mcojoc
10-14-2003, 08:43 AM
Here's my mini-review of the xmods. It is just my personal opinion. I don't wish to alienate anyone who purchased and enjoys their xmods!
I purchased the Silver Acura.
Packaging/Promotion: 10
Hey! We're all pretty excited about the way they marketed this thing, am I right?!?!?!
Aftermarket parts & rollout: 10
Hey! ..... see above. Great aftermarket support right out of the chute!!!
Construction and sturdyness of car : 10
It feels like a nice sturdy hobby-grade chassis. The battery clips are flimsy however. They could be beefier. Suspension feels good, and construction looks complex. Enough to excite any techie!
Construction and sturdyness of controller: 6 to 7
As Lisa Simpson said, "MEH". cheap feeling. Good steering wheel feel, and throttle feel but beyond that, worse than the epoch indoor racer controller. I give it a 7 because it folds up. That's kind of neat. Antenna must be removed for storage.
Body style/looks: 8
They look great but are a bit flimsy, unlike their mini-z counterparts, my basis of comparison....They are beautiul though, aren't they? Just don't hit a wall.
Operation:
Steering: 2
Using the controller senstivity control low, I can get 15 steps from mid point to left and 15 points from mid point to right. with the sensitivity control high, it is 10 points from center to either left or right. It is notchy and feels that way. By comparison, my epoch indoor racer hit 15 noticble notches roughly 1/3 of the way through it's travel from center to right or left.
Throttle: 6
Smooth response from the controller in forward, however the gearing sounds awful noisy. Not a smooth controlled sound, but more like a grating sound as the car accelerates. Between that and the steering, this is one noisy car.
Braking: 2
The braking feature on most cars I've used (product of the speed controller) has been push forward for braking when the car is in motion, and again for reverse. If you are not in motion when you first push the trigger forward, pushing forward will bring you into reverse. This is not how the xmod works. If you are at a stand still, you need to push the throttle forward 2 times to get reverse movement.
Overall: 3
The lack of performance can't compensate for the slick marketing in my opinion. Smooth throttle and steering within reason are important to me. This car does not deliver. I've packaged mine up for return, and have placed an order with hobbypeople for a true $50.00 wonder, the epoch indoor racer.
Conclusion:
A reasonably priced knock-off of the mini-z that should keep the kids happy, but will fall way short of expectations with the R/C snob-set (myself included)...It's a shame. In this price range, I would have lived on these things had they delivered.
I purchased the Silver Acura.
Packaging/Promotion: 10
Hey! We're all pretty excited about the way they marketed this thing, am I right?!?!?!
Aftermarket parts & rollout: 10
Hey! ..... see above. Great aftermarket support right out of the chute!!!
Construction and sturdyness of car : 10
It feels like a nice sturdy hobby-grade chassis. The battery clips are flimsy however. They could be beefier. Suspension feels good, and construction looks complex. Enough to excite any techie!
Construction and sturdyness of controller: 6 to 7
As Lisa Simpson said, "MEH". cheap feeling. Good steering wheel feel, and throttle feel but beyond that, worse than the epoch indoor racer controller. I give it a 7 because it folds up. That's kind of neat. Antenna must be removed for storage.
Body style/looks: 8
They look great but are a bit flimsy, unlike their mini-z counterparts, my basis of comparison....They are beautiul though, aren't they? Just don't hit a wall.
Operation:
Steering: 2
Using the controller senstivity control low, I can get 15 steps from mid point to left and 15 points from mid point to right. with the sensitivity control high, it is 10 points from center to either left or right. It is notchy and feels that way. By comparison, my epoch indoor racer hit 15 noticble notches roughly 1/3 of the way through it's travel from center to right or left.
Throttle: 6
Smooth response from the controller in forward, however the gearing sounds awful noisy. Not a smooth controlled sound, but more like a grating sound as the car accelerates. Between that and the steering, this is one noisy car.
Braking: 2
The braking feature on most cars I've used (product of the speed controller) has been push forward for braking when the car is in motion, and again for reverse. If you are not in motion when you first push the trigger forward, pushing forward will bring you into reverse. This is not how the xmod works. If you are at a stand still, you need to push the throttle forward 2 times to get reverse movement.
Overall: 3
The lack of performance can't compensate for the slick marketing in my opinion. Smooth throttle and steering within reason are important to me. This car does not deliver. I've packaged mine up for return, and have placed an order with hobbypeople for a true $50.00 wonder, the epoch indoor racer.
Conclusion:
A reasonably priced knock-off of the mini-z that should keep the kids happy, but will fall way short of expectations with the R/C snob-set (myself included)...It's a shame. In this price range, I would have lived on these things had they delivered.