BEHIND THE WHEEL

In true beginner style, the first thing I did when I cracked open the box was read the owner’s manual, which is what I would recommend even if you’re a seasoned driver. The Fazon includes two of Arrma’s lithium-ion 18650 1500mah cells with charger, which took only about 20 minutes to charge up. I started off the test session with the included pair of 18650 cells, which deliver a combined 7.4 volts and 1500mah. I always forget how smooth the throttle response is on a brushed motor. The Fazon accelerated briskly to its top speed of 18mph as confirmed by GPS. That’s not very fast by experienced-enthusiast standards, but it’s good for first-time drivers (especially when crashing into curbs). Adding more of the 18650 cells increases run time, not voltage, so speed will not increase with more batteries aboard. What will increase speed 1 or 2mph is switching to a 2S Lipo battery, like the Duratrax 5400mah battery I installed. Although it offers the same voltage (7.4V), the Lipo pack bumped speed up to 19mph (probably because the Lipo cells have less electrical resistance than the Li-ion cells). Another benefit to installing more 18650 cells or a single higher-capacity Lipo or NIMH pack is weight; the extra heft helps plant the tires more firmly for better handling, more traction, and a smoother ride. It’s not a night-and-day difference, but it’s noticeable. No matter what batteries were onboard, the 70 oz.-in. steering servo had plenty of torque for the Fazon and gave the steering a light but not darty feel. The tire compound is firm for long wear and to provide support since there are no foam inserts inside, and the stock rubber allows some slide on pavement, which makes the Fazon a fun neighborhood runner. For off-road action, I traveled to a nearby construction site with tons of loose dirt and huge dirt mounds to jump and get some airtime. The Dirt Runner tires hooked up nicely on the hard-packed dirt and did even better on loose dirt, allowing me to put the Fazon exactly where I wanted it. The long-arm suspension and oil-filled shocks did a good job of keeping the rubber to the ground, and soaked up hard hits and landings without bottoming out. The drivetrain was up for all the abuse I subjected it to, but the Fazon sometimes lost momentum when one of the rear wheels lost traction and the differential “unloaded” to it. This is not uncommon with any truck that has a differential that is greased instead of filled with silicone fluid, and it’s no big deal for bashin’ around. As for run time, the Fazon averaged about nine minutes on the two included 18650 cells, and will go for nearly half an hour on a full load of six; my best run was 27 minutes.