Wasteland Buggy and Truck

Ready, Aim,Fire and Drive!

When it comes to delivering a variety of big fun on a small scale, Dromida has been dishing out the goods with their 4.18 series of vehicles in brushed and brushless motor form. They have added to their offerings, this time with a twist; a pair of wild looking RC machines called Wasteland and their rugged looks are not the only thing that is attracting attention from RC funseekers. The Wasteland buggy and truck are fitted with spring loaded foam dart launchers that can be shot up to thirty feet with just the push of the button on the radio. We’ve just received these wild foam missile machines and have them in the RC Driver offices for test firing … and driving of course.

By Greg Vogel  –  Photos: Edwin Rodriguez

REVIEWER’S OPINION
Dromida did a great job adapting a completely ready torun hobby grade RC car to bridge the gap between the toy and hobby world. Young and enthusiastic drivers will have a blast (literally) with the dart missile launcher on these rides, while enjoying the reliability of a hobby grade car.

TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES INCLUDED
• Wall Charger with wall plug adapters, “AA” batteries, extra darts, manual

ITEMS NEEDED
• None

ITEMS USED
• None

ADDITIONAL ITEMS USED
• Duratrax Onyx 200 AC/DC Peak Charger, DTXP4200
• Duratrax Charge Lead, DTXC2223

HOP-UPS WE RECOMMEND
• Dromida Drive Train Aluminum Upgrade Kit, DIDC1160, The drivetrain set is a cool upgrade for around $25. It replaces the driveshafts, outdrives and spur with blue anodized aluminum replacement parts. Disassembly of the car is required to install.
• Dromida Foam Dart Wasteland, DIDC1188, More darts on hand means more firing opportunities against your opponent.
• Dromida Aluminum Heatsink 370 Motor Blue, DIDC1113, During testing the motor seemed to get hot. The heatsink will help dissipate heat.

FEATURE BREAKDOWN
It’s fairly obvious to RC fanatics who know the details of every chassis they see that the Wasteland machines are based on the 4.18 brushed motor line of Dromida cars and that is a good thing. The plastic composite chassis supports a shaft driven driveline and independent suspension on the corners. A plastic upper deck adds stiffness to the platform. The battery is easy to access with two clips and a strap to retain the pack. The truck has big burly bumpers on both ends for style and protection. The buggy gets a skid style front bumper that the body hinges on and a Lexan pod in the rear for additional styling.

These 4WD vehicles have independent suspension with oil filled shocks to damp the suspension arms. The arms are molded in a soft plastic so they flex on impacts rather than breaking. The upper links on the suspension are surprisingly adjustable and we think that’s a good thing since this is an entrylevel machine. The shock towers are strong molded plastic too, with body mounts to secure the heavy missile launcher equipped body shells. Steering on the machine is handled by simple plastic steering cranks with fixed links to the cars steering knuckles at the end
of the suspension arms.

The entire driveline rides on bearings and this gets a serious thumbs up from us. Other cars in this class do not include bearings, so you are starting out ahead with the Dromida series. A center shaft sends power from the pinion/ spur to the front and rear grease filled gear differentials. The outdrives and dogbones on the cars are plastic, but a durable composite plastic that should fare well with the stock electronics. If you go with monster power in these machines down the road, Dromida has you covered with great upgrade options.

Sport-level electronics include a three-in-one receiver/ESC/ servo unit that has a third channel for operating a servo to actuate the missile launcher on top of the truck and buggy. This all-in-one unit keeps the electronics simple and hassle free, but if you upgrade the power side of the electronics later, you’ll need to purchase a new radio system too. The cars are fun as is, so we don’t see too many drivers swapping electronics any time soon. For power, a M371 brushed motor gets the job done and a 7.2V 1300mAh battery provides good run time and perfect power for the entry level driver.

The bodies are much different than anything we’ve seen before. The buggy has a roll cage with screw on lexan panels that are painted on the outside for a cool flat finish. The cage protects the buggy and the launcher from harm while still making these machines excellent in the durability department. The truck, too, has a flat finish, but in brown camo with bolt on accessories like hood stacks, mufflers and roll bar. Protecting the front of the buggy is an aluminum skid bumper while the truck has a gnarly metal looking plow bumper in the front with bars in the rear. Missile launch control comes from a spring loaded launcher mechanism unique to each model. You have to manually pull back the launch arm till it clicks, load the dart and hit the button on the radio to launch once your target is in range. Two additional darts are supplied so you can drive the Wasteland back to you for a reload.

ON THE TRACK
My two up-and-coming drivers, Jacob and Logan (my twin boys) were off the charts excited to see the Dromida Wastelands when I brought them home for testing. When I told them that the truck and buggy fired a foam dart, their minds were simply blown and they had to get their hands on the radios to try them out.

We packed up and headed to a nearby dirt parking lot since the grass in the backyard at home was too tall for the low ground clearance machines. At the lot each excited five year old got a transmitter, I turned on the trucks, loaded the darts, cocked the firing mechanism and before I could take a few steps back, darts were flying, boy they sure found that fire button quick! On the other hand I was pretty impressed by how far the darts flew. I paced the distance from the cars to where the darts landed and both were just over twenty five feet. So far, so cool!

Before I reloaded the darts, I gave the guys the “go” to hammer on the throttle to see what the Wastelands could do.

Before I knew it, it was chaos, the trucks were all over the place, the boys had the throttle pinned and were wrenching on the steering wheel. The trucks were zig zagging around, dirt was flying off the tires and they were ecstatic with how fast the machines were. Watching them, the trucks had great speed and more than enough scoot to please beginner drivers and up. The steering, however, appeared to be an issue. I watched them let the steering wheel go and the vehicles veered off in one direction on their own. I gathered up the radios and tried to center the steering. Both vehicles’ radios had the steering trim maxed out in one direction yet they could not be centered. It appears I had some bench work coming up to center the servos better for the next run. But the boys didn’t seem to mind the slight pull in one direction, they were more into trying to bash into one another and that they did! There were some pretty spectacular crashes between the two machines which made my two daredevil drivers very happy. Then, like a light-switch, they both remembered there were darts and wanted a reload. Over and over, I reloaded darts and they were firing them in every direction. The dart launches alone could have amused them all day, but they loved the driving too. Dromida did a great job adding a fun element to a hobby grade RC machine.

SPECS AND TUNING OPTIONS

DIMENSIONS
LENGTH: 11.5 in. (292mm)
WIDTH: 7 in. (177mm)
HEIGHT: 5 in. (127mm)
WEIGHT: 1.64 lbs. (744g)

BODY, WHEELS AND TIRES
BODY: Pre-painted and cut truck and buggy body
WHEELS: Plastic spoke style rims
WHEEL ADAPTER TYPE: 8mm hex
TIRES: Treaded off-road rubber

SUSPENSION
TYPE: 4-wheel independent
SHOCK POSITIONS: (F) 2-tower, 2-arm, (R) 2-tower, 3-arm
CAMBER: Adjustable turnbuckles
ROLL: Fixed Position
WHEELBASE: Fixed Position
RIDE HEIGHT: Pre-load clips on the shocks
MISC: N/A

STEERING
TYPE: Dual bellcrank
TOE: Fixed Link

CHASSIS
TYPE: Molded low tub
MATERIAL: Plastic
THICKNESS: Varies

DRIVETRAIN
TYPE: 4WD
TRANSMISSION: Shaft
DIFFERENTIAL: Gear diff
GEAR RATIO: Optional pinion gears
BEARINGS: Full set of shielded
CLUTCH TYPE: None

RATING TALLY
Opinion: 8
Performance – Acceleration: 8
Performance – Steering: 7
Performance – Handling: 7
Performance – Durability: 7
Feature Breakdown: 7
Overall Value: 8

WRAP UP
After an intense test and fire session with my two kids behind the radio of the new Dromida Wasteland buggy and truck, we really like what these new machines have to offer. They are based on the Dromida 4.18 which we are already a fan of. Add in the cool metal warrior looks of the bodies and these amp up the fun factor for young drivers. What tops it off is the missile launcher firing off a foam dart that packs a punch. Sure, these cars look a little on the toyish side with the darts, but it adds an element of additional fun to an exciting offroad hobby grade RC car.

LINKS
Dromida, dromida.com, 217-398-8970
Duratrax, duratrax.com, 800-682-8948