Best 1/18 Crawler: Why TRX4m Wins

Traxxas TRX-4m is finally in Australia! Now it's time to take a look at this thing and work out just how it fits in with the other 1/18 scale crawlers already on the market.
How is it built? How does it run? Can it crawl? Is it fun? All these questions and more are answered in this, our first look at this interesting new mini-TRX4 model.
Let's test!
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What it is: traxxas.com/products/landing/...
Upgrades: www.asiatees.com/model?Traxxa...
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Traxxas TRX-4m
0:59 Other 1/18 Rigs
2:45 TRX4m Hard Body
3:50 TRX-4m Plastics
4:50 Included in Box
5:05 Battery Plug Fix
7:45 TQi Radio
7:55 Bushings & Bearings
8:37 TRX-4m Nitpicks
9:53 TRX4m Upgrades
11:10 Steering Detail
11:45 Suspension
12:16 TRX-4m Chassis
12:37 INJORA Lights
13:25 Drive Modes
14:30 Powering Up
15:08 Demo Drive
16:45 TRX-4m is Fun
Articles:
What's the Best RC Car? rc-tnt.com/guides/best-rc-car/
Best RC Crawler? rc-tnt.com/manufacturer/multi...
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WHERE TO BUY RC STUFF:
Buy kits, models & upgrades here: www.asiatees.com/shop-now?rc_...
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#rccrawling, #rcreview, #trx4m, #traxxastrx4m, #traxxas,

[@lowrider181]

Very interesting! Think I'm still sticking to 1/10! On a side note, I want to say a massive thank you for your fully sophisticated 1080 esc guide. Super helpful

[@RCTNT]

The smaller scales aren't for everyone, yeah! Glad you found the guide useful! I'm actually filming the g2 version today, coincidentally :)

[@VS666]

great review, this has been my favorite small scale crawler and the fact that it matches my trx4 is even cooler. i just put a full furitek system in it and did rear steer, waiting for people to come out with the traxxas adaptors though luckily the furitek combo has a 3d printed plug to match the battery

[@RCTNT]

Ooh nice, I bet that's cool! Been thinking about which system to stick into this. Which furitek gear did you use?

[@rcmakingtracks18]

Great review Craig, quality advice as always. Keep doing what your doing, great job. John

[@RCTNT]

Hey thanks John, I appreciate that

[@scottjlambert]

Finally got around to watching this one. The weather here is slowly becoming nicer so my interest in RC will pick back up. I don’t have many of the smaller scale vehicles but this one is definitely my favorite. I’m interested to see what you do with yours.

[@RCTNT]

Thanks Scott. Was wondering how you're doing. Yeah I love this little thing. Really looking forward to the crawling gears being available here eventually!

[@scottjlambert]

@@RCTNT I put a storage box on the rack of my motorcycle so now I can take my TRX4m with me when I ride. My 2 favorite things to do. I bought the crawling gears for mine about a week after I got the truck but have yet to put them in. I’ll send my gears to you if you’d like.

[@RCTNT]

Oh cool! I used to put a crawler on the back of my bike too. My two favourite things also. If you can get me crawler gears that would be incredible. Seriously. I'll send you a message in ig. Thank you!!

[@andrewrichey7374]

Super cool appreciate you sharing

[@maxwell5428]

For the driveshaft pin the common fix has been too just put some heat shrink over it.

[@RCTNT]

I rather suspect even just the o-ring will last just fine until the car is made heavier with mods. I've used heat shrink myself on similar shafts in the past and it only needs replacing every 15 or 20 hours of running - absolutely reasonable, for the cost of the fix! Good thinking.

[@fishnrc294]

Check out Treal & Club5 for some nice upgrades. Also Amazon is getting more & more upgrades. I’ve replaced all my links now. I have the exact same Defender including color Grey one. I’ve enjoyed upgrading it & I take it out when I take my other 1:10 scales out just on different terrain. For the price you can’t lose. I’m getting the Traxxas low speed motor & trans combo it’s easier just to switch it out for 40$ & have the stock one still which you could buy the gear & install it in the stock one to have a back up. Or make it the fast one just for kicks. Thanks for the look you always review the most relevant RC’s.

[@RCTNT]

Nice, and thank you. I didn't know there was a slower motor as well. I want to do what you've done, I think. Glad you're enjoying them!

[@mitsuman5555]

I'm not in the market for trucks in this scale, but that's not stopping me from complaining about what they did with the battery/ESC connector. Just like the servo in the Xmaxx, it's proprietary for business reasons only, with no functional benefit. It's hostility towards their own consumers. P.S. great video as usual 🙂

[@RCTNT]

Correct and agreed!

[@tarantula-man]

i love my trx4m, it has many annoying issues that needs to be fixed immediately and it costs alot of money for what it is but its a very enjoyable platform when you get things right.

[@RCTNT]

I think that about nails it, yeah. I'm enjoying mine too, now it's had The Treatment (TM)

[@fishnrc294]

I liked my Defender so much I’m getting a Bronco now that they are readily available.

[@ramkaer]

Great review as always. :) I'm quite suprised at mine (Bronco). Quite capable with a little weigt in the tires. Very fun. :) I'll look forward to your upgrades 👍

[@RCTNT]

Thanks! Me too :)

[@clytngrn]

Great review, thanks. I’m finding the mini Capra really convenient to throw in a backpack and pull out during bush walks. I think the deadbolt was one of the other cars you said had spaghetti links 😄

[@RCTNT]

Ah yes, that's right! The deadbolt, that's what I was trying to remember! Thanks. And yes, I think the Capra's battery size, location, charger and smaller radio all add up to convenient yet capable fun. I've found similarly!

[@Rcloverofficial]

Nice 👍

[@kenklosson5503]

Just discovered you, I’m late to the party but I’m having a lot of fun catching up.! I couldn’t help but notice you’ve made some mods to your Baby Capra, any chance you could do a follow up on that crawler and one on the TRX4M as you modify that one?

[@RCTNT]

G'day Ken, welcome! And absolutely yes, videos coming for both!

[@pocketfuloducks1062]

Another insightful and well done review! 💯 Off topic: what music are you pushing through that subwoofer in the back of your car?

[@RCTNT]

Thanks! (I built that ported enclosure myself, it's a bandpass config and makes a super tight, crisp punchy base, especially given the dual coil active/passive sub is just a 600w unit! But it's off most of the time, as it's Lex Fridman, Dan Carlin, Weinsteins and others, plus audiobooks, lol. But recently Akira the Don has been seeing some action, along with my 80s and 90s rock and alternative staples)

[@idworkhard]

Hi Craig. Great advice on the battery adaptation to work with the balance charger. I recently bought an MN78 (highly recommended on the looks aspect only but it's a fun truck out of the box as well) which has the same proprietary battery issue. I will fix it up using your method - it seems like a no-brainer. I once did a mistake of snipping the wires on the battery - luckily it was a NIMH battery so it didn't explode. I am extremely cautious ever since.

[@RCTNT]

Ah I've looked at grabbing one of those. Glad you're enjoying yours. And yeah you don't make that battery wire mistake twice!

[@muskokamike127]

heck, I think the first video I saw of yours was on the C-24!

[@mack_solo]

With your battery mod, is it still waterproof? The attraction of TRX-4M for me is its universality in all weather conditions, not to mention driving thru streams and puddles is the whole idea of the outdoors "adventures" 😜

[@RCTNT]

For sure. Lipos can get wet, submerged, even - just not in salt. We're just changing the connectors. The original ones are still there, we're just re-routing the wiring into a standard balance plug. This all gets wet already. It's the pcb in the esc that has either a conformal coating to protect the eeprom and/or other sensitive chips, or the board is sealed inside the esc housing. Either way, this mod only changes the wires, not the esc. No dramas there! Proof: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3m0lGmQgb19obs :)

[@pd101]

Do you have a video on how to for the battery upgrade mod? Would definitely like to see this

[@RCTNT]

My follow-up video to this one covers it, if this one didn't. It was one of these. I made a diagram to explain it. In short, you chop the 3 wires on the battery (only do one at a time!!) and connect the battery side of the cut wires to the female side of a 2s balance plug load. Then, take the battery plug you've just removed and solder it to the male side of the balance lead you've just cut. Also on the battery side, you want to split the first and third wires into whichever plug you prefer for charging (red JST, UC3, or an XT30 in my case). You end up with a balance lead and standard battery connector on the Traxxas battery. The other end of the lead you cut gets the other side of the balance plug and it becomes the adapter for any 2s battery to connect to the Traxxas esc, via balance lead. Turns it into a universal 2s adapter, basically - and you still get to keep the original battery! You just need a 2s balance lead (female to male) to cut up. The female side goes on the battery and the male side ends up being the other side of your new universal adapter. Let me reiterate, you only want to cut one battery wire at a time. Tin the wires before you solder them in order to keep heat down on the battery. This can be done safely but I wouldn't recommend it to someone new to soldering. Only do it once you're proficient at making good, clean connections without needing excess heat to do it. Again, there's a diagram in this video or the follow up one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3m0lGmQgb19obs

[@daig1984]

You should make the 6 challenges in 1/18th, a mate has the Trx4m in stock form it’s not really a performer. I priced up a few upgrades and with the cost of the truck you could have trx4 sport instead 😂

[@RCTNT]

The TRX4m is definitely a fun first, performance second machine. It is at home on 1/24 stock courses. Honestly, you can get it performing with just the 40:1 gears for $5 vs maybe $30 to $50 in parts from injora and you're away. Don't buy this for comps. Do buy this for portable fun. It's a brilliant little rig for what it is :)

[@JaysensRCs]

Heck yeah man! Really enjoyed your review. Been watching for about a year now. Really like your content. I find myself relying on your reviews when I am thinking about getting a new rig. If you are interested I think it would be cool to have you join one of my live streams sometime, it might be a bit of a task to work out the timing considering that I am located in Michigan USA, but maybe we can figure something out

[@RCTNT]

Thanks. I've been planning collaboration with two others for some time now, both overseas from me. Busy schedules have been an issue to date but from April I'm hoping to have a little more time. I'll have a look through your channel later and get back to you if it looks like something I think my audience would be down for. Thanks for the suggestion :)

[@YoShImUrA53]

I was actually a bit underwhelmed with the movement of the rig. It felt a bit jumpy and toy-ish... Maybe the slower crawler gears, or aftermarket electronics can mask it a bit better. Great tips on the battery plugs! Esp. on how to work on them when doing a plug change. I would say one additional detail I learned about wiring: current doesn't like to travel "long" distances from the battery to the ESC, so try to make the converter plugs as short as possible. Also, I'll play Devil's advocate and say that for the rubber o-rings on the driveshaft, Traxxas was consistent with their "waterproof" approach (see: bushes instead of bearings). If you're going to use it intensively, you're going to upgrade to a metal one, anyway. And those rubber rings are cheap as chips to replace, as well as the pins. Inconvenient,... but cheap.

[@RCTNT]

Thanks, I definitely want to slow it down. That'll make it much better to drive. Voltage droop over anything less than 30cm or so won't be a problem, especially at this voltage and the gauge wires I used. But going a lot longer or using smaller wires could be an issue. They o-rings aren't the problem. The problem is if they break, you'll lose the pin, and then half the drive shaft. Depending on where you are driving when this happens, you may not be able to find it. Cost isn't a problem here but inconvenience and ruining a day out might be!

[@Andy_Yates]

Having 3 SCX24's already and no mini course, I don't think I'll hop on the TRX4m wagon yet :). I'm definitely jealous of the oil-filled shocks and wondering if they're too big for the little SCX. Maybe those Proline 24th scale shocks will be in my future if I get off my butt and make the course I've been meaning to make 😆

[@RCTNT]

Heh yes! Me too, all of the above! I've gotta 3d print some TPU gates and really get around to setting up a proper course!

[@RCTNT]

As an owner of all three I can confidently say they all have a place. What a time to be in the hobby, eh. Amazing stuff out there now!

[@muskokamike127]

11:53 yeah I was quite surprised to see the oil filled shocks on it..... As for the tie rod being up high, I'm curious as to why they aren't put behind the axle. That would certainly help with approach angle and keep it out of harm's way......

[@RCTNT]

Cost and simplicity maybe? I dunno! Maybe it's just unnecessary on this kind of machine, being so light and all. Maybe it just isn't an issue like in bigger rigs. Though BTA just seems intuitively like the best answer all the time... Hmmm

[@muskokamike127]

@@RCTNT what's BTA mean? I'm drawing a blank. I can think of a few, but big toned a__ doesn't apply here lol...

[@RCTNT]

Sorry, Behind The Axle steering

[@muskokamike127]

@@RCTNT lol yeah, I wasn't even CLOSE in my guesses.

[@RCTNT]

You were on brand though

[@chanozoc]

Still has the same Traxxas tax I see...

[@RCTNT]

Wait til you see my HPI Jumpshot video in a few more video's time. I hadn't realised just how much we pay for traxxas in Australia until I started comparing similar cars from other brands! First world problem, all the same. We've got it generally incredibly good in Australia, so I'm not complaining!