thenate93
2007.08.27, 12:25 PM
I've gone and done it. I've made my very first online product review. This. It is about the Xmods EVO, and many things pertaining to it.
First off, the box.
Overall, the packaging seems pretty well made. It's a very solid useful plastic carrying case that all Xmods come packed in. There are inserts that hold the controller and chassis, with a seperate space for the body on the right side. I found this useful in transporting the RC around, as well as keeping it relatively safe.
Rating: 9/10
The Body (and body kits).
The quality of the body is OK, but the really fun part is adding visual upgrades (aftermarket bumpers, side skirts, new hoods, and spoilers or wings). The Scion tC, for example, looks somewhat dull stock, but with the addition of a wild body kit, looks extremely agressive and different. Pictures are attached.
Rating: 8/10
Next up, the Xmods chassis.
My first impression of the Xmods chassis was fairly good. It seemed pretty newbie-friendly, with easy moddability as compared to Gen 1's. The chassis build quality did not seem very good compared to Mini-Z's or iWavers. After adding AWD the car handled well, but the turning radius was subpar. During some light use, the thin plastic shocks that came with it started to jam, which made me go and buy a suspension kit. After replacing the suspension it seemed to function well enough, with mediocre acceleration. Unfortunately, my differential exploded after some hard driving, which forced me to buy a whole new Xmod! Not good.
Rating: 6.5/10
Stage 2 Motor Kit.
The addition of a Stage 2 motor helped quite a bit, and gave me lots of useful pinions for different settings (hi-speed, hi-torque). The car was faster off the bat, and could hit about 15 mph fairly quickly. Better motors can be bought for less, but the kit still functions well as a pinion set.
Rating: 7/10
Tires.
The stock soft slicks gave fairly good grip on dry pavement, but treaded tires from the tire kit or At0micmods (if you have ridgeless wheels) helped keep it from sliding so much. After some fast driving though, soft treads and slicks fly of the wheels, resulting in a thoroughly irritating search for the tires.
Rating: 6/10
The Controller.
The controller is compact (it folds up) and rather idiotic in design. A cool feature is changing steering wheels that come with body kits, but that doesn't make up for the all too short range and rather sparse features. A slot in the side of the controller holds the somewhat fragile antenna. One extremely unfortunate characteristic is that it is impossible to use a nice Futabo or Inopo controller, as Xmods have their own reception system which is not compatible with quality controllers. One good thing is that transmitter crystals are many-frequencied and cheap, and can be used with other RC's (iWaver, Mini-Z). Overall though, the controller is a regrettable design flaw for Xmods.
Rating: 3/10
Must-Have Upgrades.
Lithium.
There really are no cons to lithium, and the power increase is amazing. It is only about $35 on eB@y. The lithium polymer batteries can be installed on a stock chassis fairly easily, with not too much soldering. Stage 1 AWD w/lithium can beat Stage 2 RWD w/o Lithium in all areas.
Rating: 10/10
Aftermarket Motors.
Look for these on Atomicm0ds. Make sure you get one with a low current draw, (Ball bearing case) yet good top speed. Neo Mags give it awesome torque, too. Be careful though. I you do not have stacked FETS, do not get a motor that requires them. You will fry your board. Motors are a very easy way to increase speed and torque of your car.
Rating: 8.5/10
AWD.
It's really not an option. You don't have to buy the kit though. You can assemble your own @ Atomicm0ds (W/perfect shafts, bearings, Delrin diffs, composite gears). This, while being greatly superior, is also more expensive than the RS kit. Choose what is best for you.
Rating: 9/10
The Verdict.
Driving around is fun on pavement, but as I said before, the turning radius is not very good, so racing on RCP tracks and the like would be rather difficult, as compared to, again, IW and MZ. The AWD kit is nice and cheap though, as is the drifting kit. Lithium is still a must. These are really just toy grade, but, if thats you're thing, get it. The must have upgrades, can, however, turn the car into a competetive racing machine.
Final rating: 7.5/10
Thanks for reading!
First off, the box.
Overall, the packaging seems pretty well made. It's a very solid useful plastic carrying case that all Xmods come packed in. There are inserts that hold the controller and chassis, with a seperate space for the body on the right side. I found this useful in transporting the RC around, as well as keeping it relatively safe.
Rating: 9/10
The Body (and body kits).
The quality of the body is OK, but the really fun part is adding visual upgrades (aftermarket bumpers, side skirts, new hoods, and spoilers or wings). The Scion tC, for example, looks somewhat dull stock, but with the addition of a wild body kit, looks extremely agressive and different. Pictures are attached.
Rating: 8/10
Next up, the Xmods chassis.
My first impression of the Xmods chassis was fairly good. It seemed pretty newbie-friendly, with easy moddability as compared to Gen 1's. The chassis build quality did not seem very good compared to Mini-Z's or iWavers. After adding AWD the car handled well, but the turning radius was subpar. During some light use, the thin plastic shocks that came with it started to jam, which made me go and buy a suspension kit. After replacing the suspension it seemed to function well enough, with mediocre acceleration. Unfortunately, my differential exploded after some hard driving, which forced me to buy a whole new Xmod! Not good.
Rating: 6.5/10
Stage 2 Motor Kit.
The addition of a Stage 2 motor helped quite a bit, and gave me lots of useful pinions for different settings (hi-speed, hi-torque). The car was faster off the bat, and could hit about 15 mph fairly quickly. Better motors can be bought for less, but the kit still functions well as a pinion set.
Rating: 7/10
Tires.
The stock soft slicks gave fairly good grip on dry pavement, but treaded tires from the tire kit or At0micmods (if you have ridgeless wheels) helped keep it from sliding so much. After some fast driving though, soft treads and slicks fly of the wheels, resulting in a thoroughly irritating search for the tires.
Rating: 6/10
The Controller.
The controller is compact (it folds up) and rather idiotic in design. A cool feature is changing steering wheels that come with body kits, but that doesn't make up for the all too short range and rather sparse features. A slot in the side of the controller holds the somewhat fragile antenna. One extremely unfortunate characteristic is that it is impossible to use a nice Futabo or Inopo controller, as Xmods have their own reception system which is not compatible with quality controllers. One good thing is that transmitter crystals are many-frequencied and cheap, and can be used with other RC's (iWaver, Mini-Z). Overall though, the controller is a regrettable design flaw for Xmods.
Rating: 3/10
Must-Have Upgrades.
Lithium.
There really are no cons to lithium, and the power increase is amazing. It is only about $35 on eB@y. The lithium polymer batteries can be installed on a stock chassis fairly easily, with not too much soldering. Stage 1 AWD w/lithium can beat Stage 2 RWD w/o Lithium in all areas.
Rating: 10/10
Aftermarket Motors.
Look for these on Atomicm0ds. Make sure you get one with a low current draw, (Ball bearing case) yet good top speed. Neo Mags give it awesome torque, too. Be careful though. I you do not have stacked FETS, do not get a motor that requires them. You will fry your board. Motors are a very easy way to increase speed and torque of your car.
Rating: 8.5/10
AWD.
It's really not an option. You don't have to buy the kit though. You can assemble your own @ Atomicm0ds (W/perfect shafts, bearings, Delrin diffs, composite gears). This, while being greatly superior, is also more expensive than the RS kit. Choose what is best for you.
Rating: 9/10
The Verdict.
Driving around is fun on pavement, but as I said before, the turning radius is not very good, so racing on RCP tracks and the like would be rather difficult, as compared to, again, IW and MZ. The AWD kit is nice and cheap though, as is the drifting kit. Lithium is still a must. These are really just toy grade, but, if thats you're thing, get it. The must have upgrades, can, however, turn the car into a competetive racing machine.
Final rating: 7.5/10
Thanks for reading!