I'd like to share my experiences with the 1/24 TrailFinder 2 from RC4WD. For reference, this is my 8th crawler and fourth 1/24 scale rig, the other three being a pair of SCX24s (Deadbolt/C10) and a Kyosho Mini-Z Jimmy.
Mine arrived two days ago. The packaging is pretty neat, the manual is annoyingly light and lacking diagrams. RC4WD requests that you view the instructions and videos on their website. I'll be charitable and say this is a green initiative to reduce paper waste, but only because the trucks performance is a far bigger issue.
No way around it, the stock N20 motor is useless. I asked their customer support and they said it was for "flat surfaces or desktop cruising LOL". It will bog down due to slight inclines, overly tightened wheel nuts, the vernal equinox, or Tuesdays.
This thing is built for 1/24 scale model kits to be swapped in, and I think that's the only use case for the N20, to make a scale model that moves occasionally.
To their credit, RC4WD knows this and includes an N30 sized can to swap in for crawling. It spins at 25k RPM before undergoing 30:1 metal gear reduction before the output shaft, which results in a motor that still has no torque but at least can be compelled to shoot off of obstacles with wild abandon once you feed enough juice.
So neither motor really works for how anyone on this forum would use it, and nothing you might have in spares will fit. Orlandoo / Geko guys are familiar with these size motors so if you have a spare can it might work. I am going to try using a 150RPM or 300RPM Geko motor next when the parts get in. The output shafts are 2mm shorter, so we'll see.
Chassis is nice enough, it's got some markings for adjusting the wheelbase. It's flat plate, not C channel, which I don't quite understand for a rig so that prioritizes scale details. Doesn't bother me one bit. I actually like the layout with the CMS, and honestly you could flip the transmission around without mods and run an even bigger motor if you could figure out how to adapt it to the transmission and clear the battery tray. The CMS is great for scale points btw, but the stock servo and steering is terrible on this truck. An EMax will require modifications as it is about a mil or two thicker than the opening for the stock servo.
The axles do not use hexes, just pins, but SCX24 hexes fit right on. Proline premounyed Hyraxes, Axial C10 wheels, and RC4WD beadlocks all have juuuust enough offset to clear the steering linkage up front, and they all look ridiculous. RC4WD has upgrades available and if you're curious, the biggest two tires they have are the MT/Rs and the Interco IROKs at 43/42mm diameter. I don't own those yet, as I have not finished the grieving cycle required before I send them more money.
The Marlin branded upgrades are fragile but they look nice. I snapped the front tube while trying to mount the winch. By the way, you get Marlin stickers, but they're not odd sized and printed on white. Also on the topic of body accessories, I've already broken both my mirrors off while doing benchtop maintenance, so be careful! I'm betting Kyosho 4runner rubber mirrors would be a much more durable upgrade.
The body is the highlight although mine doesn't want to seem to mount without fighting because the front bumper doesn't clearance the servo... A full interior and drop bed do make up for it IMHO. You kind of expect to tinker with stuff like this right? Conversely, at the same price point none of the issues I have described exist in the SCX24, sooooo.... there's that.
TL;DR: An almost undrivable but very scale truck that might be good when you fix most of it out of the box.
P.S. if anyone wants to design leaf springs for this truck and wants a tester HMU.
Mine arrived two days ago. The packaging is pretty neat, the manual is annoyingly light and lacking diagrams. RC4WD requests that you view the instructions and videos on their website. I'll be charitable and say this is a green initiative to reduce paper waste, but only because the trucks performance is a far bigger issue.
No way around it, the stock N20 motor is useless. I asked their customer support and they said it was for "flat surfaces or desktop cruising LOL". It will bog down due to slight inclines, overly tightened wheel nuts, the vernal equinox, or Tuesdays.
This thing is built for 1/24 scale model kits to be swapped in, and I think that's the only use case for the N20, to make a scale model that moves occasionally.
To their credit, RC4WD knows this and includes an N30 sized can to swap in for crawling. It spins at 25k RPM before undergoing 30:1 metal gear reduction before the output shaft, which results in a motor that still has no torque but at least can be compelled to shoot off of obstacles with wild abandon once you feed enough juice.
So neither motor really works for how anyone on this forum would use it, and nothing you might have in spares will fit. Orlandoo / Geko guys are familiar with these size motors so if you have a spare can it might work. I am going to try using a 150RPM or 300RPM Geko motor next when the parts get in. The output shafts are 2mm shorter, so we'll see.
Chassis is nice enough, it's got some markings for adjusting the wheelbase. It's flat plate, not C channel, which I don't quite understand for a rig so that prioritizes scale details. Doesn't bother me one bit. I actually like the layout with the CMS, and honestly you could flip the transmission around without mods and run an even bigger motor if you could figure out how to adapt it to the transmission and clear the battery tray. The CMS is great for scale points btw, but the stock servo and steering is terrible on this truck. An EMax will require modifications as it is about a mil or two thicker than the opening for the stock servo.
The axles do not use hexes, just pins, but SCX24 hexes fit right on. Proline premounyed Hyraxes, Axial C10 wheels, and RC4WD beadlocks all have juuuust enough offset to clear the steering linkage up front, and they all look ridiculous. RC4WD has upgrades available and if you're curious, the biggest two tires they have are the MT/Rs and the Interco IROKs at 43/42mm diameter. I don't own those yet, as I have not finished the grieving cycle required before I send them more money.
The Marlin branded upgrades are fragile but they look nice. I snapped the front tube while trying to mount the winch. By the way, you get Marlin stickers, but they're not odd sized and printed on white. Also on the topic of body accessories, I've already broken both my mirrors off while doing benchtop maintenance, so be careful! I'm betting Kyosho 4runner rubber mirrors would be a much more durable upgrade.
The body is the highlight although mine doesn't want to seem to mount without fighting because the front bumper doesn't clearance the servo... A full interior and drop bed do make up for it IMHO. You kind of expect to tinker with stuff like this right? Conversely, at the same price point none of the issues I have described exist in the SCX24, sooooo.... there's that.
TL;DR: An almost undrivable but very scale truck that might be good when you fix most of it out of the box.
P.S. if anyone wants to design leaf springs for this truck and wants a tester HMU.
It’s new still, there’s always the pioneers who’ll make that, sooner or later.
