There was some rumors flying that Traxxas was working on something big and within just a few days of those rumors, Traxxas dropped the news and it sent many into a frenzy. The Traxxas Unlimited Desert Racer broke the RC side of the internet with its release and many have already starting saving to get one once it’s released. The Unlimited Desert Racer is a ground up new machine from the big TRX and in their typical fashion, they went big… literally. They went big in size, scale, risk, style, innovation and the list goes on. The Unlimited Desert Racer is a Pro Scale truck that comes ready to run with powerful 6S capable ESC, 2200kv motor, TQi radio system and a high torque servo to muscle the steering. The truck is 4wd with a solid rear axle, independent front suspension and an amazing tube style frame with inverted center tub to round out the chassis. The suspension looks like the suspension on a real Trophy Truck and the body comes with either the Rigid or Fox livery as you see on the real trophy trucks. The features list goes on and luckily Traxxas sent a Unlimited Desert Racer over to us to check out in detail. So that’s what we did. We went to town on the truck with a power hex driver to see what this intense machine is about and took pictures long the way to you can see for yourself what sets this new Traxxas model apart from the rest.
NEED TO KNOW:
Product: Unlimited Desert Racer
By: Traxxas
Part Code: 85076-4
Price: $799.99
Link: Traxxas Unlimited Desert Racer
SCALE APPEARANCE
Traxxas went into great detail on the Unlimited Desert Racer, this machine is loaded with scale detail that mimics a Trophy Truck. The body is one piece and is secured with 12 screws so there are no odd looking body clips anywhere to be found. In the middle you’ll see a molded interior with two figures and lots of decals on the dashboard and figures suits to give everything a more detailed look. The helmets are molded plastic and detailed as well. In the rear of the truck you’ll find two spare tires that are actual tires and not mock-ups. Yes, you can use these if you ever encounter a blow-out. Also bolted to the rear cage is a complete center driveshaft for the transmission from the center gearbox to the rear axle. Other details included a jack, batteries, shock reservoirs, radiator with fan blades molded separately and fire extinguishers.
FRAME WORK
This truck isn’t some flat chassis with a roll cage slapped on it. This truck was designed from the ground up with a tube chassis look that very closely resembles the look of a real Trophy Truck frame. The only indication of a standard chassis is the inverted molded tub in the center that secures the batteries, transmission set-up, steering and also serves as the mounting plate for the receiver box. The frame work is well detailed and many of the pieces are stepped to lock into the pieces they mate to. Overall the construction seems very rigid, but it will be a little time consuming if you want to dig into the chassis and take certain things apart. A belly-pan seals up the bottom of the machine and a section slides out after releasing a clip in order to access the batteries.
SUSPENSION
As you would expect, the trucks suspension bares a similar look to its full-scale counterpart. The Front double wishbone suspension has super rigid multi-piece lower arms and upper arms with long inner hinge pins that are held in with a screw on cap. There are some metal braces to help shore up the front suspension and increase durability. Cantilever type swaybars can be found on the front and rear to keep roll in check. The rear suspension consists of a four-link set-up to float the rear axle. The shocks are massive aluminum body GTR shocks. The main shock is threaded to adjust spring preload and the slave shock is even oil filled to damp the suspension.
DRIVELINE
It’s obvious from the start that Traxxas build the UDR’s driveline with durability in mind to handle the 6S power system. The front and center differentials are built with steel gears and steel inserts make certain the gear shafts don’t “walk” through the case. The outdrives and output posts are heavy duty steel units. The front CV axles are also very robust and the aluminum center driveshaft with CV joints is pure eye candy. The short drive shaft from the center transmission to the front differential is composite but appears well built and should hold up to the power. One special part to note is the motor mount. To set gear mesh, there is a pin that can be placed in a number of spots that corresponds with the pinion gear size. This locates the mount in the perfect spot for the perfect mesh every time. Finally the wheel hexes are the Traxxas 17mm indexed hexes.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
The Traxxas Unlimited Desert Racer is packed with new and exciting features and we’re still finding interesting design elements every time we cuddle up with the UDR on the workbench. The battery tray is easy to get to from the bottom hatch and is internally secured with an additional snap in plate. The belly pan can be removed from the bottom of the truck for easy access to the trucks major internal components. A burley looking Velinion 6S BLX is perched toward the rear of the truck and is fitted with ID plugs. The ESC sends power to a potent 2200kv motor and for steering a metal gear 2075x servo swings the dual bell-crank steering assembly with built in spring loaded servo saver. As you would expect, the electronics are also water-proof and the receiver sits in a sealed Traxxas radio box.
WRAP-UP
We’re excited to be able to test the Traxxas Unlimited Desert Racer and so far have had a great time tearing it down to check out all of its exciting features. We’re already working hard on producing a series of videos for the truck so make certain you subscribe to our Youtube channel HERE to see even more on this exciting machine.
LINK
Traxxas Unlimited Desert Racer
