Traxxas TRX-4 Defender - Scale and Trail Crawler Review
Over the last 15 years of vehicle ownership, I have had a diverse stable of rigs to play around with. While the majority were small Japanese cars from various years (some of them I lifted for more fun on the backroads), I have owned some capable enough rigs to tackle the day to day mountain adventures in Montana. My last 1:1 scale project was a 2004 Nissan Frontier Supercharged, that took across through Moab, along the West Coast, and many other locales–however, it didn’t make very much sense to me to invest the money to be able to climb over some of the larger rocks. Since moving onto a lifted Subaru Impreza 2.5RS, a Chevy Conversion/Camper Van, and even a Honda Grom outfitted for dirt, I still had a feeling of needing something else to play with. I had a few requirements though; it needed to be:
Reliable
Affordable
Easy to modify
This is where the Traxxas TRX-4 Scale and Trail Crawler came into consideration– with the 1:10 scale Land Rover Defender Body Option. For under $1,000ºº all setup, I have something that I can take anywhere to mess around with, repairs are cheap and easy compared to 1:1 models, and I have plenty of areas to rock crawl just outside my door– not to mention while adventuring with the other rigs.
Traxxas TRX-4 Review - What Sold Me
Being that this Traxxas Defender is my first real remote control vehicle, not including the Xmods series you could get from Radio Shack in the early 2000s, the price tag was a little shocking– especially compared to the likes of the Redcat & Axial models that are also highly praised. However, the more I dug into them all, the more the TRX-4 became the ideal option and the lesser the price tag seemed ridiculous to me.
Below, I outline the key selling points that persuaded me to choose the Traxxas TRX-4 Scale and Trail Crawler over its worthy competitors. If I don’t touch on a point that is important to you, need further persuasion, or disagree with me completely– leave me a comment and we can discuss further!
On The Fly Locking Differentials
What really did it for me was the front and rear locking differentials– all by the flip of a switch on the remote. A lot of reviews I read/watched mentioned that it was a neat feature, but they didn’t make it seem like it was all that important. They almost had me fooled. After spending some quality time with the rig, my feelings have been on the contrary.
There have been numerous situations where I have found myself clawing for grip to make it up an obstacle, only to be at a standstill. Two clicks of the conveniently located toggle switch on the top of the remote locks up both diffs and I continue traversing up and over a steep, rocky incline.
I will say, just as on a 1:1 rig, tires can make all the difference when it come to capability and grip. I am running scale BFGoodrich T/A KO2 tires that do great in the dirt, on the rocks, and on the pavement– they are great all around rubber. Not that I won’t eventually have a setup that is insanely soft and absolutely roll over anything– but the point is that locking differentials can make all around tires much more capable in aggressive conditions and specialized tires absolute weapons that are unstoppable within their preferred playground. The next point makes all around tires seem very appealing though, at least to me.
Two-Speed Gearbox
Just as on a regular 4x4, having a low gear is essential for traversing steep inclines, fording deep water, and pushing through sticky/slippery terrain– unless you’re the type of driver that prefers to use momentum over meticulous maneuvers, that is. Lucky for you, the Traxxas TRX-4 is equipped with both a Lo & Hi gear.
The low gear truly does multiple the torque of the motor and makes for smooth, meticulous driving when needed. The pressure sensitive trigger allows you to be in precise control, crawling along at a snail’s speed if needed. Watching your tires fold as they wrap around a ridge as your rig persistently carries on is so satisfying to watch.
The high gear finds itself just as at home on the 1:10 scale rock crawler. Whether you find yourself with some distance between obstacles, have a pretty uneventful trail ahead of you while hiking, or just want to play around in a dirt/grass/pavement lot– this gear allows the TRX-4 to scoot along nicely. On pavement it pushes you along at speeds that require very precise steering input, otherwise you’ll end up toppled over. On dirt and grass, it has enough power and speed to pull off drifts, donuts, and leave trails of dust in the air. It can also pull off some pretty impressive jumps at speed. The suspension eats up bumps and gravity.
Adjustable Coilover Suspension
Being that the Traxxas TRX-4 is so capable in a variety of environments, its awesome to have fully adjustable suspension connected to the chassis– think coilovers. When not attempting to climb over things, you can very easily and quickly adjust the collars on the struts to lower the vehicle– giving it more stability at high speeds. When you find yourself spending more time in low gear, raise the vehicle up to your preferred height in the matter of a few handfuls of seconds and you’re ready to go.
It allows you to find that perfect balance for the terrain and your driving style. The dampening is soft enough to allow for a lot of flex when crawling, but stiff enough to not make direction changes at speed feel sloppy.
Portal Axles
This is somewhat of a game changer. Traxxas knew that to build one of the most capable RTR crawlers on the market, they needed the most ground clearance possible where it counts– at the axles. If you aren’t aware of what portal axles are, let me explain real quickly:
On a vehicle equipped with a solid axle, the lowest point of the vehicle/drivetrain is going to be the differential(s), being that it extends below the axle. The axle itself extends out from the diff and connects to the center of each wheel hub.
With portal axles, ground clearance is increased by raising the axle and differential above the centerline of the wheel. Rather than the axles connecting straight to the wheel, they more or less have a mechanically geared “drop link” that secures it to the wheel hub and transfers power. For a full explanation with all the proper terminology, you can read it here: Portal Axles Explained
So, yeah, the portal axles on the TRX-4 allow for greater ground clearance than models with standard axles.
Other Selling Points
I’ll continue to elaborate on my opinions and my experiences as I spend more time with the rig and capture more photos, but I do want to mention a few other key points that won me over.
Multiple Driving Modes – By holding in the Power Button for a certain amount of time (reflected by light flashes), you can tune the TRX-4 into 1 of the 5 driving modes: from full power, to beginner, to crawler mode with hill brake.
Waterproof Components – This is a big one for me. I have yet to traverse through any water, but having the ability to add yet another form of terrain to the party is amazing. With how often I find myself at a river or lake, I’ll be able to fully utilize my surroundings as a playground.
Battery Life – This is going to depend on the battery unit you purchase, but the Traxxas iD 4-cell 5000mAh iD LiPo battery I have (2 of them) run for well over an hour a piece. That is time spent both crawling and blasting around at top speed. I am still amazed with the run time. The EZ-Peak Live Dual charger also refreshes the batteries in what feels like barely any time at all– under an hour a piece I would guess, so you can swap them back and forth and only be down a minute or two to exchange them.
Customization – The shear amount of options on the market is incredible. Whether you want to build a clean OEM style rig, overland hauler, or a caged rock crawler.. you can. There are a plethora of scale accessories that range from shovels and coolers to bumpers, light bars, winches, interior pieces and much more.
That doesn’t include the different vehicle body styles, wheels/tires, motors, drivetrains, suspensions and things of that nature. If you can buy something for a full size vehicle, chances are you can buy one for your Traxxas TRX-4 Scale and Trail Crawler.
