Jeff Hoy, American

[ My review of the Thundertech Racing Pro-2wd is a two parter.  This first part covers the features, assembly, and appearance.  The second (coming soon) covers performance, durability, and hop-up potential. ]

I’ve seen the Thundertech Pro-2wd featured in RC Driver magazine, talked about on web forums and blogs, and in videos on youtube.  It’s been on my list of must own r/c vehicles for quite a while.  It looks awesome in pictures and is the only r/c short course truck on the market to have a solid rear axle.  Scale realism is it’s intended target, and short course fans it’s intended market.  I’m super pumped about the thought of owning this truck, so will it live up to all of my expectations?  Let’s find out.

Features

For those not familiar with short course off road racing, just think about those awesome Baja trucks on a closed race course or Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Super Off Road video game.

The Pro-2wd is a 1/10th scale, electric, 2wd truck.  It’s got a mid inline-mounted motor that feeds through a two gear transmission to a drive shaft and into a class-unique solid rear axle.  Other trucks in this class have independent suspension all around and a rear mounted motor, losing some of the scale realism compared to the Pro-2wd.  There are also parts made by third party manufacturers included with this kit that would be considered aftermarket upgrades on other kits.  These include suspension arms by RPM, oil-filled coil-over shocks by Tamiya, a custom CVD shaft from MIP, and true bead-lock wheels.  All of these parts and parts makers are well known for their quality and performance, so having them included in the box is a big treat.  It means you won’t have to take your Pro-2wd apart later to put these parts in.

Now, for a kit as expensive as this one, you might think there would be at least a cheap stock motor and pinion gear included, but there isn’t.  The Pro-2wd requires EVERYTHING.  Motor, pinion, ESC, receiver, steering servo, battery, all of it is required.  Though a very hefty and high quality servo saver is included, a nice touch.

Build time

So let me just get this out there first thing.  The Thundertech Racing Pro-2wd kit is not for beginners.  In order to build it you’ll need to have some prior experience with kit building and kit bashing.  There are some steps in the manual that require you to modify parts and carefully measure.  I am an experienced builder and it took me nearly eight hours over two days to put it together.  Typically I average two to three hours in one day to build a kit, not counting painting time.  Beyond the modification and difficulty involved you’ll need to supply your own tools as this kit does not come with any.  Not even the basics, like allen wrenches, that most kits come with.

I say all of this not to denigrate the kit, it was a great amount of fun to build and I love the final results.  But if you’re thinking about building your first kit, I think you should be warned that this is not the one for you.

Before you start building read the manual, all the way through, then read it again.  The manual has a lot of text and technical drawings, so make sure you understand it all before you break open any parts bags.  Once you’ve read and understand the manual, do an inventory.  This kit has a ton of parts and you need to make sure they are all there before setting out.  Separate all the hardware by size and type.  There’s a combination of metric and standard hardware, don’t get it mixed up.

Building the Pro-2wd was fun, but it wasn’t without it’s hitches.  It took me about eight hours of building over two nights, not counting painting time.  It’s the first time I’ve ever had to split my build time for any model over two days.  One thing I would have liked to see was all the hardware further separated and packaged with the subassembly for which it was to be used.  I think separating the hardware and measuring it all to find what I needed was the most time consuming part of the build.

There were a few typos in the manual, one in particular had to do with building the front shocks.  The manual called for one parts bag, when it was the other bag that was really needed.  Other typos were insignificant though.  Something else to consider is that you will need to drill out the bolt hole on the rear wheels to accept the very cool looking and finely machined wheel nut. 

A smaller issue that some who are experienced in the hobby might have is the body painting.  The shell is formed out of white ABS plastic, instead of the far more common clear polycarbonate.  This body requires different painting techniques than what are typically used in the r/c arena and it also requires a different type of paint.  You can use enamel spray paint from the hardware store if you’re so inclined, but I decided to use Testors enamel model paint.  That’s the kind of paint you usually use on static display models.  I was still able to use my airbrush, which is why I picked it over spray paint.  I actually had to stop and think about the way I was going to complete my paint design, the process was a little different from what I’m used to.

You may also need a lead extension for your steering servo because there is a pretty long distance between the servo and receiver.  I didn’t need one using a Futaba servo and mounting my receiver at the very front of the radio tray, but it was close.  You are also limited in how small of a pinion you can use.  The smallest pinion that you can use with the stock spur gear is a 17-tooth.

The designer certainly has an eye for detail.  Every screw is exactly as long as it needs to be and no longer.  The parts have a great fit and finish.  The body and all the panels look great, and the decals add much to the style.

Customer Service

Technical support can be hit or miss at times in this industry, this time it was a homerun.  Email support is very helpful.  Thundertech Racing is more or less a one-man operation, so you would kind of expect support to be slow at best.  That’s not the case though, every email I sent was replied to in a very short time frame.  An early feather in Thundertech’s cap came when I was waiting for my truck to be shipped.  At the time I was also preparing to move but unsure of the exact date.  Darren from Thundertech took my phone number and said he would call me when it was shipping to verify my address.  I just kind of thought “yeah, ok, we’ll see about that.”  Wouldn’t you know it, the day before he shipped it I got a call from him to see if I had moved or not.  This is his first big product and he’s obviously eager to help and please his customer base.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the build of this truck.  The parts fit together great.  The four-link rear suspension is awesome looking.  There’s plenty of great details, including a driver figure.  Of all the short course r/c trucks out there right now, the Thundertech Pro-2wd is the only one that captures the spirit of it’s full scale counterparts.  The Pro-2wd is an expensive kit at $385, but the quality, features, and parts included justify that cost.

Part two of the review will be up shortly and it will talk about performance, durability, and other aspects of this kit.

Info

Manufacturer

Thundertech Racing

Product website

http://www.thundertechracing.com/pro2a.htm

Where to buy

Thundertech Online Store ($385)