Redcat Ascent in a real COMP!

Is performance you goal? Do you want a cheap truck? Well than maybe this is something you should take a look at. The new Redcat Ascent is aimed at the comp style many of us go for.
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[@scalebuildersguild]

Man, I'm so glad to see it falling over. I thought it was just me!

[@bengonzalez5673]

It's very stable until it isn't. Then it looks like it was shot and flips over.

[@ethang2731]

Hey Mat how many RC's did you sell so far

[@SnarkyRC]

Yeah well the drivers weren't the best.

[@scalebuildersguild]

@@ethang2731 A couple!

[@scalebuildersguild]

@@SnarkyRC They weren't?

[@frankie2499]

A couple modifications and it will be a killer class 2 budget truck!

[@Bot_Brad]

Definitely a WIN for RedCat.

[@GrimSpeedFPV]

For 299 I mean this is a great option to get in the lcg world! Small upgrades and this truck will be a beast! Very good option to get more people in this hobby. If I made a gen8 a comp rig this thing definitely can be💯🤜

[@BroncoSteven69]

A local buddy drove his two weeks ago in our comp. He added a fusion se and front portal covers and ended up taking first. Works great. He broke a front bracket on the next weeks comp but had some brass ones on the way.

[@GrimJerr]

I took a break from RC this summer to catch up on all the things I have been neglecting and try to make some progress. That meant a ban on watching social media, so I am just now starting to catch up on what has been happening in the interim. I don't know If I can catch up on what I've been missing, but I like what I am seeing as it looks like everyone has been working on some new surprises. I've been a Redcat fan since my Gen 8 Axe purchase and this comp truck from them caught my eye, and it is nice that people coming in at a lower price point have a truck that can be a respectable crawler with the money boys.

[@bobzilla9p0]

I get the feeling that Redact went cheap on the motor and ESC(to keep cost down) knowing most of the buyers were going to ditch them. Comp people are very particular on electronics and willing to spend money on good ones. On the tire foam issues. I wonder if they had more break in time would they have performed better? But, again most buyers are swapping wheels, tires, and inserts almost immediately (we all have our favorites that we know work) and the decision to use lower cost glue ons kept total cost down.

[@JThelen1031]

Certainly seems like a decent rig. New ESC, wheels/tires, some brass on the front axle and you've got something halfway decent for probably around $600.

[@grantchamberlain2508]

Fit the underdrive, Throw a HW fusion SE in it with some injora steel beadlocks and dual stage foams and it would be pretty good

[@BlindGuyRc]

I definitely think redcat is really becoming a good competitor. I started out with a everest 10 10 years ago hahaha. It wasn't great. But... it came with some good parts out of the box rtr... like metal links. That was not common back then. But the truck was very much a ax10... also had horrible axles. I moved to a scx10 shortly after. Seeing where they have come is awesome I briefly had a 64 lowrider this past couple months. But sold it... Just never used it, wasn't a great driving experience. I love the hauler... but again... no use for what I need. A truck like that isn't going down the trail haha. Anywho. I think your right with this truck The base is there. It just needs some vp rims, would be nice to see what the tires could do with some weight. Shock adjustment. And yeah... a better system. Keep it budget... fusion se would do just fine Great video.

[@vintagerc9173]

I would love to have a RTR serious COMP Crawler on the market. Maybe Axial or Vanquish will release one in the future!

[@e_estep]

I recieved mine today, after seeing other videos i went ahead and got a better servo, fusion pro, some beadlocks and better tires, some brass portal parts and some other things on the way. I like the way they did some things and it seems like a great alternative to some other brands.

[@jacobdavis2378]

I feel like this truck would be great for a budget build, I also feel like with light tuning it could be a great entry point into a comp truck as you said, I was considering picking one up and trying a few things here in north Carolina at our event next weekend to see if it would help the rolling over issues and the forward weight bias issues.

[@ArsenalHobby]

This was definitely a challenging comp, I have no where near the experience as you but this is my 3rd or 4th comp with you guys and will say I preferred Folsom Lake a lot more, it was disappointing to here the road was closed, Guess I'll just have to get a better driver mod lol.....I am really impressed with that redcat I really love the dove tail front end.

[@floridasfamilyrcchannel1412]

Would've at least threw in under drive in back would've changed things completely. Besides electronics

[@ryanbrockmiller1648]

I agree, west desert wheelers has a video where he puts his through some crazy lines with the underdrive.

[@Gutinho86]

You should make a comparison with the sendero se since the price is similar. So we know which truck outperforms the other.

[@TyJoe_N_MattyMoe]

I'm sure RC TNT will do the comparison on his channel when he gets one.

[@timmyd463229]

That's a good idea. I sold my SE to buy this

[@boombado998]

my next new rc truck for sure ;)

[@raynovac3944]

From reviews iv seen adding the included underdrive gears makes a big difference

[@ares333x2]

It's pretty interesting truck! I really like what redcat brings to the table for the price.

[@Casitascrawlers]

It would’ve been cool to see a comp rig that could make it just to really compare.

[@HarleyDesignsInc]

It almost seemed unfair to show that stuff, but I know what you mean.

[@billyquist9237]

I like this video concept of having different drivers. 👍

[@teddrummond552]

I'd love to have one of these trucks

[@Sysiphos]

Being that it's comp-oriented, I'd like to see how good it is with some cheap basic mods

[@metalheadrcscalers4910]

Great to meet you there…And thanks for the Vanquish Phoenix chassis it is my first Vanquish rig…

[@flat-out]

That's why it's called RTR but not ready to compete yet, you gonna mod it and set it up but the foundation is there. I love this Redcat Ascent I will get one after I sell my Gen 8 Axe; any takers? I'm serious on selling it.

[@17madracki17]

Sure seems like everyone is trying to make it look bad. Couple other videos on youtube make it look good. Thank god for the voice over the banter and weird rc crawler group talking.

[@themountain59]

??? all clips I saw are "over the moon" with that thing 🙄

[@HarleyDesignsInc]

These are all very good drivers, this is just the way the truck drives on real comp courses.

[@Casitascrawlers]

Well each terrain was different you can see in this video some of it was much steeper then it looks & loose. So it probably just performed different on each different type of terrain. That’s pretty much true of all trucks. I don’t think it was the most enthusiastic review but nothing really bad was said about it. Definitely would’ve been interesting to hear what the drivers had to say.

[@SnarkyRC]

​@@HarleyDesignsInc I wouldn't say good, maybe mediocre drivers at best.

[@billsrcadventures8806]

Ordered one to check out. Thanks for the video.

[@jacobdavis2378]

I ordered one myself, I am optimistic about it I'm hoping mine comes in time for the event we have here local to me next weekend, I'd like to try a few things at that event, mainly things I've already ordered from Amazon as more of a "budget build"

[@billsrcadventures8806]

@@jacobdavis2378 It's cold here today but I plan on doing a baseline run before making changes. I bought tires and dual stage foams. I have a Hobbywing fusion kit waiting as well. Looking forward to running this against some of my other trucks for comparison

[@jacobdavis2378]

@@billsrcadventures8806 I look forward to baseline running mine and doing some things to it, I'm gonna try and run the stock tires and debead them and use the foams

[@billsrcadventures8806]

@@jacobdavis2378 I added Pro-Line Hyrax's to a set of beadlocks. Biggest issue has been getting the suspension to work. I have had the stock shocks off probably 20 times making adjustments. I put a set of Desert Lizards on it to get the ride height right.I'm going to re-run it and see if hat was the "right" answer

[@jacobdavis2378]

@@billsrcadventures8806 I have a couple ideas for shocks if I can't get the stock ones right that I might try

[@JS-ji5bl]

I like it, i think with a little work and $ it will be good to go, yeah i think im going to get one and give it a try... thanks for the video i enjoy your content..🤙🏼✌🏼

[@jonhowland4985]

I hope they make a roller soon. No matter how good they come out of the box we still toss half to the wayside and buy all new components..

[@Friskee62]

I'll be getting one soon...

[@timothystruven8629]

Definitely want to buy one an tweak it then run it against my Pro

[@datsun4x]

At this price point, I wonder if it's a better platform to build off of than an Enduro se

[@SaberOgden]

At 6 minutes into your video I'm really wondering why you haven't mentioned the gear reduction option that they include it's obvious you're running it stock both ends running same speed, if you run the 20% rear wheel gear reduction it does so much better, words to the wise.

[@guest6423]

When Vanquish reviews its competitors...

[@vincevargas7892]

​@@guest6423already knew how this review would turn out. Make the rig better are the videos I want to check out. Bash session with this RTR🤦

[@rcjoe406]

They put a 1060 and a holms hobby motor in the marksman..but......they make a comp style and use a on off switch for a esc 🤔 well played redcat well played 😮😅😊

[@TrokaRC]

1080 done deal.

[@teddrummond552]

It really don't matter how much flex you have if you don't have weight you could have all the flex in the world it still want to without weight. I'm going to get one as soon as I come up with the money. I think it's a great truck for the money I have the Redcat buggy and I love it. I just want to make the flex a little tighter cause it's so fast with the flex

[@visurc_videos]

Looks very bice overall for that price point. Specs looked already very decent, with better electronics and adding some weight to the front it can be very capable 💪 shocks needs also some tuning, looking little bit too hard on the video. Great video even there was some problems with lighting options and sounds 😅

[@shaynejenkins446]

It's got LCG components with a trail style ride.

[@rcvalley8706]

How about an overview of your go to comp truck?

[@ryanbrockmiller1648]

I picked mine up from A Main and with a coupon I ended up getting it for 274.99 shipped. I can't wait to get it setup and out on the rocks. I am not into high end comp crawling I just really liked the way this truck looks, I am going to put some more scale touches one mine, rock sliders, inner fenders on the front, roll bar, grille, and cut the body sides a little shorter, wheels and tires. as for the electrics I am just going to add a fusion se 1800. Exocage rc did a video with the se installed and it has great low speed with it, so I don't think the radio has anything to do with the smoothness.

[@ryano8613]

Radios do have an effect on smoothness, As far as how quick the response is to how many steps it has from neutral to FT to dead band and how all that matches the steps your esc may have....

[@ryanbrockmiller1648]

@@ryano8613 that's true. I also have a gt3 B I know is nice and smooth.

[@mishmasta]

Did it have the 20% underdrive gears installed? Plenty of box stock trucks couldn't have finished those courses. I'm impressed, and not surprised the stock tires and low speed control are lacking.

[@chriscord6524]

I missed you. Kinda

[@andrewmagro7703]

yes after watching this i would probably add the extra 1 or 2 hundred and go with a better option or even if i did buy this for that little addition of a couple hundred i suppose you could change out the esc ,get some wheight down low and possibly foams and see how it differs but thats also at this point a gamble as its still a new platform as the redcat brand and crawling just havnet got there yet to be honest i found the very first Gen8 to be quite a good starter but it was around the 399 point back in 2020

[@StubbsRC]

Let's see it go up against a straight axle rtr phoenix.

[@MitchellBolognaniRC]

Awesome this helps me make the decision on this or a kit scx10

[@hummer3d3d]

I'd go with an scx kit

[@mcsbikelife3829]

Go with this a few setup changes and it’s just as good as my gspeed

[@jacobdavis2378]

​@@mcsbikelife3829I ordered one, I'm going to try a few things at the event happening near me if I get the truck in time, it also might be the truck I start my KZbin with.

[@SnarkyRC]

I'd go with a Element RC Enduro kit

[@RCRitterFPV]

It looks very capable out of the box… needs a Holmes touch… How little could you spend to make it work really well? Motor esc tires and???

[@Andy_Yates]

I'm still surprised that a 42 turn 550 has poor low speed control and drag brake. Do you think this rig is geared low enough or are the electronics just pure throwaways? I'd be curious to see you revisit this format after putting on a decent wheel/tire combo and installing something like a Fusion SE with the included underdrive gearing

[@rustysglass]

That's what I'm saying throw a hobbywing fusion in it some good wheels and tires maybe a servo.. or and done!!

[@jacobdavis2378]

I'm not gonna lie, I think if you put a cheap set of dual stages and a cheap set of beadlocks with brass rings in the front would be a game changer and a fusion SE with a few minor shock adjustments it actually might help a lot of the RTR problems. That's just my personal opinion, maybe even some brass portal covers would help too

[@TrokaRC]

1080, soa and vented wheels is my recipe.

[@buckdandy4834]

So is that the new release comp truck from vanquish in the beginning of this video?

[@teddrummond552]

I put $2.10 worth of dimes around my rims and made a big difference in traction

[@ShoddyRC]

It looked like the recast was more fun due to the challenge.

[@scottoblander9419]

glad to see a review of this on a real comp course

[@ukistudmuffin]

How does it compare to SCX10 pro?

[@gerardorodriguez538]

I think it is a good truck. And also I think that nobody buys a fully capable rig that will not need modification. Otherwise it will ruin the fun of the hobby

[@DanBrando]

Wouldn’t ruin it for me

[@covecityboys]

What’s the build on your “go to comp truck”? Got a video covering it or is it secret?

[@teddrummond552]

Flex might help but that truck doesn't have enough weight on it. It needs more weight down low and that truck would do that course a lot better

[@jessiechapman2345]

How are the shocks

[@needlejuse1113]

👍

[@NTX_RC]

Run it in a comp vs a stock Fordyce

[@HarleyDesignsInc]

The Fordyce is not a comp oriented truck. It would be a poor pairing.

[@NTX_RC]

@@HarleyDesignsInc but it is budget oriented. Would make for good content.

[@joekrause954]

where were you guys in this video I work weekend but try to go to this places to crawl on Mondays

[@HarleyDesignsInc]

Deer Creek Park in Rocklin. It’s my least favorite place though. It’s pretty nasty at times

[@joekrause954]

thanks for the info@@HarleyDesignsInc

[@EricsRC]

Where was this?

[@forrestcrabbe]

🤘☕️🤘

[@dennisanstadt1039]

So to be Fair truck was horrible stock springs. Works tons better now with Soft Med mini T. Is it Vrd or axial Pro capable No. But works decent

[@bengonzalez5673]

at least it's not another Power Wagon

[@Paul-wz1tm]

Put a fusion se in it.

[@HarleyDesignsInc]

A fusion would definitely fix the resolution. I’ll probably go Fusion Pro though.

[@guest6423]

Comparing it to $1000+ comp rigs misses the point, I think. I'd estimate that 1% of these will ever enter a comp, and for someone who wants a "comp style" truck, this is a good, economical place to start. What class was that course? It was obviously laid out for elite-level trucks.

[@HarleyDesignsInc]

Thats why I reiterated that for the price, it's doing well. These courses were Class 2 style, but not overly difficult. These courses are able to be done nearly perfectly clean with well built trucks.

[@GeezerGramps]

That was what I would call an honest review, so many YT reviewers fluff over the bad or weak points. Yours & SBC’s were point on, nice job. Haven’t decided if I’ll invest in one of those or not. Cliff hanger body would probably be a better choice. Why they used a HW1040 in a comp crawler is beyond me. Guess it came down to $$$$

[@jimiwith2eyes]

One-day someone will bring out a RTR that has good electronics until then RTR will mean Ready to Replace sadly......................... 🤔

[@TrokaRC]

1080, soa & vented wheels. Keep it simple.

[@teddrummond552]

That truck needs some weight in the wheels so it can get traction

[@michaelstinson8047]

What is your comp truck?

[@RJcrawl]

Are cheater rigs class 2? Doesn’t seem fitting but I don’t compete. Portals are even questionable but we have a few in our group. But portals alone don’t seem dominant. Outside a wraith they’re all c channels. Trying to keep an even playing field with a small group. Hopefully get to the Axial Fest

[@HarleyDesignsInc]

Most cheater trucks fall roughly into class 2 rules. No rear steer, no dig, 4.75” tire or less.

[@RJcrawl]

@@HarleyDesignsInc I would expect they would win more than not.

[@rogertebo4125]

Hopefully Vanquish will come out with a flat rail vs410 based kit at some point and blast all these trucks out of the water...

[@Casitascrawlers]

Ya and it’ll be $ 500 😂

[@AllBadAZ]

@@Casitascrawlersonly 430$

[@toddbertram6556]

Reminds me of dirthead Dave's bagged out little mazda crawler. And that thing survived UA.

[@disgruntledvetguy]

Ascent vs. Fordyce Make it happen!

[@themountain59]

If you dont know what to do with 300 bucks ....its an option ...🙄😂

[@lancephelps4871]

Next budget build?

[@4everwatchingalwayshere475]

Couldnt tell that hes an axial vanquish guy at all lol nor sbg traxxas

[@HarleyDesignsInc]

We compete on a regular basis, these are comp courses. Is it ready to comp out of the box? Not at a high level, but this was a decent showing for a stock truck, especially for $299 as stated.

[@HHxRC]

I'd love to see this budget comp truck go head to head against the budget minded Fordyce. I'd watch that video for sure.

[@TheLilhulk1111]

A little late on a review for this I think you’re last

[@BobBitchen100]

I'll never buy one. I don't buy RTRs and I don't buy Redcats lol. I appreciate an honest review though. All the others I've seen have been reviewed by shills w/ daddy redcats junk in their mouth as they blather on and on about how great it is. They have to keep that fee crap flowing, even if its garbage. Honest money is hard... 🤡

[@vlozity]

sorry guys, i never buy redcat crawlers, there are lots more better options out there

[@vincevargas7892]

Sounds silly doing a review at a comp with Stock Electronics & wheel set up. 🤦 make the rig better, that's the videos I want to see. We all know what it is out of the box. RTR