1/16 SCALE 4WD
ELECTRIC BUGGY

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED:

Doesn’t accommodate full-size servo

No ball diffs or slipper, so it pulls the front wheels off the ground very easily

Mamba software needs to be updated

THE BOTTOM LINE:

While it isn’t really designed for racing, the Photon will provide hours of fun zipping up and down the street racing full-size cars and trucks. Plus, since not too many ready-to-run electric vehicles can hit 44 mph like the Photon, you know you have a chance to
beat them.

STEERING

Understeer  Neutral Oversteer

COMMENTS: Regardless of the surface, it’s hard to get around a corner when nearly every time you touch the throttle the front wheels come off the ground. There is virtually no on-power steering because of the immense horsepower and the buggy had a slight push through corners regardless of how slow I went. Entering corners is where the Photon was at its best due to the drag brake option on the Mamba speed control.

BRAKING

Poor  Fair  Good  Excellent

COMMENTS:  Surprisingly, the Photon slows and stops very well. The drag brake option helped while entering a corner and applying reverse brought it to a streaking stop. On high-traction surfaces like carpet beware. Applying the brake too hard will send you nose-first onto your roof.

ACCELERATION

Poor  Fair  Good  Excellent

COMMENTS: On carpet the Photon gets up to speed in the blink of an eye, usually pulling the front wheels off the ground in the process. Dirt, on the other hand, is a different story. The Photon had a great deal of wheel spin, creating a cloud of
dust as it went sideways down the straight-a-way. The power generated by the Himax motor and 11.1-volt battery would be greatly complemented if IRC had included a slipper clutch.

SUSPENSION

Poor  Fair  Good  Excellent

COMMENTS: Out of the box the suspension on the Photon felt a bit hard and sticky. After rebuilding the threaded shocks using 50wt Associated shock oil they felt much smoother and helped the Photon handle bumps and jumps like a much larger vehicle.

JUMPING

Poor  Fair  Good  Excellent

COMMENTS: You don’t need too long a straightaway to get the Photon up to speed and ready for flight. When you approach and hit a jump be careful—too much throttle at the last second will cause the nose of the Photon to point toward the sky and you will need to apply brake in midair to try to level things out. Also, staying on the throttle over a big jump can cause the tires to balloon and come unglued from the rims and result in harsh consequences to the drivetrain.

DURABILITY

Poor  Fair  Good  Excellent

COMMENTS: You can’t go this fast and expect nothing to fail, but for the most part the Photon took all the punishment I threw at it and asked for more. I was very surprised that only a plastic right front C-hub broke after hitting a cement sidewalk at full speed. Replacing many of the plastic components with some of the aftermarket aluminum goodies that IRC has to offer would make the Photon almost indestructible.

SCALE: 1/16

LENGTH: 11.2 in. (xxxmm)

WIDTH: 7.4 in. (xxxmm)

WHEELBASE: 7 in. (xxxmm)

WEIGHT: xxlbs. (xxxkg)

Deans Ultra Plugs connectors

TOOLS INCLUDED:
Four-way wrench

TOOLS NEEDED:
Phillips screwdriver, Loctite, CA glue, 1.5mm Allen wrench, needle-nose pliers, 4.5mm nut driver

HARDWARE TYPE:
Metric hex and Phillips screws

SUSPENSION

Shock position rear (12 holes on tower, one on lower arm)

Shock position front
(8 holes on the tower, one on the lower arm)

Camber (front and rear turn buckles)

Anti-squat

Toe (ft. turnbuckles)

Steering Ackerman (two holes per side in bellcrank)

Front/rear sway-bar tension

Droop (via setscrews in each lower arm)

DRIVETRAIN

Gear ratio (via spur and pinion gear)

Differential stiffness (not adjustable)

MISCELLANEOUS

Wing angle

After each run be sure to check for any screws that may have come loose. Since most of the Photon is plastic, you can only use Loctite in a few places.

The 3-cell, 11.1-volt Li-Poly pack fits loosely on the right-hand side of the chassis, so put a piece of servo tape between the chassis and battery to keep it in place.

Put a piece of tape over the center hole in the chassis to help prevent dirt and debris from getting stuck in the spur gear.

11.1 volts is a bit too much power for the stock battery/speed control connectors to handle for any extended period of time, so replacing them with Deans plugs before you hit the ground is a good idea.

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