Traxxas TRX 4 Review & First Run

Thanks for watching!

The SBG picked up a Traxxas TRX-4 to see what the hype is all about. Does it live up to the hype? Watch me talk for 15 minutes and see some driving footage to find out!

This is an unbiased and fair review - I was in no way compensated to make this review and the opinions shown are mine completely.

Let's generate some great discussion and talk about the merits and shortcomings of this new platform. Remember, your mileage may vary and not everyone will share the same opinion!

[ezda]

How do u not have like at least 50k subs. Ur probably the best rc youtuber besides RC sparks

[travisharrisphotography]

I have three SCX10's, and two RC4WD D90's.. and now, just got two TRX4's (for me and my son) and I will tell you, that for me.. this truck is by far... BY FAR the most "fun" out on the trail, and the rocks. Yes, the tires suck, yes the body should be repainted.. but, thats how it goes with anything. The first thing I did was replace all the screws with stainless, and did a FULL tear down so I could "rebuild it" my way with proper grease etc.. and what I found, was a VERY simple truck. It's not complicated at all. Yes, there are a few extra servos.. LOL.. thats not a problem for most people. For $25 they can all be replaced.. and it adds a scale real factor with the diffs, and high gear that no one else has, and is very addicting after you use it for a while. To be honest, I have not touched my other trucks since this came into the picture.. they just sit. I think the best way to do any "review" is to wait. Wait, and own this for a longer period of time before sharing too many subjective thoughts. See how you feel in 3 months, 6 months, and a year later. Everyone wants to rush out videos and reviews.. but, it makes more sense to sit back and see what happens. Lets see how the cable system works over time, lets see how the gears last etc.. but, assuming good reliability.. then, this truck is actually in another class vs. anything else out there at the moment..

[prestoncole]

I believe that the reason they did the two speed trans and lock on diffs is for scale realism. It’s by far the most realistic truck out there.

[TimmiejaneCarter]

I own the Defender. My 2nd RC vehicle ever. First one was a present when I was a kid. The fact that I can switch from high to low is awesome. I can be out on trails and get the fun of racing it around, even if it’s just 15mph. I can drop it into low and do some amazing hill climbs. The non-locked and front lock are great in high speed, while front lock is great for the majority of climbing. Knowing I can drop it into for wheel locked and roll over just about anything is amazing. I’m able to find hills I can’t even climb myself, but the Defender will go up them with no problem. My only complaint about this vehicle is the one many have expressed, no windows. I so wanted to make an interior. I’m planing to buy the adventure body to replace my red one. It comes with windows. Interior is gonna be so much fun.

[zm]

This is an entirely different Matt from the more recent videos we see. Is that a hint of edge I detect?? Good to see you showing off a bit of bite here. Your newer videos are so clean of trash talk they border scripted- this has a very 'real guy with a passion and opinions' feel to it. Neat to see these earlier days of the channel. Short time viewer, first time commenter. Keep up the great work and thanks for your contribution to the hobby.

[ronaldayers]

Hard hatin'!! It's hysterical. Love your vids man. Came back years later for a laugh.

[nfarc]

I like your reviews, but it is clear that you are not a Traxxas fan, and are looking for a reason to not like this truck. Being able to unlock the diffs on the trail on this truck when locked traction is not needed tightens the turning radius so ridiculously, that I can't understand you not liking this feature. I get liking trucks that are simple, but this truck has added features that are reliable and work. I was surprised with this truck, I think this is an insane first trail truck release from any brand. I think they killed it.

[EdGrant]

I really love the 2-speed low gear/high gear ability. It's like having a crawler/cross county rig in one truck. I don't use my other two Axial trucks. It actually feels more like a real truck. I'm also liking the solid feel and the sounds the motor/gears make. Also, fully waterproof (not just splash proof).

[hectorvelasco]

As a scale builder, don't you think that having selectable diff locks, hi-lo transmission speeds, and body roll, you get a lot closer to that 1:1 feel? Is being "scale" just a esthetic thing?

[darrenjackson]

My thoughts...open diff is awesome ! It drives like a real truck and is awesome since i drive my Trx4 like a Dakar rally truck. And I love having the ability to lock the diffs when Im stuck .

[SonGokusa]

Totally decent review for a non-Traxxas biased pov.
My 2c so far...
I haven't used the cruise feature yet, but I've gotten a lot of use out of both the 2-speed gearbox and the remote locking diffs on the trails around here. The 2-speed is very nice on the flat or downhill areas between the rocky sections. The diffs I use mostly as a challenge aspect to see how much I can do without them, but they also make a difference for turns on the tight sections of the trails, like switchbacks.The sticker windows are indeed @ss. Tires are better than I expected. Waterproof, and dust-proof"ish" with the sealed wheel wells is pretty nice too. Just putting some Tamiya clear paint on the light lenses made a big improvement in appearance too.

[egresk]

Traxxas Summit has had the same servos and 2 speed trans forever.  They work great.  For someone who wants a good all around truck that will actually have some speed and isn't just for crawling, this truck can't be beat.

[obscaden]

Do you not like Traxxas or something? You kinda seemed like you didn’t like it.

[Daniyoyo]

6 years later the TRX4 defender is absolutely bullet proof! Traxxas is a high end reliable brand and they hit it out the park on reliability ( if you keep this stock ). Once you start adding 10 pounds to your axles etc then your on your own with reliability

[chrismckay]

I am not really generally into Traxxas vehicles, but every now and then they put out something somewhat interesting. I only currently own two at the moment and have had a total of 6 in the last 25 years. I have found their micro servos to be fairly reliable, more so then anything they could try to pass off as a steering servo. The two Traxxas vehicles I currently own are what was a dead first gen Revo I have mostly converted into a Summit and a new TRX4. The Revo thing is using it's original micro reverse servo as a two speed servo now. I am more worried the iffy speed control and steering servo in the TRX4 will go out then the shift servos, they should see little stress in the shifting duties. There are always faulty ones though, and you do have to make sure to hold onto the servo horn when you unscrew the servo arm screw.

I am watching baited breath to see where the failure points are going to be on this new truck. So far I have seen reported; steering servo, motor and esc, that damn evil bolt they mounted the spare on stripping out in the rear rack, and a few others. Compared to the Mini LST I got when they first came out many years ago, these are dang near perfect so far :/ -flash backs of swapping diff and servo gears like some people swap battery packs-

[tareskisloki]

Interesting review, I have to say this model appeals to me the most because the 'gimmicks' as you put it, are so familiar to me coming from full size off roading, having high and low range as well as selectable lockers is a big drawcard when entering the scene from a 1:1 background.
Although I'd be looking to replace the Rover body with a Toyota one quite early on, preferably with a model I've owned.

[spunkysandoval]

Gimicks aside, it seems like a cool truck. Someone there at traxxas is an actual scale junkie.

[sherman]

Man this was my first rig and I love it! It hurt my soul to watch this review lol!

[kysistrivett]

The locking and unlocking differentials benefit scale crawling and people use them in full size rigs when going on a side hill and trying to turn up the hill with lockers on will throw you down the hill but if you unlock your diffs it will let you make your way up the side hill because your wheels can move at different speeds

[patrickholland]

I purchased a bronco a few weeks ago and since sold both my scx10ii's and wraith .. I was impressed with the durability of the truck and the features were every catchy .. I've ran scale trucks since about 2007 and feel like traxxas changed the game for the hobby with this truck