DROMIDA DT4.18BL– Our first Dromida vehicle to roll out in the unboxing is the Desert Truck version of the 4.18BL vehicles. It’s perhaps hitting the top spot because its the Editor-In-Chief, Greg Vogel’s favorite version of the series offerings. What caught Greg’s attention is the bright red prepainted truck body with tear style graphics, light bar on top with 5 LED lights installed ready to beam down on the dirt. The bed of the truck is cut out and a spare tire sits in the tire rack. He also liked the large front bumper with four faux lights, roll bar on the bed of the body and the silver rims with chunky off-road treads on each corner. Under the body the majority of the platform remains unchanged from Dromida’s previous 4.18 offerings. The vehicle is 4WD with front and rear gear differentials, independent wishbone suspension with oil filled shocks and a robust composite chassis with upper deck brace. A new, more powerful, electronics package is really what stands out here. Bolted to the motor mount is a potent 5300Kv sensorless brushless motor with that receives power from a BE18 25-Amp brushless electronic speed control. Since the power-system swap requires a stand alone ESC, Dromida now uses a stand alone servo and receiver in the Speed vehicles where the standard 4.18 uses an all in one servo/ receiver/ ESC unit.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
– Pre-assembled truck with all of the electronic gear installed. The factory build looks great and even the wires are neatly bundled.
– All the batteries you need to get going are included. We’re showing Duratrax batteries here as we received the first vehicles off of the assembly line for Vehicle Week and the Dromida batteries were not ready yet. The Dromida BL kits will receive similar batteries with the Dromida logo for both the included “AA” batteries and 1300mAh NiMh battery.
– A wall charger is included in the box, but this isn’t your standard 350mA output wall charger setup, this set includes a charger monitoring adapter that will show you when the charger is charging and when it’s done. This takes the guess work out of determining if your battery is charged on a basic wall charger.
– The D100 2.4GHz radio is the perfect blend of basic functions, comfortable grip and a cool look. The model brake disc and blue caliper behind the chrome steering wheel is a nice touch. We also like the easy to tweak steering and throttle trim adjustment knobs right behind the wheel as well as the throttle and steering dual rate knobs under the hatch. Also under the hatch are the on/off and reversing switches.
-For ease of use, Dromida slips a simple manual into the box that helps you get the car going and instructs first-time drivers on how to use and drive the vehicle.
FACTS
Manufacturer: Dromida
Distributed By: Hobbico
Product: DT4.18BL
Class: 1/18 4WD Truck
Power system: Electric Brushless
Kit type: RTR
What’s in the box: Assembled truck with brushless ESC and motor, radio system, servo, painted body, “AA” batteries, 1300mAh NiMh battery, wall charger with monitor, suspension clips and manual
Needed to complete: Just a fun place to run
Who it’s for: Any RC enthusiast
Part Number: DIDC0056
Price: $169.98
DROMIDA DB4.18BL– Since there is a desert truck, there has to be a desert buggy right? This is editor, Tony Phalen’s, favorite Dromida Speed offering. What grabs the eye on the DB4.18BL is the chassis hugging composite plastic roll cage with body panels screwed on the sides and top to give it a cool off-roader look. The panels are pre-painted with a cool modern graphics scheme and four LED lights are affixed in the roof to light up the way. On the rear of the buggy, a full size spare is bolted to the racer and a driver inside the cage bumps up the realism of this model.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
– Like the DT4.18BL, in the box you get an assembled buggy with electronics installed, batteries, charger, radio and manual. The buggy is of course, brushless and set up for speed runs and all terrain action. The LED lights simply plug into the ESC via a long harness and give you lots of light on the road when running at dusk.
FACTS
Manufacturer: Dromida
Distributed By: Hobbico
Product: DB4.18BL
Class: 1/18 4WD Buggy
Power system: Electric Brushless
Kit type: RTR
What’s in the box: Assembled truck with brushless ESC and motor, radio system, servo, painted body, “AA” batteries, 1300mAh NiMh battery, wall charger with monitor, suspension clips and manual
Needed to complete: Just a fun place to run
Who it’s for: Any RC enthusiast
Part Number: DIDC0055
Price: $169.98
DROMIDA SC4.18BL- For those who love the look of a short course truck, Dromida offers a stylish SC truck in the Speed series. The BL version of the SC4.18 gets wild blue and purple graphics for its scheme which sets the tone of this power machine. The truck is fitted with the wide protective bumper up front and has a wide rear bumper complete with mudflaps. The truck shares the same wheels as the Desert Buggy as well as the close tread tires. Inside is the same powerful BL system and platform as the vehicle previously talked about. We love the look of this small SC machine and can’t wait to rip it up in the dirt.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
– To the right is what’s in the box and like the previous machines, Dromida has taken care of the hard work in building the truck and installing the radio gear. Simply charge up the included battery with the included charger, install the “AA” batteries in the radio then install the charged pack in the truck and go outside to tear up the terrain.
FACTS
Manufacturer: Dromida
Distributed By: Hobbico
Product: SC4.18BL
Class: 1/18 4WD Short Course Truck
Power system: Electric Brushless
Kit type: RTR
What’s in the box: Assembled truck with brushless ESC and motor, radio system, servo, painted body, “AA” batteries, 1300mAh NiMh battery, wall charger with monitor, suspension clips and manual
Needed to complete: Just a fun place to run
Who it’s for: Any RC enthusiast
Part Number: DIDC0051
Price: $149.98
DROMIDA MT4.18BL- You just can’t beat a monster truck and Dromida was spot on in creating this mighty mini monster truck. The MT4.18 BL is topped off with a cool flatbed truck body littered in cool graphics with vibrant colors that commands attention from onlookers. Up front is a large bumper with skid to help punch through dirt and glide over grass. In the rear a skid style bumper protects the truck when cartwheeling; yes this fast MT can take quite a tumble when you’re out bashing. On each corner are wide spoke silver coated rims with low profile monster truck all-terrain treaded tires. This truck shares the same platform as the vehicles above so parts availability should be no problem if you happen to need to maintain your machine.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
– The completed truck comes as you see it on the right, ready to rock and roll after battery charging and installation. Something we haven’t mentioned previously are the small C-clip looking pieces in the photo. These are the spring preload spacers Dromida includes with the kit to adjust suspension ride height. The MT is set well from the factory, but if you need to give the suspension a bit more down travel, slide some spacers in above the springs on the oil filled shocks.
FACTS
Manufacturer: Dromida
Distributed By: Hobbico
Product: MT4.18BL
Class: 1/18 4WD Monster Truck
Power system: Electric Brushless
Kit type: RTR
What’s in the box: Assembled truck with brushless ESC and motor, radio system, servo, painted body, “AA” batteries, 1300mAh NiMh battery, wall charger with monitor, suspension clips and manual
Needed to complete: Just a fun place to run
Who it’s for: Any RC enthusiast
Part Number: DIDC0052
Price: $149.98
DROMIDA BX4.18BL- Last but certainly not least is the 4WD buggy version of the Dromida Speed line-up. The majority of the parts on this buggy are shared with the vehicles above, however there are some minor changes to note. Lets go with the obvs, the body for starters is a cab forward style buggy body with plenty of room in the side pods to clear the electronics underneath. The blue, green and white streaking graphics give the buggy a good look and the body comes predecaled with the logos you see in the photo. Off the back and aggressive double deck wing bolts to some flexible wing mounts to give the back of the buggy some downforce for stability and traction. The front gets a small rounded buggy style bumper and each corner gets cool silver hole-style rims with a chevron angled mini-pin tire for maximum traction in the dirt. The features that further set the buggy apart are the buggy specific shock towers that don’t have body mounts molded to them like the truck towers do. The buggy also features a shorter shock up front that works well for the buggy platform. This buggy gets the same potent BL system as the others and we’ll give you a hint on performance, there is a lot of wheel spinning power packed in this buggy!
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
As with all of the other machines, the BX4.18 is ready to go, assembled, painted, trimmed, and ready for battery installation. If you have a dirt lot, or driveway that is begging for an RC car to dish out action on, this could be the ready-to-run buggy that can deliver.
FACTS
Manufacturer: Dromida
Distributed By: Hobbico
Product: BX4.18BL
Class: 1/18 4WD Buggy
Power system: Electric Brushless
Kit type: RTR
What’s in the box: Assembled truck with brushless ESC and motor, radio system, servo, painted body, “AA” batteries, 1300mAh NiMh battery, wall charger with monitor, suspension clips and manual
Needed to complete: Just a fun place to run
Who it’s for: Any RC enthusiast
Part Number: DIDC0053
Price: $149.98
RC Driver Reveal Video
WRAP-UP
Here we have some of the most powerful 1/18 ready to run, radio control vehicles to hit the scene at a price point many can easily afford. We like that Dromida has expanded the line and bumped up the power so those of us with a need for speed can have plenty on tap without having to buy an aftermarket system to install. This series looks great and if they’re anything like Dromida’s standard 4.18 Series should pump out plenty of fun. Check back for Day 2 of Dromida 4.18BL Series Vehicle week where we go over the features these vehicles have to offer.
DROMIDA 4.18 BL ARTICLE SERIES
Click the following links to see the other articles in this series on the Dromida 4.18 BL vehicles
