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I never saw the appeal of RC rock crawling until I was standing on the side of a mountain swiveling my attention between delicate throttle control, ill-tempered rattlesnakes, and a drop-off that would lead to a great story for an emergency room physician to tell at dinner parties. I’ve owned just about every type of RC car. The one commonality was a focus on going fast, just on different surfaces. Maybe I’m getting old. Or maybe I realize the futility of always trying to be faster. Either way, something about the slow, deliberate pace of rock crawling has pulled me into the hobby. This Traxxas TRX-4M Bronco may be micro-sized in stature, but it provides big fun.
As some of you may remember, I tested the Laegendary Grando 1:10 scale crawler back in May. I was impressed with the quality and the value of a direct-to-consumer, “online brand.” Predictably, a few commenters insisted that it wasn’t “hobby-quality,” and that we should only support brands sold at our local hobby shops. For the sake of accuracy, I did dedicate a few paragraphs to this very thing in the review. Here we are, with a Traxxas, bought at my local hobby shop. I have some thoughts on value, quality, and the overall experience.
The Bottom Line: Traxxas TRX-4M Bronco
There’s a lot of competition in the RC crawler market. The online brands and those found at traditional hobby shops are making crawlers in different sizes and all over the price spectrum. As you might guess in such a competitive space, the TRX-4M does feel like it was built to a price. The licensed Ford Bronco body looks and feels like it ate up a considerable share of the budget. The hard ABS plastic body is the spitting image of the real thing with accurate mirrors, door handles, wipers, roof rails, bumpers, and working fog lights. The tires are licensed BF-Goodrich Mud Terrain T/As and it’s clear Traxxas was shooting for realism as the ultimate goal. Unlike most other Traxxas products, the TRX-4M comes with bushings rather than bearings. Most of the drivetrain and suspension pieces are made from plastic and the motor is brushed.
The radio is the same 2-channel TQ 2.4 GHz unit you’ll find in most Traxxas kits. This is a step up from budget kits. But, inside the truck is an ECM, electronic control module, that incorporates the receiver, speed controller, and LED controller all in one unit. These combined units are one of the major complaints people have with RC vehicles from online brands. So, it’s a little surprising to see here. I will defend the choice by noting, it works fine. It offers low-voltage protection for the included LiPo battery and these are common on smaller scales. But, if one component breaks, you’re replacing the whole thing. Also, upgrading either the speed controller or the receiver will require replacing the other as well.
Overall, this is an enjoyable crawler to own and drive. It’s small enough to use indoors while it also works great outdoors. My local outdoor crawling park has an area used specifically for these smaller scales. My local hobby shop, Friendly Hobbies, even has a new indoor facility that makes for a next-level experience. It’s like a tiny version of Disney’s Indiana Jones’ Ride that you can drive through. The TRX-4M is great for beginners. The retail price is $160.00 but this time of year, you might find one on sale. The kit includes everything you need, and the 750mah battery will give you at least 50 minutes of run time. But, they’re relatively cheap at under 20 bucks. So, that may be the first accessory you buy, but probably not the last.
| Traxxas TRX-4M Bronco | |
|---|---|
| Quality | 8/10 |
| Durability | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9/10 |
| Value | 7/10 |
| Overall | 8/10 |
Indoors or outdoors, the Choice is Yours.
The TRX-4M is 1:18 scale, meaning it’s just 10.3 inches long, with a 6.1 inch wheelbase. For indoor use, this really is apartment-sized. You can build a decent rock crawling coarse on your coffee table if you really wanted to, partly because of the 45° steering angle. Yes, there are other types of RC cars that can drive in small spaces, but those aren’t usable outdoors. Crawlers of this size truly are go anywhere drive over everything RC trucks.
As you would expect for crawling, it’s full time four-wheel drive with locked front and rear differentials. The front and rear axles use 4-link link suspension with oil-filled coilovers. The damping doesn’t feel consistent on all four corners and I think I need to take the shocks apart and possibly rebuild them already. I’ve read several reports of owners opening up the shocks on brand-new trucks and found them empty. This is really only noticeable when driving quickly over rough ground.
Out of the box, it has enough speed that driving offroad on gravel and dirt is fun, but you won’t be drifting. The throttle control at low speeds works well for crawling. However, for kids with fingers more accustomed to digital buttons on game controllers. It’ll take some time to get used to. My son, even being experienced with RC cars and aircraft, still spends a decent amount of time flipping the Bronco back to shiny-side up during the 50 minutes of run time you get from a single charge.
Can I Modify My TRX-4M?
Half the fun of RC cars is experimenting with modifications and hop-ups. This TRX-4M is still completely stock, which has taken all of my willpower. Believe it or not, my first instinct is to slow the Bronco down.
Instead of swapping pinion gears, like most RC cars, Traxxas will sell you entire gear sets for the transmission for $5.00. It will take some effort to change. For $39.95, you can buy entire transmissions in either low or high-range, depending on if you want to make your TRX-4M better at crawling or hauling. For $49.95, you can get a 2-speed transmission. Unlike larger scale crawlers, it uses a manual switch instead of a servo operated shifter.
Traxxas offers a ton of other hop-ups, some more reasonable than others. A set of portal axles is $129.95, add a bearing kit for $39.95 and those two mods exceed the price of the truck. But, going with aftermarket parts can knock those prices down considerably. In direct opposition of everything I’ve ever done with RC cars, the aftermarket is all about adding weight to your crawler. I used to burn up my allowance to save a couple of grams with titanium and carbon fiber parts for my RC-10. Now I’m looking at solid brass parts that will add dozens of grams to keep the TRX-4M planted. A set of brass hubs from Traxxas is only $12; differential covers are $30.
The Verdict: Traxxas TRX-4M Bronco Mini Rock Crawler
Let’s start by recognizing that RC rock crawling may not be for everyone. When my son and I went out to do the photos for this review, we brought along two crawlers, and a 4WD brushless stadium truck. While crawling is relaxing and soothing, the basher made both of us giggle with big rooster tails of dirt and huge powerslides. There’s room for both. It’s totally fine to enjoy hiking on a trail and birdwatching and also love downhill mountain biking and emergency room visits.
I haven’t written a review of a Traxxas product in years. Full disclosure, this is my son’s truck that he bought with his money—dog walking for neighbors pays surprisingly well. He could have saved some money buying a crawler from an Amazon direct-to-consumer brand. As much as I doubt it, he listens to me occasionally. At least about supporting your local hobby/bike/coffee/butcher shops. He feels the Traxxas TRX-4M Bronco has delivered at least equal value to a DTC brand crawler.
The positives first: the Bronco body on the TRX-4M is the quality I would expect from a plastic model kit. All the body lines are crisp, accurate, and appropriately sized. The same can be said about all the details that are molded separately. I’m sure making tooling for side view mirrors, roof rack, and door handles was more expensive than throwing in a bearing kit. Did I mention it uses a clipless mounting system? On top of that, even after countless rollovers, the body still looks great.
The biggest plus over a DTC brand and probably the best argument for the completely nebulous term of “hobby-quality” is the transmitter. Of all the cars I’ve driven that I think represent better value than a mainstream brand, the transmitter is always the letdown. Traxxas’ TQ radio, even the most basic 2-channel, entry-level model like this, is a huge step up from what you’ll get with other, cheaper cars. Lastly, while there are getting to be far more hop-up options for DTC brands, You could replace every part of the TRX-4M with countless choices of performance parts.
What are the downsides of the TRX-4M? To start with, even ignoring the DTC brands, my local hobby shop has literal piles of competitors to the Traxxas. Some with lower prices and/or better equipped. If you’re willing to slide a little bit on scale, either up or down, you have loads of choices from Axial, FMS, Redcat, Kyosho, and apparently HPI just release a Toyota with some real McFly-vibes to it. The Traxxas uses steel frame rails, which are pretty much the standard in crawlers. There are very few other metal parts in the chassis and suspension. Also, there’s only a select few parts in the drivetrain. All of this can be fixed, but those parts can quickly exceed the cost of the vehicle.
If you’re looking at getting into RC crawling, the TRX-4M is one of the better choices. It’s good right out of the box and you’ll be able to enjoy it whether you’re in your living room or out at a dedicated crawling course. There’s a huge variety of aftermarket support that will allow you to build whatever you can dream of. Traxxas is known for keeping models around for years, sometimes decades. So, I have no doubt that all those parts will be easy to find long into the future. For right around $160, this is a good choice in a very competitive market.
