The ReveD RDX - Fantastic, Plastic-Fantastic?
January 7, 2023
2022 and going into 2023 has been big for RC Drift. The latest addition to the madness is the ReveD RDX. It’s no surprise to anyone that I have been waiting for this for a long time. I was fortunate enough to have one land in my pits for testing.
Right out of the gate, I will say I have gone back and forth on this chassis in my head so many times. Ah, why plastic? It’s ReveD, it’s going to be good. Why solid links? It’s ReveD, it’s going to be good. Maybe it’s just a beginner chassis. It’s ReveD, it’s going to be good. I was finally able to put that all to rest.
THE BUILD
As I started building, this kit gave me a good feeling. The guys at ReveD have been in the game a long time, and as soon as I started with the first assembly, I knew there was going to be some goodness that is not immediately apparent to many, and may never be noticed by some. The first thing you work on is the steering system, and although it is plastic, it is not just any plastic. It is very ridged, as all steering components should be. It took me back to the days of the old Yokomo Drift Package Chassis. They would always sell upgraded plastic-carbon parts that appeared to be just plain ol’ plastic, but it was always very ridged, strong, and light-weight.
The ReveD RDX takes advantage of different plastic compositions throughout to suit the function of that particular part. This is a really smart move since it keeps costs down, but still provides great performance.
The new steering setup goes together easily and works well. I was pleased to see they provided 0.1mm shims to allow you to build it just right. That has always bothered me on other kits, where they allow a bunch of slop.
The gearbox is a 4 gear setup with a quick change diff provision. The kit comes with a plastic, solid spool but should accept the Yokomo compatible gear and ball diffs as well. The motor can be mounted in a low or high configuration, depending on your preference.
ReveD has chosen to go with the side mounted dampers which seem to be becoming more popular recently. The jury is still out on this for myself, but there is no denying it works.
The dampers that are supplied with the kit are plastic, but that’s not saying they are junk. Many times it’s safe to say it’s not even worth using, but these are actually pretty decent. I made sure there was no burrs left on the pistons, and I found the dampers to work well. ReveD supplies them with some quality o-rings and 50 wt fluid. The springs they supply seem to be a good match as well.
HOW DOES IT PERFORM
To keep things familiar, I decided to use the electronics I use on all my personal chassis. Acuvance Xarvis XX (ESC), Acuvance Blaze Capacitor, Acuvance Fledge 10.5T Motor w/ Torque Rotor, Acuvance S.Bus Adapter (So I can program through my remote), Futaba CT701 Servo, Futaba GYD550 Gyro, Scale Reflex 3500mAh Power Cells, and all controlled by a Futaba 10PX.
Since there is really no adjustment out of the box, since ReveD decided to provide solid links for everything, there was no tuning involved here other than the electronics. So this was one of the easiest tests I’ve done, this side of RTRs (Ready To Run).
OK ok, so how does it perform? In a word, Impressive. For fixed links, solid spool, and plastic dampers, I can’t complain. Is there room for improvement? Certainly, but if ReveD provided the end-all set up, would they really be doing a good job? The steering is set up really well and the chassis itself has great handling and speed. I’m sure there is something to be gained by switching to a gear diff or C-LSD if that is your thing, but it’s in no way a bad setup as it comes.
My conclusion is this chassis is highly recommended for beginners. The setup is fool-proof and works well out of the box. With a few upgrades, I’m sure it will be even more of a beast. This initial baseline setup is really good, so there is no doubt in my mind that in the right hands, this will be a top contender, and I’m certain upgrades are in the works. For the advanced driver, I believe it is a good fit as well, since the added adjustability will open doors for even higher levels of performance. Definitely recommended