I plan to take it with me on my next weekend
outing. But I have "wheeled" it with my two boys here at home
every night for the last week.
I collect toy vehicles and have a special
interest in Jeeps. This was the primary reason I noticed it but
after inspecting it I decided it was worth a try. I already have
a large scale New Bright Rubicon which is very fun but not very
robust and only 2WD (open-diff no less).
The Nylint far exceeds the capabilities of the
New Bright. The tires are soft and grippy. They even sound like
aired down MT Claws when you're wheeling. The suspension flexes
very well and is very heavy duty. The steering control is very
intuitive and also very gradual so you have precise control over
the steering no matter how fast or in which direction you are
going. The same is true of the throttle. In low-range it will go
so slow that you almost can't see it moving, and with fine
control will go whatever speed you want up to it's limit. In
high range it travels reasonably fast - fast enough to be useful
when moving from obstacle to obstacle.
It has shift on the fly and makes a very
slight gear grinding sound between gears but that
is normal and not a problem.
Now as for the rock crawling - it is every bit
as capable as a full-sized, fully locked (front and rear) Jeep.
It is fully locked, front and rear, has true four wheel drive.
The axles are very heavy duty in proportion to the size of the
Jeep. The tires are "beadlocked" - they will not slip or
dismount. They are very realistic during wheeling.
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My boys and I have established a series of
obstacles that we move through using the standard pro-rock
crawling rules. We have found that in terms of its capabilities,
it is very realistic. Like large Jeeps it has its limitations.
You can high-center it. You can get hung up on a diff. You can
have trouble getting the front or back bumper over the rock. You
can loose traction but we have found that it is pretty hard if
you are not hung up. It will climb vertical surfaces and get up
onto it just like a real Jeep.
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With some practice we are now able to climb
some pretty incredible "scale" obstacles. We have rolled it
(disqualification!). The tires will continue to claw no matter
how hung up you are, no matter how steep the obstacle is, and
the suspension will flex all you want and is very springy and
tough.
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I am very picky about things that cost this
much. I was expecting a great deal from it. I wanted it to be
unbreakable in real rock crawling conditions. I wanted it to be
able to climb obstacles that were impossible for the New Bright
that we have. I wanted the battery to last long enough for us to
get bored if we wanted to play that long. We wanted the motor to
be rugged and the gears to be able to resist heavy loads. And so
on and so forth. All the things you'd want from a real built
rock crawler.
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We have been out every night for up to an
hour. With three of us taking turns on each of five steep, rocky
obstacles, and three attempts on each obstacle, we have not
exhausted the battery (during the session). We charge it when we
park it every night and it is ready five and a half hours later.
The first charge takes 18 hours.
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My bottom line is I am thinking of getting two
more so the kids don't cut into my "wheeling" time! It is
incredible. Now there is only one thing to keep in mind. There
is a high-end RC Jeep that has long arms, drive shafts with
u-joints, high speed performance, and so on. It costs about $250
and I think you need to assemble it. The controller is extra $$.
I don't have one. We used them at Camp Jeep and they were a
blast but I think this thing is just as fun, probably more
rugged, and crawls better.
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What I really like about it is the controls.
The steering and speed controls are feather-touch and easy to
manage. The kids are turning into real pros on the rocks. I
guess if you like to wheel you will like this thing. You
probably won't break it, and if you're anything like us, you
won't get sick of it. Shop your local Wal*Marts because I have
found them selling as low as $144 and has high as $159.
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Just make sure if you get one to let your
spouse and kids try it so they understand!
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http://www.funrise.com/consumerservice/faq_rockcrawlers.html
(If this like doesn't work see below)
Promo Trailer
http://www.funrise.com/
Catalog Page
Troubleshooting Guide
(PDF)
Parts Order Form
(PDF)
Warranty (PDF)
