Losi 1/10 Rock Rey 4WD RTR Review with Spektrum FPV
Losi 1/10 Rock Rey 4WD RTR Review with Spektrum FPV
Why FPV a Truck?
A couple of years ago Jim T added some FPV gear to a couple of RC rock crawlers he had and invited me out to help him shoot some video on a trail. We both had more fun than we thought we would. It was a blast driving from inside the cabin and ever since then I wanted my own truck to trick out with FPV gear. What I wanted though was something that really didn't exist back then. I wanted something that could crawl over rough terrain, but also have some speed to it. I wanted a Rock Racer, but I didn't know that was even a thing yet. Fast forward two years and we have the Losi Rock Rey. When I saw the release of the Rock Rey last December I knew it was exactly what I was looking for so we reached out to Horizon Hobby and they hooked us up with the truck, a battery and some killer Spektrum FPV gear for this review. This is going to be fun!
Items Included for the Review
- Losi Rock Rey
- Reaction 11.1V 5000mAh 50C 3S LiPo
- Spektrum 650TVL CCD FPV Camera
- Spektrum 600mw 5.8 GHz Video Transmitter
- Spektrum Focal V2 FPV Wireless Headset
Specifications
- Size/Scale: 1/10th
- Chassis: 3.5mm Plate, 6061-T6 Aluminum
- Differential: Locked Rear, gear diff front and rear
- Drivetrain: 4WD
- Final Drive Ratio: 32.30:1
- Front Track: 12.75 in (323.8mm)
- Rear Track: 12.75 in (323.8mm)
- Gear Pitch: 1.0 Module
- Ground Clearance: 2.2 in (55.9mm) at rear diff
- Height: 8.75 in (222.3mm)
- Length: 20.75 in (527mm)
- Motor Size: 550 6-Pole 2800kv non-sensored
- Speed Control: Dynamite 130 Amp WP
- Pinion: 12T
- Radio: Spektrum DX2E 2.4GHz
- Shock Type: Oil-Filled/Coil-Over Spring
- Suspension: Independent Front/4-Link Rear
- Tire Diameter: 5.75 in (146mm)
- Tire Tread: Maxxis Creeper Crawler LT
- Water-Resistant: Yes
- Weight: 6.55 lb (3.0kg)
- Wheel Diameter: 2.2 in (55.9mm)
- Wheel Hex Size: 12mm Hex
- Wheel Type: 2.2 in (55.9mm) Glue-Type
- Wheel Width: 1.6 in (40.75mm)
- Wheelbase: 15.0 in (381mm)
- Width: 12.75 in (323.8mm)
- Price: $449.99
- Link: Horizon Hobby
Features
All Metal Drive Train
The all metal drive train is designed to withstand the extreme forces and torque of the brushless motor system and the front and center diffs are all sealed to protect them from water, dirt and grit.
Suspension and Frame
The Rock Rey features front independent suspension and a 4-link rear suspension with oil filled shocks that allows it to handle rocky terrain with ease. The frame has a 3.5mm, hard-anodized aluminum chassis plate and a composite roll cage for durability.
LED Light Bar
The 12 LED light bar on the Rock Rey adds to the scale appearance and realism. It lights up the ground nicely at night time and is powered when you flip the ESC switch on.
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Rock Rey has a 12 LED light bar factory installed
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It lights up the ground in front of the truck for nighttime fun
Fuze Power System
The power system consists of the Dynamite Fuze 2800kv brushless motor and a programmable 130A ESC. It runs on 2S or 3S lipos pushing the Rock Rey up to 40MPH. The electronics are all waterproof for running through puddles and small streams with no worries. The motor is quickly accessed for gear changes with just 3 screws in the bottom of the chassis and has a keyed mounting system to make sure the gear mesh is perfect.
Battery Installation
Losi took all the work out of swapping batteries with the rear facing battery tray. You don't have to remove any body pins or screws since there is no need to remove the body like most trucks. Just pop the door open at the rear and slide in/out your battery.
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Sliding the 3S 5000mAH Lipo battery into the slot
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Battery is secured by the door and connected to the EC3 connector.
Spektrum Radio with AVC
The Rock Rey is a RTR truck and normally you would expect a RTR to come with a not-so-good radio system, but that's not the case here. You get a Spektrum DX2E which is a base model, but the receiver has built-in Active Vehicle Control (AVC) and it really improves the driving experience. The AVC system helps to keep you driving straight and there is an adjustment knob on the transmitter to let you dial in the AVC rate.
FPV Gear and Installation
Gear Used:
- Spektrum 650TVL CCD FPV Camera, Lens changed out to 2.1 for wide angle view.
- Spektrum 600mw 5.8 GHz Video Transmitter
- Spektrum Focal V2 FPV Wireless Headset
- Fatshark Antenna
- Antenna Extension cable
- 2S 900mAH Lipo
Installation
I wanted an easy to use FPV system and I didn't want to make any permanent modifications to the truck so I found a wooden camera tray in one of my boxes and decided to make it work as a complete FPV pod that would attach to the truck with velcro and be easily removeable. I installed the camera in the top section and mounted the video transmitter underneath so it could get some sort of airflow for cooling as well as allow me to access the button to be able to change frequencies. I used an antenna extension cable to route the antenna farther back and strapped a small 2S lipo battery onto the tray with a velcro strap. I think this is an easy practical solution, but you could solder a lead to the ESC or use a balance connector to use the main battery for powering the FPV gear if you'd like.
The FPV pod simply slides in through the windshield and is attached to the hood with Velcro. This was plenty secure and never came dislodged during jumping, rolling and general bashing. I used a small strip of velcro strap to secure the antenna to the rear right of the truck. The antenna is tough and built for drone crashes and it held up just fine.
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Slide the antenna through the middle of the windshield
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Continue sliding the rest of the FPV pod back
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The FPV pod is secured to the hood with Velcro
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Power leads are accessible via the front or side of the window
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The Spektrum camera is high enough to get a good view
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Spektrum camera is still protected during roll overs
Driving
Driving the Rock Rey is pure fun. It's exactly what I wanted it to be and even better with AVC. With a 3S lipo, it is a beast with gobs of torque and power to blast around up to 40MPH. The AVC really helps keep it straight and I was surprised at how little work I had to do to make it go where I wanted. I've driven other trucks and buggies without stabilization and they take lots of finesse to drive precisely. That's not to say AVC does the driving for you, but rather it smooths out and counters unwanted movements created by torque steer or the terrain. It's just really nice to have and makes driving the RR more fun for me.
The Rock Rey handled all the terrain I expected it to such as large rocks, fallen tree branches, tall grass, dirt, mud, and well you get the idea. This truck is made for off-road running and that means you can take it nearly anywhere. The soft tires do a great job gripping and crawling. For pure slow crawling it's not quite as good as a purpose built crawler, but it's close. The sensorless power system does cog some at super low throttle, but I think it's a good compromise to keep the price down. You can always upgrade to a sensored power system if you really want super smooth low speed crawling.
The tall stance and huge tires means you need to be careful when turning on grippy surfaces. You can easily flip it, but on low traction surfaces you can give it a blast of throttle and spin the tires for a nice 180 degree tight turn. The actual turning radius is very tight so you can cut in and out of rocks to stay on a narrow path. Jumping the Rock Rey is a blast and the strong frame can take a beating doing it. The nose tends to drop a bit in the air, so you need to give it a lot of throttle mid jump to lift the nose or you can add some weight to the rear. A lot of guys like to put a spare tire on the back for looks and the added weight there is helpful.
Driving around in FPV is what I really wanted the RR for and what this review is mainly focused on. The pod system I made couldn't have worked out better. The camera was up high enough to get a good view of the ground, yet still below the roofline which protects it during rollovers and flips. The experience of driving from this point of view is totally unique from our normal 3rd person perspective. You are in the truck and blasting through a trail like this is so stinking cool. You'll want to make sure you have good position with as clear a line of sight as possible for the FPV signal to get through. You'll get some occasional static glitches, but overall the signal was very nice and that 600mw transmitter was able to punch through some pretty thick brush. You will want to just keep driving and driving, but the good news is that if you drive it out of radio or FPV range, you can just take off the goggles and walk over to it. I love being able to quickly take the FPV pod off if I want to do some serious rock racing and slap it back on in seconds when I feel like cruising a trail. You have to try FPV on your truck, you will love it!
Upgrades
The only thing I had a problem with during my runs, was after quite a bit of bashing, I noticed the steering was way off and it wouldn't turn one way. I could grab the wheels and move them back and forth. The problem was the steering servo horn stripped out. The horn is plastic and must have just been overstressed during a hard hit to the wheels. I read about others having the same thing happen on the forums and they ended up putting a metal servo horn on in place of the plastic one. Others felt that the stock servo was too slow for their tastes and replaced the entire servo with something faster. It's something to keep an eye on and it's not a big deal to replace the servo horn if you need to.
Like any RC truck, there are tons of hop ups parts you can change out to make your truck stronger, faster, better looking, etc. There are metal links, shafts, larger bearings, dual shocks, tires/wheels and more. These are mostly personal preference mods if want to change the look or how it performs, but they aren't needed to do what the truck is designed to do. At some point I'd like to swap out the power system to a sensored motor and ESC to get rid of the cogging at super slow rpm.
Video
| Losi Rock Rey FPV Trail Bashing by RCGroups.com (3 min 12 sec) |
Gallery
Conclusion
The Rock Rey is an absolute beast of a truck. It is exactly the type of vehicle I had in mind for FPV driving and it did not disappoint. It handles all the terrain you can throw at it, but what I like the most is the versatility it offers. I get bored with standard crawlers pretty quickly, but the Rock Rey can do so much more than just crawl. It can blast along at 40mph on a 3S lipo, it can jump and do stunts all with AVC keeping the truck well under control. It's so good at what it does and when you throw an FPV setup on top of that, it becomes a truck that you want to to take everywhere.
For me, R/C is about having fun and the Rock Rey exemplifies that to a T. It's fun because it's tough and you can take it places and drive it where other vehicles can't. Adding an FPV system takes it one step further, putting you in the driver's seat where the fun gets even better. Box stock, the Rock Rey is ready to rumble, but keep an eye on that servo horn. That's really the only thing I would say that you'll need to upgrade. If you are looking for a basher, crawler, fun and easy to work on 1/10th scale truck, you should give the Rock Rey a serious look, and don't forget the FPV system, it will change your world.
Pros
- Versatile 4WD Basher
- AVC Stability Control Included
- Large soft tires work well for crawling
- Easy to add FPV
- Great looks with two color schemes
- Waterproof electronics
- Programmable ESC
- LED Light Bar included
- Easy access battery location
Cons
- Plastic servo horn strips easily
- Sensorless power system cogs some at low rpm
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Great vid Jason!
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Latest blog entry: 93" AJ Laser 230z
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Quote:
I have had decent success with Losi 1/24 scale SCT brushless. There is next to zero ground clearance, but enough that it can be raced around in carpet and on the sidewalk. I had a pretty epic house-wide micro racer circuit for a while. 8 grams of camera/vtx was a lot of weight for that little car so addition of a pan servo would have been too much but it works decent enough with a fixed camera. |
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Last edited by parajared; Jun 14, 2017 at 09:12 AM.
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sweet basher. was going to buy a couple for my son and I but then I saw the exposed battery location. bad idea losi. ill pass.
thank you Jason for the awesome review and cool video! |
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I tried this but the inability of the fatshark 2.4 and 5.8 systems to go around obstacles was a deal breaker.
I dunno if using an older 900MHz would be better- but like a plane you have to have direct line of sight or the FPV signal drops and - you go over a hill or behind a tree and its over. |
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I'm running boosters. 1.2 watt gets out pretty far
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