£99! You won't believe how good this Cheap Rock Crawler is! 4WS FTX Ravine

[@Genesis23OPB]

3 cheap things to make it a lot better: 1. move the cable to the Y struds as sometimes the wheel rip at the cables 2. mount 150mm tyres, like glued Louise Champ or Rowdy, both work well for me. alternatively you can fill up the rim with car wheel weights and get about 70-80 grams per wheel. 3. fill up the empty space in the front axle near the motor with car wheek weights, may not look and sound like much but the difference is noticable. this crawler can actually float on water so if you want to keep that feature ignore step 2 and 3

[@farmoboy83]

Got mine today. Only home tested but impressed so far. Throttle control is almost perfect and had no idea it had throttle block both ways to climb without even touching the trigger. Bought because of its simplicity, no complex gears, diffs, driveshafts, etc. Only 2 motors directly connected to the wheels and plenty of chassis articulation. My first crawler to test if it's my game or not

[@lostarkgames4805]

I own an FTX Ravine and it's great value for money. I took it over the rocky beach in West Runton and it went over and through nearly everything including quite deep water.

[@TomleyRC]

Yeah, really good. And they float well too!

[@466rudy6]

I think I'll build one of these next with a custom chassis. Seems perfect for a homebrew MOA comp crawler.

[@DArealCHAZZ]

I had to tell you I got my first MN 45 model and I love it. Thank you 4. Putting me on MN model now I want a WPL 👌

[@lilcrustyy]

I think this is the best budget crawler on the market. The tires are like the only thing that holds her back, but she is very capable.

[@emiliorosa6402]

I believe that the 1 in the U.s. is the ridge rock. And it's on my list to purchase. I play with my RC,s so it's in the budget. This is why I visit your channel and watch your older content 3-4 different times. Great content and honest reviews. Thank you

[@TomleyRC]

Thanks dude 😎

[@emiliorosa6402]

@@TomleyRC you're welcome. Honestly if you could go back and see how many times I go back watch your older content you'd see. Have you tried Snow runner? It's freaking amazing!

[@Genesis23OPB]

in the US its called the Danchee Ridgerock, in central europe like switzerland its called the T2M pirate swinger.

[@islandrc-duke1972]

awesome rc,it is made just like my redcat danchee ridgerock,and the remote is made the same,cool video and have a great weekend

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, though there would be a few different types

[@NCmountainsYouTubeChannel]

One my buddies have the redcat Dunchee Ridgerock ,, They are Identical ,, Too this ,,, same radio same tires,, 100$ and it dose nice on the rocks too,, cool cool stuff 👍👍

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, seems it’s the same 👍🏻

[@BobbySteroidGontarski]

Oh man I just bought me FTX Outlaw. That thing is brushless for 70 quid. Can't wait till it arrives. FTX have great quality for the price.

[@avbreviews4999]

£70 from where??

[@BobbySteroidGontarski]

@@avbreviews4999 in Poland we have importers buying whole stock of returns or end of series from German wholesale. Mine is called Reely Bulldog. I've also got from the same source Reely Bulldog XS which is HBX Transit. It's best way to buy good RC for cheap but you need to be patient.

[@Rayxl1]

I go for long walks with mine over all sorts of tarain. People do allot of upgrades to the more expensive crawlers but the ravine works perfectly the way it is.

[@TomleyRC]

Yes.... for the money you can't get better

[@onepennyalloy2664]

I bought 1 of these for my son for Christmas 2019. Im now looking for my own truck as I've fallen in love with this ravine and now love crawling. Im just fed up of my son asking for his truck back

[@TomleyRC]

haha... you can never share with kids

[@leirameirarc]

Almost a 90° flex there. :o What an amazing crawler for that price!

[@NeoIsrafil]

Even though the electronics are subpar it seems like a GREAT platform to build on. Adding better tires, better servos, motor, maybe suspension or gearing or both, seems like it could be world class.

[@hairypaulmm7wab195]

Managed to get one for £89 brand new. Out the box the tyres contact the lower links when steering is at full lock, easily sorted by adding 14mm hex extenders (1st mod) 2nd mod was removing the lower chassis cage and raising the lower link ends to a higher mounting point, mounted the ESC/RX box to between the tops of the rear shock towers. 3rd mod was better tyres ( from the FTX Kanyon ) 4th mod was high clearance lower links, I made my own from stainless steel drinking straws for under a fiver. 5th mod was 35KG servos. I also fitted 4 matched length elastic hair bands as negative springs to lower the ride height giving it a lower CG. This has made the Ravine a very capable crawler that has taken on and easily kept up with rigs that are over a grand !Not bad for under £170 for the entire build. I use a cut down FTX carnage lexan shell for 'comp crawling' and got a Land Rover Defender ABS hard body from Kamtec for trail running through local pine forest and general off roading, Looks pretty good and performs surprisingly well for a budget rig. Have clocked up well over 40 miles on it and still using the original motors and drive train components. I did open the gearboxes and grease them properly before running it as I do with all RTR vehicles, there was some grease in them from the factory but it certainly runs smoother and quieter when properly lubricated. Still one of the most used cars in my fleet.

[@irishmutrc9320]

Use a hard case 2s lipo, it fits nice in the stock battery tray and actually weights ot quite nice front to back and the middle, makes it crawl a lot better, tires yes upgrade those right away lol

[@THYC]

Awesome vid bud 👍 looks very similar to my ftx Rockslide aka redcat rs10, I got my from a local hobby shop a while back on offer for £108, only differences I can see is a new smaller battery in size not capacity, mine had a 1200mah nicad, 390 motors, digital transmitter and it also had metal links and chassis. I don't know if they still make them anymore, it blew me away for the price. Best free mod to be had is removing the foams you'll get loads more grip. Its awesome watching a £100 crawler go where something 10x the price cant 👏 This rig will be very good for people making an entry into the rc rock crawler game without spending a fortune. Massive thumbs up from me 👍

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, perfect for the beginner, or if you have a small budget 👍🏻

[@alexcrowder1673]

Man, i thought nimh was bad.... nicad is like, straight up ancient technology lol.

[@Del350K4]

I´d love to see this truck tackle a series of obstacles back to back with your Capra. With the freedom from drive shafts snagging on the rocks and this much flex it´ll be an interesting comparison...

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, the plan is to take the pair of them back to this spot, but mark out a course and see how well this gets on against something 10x the price!

[@modelnutty6503]

yup, motors in axles may often be considered "toy grade", but the inexpensive Redcat/Danchee "Trail Hunter" I'd picked up new for 40 bucks is pretty darn impressive. ditched its original body for a cheap 1/10 scale looks lots nicer, one wheel lift is near 5", has motor braking, proportional steering, 110 mm tires.... edit: motors in axles do have an advantage with lower CG of course, also possible to stall just one of them, like at 6:13 1/2 second rear axle. not a problem just back up a little and run at it, don't lay into the throttle if a motor is stalled and it wont get burnt out. single motor crawlers are the same on that anyway.

[@Del350K4]

@@modelnutty6503 I think the Danchee is a great product - good looking, too.

[@rcpayne6416]

@@TomleyRC Capra gonna crush it

[@panzadeviborarc9613]

Central gearbox killer !!. Without kilos of grass. Very nice car, what fascinates me about the motor system, is that it does not have a central gearbox, and therefore I can play when there is a lot of grass.

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, has lots of potential

[@coreygrace4856]

It's a danchee ridgerock aka redcat in usa.i have had mine since last November. Great truck. DO NOT 3S! Gears cant handle it. Running the tires on pavement for a bit helps the tires grip more afterwards

[@TomleyRC]

Good tip about 3s.... 😎

[@jonlaird5082]

Performs really good for the price. I wouldn't mind having 1 myself but I blew my monthly rc budget the boss gives me on a NIB Tamiya TXT-1 that my local hobby shop had,lol. Unfortunately it was a 'going out of business' sale due to the covid pandemic. Still cool to see this crawler and just shows because it's cheap doesn't mean it's complete crap. Good video as always,keep up the great work.

[@TomleyRC]

NIB TXT-1.... wow! Jealous!

[@jonlaird5082]

@@TomleyRC Yeah I was surprised I found it myself but being I knew the owner he let me look in the back and I found it covered in dust. So I asked him about it and gave me a deal of a lifetime for being a great customer through the years. My friends are jealous to and are trying to get me to keep it sealed in the box,lol. I doubt I will as I'm the type I like to build and enjoy my rc's not just stare at them 😄. I have no problem displaying the box for them though,lol.

[@ruflasto1]

Good video. Not a bad price for a four wheel steer rig.

[@TomleyRC]

Thank you

[@highlandcrawler]

Looks like a reasonable start to a fun rig. You could ditch the rear servo, add a pair of cheapo 1060 escs, add a 20kg mystery servo, shorten the shocks and still be under $200 with a reasonably capable rig. A nice cheap way for a guy to dip his toe in the waters of MOA crawlers without trying to build a Berg or XR.

[@TomleyRC]

Yes 100%.... cheap and capable

[@MCsCreations]

Pretty fantastic little truck, dude! 😃 I guess a bit of weight would make it even better! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@TomleyRC]

Cheers mate. Yeah a few tweaks and this will be even better

[@ronsindric4241]

Loved your FTX RAVINE review. Could you possibly give a third post on the hoo-ups available for the RAVINE please ?

[@rcplayground4733]

Picked one of these up a few weeks back. Impressive so far but not had a chance to get it out on the trail yet

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, for the money that are awesome!

[@413RC]

So this is A RidgeRock knockoff? Love mine

[@chadpollman7970]

I noticed the resemblance as well. 🙂

[@jbsrcs6273]

Love mine also! Just got a few upgrades on mine. Check out my latest video to see if you like. 👏👍💪

[@TomleyRC]

Not sure it’s a knock off... all these companies share chassis’ etc.... 👍🏻

[@chadpollman7970]

Oops, correction on my part: I was agreeing that it looks like the U.S. equivalent is the RidgeRock. Completely overlooked the knockoff reference. I’d agree that it is more of a common supply chain situation. Apologies for the goof.

[@modelnutty6503]

@@chadpollman7970 not really a goof at all, the Redcat/Danchee Ridgerock is identical, with exception to paint scheme and stickers.

[@volksyes9477]

Kind of reminds me of my dad’s old rc a few years back.

[@caesardeharo5381]

The Redcat Danchee Ridgerock is the same vehicle for a similar price. I wish they made a metal gear kit, would be a huge improvement in the durability.

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, it is the same. Metal gears would be really good

[@jbsrcs6273]

I got one very similar for 100$ called the Danchee Ridgerock by Redcat.

[@TomleyRC]

I thought there would be similar ones out there

[@BlvlWmpower]

The red cat is probably better since it's less communist produced.

[@jbsrcs6273]

Tomley RC oh yeah. I got a few upgrades on mine. Check out my latest video if you like. 👍

[@jbsrcs6273]

Vapletrichs Gne it’s literally the exact same I believe. Just different color body. Check out my latest video to see mine and a few upgrades I did. 👏👍💪

[@derrickwilliams2903]

@@BlvlWmpower You really think the Redcat products aren't all made in China?

[@parasurveyor]

It's a rebranded redcatracing Danchee ridge rock only difference is color of the shell. It's a good vehicle actually saw one float across a pond and the danchee can be upgraded,but it is in the tobby range. I own a danchee cause it was cheap and if it breaks I'm not out 500 like some other vehicles but upgraded it could be quite a contender.

[@TomleyRC]

Oh...I did wonder about how well it would do in water!

[@claytondunlop248]

Wow thats a really good truck for the price time to start saving for a year to get it lol

[@hikeaphoto746]

WEll I am old anymore, so playing with crawling has started this $140... I am changing many things for better time. Thanks!

[@frestkd]

I have the RedCat Racing version named the Danchee Ridgerock. So far put softer tires, wheel weights in the front tires. It good for the money...

[@TheTjoyce]

Bang for buck that is pretty good 👌🏻 great vid! This ftx seems better than my maverick scout v2 with all that flex! Im sure with better tyres and servos that would make a pretty good cheap crawler.

[@TomleyRC]

It’s funny, someone else in the comments has said the opposite about the scout.... and called this Toy Grade crap.... lol, interesting to see different opinions.... 👍🏻

[@TheTjoyce]

Tomley RC - im not that impressed with my scout, was an off the cuff purchase for me an my son to just have a go! Its ok, got better tyres and it does an ok job but i hate all the torque twist it suffers with and would like to improve it but cant find any info on how to 🙄

[@jasonmonroe3869]

It looks a lot like the Danchuck? Ridgerock. I bet that a decent set of tires, would make a huge difference. Another great video man! 👍

[@TomleyRC]

Thank you 👍🏻

[@emiliorosa6402]

IT'S A WIN!!!!! Yes!!!!

[@darrellhershberger6578]

It's the ridge rock danchee exactly

[@wordreet]

For the price, it's just rude not to buy one! Many places are offering it at £99 now!!!! It's major fun to mess about with like this. As peeps commented, its named the Danchee Ridgerock, which originates from Redcat racing in China. 'Tis indeed the same. My first recommendation is to remove the foam fillers from the tires, that lets then flex a little more. Also add some more weight to that axles. I used some wheel balance weights scrounged from my local car tire fitting bay. But you can buy em cheap-ish of the internet. Haha! Talking about cheap, ahem, I've not just fitted a more expensive set of super soft tires, @ £57!! It performs even better now!!!

[@TomleyRC]

Some good tips! I agree... very good value for money!

[@BangForYourBuckRc]

This thing reminds me of the early 2000s Duratrax Cliff Climber. Same scale, a little more flex, same front and rear steering with week servos, and same dual 380s motors. Old design, better flex, but those servos and servo angle hinder its capabilities just like the DTX cliff Climber.

[@JIPPERR_1]

No FTX models here in Canada but it looks like redcat's danchee ridgerock is the same as this.

[@claytondunlop248]

A nice set of tires will make it even better then it is

[@TomleyRC]

Yes they will

[@thierrymaillard820]

Excellent this Crawler! Cooooolllll 👍👍👍👍👍💪💪

[@luisgonzaga2297]

Love the box intro 🤣👍

[@TomleyRC]

Cheers mate :)

[@TheGibsOfTheTube]

Watched your comparison video on this first and was pretty impressed with what it did VS your Capra! That cheap little thing looks like a decent machine. Honestly it seems like it would benefit SO much from a second speed controller... I noticed the front or back can stall when the opposite breaks traction. It seems like it would have done so much better if both axles actually turned. This is just inherent to 2 motors off one source.

[@sophie28ize]

Now the.nock off Tamiya high lift Ford F350. Looks Great!! 291 us. Hope they do the tundra next!!

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, agree 👍🏻

[@jacksrccars347]

It's kind of toy grade with hobby grade stuff added in . With some soft tyres it could do better.

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, tyres and better servos

[@Tuidkskiwjdhdbd]

That's the redcat for us the redcar ridgerock

[@rcflyer2006]

Ridgerock with an 8.4v nimh crushes any steep dirt hill. And its still stable. It will slide down a hill sideways without rolling.

[@k1ortia]

Its exactly the same vehicle, just different shell

[@69Dartman]

That is a awesome truck for the money. One nice thing about Chinese knock offs, they are dirt cheap and made under all kinds of names. I wonder how many cheap upgrades you can get to make the running gear stronger. You know I'm into military vehicles and there was a company that would cut late 40s power wagon pickup frames in half and put in a swivel so the front and back half of the truck could do almost exactly what this thing can. Pretty sure they even called it the swivel frame. Can you imagine having that kind of articulation on a huge heavy pickup in the late 40s.

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, sounds awesome!

[@Basin79]

Do you know if you could put monster truck wheels and tyres on this? I'm wanting a RTR 4x4x4 monster truck that doesn't break the bank. Cheers.

[@spooffpv9895]

Along with being known as the Ridgerock it comes branded as Pirate Swinger that has pre fitted front LEDs and buckets. 20kg waterproof servos are one of the first upgrades, the standard 6kg ones tend to fail.

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, a pair of 20kg servos will make a big difference

[@Philk179]

Some desert lizards no springs metal links for the weight 2.2 hyrax stock foams and ofcourse upgraded servos 👍🏻

[@jasonreed9635]

That's the same as the danchee ridgerock. Looks like both are made by the same company and about the same price $100 in the US

[@carlbModels]

very good video, been hearing lots of good things about this truck. I've got some spare Outlaw wheels+tyres that might go on it?

[@1622_SCALE_DIVISION]

For the money it's a real weapon

[@Vok250]

Pretty sure you can get this from ExceedRC in the US. Not positive, but I believe these are both clones of old hobby grade crawlers from Axial. Same way the Redcat Everest and Gen7 are just clones of the original SCX10. Redcat likely sells one of these too. Redcat and Exceed both just resell cloned chassis from China. It's good quality from Redcat in my experience. Better plastic and electronics than other clones.

[@TomleyRC]

Sounds about right.... lots of companies using the same/similar platforms

[@parasurveyor]

Redcat owns exceed actually.

[@timorridge3390]

Thanks for the review, I know rock crawlers wont be speed machines but could you estimate the top speed please? How did it stand up, considering buying Xmas 2023.

[@deving.2943]

Looks like the CAPRA, but cheaper, and omg I love the CAPRA, such a capable Crawler.

[@jonenglish6617]

I bought 2 of them for 175 cad. I really like it. It needs tires but otherwise great truck

[@theminiatureconstructionco4556]

Blimey that things a right goat! 😨

[@ThePurposeFullLife]

Is this the same as the Danchee Ridgerock in the US?

[@meganhall7927]

You should look at the danchee ridgerock.

[@Fonzierc]

Nice 👌 very good value for money

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, certainly is

[@lukedavis4213]

Been looking at these for my 6yr old, leaning towards a Fury though I think....maybe....

[@TomleyRC]

Fury is a good crawler

[@lukedavis4213]

@@TomleyRC Should go with our budget duo nicely then...Injora SCXII and an Outback 2. Can finally start getting out with the kids once of got the Fury! Unless something cheap comes up next week...

[@ianmangham4570]

She is gonna love my 2s 1000mah 35c battery's 🤠✌

[@johnseaton1031]

4 years on, do you feel it's still worth the money...interested..

[@georgivoyvodov1123]

I've spent sometime browsing the Net ,but except in UK i couldn't find it anywhere else. I am from Bulgaria and non of the UK based stores ships abroad 😞It would be great to get one of these as the price is comfortable for an disabled veteran in a wheelchair with incomes from a governmental disability pension. So sad 😞

[@irishmutrc9320]

Danchee ridge rock

[@009ADVENTURES]

almost picked one of these up today, they do seem pretty good 👍 😀

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, amazing little things. One of the guys at the BERCC has upgraded his and it goes even better!

[@wildmangeorgesrcchannel6916]

Only think keeping me from one is the lack of drive shafts so the front and back don’t get the same torque it all depends on the motor setting on each axel. Seen many videos of this one where the fronts spin and the tears are locked and you have to gas it hard to get the rear to spin with the fronts if there’s the slightest bind

[@robb2982]

Please look at the ftx mauler it's another rock crawler but with metal chassis and far better tyres it costs a little more at £160bit still cheap in comparison to other brands

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, that's on my radar dude.... ;)

[@robb2982]

@@TomleyRC awesome I look forward to the video

[@jpgvideos5521]

Nice one bro im a big fun of your keep it up

[@TomleyRC]

Thanks mate

[@jpgvideos5521]

@@TomleyRC im from Philippines bro

[@martinmi5]

great little crawler!😀

[@vannakrcofficial]

It so beautiful

[@ValleyRC]

I bet this is made by HBX. It looks like a slightly newer and simplified version of the HBX Rock Fighter crawler and that one was also sold by Redcat as the Rockslide RS10. I'm sure there's a Redcat that looks like this one too and I know some other FTX stuff is made by HBX too.

[@TomleyRC]

Yeah, multiple companies share chassis’ by the looks of it 👍🏻

[@druseph38]

I'm about to pull the trigger on this but what spare batteries would you recommend along with a softer set of tires would better it's traction? Thanks 🙏 keep the videos coming💪🏽💪🏽

[@SteadfastRC]

Im pretty sure this is a Redcat Danchee Ridgerock right?

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, I’m sure it is

[@grrfy]

Hi Phil,as you know your way around elecktrickery (a bit😉) I have been wondering if there would be a way of adding a remote controlled switch to the power leads to the rear motor, and if you could would that be a way of making a simple DIG axle?

[@Homeyguy69]

You could buy the danchee ridrock

[@reb_d1143]

Based on this review, I'm thinking of buying one of these for my kid for Christmas. Can you please advise what battery pack I could buy to increase the running time? Sorry to ask but I've got no idea!! Thanks.

[@Kens-rc]

What is a good battery to get for the ravine please? I'm looking to buy my first crawler and wondered about spare batteries.

[@machinedred]

What protocol is the receiver ? What other transmitters can bind to it

[@terryharper7575]

I'm new to the hobby and want to know if you'd get this one or pay more for the ftx kanyon

[@ngbrc8912]

Nice video bro! Regards! LIKE

[@fromfin90]

6kg servos with servosaver? goodnerss me they would be the first to fly

[@TomleyRC]

Yes.... easy and cheap upgrade 👍🏻

[@Lawn_Care_Lounge_tv_uk]

I wonder u can upgrade servo and motor

[@2gamers310]

try this if you want FTX Outback Mini X LC90 1:18 Trail RTR

[@TomleyRC]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXrHZGhjZdOheLM 👍🏻

[@2gamers310]

oops

[@andrewlatimer80]

Had anyone got issue of tyres rubbing when on full lock? I've only got mine and tyres catch

[@ernestcoker6665]

Redcat danchee ridge rock

[@ianmangham4570]

Love it

[@TomleyRC]

Thanks Ian

[@krgoodjohn]

Are those proper beadlocks ? Whats the foams like ??

[@TomleyRC]

Yes, look like it 👍🏻 I’ve seen that removing the foams make them a bit better

[@tiborklaric7198]

do you know perhaps if i can buy this in EU to avoid taxes and customs?

[@mrmasterplaster999]

whats the run time ?

[@TomleyRC]

About 30mins

[@danielemulazzi1615]

Woww...molto bello ...ma non è più disponibile... ciao dall'Italia

[@rccarsandmusic2641]

It’s the same as the Redcat Danshee

[@BlvlWmpower]

Definitely throws up the front right wheel, but that can be easily modified and fixed.

[@ellisberry8747]

What does that mean?

[@theeviloneohyes]

love my capra ...

[@TomleyRC]

Me too.....awesome crawler

[@theeviloneohyes]

@@TomleyRC tried out some 2.2 rc4wd mud slinger tyres on mine , go have a look at todays video

[@nasaw7798]

I seem to be a little late to the game, is anyone finding the wheels are rubbing on the links? Would this cause a problem?

[@filiped7298]

Hummm... tempting 😄

[@austinobigbot]

how big are the tires