Hope its ok to start a new thread about this?
The FMS24 will be a popular wagon and mine finally arrived this morning. I thought it would be good to give a quick comparison to my deadbolt even though its clearly early days.
The good bits.
1. The 2 gears are great for a lot more speed.
2. The controller - has a more options regarding how to control the wagon
3. The stock version would be a better crawler than the stock deadbolt. The most obvious difference is that the wider wheelbase makes it less likely to tip to the side (stock deadbolt tipped at 37degrees the wagon at 41) however the stock deadbolt was slightly less likely to tip forward than the wagon probably because it has a lower C of G.
The not so good bits
1. I really struggle to get the top off. There are 4 plastic clips and it takes me a good 5 minutes to do and I worry about breaking it. Very annoying (If someone has found an easy way please tell me) by comparison the deadbolts hinged top is a joy.
2. There is a tiny space for the battery and a flimsy elastic band to hold it in place - so it might be hard to find different batteries. The deadbolt has a much larger space and much easier fixing
3. The battery has a micro mx2.0 2 pin plug. OK for the supplied charger but I will have to put together a new lead to use with my e680 sky charger and the plugs do not look easy to source in the UK - If anyone finds a UK source please let me know.
4. It is very tight under the hood so I fear there is a risk of wires getting caught / broekn when trying to replace the top.
5. The tiny screws are much harder to manage than the axial hex ones.
Crawling comparison
While the wagon would comfortably beat a stock deadbolt it is not as good as my slightly modified deadbolt. The deadbolt has mudslinger tyres, weighted plastic wheels, brass hexes to widen the wheelbase and a better servo. I guess the overall cost of the deabolt + hop ups would be around 170 UK pounds whereas the wagon costs 133 pounds. The wagon's tyres do not grip so well on my outside wood / stone track so it struggles on steep slopes. The mudslingers enable the axial to climb over bigger ridges ( I think the wagon's large front bumper could also be an issue here). Finally as mentioned earlier the Wagon is more likely to topple forward and back than the deadbolt.
Clearly we are not testing like for like. Overall I am pleased. The wagon should make a great base to build on if its components stand up. Tyres feel like the first thing to change
The FMS24 will be a popular wagon and mine finally arrived this morning. I thought it would be good to give a quick comparison to my deadbolt even though its clearly early days.
The good bits.
1. The 2 gears are great for a lot more speed.
2. The controller - has a more options regarding how to control the wagon
3. The stock version would be a better crawler than the stock deadbolt. The most obvious difference is that the wider wheelbase makes it less likely to tip to the side (stock deadbolt tipped at 37degrees the wagon at 41) however the stock deadbolt was slightly less likely to tip forward than the wagon probably because it has a lower C of G.
The not so good bits
1. I really struggle to get the top off. There are 4 plastic clips and it takes me a good 5 minutes to do and I worry about breaking it. Very annoying (If someone has found an easy way please tell me) by comparison the deadbolts hinged top is a joy.
2. There is a tiny space for the battery and a flimsy elastic band to hold it in place - so it might be hard to find different batteries. The deadbolt has a much larger space and much easier fixing
3. The battery has a micro mx2.0 2 pin plug. OK for the supplied charger but I will have to put together a new lead to use with my e680 sky charger and the plugs do not look easy to source in the UK - If anyone finds a UK source please let me know.
4. It is very tight under the hood so I fear there is a risk of wires getting caught / broekn when trying to replace the top.
5. The tiny screws are much harder to manage than the axial hex ones.
Crawling comparison
While the wagon would comfortably beat a stock deadbolt it is not as good as my slightly modified deadbolt. The deadbolt has mudslinger tyres, weighted plastic wheels, brass hexes to widen the wheelbase and a better servo. I guess the overall cost of the deabolt + hop ups would be around 170 UK pounds whereas the wagon costs 133 pounds. The wagon's tyres do not grip so well on my outside wood / stone track so it struggles on steep slopes. The mudslingers enable the axial to climb over bigger ridges ( I think the wagon's large front bumper could also be an issue here). Finally as mentioned earlier the Wagon is more likely to topple forward and back than the deadbolt.
Clearly we are not testing like for like. Overall I am pleased. The wagon should make a great base to build on if its components stand up. Tyres feel like the first thing to change
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