Rage Mini Treks love??

[Minishaman]

I've seen a little coverage on the Rage Mini Treks but I'm surprised they aren't getting more love. They seem amazing at their price point for what they come with and their specs, and they're hobby grade with parts, lipos, etc.

They seem to be directly competing with the Mini Z buggies and the Carisma 1/24 stuff, although maybe WLTtoys is out-pricing them a bit. I suppose the Carismas and Mini Treks are a more appropriate comparison because of the 1/24 scale.

I'd love to hear anyone's experience with them that also has one or more of the other cars mentioned above for comparison.

 

[WickedFog]

The problem with the cheaper Amazon stuff is there is no aftermarket or parts support for them except for Chinese stuff that takes forever to ship.

 

[Minishaman]

The problem with the cheaper Amazon stuff is there is no aftermarket or parts support for them except for Chinese stuff that takes forever to ship.

True although this U.S. reseller has parts for Rage: https://www.hobbyrecreationproducts.com/pages/search-results-page?q=rage mini trek&tab=products&page=1

edit: amain has Carisma parts - https://www.amainhobbies.com/search?cID=&s=gt24

 

[WickedFog]

True although this U.S. reseller has parts for Rage: https://www.hobbyrecreationproducts.com/pages/search-results-page?q=rage mini trek&tab=products&page=1

edit: amain has Carisma parts - https://www.amainhobbies.com/search?cID=&s=gt24

Hobby and Recreation Products sounds like another Active Powersports website, which is just a Chinese distributor on US soil. They are crooks. And judging by the reviews, I'd bet money HRP is just as bad.

The only place where they have good reviews is on Amazon and Facebook, which is questionable due to fake accounts being used to church themselves up.

The Carisma stuff is not Rage. And Carisma has been around awhile. Of the cheap Chinese brands, they don't look too terrible. But all the WLToys, and the countless number of Chinese brands being sold on Amazon are the same stuff over and over. Cheap electronics, usually all in one ESC/Rx combos with 5-wire servos, and really crunchy plastic gears. When the gears are metal, it's usually cheap, cast gears that are just barely more durable than plastic. I am speaking from experience, having owned and upgraded a number of them when I first got my kid into RC.

Some do have dedicated ESC's and Rx's, but still they are just barely hobby grade RC's. Not worth the money to buy them. The upgrade parts (if there even are any) are usually really crappy aluminum that's just a bit harder than dried bubblegum. And rarely do they add any improvement to the RC other than looking pretty.

Not to mention dealing with their customer service is usually about as enjoyable as getting a tooth pulled.

 

[Minishaman]

Hobby and Recreation Products sounds like another Active Powersports website, which is just a Chinese distributor on US soil. They are crooks. And judging by the reviews, I'd bet money HRP is just as bad.
View attachment 184677
The only place where they have good reviews is on Amazon and Facebook, which is questionable due to fake accounts being used to church themselves up.

The Carisma stuff is not Rage. And Carisma has been around awhile. Of the cheap Chinese brands, they don't look too terrible. But all the WLToys, and the countless number of Chinese brands being sold on Amazon are the same stuff over and over. Cheap electronics, usually all in one ESC/Rx combos with 5-wire servos, and really crunchy plastic gears. When the gears are metal, it's usually cheap, cast gears that are just barely more durable than plastic. I am speaking from experience, having owned and upgraded a number of them when I first got my kid into RC.

Some do have dedicated ESC's and Rx's, but still they are just barely hobby grade RC's. Not worth the money to buy them. The upgrade parts (if there even are any) are usually really crappy aluminum that's just a bit harder than dried bubblegum. And rarely do they add any improvement to the RC other than looking pretty.

Not to mention dealing with their customer service is usually about as enjoyable as getting a tooth pulled.

I appreciate the info. If there was a U.S. based company making 1/24 or smaller scale I'd try them.

I don't know about Active Powersports, but if HRP are crooks then we should definitely post about it - I'll give them a shot once. Having U.S. distribution COULD be a good thing...

It seems like most micros have combo ESC/Rx - heck even the Losi Micro brushed has a combo, which to be honest is what I'd start with IF I wanted to go 1/18, which I kind of don't.

So far the reviews on the Rage minis look pretty positive, including a couple long term ones, although granted, we don't know if they're real or not.
For 80 bucks I'll get one and report back here on my experience.
Will also be getting a Mini Z buggy in Japan as well...

 

[WickedFog]

I appreciate the info. If there was a U.S. based company making 1/24 or smaller scale I'd try them.

I don't know about Active Powersports, but if HRP are crooks then we should definitely post about it - I'll give them a shot once. Having U.S. distribution COULD be a good thing...

It seems like most micros have combo ESC/Rx - heck even the Losi Micro brushed has a combo, which to be honest is what I'd start with IF I wanted to go 1/18, which I kind of don't.

So far the reviews on the Rage minis look pretty positive, including a couple long term ones, although granted, we don't know if they're real or not.
For 80 bucks I'll get one and report back here on my experience.
Will also be getting a Mini Z buggy in Japan as well...

Yeah, the small scale stuff usually has combo ESC/Rx modules in them, but the main difference is the aftermarket is there for them. Furitek is a big producer of small scale ESC's, and they even have their own radios and receivers, which can be used in about anything small scale. But they also make parts for a lot of the more popular small scale stuff.

There aren't many 24th scale RC's, especially bashers and faster stuff other than the Chinese brands. So if that's what you're looking for, I get it. There is nothing wrong with buying the Chinese stuff, it's just you need to know what you're getting into.

I love small scale, but mostly just the crawlers. I do have a 24th scale monster truck, which is a well established Chinese brand (FMS). The difference with FMS is the aftermarket took to their FCX24 stuff and started releasing tons of parts for it, almost as much as the SCX24 by Axial.

Here are 3 of my 24's

 

[luke66]

I drove one of these treks at a HS in Davenport IA. It’s pretty fast. Fun little truggy