Speed Specs
Micro Rock Crawler
Manufacturer: Losi
Part Number(s): LOSB0236 (RTR); LOSB0236BD (BND)
Vehicle Class/Type: Micro Rock Crawler
Target Audience: Beginner to Intermediate Indoor Crawling Fans
Kit/RTR/BND/Race Roller: RTR or BND
Test Items Used:
Spektrum DX3E (SPM3160)
Losi Micro Crawler Track Pieces (LOSB1625)
Track Notes
With the holidays in full swing, I took the Micro Rock Crawler with me on a recent trip to visit relatives. It's funny when I told the family that I had work to do while I was there and whip out an RC car or truck. I admit I am used to them looking at me funny but “working” with an RC truck seemed to draw a few extra odd looks.
I was glad that the weather cooperated with a sunny day in the low 50-degree range. After charging the included battery on the included charger, which took all of 20 minutes, I began to buzz around the dining room table. Up and around my radio box, over the Losi battery charger, between the pilgrim-shaped salt and pepper shakers, the Micro Rock Crawler was an instant hit with the kids and adults alike.
After the indoor running, I headed outdoors to tackle the rock garden, the wood pile and anything else that stood in the Micro Rock Crawler’s way. I was impressed at how well this little crawler handled the terrain I threw at it. I did wish that I had some of Losi’s adhesive lead weight with me as the truck did flip back on itself a little more than I would have liked at times. The Micro Rock Claw tires just provided so much traction that, when combined with the torque provided by the worm gear transmission and the light weight of the design, the truck rolled backwards when facing a steeper grade. Runtimes were about 6-8 minutes, all depending on how much torque I was asking the power system to deliver.
Top Speed/Acceleration
Rock crawlers aren’t know for their blistering speed as torque and climbing power are much more important. I’ll admit that I was actually surprised that the top speed was as high as it was. While it wasn’t any faster than maybe 6-7 mph from the box, it was still quicker than I expected. But straight-line speed isn’t what the Micro Rock Crawler is designed for. It’s designed to go up and over things. The worm gear provides instantaneous torque and acceleration. When the traction was there and the grade wasn’t overly steep, the Micro Rock Crawler could conquer a lot more than I initially gave it credit for. With what this truck can do out of the box, along with its slower speeds, I would not hesitate to recommend this as a great first RC car or truck for just about any kid out there.
Handling
Outdoors on the rock piles I was running on the Micro Rock Crawler does suffer a bit due to its light weight. If you watch the video you can see that some of the inclines were pretty steep. There were more than a few times when I was trying to scale the rocks and the truck would flip over on its lid. I really think that, at least for these bigger rocks, the Micro Rock Crawler would benefit from a few ounces of lead placed on top of the servo.
On smaller inclines, or over more appropriate obstacles, the truck was really good. The Micro Rock Claw tires dug into any surface, whether it was rocks, wood, twigs, landscaping items or anything really. I was actually very impressed that I was able to get up and over a lot of the items in the rock garden such as the landscape stones. Those stones were taller than the wheels themselves, but the Micro Rock Crawler was able to get up and over them very well.
Off-Power
Like its larger Comp and Night Crawler cousins, the Micro Rock Crawler features a genuine worm gear drivetrain. The benefit for this is that when you are off the gas the transmission acts as a brake to help maintain its position without rolling backwards. This makes it easier to judge your line, address the course and plot your strategy when either climbing or descending. When you let go of the gas the Micro Rock Crawler stops now and maintains its position.
On-Power
Just as responsive as it was off-power, the Micro Rock Crawler was just as responsive on. Throttle input yielded an instantaneous lunging forward of the truck as all four tires dug into the ground and the Micro Rock Crawler would take off. The standard gearing seemed spot-on with the included motor. As mentioned earlier, on level ground or a slight incline, the Micro Rock Crawler was really a happy little truck. However, if the incline got too steep, it would tip over backwards when power was applied.
Chassis Roll
Fairly or unfairly, I didn’t expect much out of the stock friction shocks. I had anticipated having to disassemble them to add some grease to provide some dampening. I’ve even heard of some people removing the springs altogether and just letting the chassis roll and such without any springs. None of these remedies are necessary as the suspension and chassis setup is actually really good on the Micro Rock Crawler. The chassis doesn’t load and unload a whole lot, which keeps the truck relatively level over and around most surfaces. The suspension works well and has all the articulation you’d expect out of a crawler of any size or scale.
Final Thoughts
Crawling is really big right now and the Micro Rock Crawler offers that same basic crawling experience in a smaller package quite nicely. It has the ability to scale a lot of different obstacles that you would normally never think of even attempting to scale. Whether you’re looking to climb over books, shoes, furniture, the Losi Crawling Track Pieces, small rocks, twigs or anything within reason the Micro Rock Crawler is more than capable. If you’re looking to improve how it climbs greater angles you can do so simply and easily by simply putting some lead on the chassis. I am also a huge fan of the Bind-N-Drive setup as it helps you save money if you already have a Spektrum-equipped transmitter. The Micro Rock Crawler really crams a ton of performance into a very small package, all while not breaking the bank.