. They do an esc80, you might wanna reach out for a review unit.
We actually did look at the ISDT, but some of the sample units we got (and one I got for personal use) started having issues with updates and connection to Bluetooth on a variety of phones. Mind you, this was 2 years ago when we started the Ascent project so they have probably fixed the issues by now.
This is nice but I still think the element ecto is king of the hill.
I will put them to the test to see!
@@RoadsideRCnice. I will as well once I get the cat. Definitely a solid release.
I like the look of it but for me the American shipping rates just kill it 😑 Oh that dude from RC Review tells us you need to spend another $400+ on upgrades!??! wtf...................🤑
Need more for upgrades? I guess most people will put a brushless setup in it and some wheels and some brass. That is all fairly standard no matter which truck you purchase.
@@RoadsideRC I agree! Francis is all about getting you to spend money with his affiliate links eh' Crazy that he's saying you should spend more than the price of the Crawler on upgrades 🤭
Where Radcat saved money was on that Cheap Ugly Body they put on it.. it would be a good basher body though..
I think it looks great! But - beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
The truck performs great, bodies are ugly but the red is better than blue imo….I suppose if redcat used a licensed body the price would have been a $100 more.
Yep - that is just how it works.
The body is not bad in person, so I am 100% OK with it.
not the best ever if we have to spend a nother $400 to get it right, red cat did a great job on this truck, but there is a lot that needs to be done to make it great!!! after you spend hundreds on it , so not the best ever, and the ecto will walk on it , lol!!!
What $400 are you referring to? I'm curious what you think it will need that is different than other crawlers.
I have an ECTO and love it, so am very curious to get them out and test them. But, my ECTO isn't stock, so want to mod this a little first.
For a beginner, it's ready to go and great value. For an enthusiast, bit of brass, wheels and tires and a fusion SE or isdt esc70, doesn't need $400 for sure.
@@RoadsideRC sorry ,i ment no harm, but the servo new motor wheels and tires , you can spend much more, for great parts, it was the comment that this is the best rtr got me,we spend so much after we buy them, it,s crazy, i ment no harm, i unsub, and wont comment,again sir, , but listen to what you sayed at the very begining ,like i said i ment no harm for what i said, have a blessed day
@CRAZYBUILD349 There is no harm. I was just asking for you to explain your thought. I don't see any more upgrades/mods on this truck vs other crawlers. And this one starts at $289 - a great price!
Biggest issue I see is body rubs bad and not great articulation
Body rub is just a scissor trim fix. Not a big deal.
Too much articulation can be a bad thing, so I think Redcat set this truck like this for a reason.
@RoadsideRC yeah I think that is the biggest issue with my Gen 8. Too much articulation for the heavy scout body.
@@garyenglish9338 The shocks have internal springs that keep articulation down, as too much can cause issues with the more complicated lines. If you do want more, I'd recommend just pulling the rear internal springs out while keeping the front in and moving the rear shocks forward on the tower.
dont cut the body
Why not?
@@RoadsideRC it’s beautiful
@@wildmangeorgesrcchannel6916 Ah - it will be small cuts, that is all.
And to think it’s stock 😂 I want one now!!
Yes! Imagine with some mods!