DIECAST MASTERS AMERICA WESTERN STAR 49X RTR DUMP TRUCK REVIEW
A few weeks ago, we got our hands on the new Diecast Masters America Western Star 49X 2020 Dump Truck. It has been a blast playing with the Western Star in JuiceBox Off-Road Park. The Western Star dances on the edge of hobby grade and toy grade RC, so is the Western Star worth the money? Let’s find out in this Big Squid RC mini Review breakdown!
From: Diecast Masters America
Direct Link: Western Star 49X 1/16 Scale RTR
Unboxing Video: Big Squid RC unboxes the new Diecast Masters America Western Star 49X 2020 Dump Truck
Running Video: Western Star 49X From Diecast Masters America
Features:
- 4GHZ radio
- Functioning dump bed
- Working head lights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals
- Realistic sounds
- Comes with a 2000mah 2s battery
SPECS:
- Weight: 6.71 lbs (3.05kg)
- Maximum cargo weight: 11lbs
- Scale: 1:16
- Street Price: $239.99
- SKU: DCM27007
Radio:The radio for the Western Star Dump Truck resembles an XBOX Gaming remote, utilizing the joysticks for forward and reverse on the left side, and both steering and the dump bed work off the right joystick. Below the joysticks are two large buttons, one for the sound on or off and the other controls the lights for the rig. Above the large buttons are two smaller buttons these buttons control the steering trim, the rest of the buttons and switches on the radio are dead A.K.A non-functioning. Other then raising the dump bed every now and then while we were turning the Western Star Dump Truck Radio works simply fine and feels good in the hands.
Build Quality: Out of the box the rig was perfect along with all the hardware being snugged up and ready to put in some work!
Set-up Notes: Getting the rig ready to hit the road takes no time however, if you are going to use the stock charger that comes in the box you will be waiting for a while. Since I did not have a small XT-30 lead for my HiTec charger, I had to use the stock one and that took about 3 hours. On a plus side once the battery was charged, we got a good hour and 15 minutes of play time out of the rig.
Turning: The turning of the Western Star 49X Dump Truck is proportionate to the radio joystick and smooth. As for the turning radius, the rig could use a little more range but nothing major. Even under load the rig had no problem making its way through the scale paths of JuiceBox Off-Road Park.
Handling: In the beginning of our testing with the Western Star 49X, we ran it without a load in the bed. On-Road the rig handled very well and even has a little speed to it. After the On-Road tests we moved into the Off-Road park. The rig was bouncing all over the place making it hard to maneuver the paths and would get hung up on larger chunks of dirt. We then filled the dump bed with dirt and the rig did a complete turn around in performance! Having the extra weight in the dump bed plants the rig down really well using both rear axles to gain traction and slows down the not so proportionate throttle response making it more controllable. This rig was made to have weight in the bed, the performance is night and day and once we figured that out, we had a lot more fun!
Broken Parts: the only broken part we had on the 49X was cosmetic. After a tumble down the side hill trail in the park one of the stacks snapped off. Luckily, it was an easy fix using super glue.
Scale Factor: On the scale side of things the Western Star Dump truck is going in the right direction. Full scale interior, working lights and blinkers, mud flaps, sound box and a perfect model replica if the 1:1 version.
Final thought: We think that DIECAST MASTERS are making the right moves in bringing their attention to detail from the diecast market in the RC world while keeping them in a more then reasonable price range. We hope to see more from DIECAST MASTERS in the future. I think the Western Star Dump Truck is a good rig to purchase if you want to venture into heavy equipment RC and do not want to spend the time and money on other heavy equipment RC kits. All and all it is a great starter rig and should help pave the way to heavy equipment RC mainstream by giving the average RC hobbyist a chance to experience the enjoyment of heavy equipment RC!
Enjoy the video of the 49X in action
Time to unbox the Western Star 49X from Diecast Masters America
