XTM Rage Review Part 2....
Drivetrain:
The Rage comes equipped with steel cvd's in the front along with steel dog bones in the rear. This is a pretty trick feature if you consider the price. No other RTR mini features steel cvd's at this price point. Nice job XTM, you get points for that. The dog bones work fine, and upon closer inspection, seem very secure. I don't think they'll fall out unless you break the arm. Ok, I do have one gripe though. The steel cvd's are not the highest quality. They are strong and get the job done, but you won't mistake these for hudy spring steel. The cvd's are not very smooth and required a bit of sanding (by hand) and lubrication. I used dry teflon powder to lube, since this is an exposed part. Also, if you decide to take apart the cvd. You will need a .005 hex driver (I believe) and very steady hands. Don't strip the grub screw or you'll be kicking yourself. I also have a pic of an XTM cvd next to a MQ cvd below. Please note that in all the pictures, the XTM rage parts are on the left and the Mini Quake parts are on the right.
The Front and Rear diffs are open style gear diffs. These are actually thinner than MQ and are NOT compatible. Ok, everyone say it all together now.... "BOOOO, HISSSS, GRRRR, ....... Hey Batter... batter... Swing"!.... [&:]... I actually noticed that the diff housings seemed a little thin from the outside, so I was expecting something different. To be honest with you, I'm not impressed at all by their looks. They look cheap and brittle, and one of mine is white while the other is an off shade of yellow...? There are two things that can cause this during the manufacturing process. 1) not blending the plastic pellets well enough before injection molding, resulting in an uneven batch color. 2) melting or injecting at a very high temperature causing the plastic to discolor. Either way, the plastic used doesn't look good, but seems to work fine.
Ok, here's the silver lining in a so far dark cloud. The outdrives are made of steel and are fastened to the bevel gear with a screw. This is actually one of the high points on the diff. Good outdrives. Gearing on the diffs is significantly different from the Mini Quake. The front/rear diffs of the XTM Rage are geared at 12/41 vs the MQ's 15/38. This gives allows the Rage to have better low end performance and faster acceleration. Add another point for XTM.
Turnbuckles
Not much to say, they are nice. One thing to note. The ball studs have a tiny screw in them which prevents the turnbuckle from "popping off". I think that's a cool little feature.
Steering
Uses a dual bell crank set-up similar to the MQ, but like everything else.... slightly different. The outer plastic housing is identical to the mini quake... right down to the size of the bushings used. *Tip* to reduce steering slop, install four 4x7x2.5mm bearings in the steering column.** Ok, here's the difference. The alum support column on the Rage features a "half moon" mounting pattern vs the "hexagon" pattern of the MQ's support column. Obviously these are not compatible. You should, however, be able to use a GPM alloy MQ steering column with the XTM's support columns if desired. Since the outer part of the column is the same, there should be no problem.
Electronics/Motor
The XTM Rage features your "run of the mill" rtr electronics: 27mhz am radio, generic 400 size motor, low budget esc, and low budget mini servo. The Rage differs from the MQ in that it uses a lighter mini servo vs a standard size. Actually, I believe a standard size servo will NOT fit in this chassis. The chassis is molded for a mini servo and is held down by double sided tape and a little "L" brace on the top. One thing to note about the servo... its strong, but sssllloooowww.... you won't win any races with it installed... that's for sure.
The XTM Cirrus radio is similar to an old school kyosho mini-z Perfex radio or the current proboat rtr radios. I'm not sure who makes these... (ko propo maybe?) but its gets the job done ok. It has about a 50 yard range, and does not suffer from glitches like the MQ RTR futaba set-up.
The esc is actually pretty good. It has good throttle response, smooth brakes, strong reverse, and only got to 117 deg F after a full battery pack. The motor is geared at 16/41 I believe, but I'll have to double check when I start dropping different motors in there. Lastly, the motor leads are attached with a jst connector. Shame on you XTM. lol. These are obviously here to save money, and should be replaced post haste. Hardwire, bullets, deans, etc... anything is better than this.
Performance and Drive Testing
So far the initial performance is promising. The diffs are surprisingly stout and the electronics perform quite nicely. Although the diffs don't look good, the performance isn't bad with the stock motor. I honestly tried to bust the diffs last night and I couldn't. I was doing 3-4 foot jumps and landing at a dead stop, reverse, full throttle, etc... I was even going from full reverse to full throttle on deep carpet, and amazingly, the diffs held up with no worries. I even flipped the truck a few times doing that. Hmmmm.... not bad. We shall see if they can handle brushless power this weekend. Here's a nice piece of news for you all. I talked with a Global Hobby Rep and he tells me the XTM R&D guys have plans for a ball diff, but nothing in production as of yet. I hope they don't delay this too much.
The Rage is decently stable in the air and adjustments were easy. A little blip on the throttle to bring the nose up, or tap the breaks for an aggressive landing. The wider track also helps when landing off center. I found it pretty easy to recover from a missed jump. Also, please keep in mind that this was done on a street and not at a track. The truck should perform similarly, however.
I actually like the XTM rage over the MQ in pure box stock form. There is little to no glitching, and the truck runs very smooth. Top speed is around 18mph give or take a few, and acceleration is surprising. The truck does tend to push into turns and seems a little sluggish coming out of them. I believe it would be much more agile with the correct oil, springs, and a faster servo. The wide tires and low stance keep the truck firmly planted on most surfaces and does a pretty good job at reducing body roll. Again, slightly thicker oil and stiffer springs will help. And finally, don't plan on seeing a roll bar anytime soon. There are no mounts for one.
whew.... ok, that's enough for this post. enjoy the pics.