Redcat Gen 7

[Chilli39]

I know everyone is tired of hearing about the rad cat gen 7 but what do people actually think about it against the SCX10 SCX10.2 and other crawlers that are way overpriced

Like my crawler I have a moa axiel xr10 mantis and it is great but I think having a good enough scale crawler would be fun to have

What is your opinions on the gen7 I would like to hear them

Thanks
And happy holidays

[StomperCrawler]

The Gen7 sport is $200 and has zero aftermarket parts support atm. The Scx10 OG Deadbolt RTR is $229 at Tower Hobbies for black Friday and has excellent aftermarket support. Easy choice: https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXAABF&P=ML

[durok]

I also like the fact that Shapeways has many parts to customize and increase the details on the Deadbolt body. I personally hate the half-assed interior, but I'd just get (or make) a soft top to hide it... that sale price almost(!) makes me wish I hadn't bought an Ascender already, although I do think it's a better rig out of the box.

The Redcat body makes little babies cry, it's so hideous...

[Jim85IROC]

I love my Gen7 Sport. I have no worries about parts either. Redcat is releasing more upgrade parts all the time, and has most of the stock replacement parts already. There are already a ton of HSP parts for their other vehicles that fit, plus most SCX 10 parts fit with a little work.
In terms of capability, I don't have an SCX 10 to compare it to, but it will go almost anywhere my Bomber will. I'm quite happy with it.

[StomperCrawler]

Update: you also get a $20 gift certificate at Tower for spending $200, bringing the price down to $209 for the OriGinal Scx10: https://www.towerhobbies.com/tow_ecash.html

Don't get me wrong: I like the Gen7, but when I can get a higher-quality Axial product for $9 more, it's really a no-brainer! ;)

[crawlhog]

no major complaints, for 200 bucks I wasnt expecting much but so far Im happy with it. when parts start snapping I have enough extras to repair or replace

[jlwatchman]

I have both. SCX10.2, a Gen7 Sport, and a Gen7 Pro

Performance wise, the Gen7 is very good. There are some minor things that you have to do to get more of a steering radius but they're all free mods. If you like how it looks, then it is hard to say that the SCX10.2 is worth $150-$200 more.

Of course the Gen7 is not perfectly scale--it doesn't have clear windows, the headlights and grill are decals.

The SCX10 has a lot more aftermarket support but the Gen7 should have some soon as well. It has been pretty popular.

The Deadbolt is on sale for a really good price right now. I don't care for the looks too much but I don't think you'll go wrong with either.

If you're looking to save some bucks, I think you'll be pretty amazed at what you get for $200 with the Gen7.

[TheLetterJ]

I just ordered a Gen7 sport from Tower Hobbies for $170, they're allowing discount codes on Redcats through Monday. This will be for my 4 year old as his first 1/10 scale, he started with a brushed Dromida 1/18 buggy, then converted that to brushless/2s, then he got a 1/24 ECX crawler last Christmas. He drives my SCT's and crawlers all the time and he is absolutely ready for 1/10 scale. My older son bought an E10 when he was 5 and it has been extremely reliable for 2 years of frequent use (we have a decent sized backyard course), it's his favorite of our 11 (soon to be 12) rc's. The discount (and our previous Redcat experiences) made the Gen7 an easy choice for his first "standard" sized crawler, even over the blowout pricing on the SCX10 Deadbolts. I can't wait until he gets it, I know he'll love it!

[Jim85IROC]

Originally Posted by StomperCrawler

Update: you also get a $20 gift certificate at Tower for spending $200, bringing the price down to $209 for the OriGinal Scx10: https://www.towerhobbies.com/tow_ecash.html

Don't get me wrong: I like the Gen7, but when I can get a higher-quality Axial product for $9 more, it's really a no-brainer! ;)

What makes the Deadbolt higher quality? It's got a junk servo, and all plastic links. The Redcat has plastic lockers, and no slipper. The Redcat has stickier tires, the Deadbolt has better suspension geometry. Even at the same price, I'd rather have the Redcat. The parts it needs (Slipper not withstanding) are cheaper than the parts the Deadbolt needs, and I'm willing to bet that it's more capable than the Deadbolt right out of the box.

[StomperCrawler]

Originally Posted by Jim85IROC

What makes the Deadbolt higher quality? It's got a junk servo, and all plastic links. The Redcat has plastic lockers, and no slipper. The Redcat has stickier tires, the Deadbolt has better suspension geometry. Even at the same price, I'd rather have the Redcat. The parts it needs (Slipper not withstanding) are cheaper than the parts the Deadbolt needs, and I'm willing to bet that it's more capable than the Deadbolt right out of the box.

Seriously? Are you trolling me? Fine... I'll bite, but only because I want to be kind to n00bz.

All RTR rigs have junk servos, including Redcat; it's a given, to keep the overall cost of the kit down. On top of that, the Deadbolt's plastic links are forgiving for n00bz bouncing on the rocks, and upgrading is both cheap and easy; there are even DIY options. And as far as capability goes, those Redcat plastic/alloy lockers will strip on the maiden voyage without a slipper clutch to protect the drivetrain against damage when a n00b guns the throttle in the bind that those sticky tires get into, rather than backing it off like an experienced driver knows to do. The Axial Deadbolt's "iron cross" locker, on the other hand, is nearly legendary.

Oh yeah, and the sale's dead too.

[TheLetterJ]

I'm going to have to side with Jim on this one. Going by your $209 Deadbolt math, the Gen7 I just ordered only cost $146 (that includes the use of a coupon code, and $24 of e-cash, as was calculated into the Deadbolt.)

A waterproof 15kg servo is totally adequate for a 1.9 rtr and will actually turn the tires at a standstill, unlike the Axials included servo (what is it, 60 oz of torque?) While they both used sealed can motors, the Redcat's 550 motor will live a much longer life, with more oomph than the Axials 540. They both use the same esc, so that's a wash. The Gen7's Flysky rx is directly compatible with the ever popular gt3b/gt3c tx's too.

While a little unconventional in the rc crawler world (but extremely common in 1:1) with its single triangulated design, the Gen7's BP custom's chassis is just a slightly different version of BPC's Gen6 (Hey, so that's where the name came from!) which would have been considered an upgrade for an SCX10... does coming in a Redcat box make it less so?

Metal links, especially steering, absolutely make the car more durable.

While the deadbolt's chinesium metal locker is certainly stronger than the Gen7's unit, the argument of plastic lockers breaking from just mentioning their existance just isn't true. 2 years of use on 2s, and occasional 3s, with sticky tires, without breakage on our E10 axles (same internals) has been proof enough for me. For that matter, the diff cups and/or screws have been known to tear out of the Axial units, why do you think there are so many aftermarket spools? One could spend $10 for a pair of HSP spools for the Gen7 and be ahead of the game, the axle shafts on the Redcat are bigger (splitting hairs, I know) than the Axial to boot.

It's been widely accepted that Axial's rtr tires are nothing special (I didn't think they were that bad) so I can't see Redcat's first licensed tire being any worse. Including beadlock wheels (of the variety that WILL mount Proline tires) is a nice touch too, as other than cosmetic reasons, no one will need to replace them anytime soon.

I probably won't use it, but the Gen7's included battery and charger will have little "Johnny" up and running on Christmas day. To be truly rtr, you're going to have bump up the Axial's total investment.

The big benefit to the Axial is the availability of direct bolt-on aftermarket parts... their OEM supply chain still sucks though. I'm not anti-Axial as I've had a few myself (still have one) but I've also had (and actually kept) a handfull of Redcats too. To just flat out say that the Redcat is junk, is totally unfounded. Even at the same pricepoint, I still would have chosen the Gen7 over the Deadbolt for the reasons above, as my kid's entry to 1/10, but again, the $63 price discrepancy (by your math) just made that choice even easier.

[Jim85IROC]

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

I'm going to have to side with Jim on this one. Going by your $209 Deadbolt math, the Gen7 I just ordered only cost $146 (that includes the use of a coupon code, and $24 of e-cash, as was calculated into the Deadbolt.)

A waterproof 15kg servo is totally adequate for a 1.9 rtr and will actually turn the tires at a standstill, unlike the Axials included servo (what is it, 60 oz of torque?) While they both used sealed can motors, the Redcat's 550 motor will live a much longer life, with more oomph than the Axials 540. They both use the same esc, so that's a wash. The Gen7's Flysky rx is directly compatible with the ever popular gt3b/gt3c tx's too.

I just replaced the servo, but to be honest, I had no complaints about the stock unit. It worked well, it was quiet, and it had more than enough torque to move the tires smoothly on any surface.

While a little unconventional in the rc crawler world (but extremely common in 1:1) with its single triangulated design, the Gen7's BP custom's chassis is just a slightly different version of BPC's Gen6 (Hey, so that's where the name came from!) which would have been considered an upgrade for an SCX10... does coming in a Redcat box make it less so?

Metal links, especially steering, absolutely make the car more durable.

While the deadbolt's chinesium metal locker is certainly stronger than the Gen7's unit, the argument of plastic lockers breaking from just mentioning their existance just isn't true. 2 years of use on 2s, and occasional 3s, with sticky tires, without breakage on our E10 axles (same internals) has been proof enough for me. For that matter, the diff cups and/or screws have been known to tear out of the Axial units, why do you think there are so many aftermarket spools? One could spend $10 for a pair of HSP spools for the Gen7 and be ahead of the game, the axle shafts on the Redcat are bigger (splitting hairs, I know) than the Axial to boot.

Agreed again. I didn't keep the plastic lockers for long, but when I pulled them out, they were perfect, and actually fit the axles very snugly. Unless I hammered the crap out of the truck, I think they would have held up for a long time.

It's been widely accepted that Axial's rtr tires are nothing special (I didn't think they were that bad) so I can't see Redcat's first licensed tire being any worse. Including beadlock wheels (of the variety that WILL mount Proline tires) is a nice touch too, as other than cosmetic reasons, no one will need to replace them anytime soon.

I don't know what Axial's RTR tires are like except that they're harder than their R35 tires that came in my Bomber kit. The Gen7 tires work MUCH better than my stock Bomber tires. I need wheel speed to get my bomber up inclines that the Gen7 has no problems gripping.

I probably won't use it, but the Gen7's included battery and charger will have little "Johnny" up and running on Christmas day. To be truly rtr, you're going to have bump up the Axial's total investment.

The battery that comes with the Gen7s is nothing special, but it's absolutely adequate. I used it for a while before I soldered my XT60 connector on. To be honest, it probably would have been better to keep it for my son to use because the throttle is more sensitive with the lipo.

The big benefit to the Axial is the availability of direct bolt-on aftermarket parts... their OEM supply chain still sucks though. I'm not anti-Axial as I've had a few myself (still have one) but I've also had (and actually kept) a handfull of Redcats too. To just flat out say that the Redcat is junk, is totally unfounded. Even at the same pricepoint, I still would have chosen the Gen7 over the Deadbolt for the reasons above, as my kid's entry to 1/10, but again, the $63 price discrepancy (by your math) just made that choice even easier.

Agreed. The parts support for the Redcat seems to be improving daily, and Redcat is standing behind the vehicle admirably. Add to their ever growing parts supply the fact that there's already a bunch of HSP stuff out there as well as a TON of axial stuff that's easily adaptable in most cases, and parts support is not an issue for me.

[jlwatchman]

I am a big fan of my Axial SCX10.2 RTR and still like it better than both of my Gen7s mainly because of accurate scale and aftermarket parts. However, I have to say that for the expense and stock configurations, Redcat may have the edge especially with budgets in mind.

The Super Swampers that come on the Gen7 is definitely amazing. I am getting a set of them for my SCX10.2.

[StomperCrawler]

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

I'm going to have to side with Jim on this one. Going by your $209 Deadbolt math, the Gen7 I just ordered only cost $146 (that includes the use of a coupon code, and $24 of e-cash, as was calculated into the Deadbolt.)

I calculate $199 - 20 code - 20 ecash = $159. To get $24 ecash you must pay an annual subscription fee to Tower, but that's still $155. How do you get the additional $9 off? What coupon codes are you using?

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

A waterproof 15kg servo is totally adequate for a 1.9 rtr and will actually turn the tires at a standstill, unlike the Axials included servo (what is it, 60 oz of torque?) While they both used sealed can motors, the Redcat's 550 motor will live a much longer life, with more oomph than the Axials 540. They both use the same esc, so that's a wash. The Gen7's Flysky rx is directly compatible with the ever popular gt3b/gt3c tx's too.

While a little unconventional in the rc crawler world (but extremely common in 1:1) with its single triangulated design, the Gen7's BP custom's chassis is just a slightly different version of BPC's Gen6 (Hey, so that's where the name came from!) which would have been considered an upgrade for an SCX10... does coming in a Redcat box make it less so?

15kg-cm is definitely an upgrade from the 11kg-cm 150oz-in Deadbolt servo, as is the 550 motor (though its added weight does raise the COG a bit). I've bound Axial's stock RX to my GT3B so that's a non-issue. As for the link design, while I can't comment on the physics engineering, I can say that I consider the metal links upgrades.

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

Metal links, especially steering, absolutely make the car more durable.

Um... I'll have to respectfully disagree with you there. Plastic flexes under stress. Metal doesn't, and that leads to breakages like servo gears, link mounts, c-hubs, axles, etc when the rig takes a tumble.

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

While the deadbolt's chinesium metal locker is certainly stronger than the Gen7's unit, the argument of plastic lockers breaking from just mentioning their existance just isn't true. 2 years of use on 2s, and occasional 3s, with sticky tires, without breakage on our E10 axles (same internals) has been proof enough for me. For that matter, the diff cups and/or screws have been known to tear out of the Axial units, why do you think there are so many aftermarket spools? One could spend $10 for a pair of HSP spools for the Gen7 and be ahead of the game, the axle shafts on the Redcat are bigger (splitting hairs, I know) than the Axial to boot.

It's been widely accepted that Axial's rtr tires are nothing special (I didn't think they were that bad) so I can't see Redcat's first licensed tire being any worse. Including beadlock wheels (of the variety that WILL mount Proline tires) is a nice touch too, as other than cosmetic reasons, no one will need to replace them anytime soon.

I probably won't use it, but the Gen7's included battery and charger will have little "Johnny" up and running on Christmas day. To be truly rtr, you're going to have bump up the Axial's total investment.

The big benefit to the Axial is the availability of direct bolt-on aftermarket parts... their OEM supply chain still sucks though. I'm not anti-Axial as I've had a few myself (still have one) but I've also had (and actually kept) a handfull of Redcats too. To just flat out say that the Redcat is junk, is totally unfounded. Even at the same pricepoint, I still would have chosen the Gen7 over the Deadbolt for the reasons above, as my kid's entry to 1/10, but again, the $63 price discrepancy (by your math) just made that choice even easier.

Um... I never said Redcat was junk. I just meant that most people's experience of RTR servos is that they are underpowered and break quickly. I like Redcat and am glad that Axial, Vaterra, RC4WD, Traxxas, and Gmade have some low-priced competition to drive costs down, especially for n00bz entering the hobby.

Regarding the Everest 10 plastic lockers, are you saying that all of the that broke on their maiden run were flukes? If yours hasn't broken in 2 years of running then they must've changed the plastic's formula to something like delrin, which is good to hear. Still, for noobz sake, please show us a link to the $10 HSP metal locker you mentioned, just in case someone does manage to break/strip one.

I agree, Axial Trepadors aren't great tires, but they're R35 sticky and can be sipped to increase traction. Hands down, the Gen7 wins for including real beadlocks, however; I hate de-glueing tires and having to spend more money on beadlocks.

Including a battery and charger was a nice touch from Redcat. Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining, but since lipo is the same cost, why not include a 2200mah 3s instead of the heavier, bulky, outdated nimh? If it's a safety issue then maybe include a 50-cent lipo-safe charging bag?

I'm not anti-Redcat either. In fact, I've had them, and I recommend the Gen7 to peeps. But if we're going to compare apples to apples, let's be fair so that people can choose based on the facts and know what they're getting. ;)

Thanks for all the stimulating, non-attacking dialog. I hope we can continue to share our knowledge and experience without getting upset, making sweeping generalizations, or stinging remarks. thumbsup

[TheLetterJ]

You are right that I used a "super saver club" membership ($5 a year, usually pays for itself in the first order) discount code to save $30, and by adding $.01 to my order bumped me up to $24 of e-cash... so that is how I paid $169 (and I'll get a $24 e-cash credit in December) for the Gen7. If anybody's reading, you can still get in on that until 11:59 pm tonight.

My first Axial killed the servo horn almost immediately out of the box. I put on an Axial aluminum horn and the tsx45 died within the next few packs. I replaced that with a Promodeler 420 and ripped the hardware out of the plastic draglink. It never could turn both wheels the same direction in the rocks with the wet noodle of a tierod. I didn't give my second Axial (Wraith with the 130oz plastic geared as2 servo) the chance and went straight to stainless links/traxxas 4mm ends/20kg servo/aluminum horn/clamping c-hubs/VP knuckles etc. etc. It has become both my most expensive AND least used rc. I'm sure I don't even need to mention the downwards spiral the Yeti was. So I do consider the aluminum tie rod and draglink (with replaceable rod ends, traxxas mini revo ends are 3mm and work great on the redcat links) to be durability upgrades.

HSP 180009 is the part number for the one piece spool with ring gear attached, looks like they've gone up in price, now $9.55 shipped each from China. https://m.ebay.com/itm/18009-Aluminu...MUk01zaiYsY-wQ I really did anticipate the plastic lockers stripping quickly, but it just hasn't happened yet, after years of child drivers. Maybe my 4 and 7 year old boys just care about their belongings more than most? I've almost certainly got some iron cross lockers in my rc "junk" box when the plastic ones do give up the ghost, otherwise I probably would have had the HSP part ordered a long time ago... just in case.

I've got a brand new set of 2.2" ripsaws laying around that I would have been perfectly content using on my current Wraith, but my glued on wheels wouldn't clear my direct bolt-on knuckles, so I ended up buying new tires/wheels instead. Kind of a waste, but I might find a use for them elsewhere. My son's E10 wheels have had a few sets of tires on them (Proline TSL SX XL's among them) and they were only replaced because he wanted 1.9"s. His stock E10 beadlocks have plastic rings on them and have been relegated to permanent sand tire duty on a brushless/3s Slash, still holding strong. I guess what I'm saying here is that the double steel ring 1.9" beadlocks of the Gen7 tick all the boxes for what we wanted in this category of rc.

Many of the changes that my older son has made to his E10 come standard on the Gen7, so his little brother gets to start out on a more even playing field without having to dump a bunch of money on parts. Everything can break, but I'm anticipating that the absolute "must have" upgrades stay minimal with the Gen7. As I've said, we've had great experiences with our 3 current Redcat's (RS10, E10, Sumo crawler) so I knew what I was getting into (rather, I did not blindly buy the Gen7 based on price) and I think the Gen7 really just fit the bill best for our needs.

[StomperCrawler]

Well-said sir. I think you make a lot of excellent points. It's good to see there are some non-haters of Redcat here on the boards. I must admit that Redcat has impressed me with the Gen7.

[Mongol Pete]

Reading through this makes me sorry missed the Redcat sales, especially at Tower. Not to mention that this truck (Pro version) finished 2nd to the TRX-4 in Big Squid's 1.9 shootout. I think everyone likes getting a lot for their money.

Oh well, it gives me time to keep shopping around for a great-value, budget crawler. I will defo be watching Redcat.

[CSR]

I bought 2 Gen7 Sports for my 10 and 8 years old children. I was tired of seeing them waste their allowance money buying department store r/c cars... enjoying them for, sometimes, not even a day, before they broke.

They've beat on them. I really should have taught them to crawl obstacles beforehand, instead of their full throttle "rock bouncer" approach. Lol. No real breakage yet. Lost a drive pin from an axle hex on one. Not sure if the wheel nut was loose or it was never there. One body is busted on a front corner. No big loss there. They're hideous.

I might buy another, for myself.

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[TheLetterJ]

I bought my 4 year old son a Gen7 Sport for Christmas. I am very impressed with its performance right out of the box, miles ahead of his big brother's E10 (at least compared to when it was stock.) We've now got 4 Redcat's and none of them have been a disappointment. More and more I wonder why I have a +/-$1k Wraith when these $150 cars perform probably 2/3 as well, and are actually better out of the box!?

I've just done a few basic free modifications like trimming the body to allow the rear bumper to be tucked in 2 notches, raised the front body mount one notch, pushed the front bumper in one notch and trimmed the corners of the bumper, shaved off the steering stops on the knuckles, and added body clip keepers. With just those changes, it made a noticeable improvement. I'd say that the front bumper still is the biggest hangup, but I don't see a clean way to tuck it in further without hacking the ends off, so I'll leave it as-is for awhile. I think I'm going to drop a few teeth on the pinion as well, it's faster than it needs to be just running nimh and we've got a nice rock pile in the backyard so a little slower would be beneficial.

I also screwed a rod end ball stud into the rear bumper and he is stoked that it now has a trailer hitch! I'm sure I'll be poking in here from time to time, but just wanted to chime in to say I'm pleased thus far!

P.S. I already spent my $24 of e-cash I got from purchasing the Gen7. My Wraith needed another brushed motor so I decided I'd give the 550 Redcat motor a try this time... yep, modifying my Axial with Redcat parts!

[CSR]

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

I bought my 4 year old son a Gen7 Sport for Christmas. I am very impressed with its performance right out of the box, miles ahead of his big brother's E10 (at least compared to when it was stock.) We've now got 4 Redcat's and none of them have been a disappointment. More and more I wonder why I have a +/-$1k Wraith when these $150 cars perform probably 2/3 as well, and are actually better out of the box!?

I've just done a few basic free modifications like trimming the body to allow the rear bumper to be tucked in 2 notches, raised the front body mount one notch, pushed the front bumper in one notch and trimmed the corners of the bumper, shaved off the steering stops on the knuckles, and added body clip keepers. With just those changes, it made a noticeable improvement. I'd say that the front bumper still is the biggest hangup, but I don't see a clean way to tuck it in further without hacking the ends off, so I'll leave it as-is for awhile. I think I'm going to drop a few teeth on the pinion as well, it's faster than it needs to be just running nimh and we've got a nice rock pile in the backyard so a little slower would be beneficial.

I also screwed a rod end ball stud into the rear bumper and he is stoked that it now has a trailer hitch! I'm sure I'll be poking in here from time to time, but just wanted to chime in to say I'm pleased thus far!

P.S. I already spent my $24 of e-cash I got from purchasing the Gen7. My Wraith needed another brushed motor so I decided I'd give the 550 Redcat motor a try this time... yep, modifying my Axial with Redcat parts!

I raised the shocks to the top hole on the chassis, and flipped the bumper mounts, on one of the 2. Also trimmed the body and went 2 holes forward on the rear bumper.... on one rig. So we have a stock to compare to changes. Actually I may make the one I've started tweaking mine, and get my stepdaughter a new box stock one.

Oh, I also broke down the beadlocks and stuck a lot of stick-on lead weight to the inside of it's wheels. That should test the axle and servo strenght!

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