Hello everybody, if you have seen our unboxing then you know the Redcat Racing Clawback is a monster in size, and if you haven’t seen our unboxing then stop right now and go watch it! There seems to be a lot of talk going about companies working on larger scale rigs lately, and Redcat Racing has already done it and they were nice enough to send us one. Let’s get this review started and see if the Redcat Racing 1/5 Clawback is worthy of its size.
From: Redcat Racing
Direct link: Redcat 1/5 scale Clawback Webpage
Unboxing: Photos and Video
Review By: Jeremy Griffith
Photography By: Jeremy Griffith
Test Drivers: Jeremy Griffith, Scott Hunter, Tyler Comerford, Phil Phillips, Little Squid.
Specs:
RTR or Kit: RTR
Ages: 14+
2wd or 4wd: 4WD
Shaft or Belt: Motor on axle
Electric or Gas: Electric
Waterproof: Water Resistant
Scale: 1:5
Length: 840mm
Width: 436mm
Wheelbase: 650mm / 680mm Adjustable
Weight:
Motor: Dual 42T RC550 Brushed Motors
Speed Controller: 40a Brushed Waterproof ESC
Low voltage cut off: yes
Radio: 2.4GHz 3 Channel
Shocks: Aluminum Body oil filled shocks
Servo Saver: No
Screws: Hex
Spur/Pinion Pitch:
Bearings: yes
Tires: 8×3- ½
Battery: 7.2v NiMH 3800mAh (We recommend going Lipo to get the most out of the truck)
Bashing Specs:
Wheelie on demand: not with this big boy!
Backflip off ramps: No
Stability control: No
Sound module: No
Self-Righting: No
FPV: No
Top Speed: Slow and steady wins the race.
Street Price: $599.99
Primary Competition: So in the world of 1/5 scale crawlers there really is not a lot of competition, at least not at this moment, so if you are looking for large scale crawling, this is it.
Need to complete: So out of the box the massive Clawback comes shipped without the tires and bumpers installed, not that Redcat Racing got lazy or anything, the Clawback is such a big truck that in order for it to fit in the box, it’s easier if they save that for you.
Build Quality: A rig this size better be built well, and Redcat knew this when designing the Clawback. The chassis is 4mm thick, it may not sound like a lot but next to the Gen8 chassis it’s a monster. We were a little nervous about the big plastic axles, but they have held up well with no cracking.
Test Venues: A hand full of forest preserves and Juicebox Off-Road Park.
Turning: The turning on the Clawback can be a little tricky at times. Even with the display on the remote, the Clawback would turn the rear set at times, not really effecting much just a little annoying. Not sure why this would happen. For the majority of the time the turning is on point. Your steering modes are front wheel only steering, 4-wheel tight radius steering, 4-wheel side crawl steering, and rear only steering. If you use the stock NiMH, the servos will struggle. I definitely recommend using a lipo battery.
Crawling: There really is not much that the Clawback can’t crawl over. In the unboxing video we did we mentioned that the shocks were really stiff, but all our worries flew out the window as soon as we hit the trails. The shocks are smooth as butter, not one bit of binding or leaking. The chassis has to be my personal favorite feature about the Clawback because there are tons of mounting points peppered throughout the chassis. Now we all know that sometimes when a rig has more than one motor they can get out of whack with each other, meaning one motor will spine faster than the other. It’s not the motors fault, the problem comes from the ESC. With the Clawback’s ESC that was never really a problem unless the batteries were low. Then you could notice the issue of the front pulling a little more.
We did have a small problem where the servo lead is a little short and kept coming unplugged, simple fix, grab a zip tie and secure the servo led to the chassis. The Clawback made Juicebox Off-Road Park look like a Sunday drive with grandma in the car. Having such a large scale rig opens up your trailing experience to so much more topography. The spots on your trail runs that no one can get to or through is now a common playground for the Clawback.
On-Road: Normally when we talk about crawlers On-Road we usually make a joke. This one is a little different, the 4-wheel steering modes were a lot of fun to play with while driving on pavement, and something you usually don’t experience with a normal truck.
Grass: Grass is not an issue you will need to worry about. You could probably take the Clawback into the jungle and have a blast!
Tires: The massive 1/5 scale crawler tires are nothing to take lightly. You can’t go wrong with a soft compound and a killer set of beadlocks. The tires have held up well to our usual abuse.
Power: Motor on axle is a nice smooth power delivery and the duel 550 brushed motors get the job done nicely. You do however lose some power the more you use the 4-wheel steering. It’s a big heavy rig and takes a lot of power to make it move.
Radio: Hands down the radio the Clawback comes with is the best radio Redcat has. The digital display is clear and very user friendly. Setting the trims and rates are easy, and so is navigating through the radio. It feels good in the hand and has even passed the Jeremy accidentally dropped it test.
Broken parts: After a long torture test we did manage to break a body post. Yeah, a body post. The Clawback is as big as the Hulk and just as strong which really makes us smile.
Best Mod: We think with some stronger servos the Clawback would be unstoppable, so add those to your shopping list.
Summary:
A= outstanding/Best in class, B = Above Average, C =Average, D = Below Average, F = Horrific
Time to bash: B- You will have to do some leg work before you can go out and play. The tires and bumpers will need to be installed out of the box.
Workability: A A larger scale rig is a lot easier to work on than a smaller one, that’s for sure. If you drop one of the Clawback’s screws, you won’t have to search the floor like the dad from Honey I Shrunk the Kids.
Car Show Rating: A The Redcat Racing 1/5 Clawback is a head turner. Every time we took it out for testing it always drew a crowd. The common folk or non-RC people couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The body is a nice two-piece design and the mirrors along with the roof rack make this rig really stand out, as if it needs any help.
Bash-A-Bility: C Even though the Clawback survived our testing mostly intact, it’s still a crawler. In the end, it is not meant to be sent off your roof.
Fun Factor: A You will have a lot of fun crawling over almost everything, but you will also find yourself searching for more spots to run this monster of a rig. It’s a bit of a challenge finding some new crawl spots to give the truck a workout.
Handling: B+ The handling is a lot better than you would think for 1/5 scale crawler. On the side hill test the Clawback only had one roll over and I think that was driver error.
Value: A+ For basically $600 your getting a 1/5 scale crawler, I have paid more for a 1/10 that didn’t have the ability or wow factor the Redcat Clawback has.
Parts Availability: C There is little to no other body option for the Clawback and finding a clear stock one is a challenge as well. Most of the parts you will need can be purchased on Redcat Racings web site.
BigSquid Rating: B+ We think a solid B+ is proper for the Clawback. For being a first of its kind, the Redcat Clawback is a pioneer of 1/5 scale crawling. The rig performs great and is worth the buy if you are thinking about picking one up.
Check out the Redcat Racing 1/5 Clawback in action.
