Redcat Gen8 Scout II 1/10 is the most anticipated release from Redcat. The crawler community knew how great was Gen7 Scout’s performance. When Redcat announced the Gen8 everyone got excited. The new Scout also comes with improvements all across the board. The International Scout body is a fan favorite. The truck is completely designed and developed, in-house, in the United States.
Body
The Scout body is one of those 1/10 scale RC bodies which have high customizability right out of the box. The Gen8 Scout comes with an option of a removable soft top or a complete hard top. The interior is very detailed with plastic molded bucket seats, a center console with wood looking inserts, a steering wheel and the dashboard with led mounts, so you can add LED lights behind the gauge cluster to give it a realistic look. The detailing doesn’t end there it also has a gear knob, floor mats and some decals which give it a subtle look. The spare tire fits right in bed with a mount to secure it in there. The rotating side mirrors are a nice a touch. After taking of the body we can see some hardware to secure the interior from the beating it is going to take while crawling.
Chassis and Suspension
The Scout chassis is armed with high strength 1.5mm C-channel chassis. Which provides great rigidity and gives the option to change the wheelbase. The wheelbase can be 12.2”-13.2” depending upon your preferences. The nine mounting holes allow east suspension tuning as well. Portal axles provide more ground clearance without needing bigger tires. The portal axles include a metal gear cover, metal wheel hex, feature a CNC machine spool and provide 54.5mm of ground clearance. They also facilitate most of the gear reduction, so less torque and twist is there in the body, which in turn makes the rig rigid.
The chassis mounted steering servo with a panhard bar and a proper Ackerman steering angle of 47 degrees. The precision steering is really stable and doesn’t self corrects in bumps. Comparing to the other vehicles it is priced very competitively at $299.99 and this doesn’t make the driving stale. It still performs better than most of its highly priced competitors.
The inner fenders and side-mounted electronics trays helps keeping the electronics and inner-workings of this rig clean as you go scale the trails. The receiver box is sealed with extra ports for plugging in LEDs, a winch and other auxiliary electronics.
The suspension is not much changed from the last generation but it is still a great performer and works great while climbing rocks. The Redcat Racing GEN8 makes it easy to conquer all types of terrain. The stock configuration offers users 73.4mm of ground clearance, a 61-degree approach angle, and a 39.5-degree departure angle. Which means you can climb high rocks and even dig in to some ditches without the worry of getting stuck.
The battery tray is placed to provide low center of gravity. The rock sliders attached are not only stylish but protective.
Drivetrain
The transmission also got an upgrade this time with all metal gears which highly improve the performance and durability for prolonged usage. The sealed pinion and spur heads remove the worry of rocks getting stuck in the assembly. Gearing can be adjusted to fit most motors and driving styles with easy fitment of 9T to 23T pinion gear allowing gear ratios of 28.12 to 71.85. The Redcat Racing GEN8 features a front mounted motor, a divorced transfer case and 32 rubber sealed bearings through the vehicle.
The dual slipper clutch eliminates the need to over-tighten your slipper clutch to lock the drivetrain. All you need to do is remove two slipper pads and springs and reassemble to enjoy a locked drivetrain experience.
The Transfer case is the only place where metal gears aren’t used but most manufacturers do that as it is not necessary. It also has rubber sealed bearings to protect from water. The only drawback in this drivetrain is that it is slightly on the louder side.
Electronics
The Redcat Racing Scout Gen8 II comes armed with a chassis mounted Hexfly steering servo which performs brilliantly. The housing is waterproof. The motor is a brushed 17T 550 which turns the wheel speed right up. There is nothing worse than getting stuck on a rock because you don’t have enough power. But this motor is brilliant and delivers great torque which can take it up to 5mph, which in my opinion is rapid enough.
The crawler ESC has good power delivery, has options to add a winch and led lights on the go. The ESC can also handle a 3s LiPo battery. The ESC also has a heat sink which keeps in cool for longer running. Waterproofing of internal elements is a general trend in high-end RC crawlers so it is available here too.
The receiver box is also waterproof which pairs with a 2.4GHz controller.
Remote Controller
It comes with a standard Redcat 2.4GHz controller. It has 3 channels and the range is great. No complains there as it has no particular drawbacks nothing amazing but it works well and is very durable.
Wheels and Tires
The licensed Interco Super Swamper tires are paired with 1.9” true beadlock wheels. Interco uses its patented 3 stage lug design in the tires which give them a bigger footprint of 45mm. Which is an exact scale replica of IROK Super Swamper tire from Interco. The steel beadlocks are strongly mounted on chrome plastic wheels. A screw-on wheel nut cover provides a realistic touch.
The tires are the one place where this truck can use an improvement when all is said and done. The tires are made out of memory foam material. They take longer than usual to return to original shapes, which makes it lose traction under certain conditions. In cold conditions these tires will get hard make it almost impossible to climb rocks.
Tech Specs
- Vehicle Scale: 1/10
- Transmission: Forward & Reverse
- 2wd or 4wd: 4WD
- Shaft or Belt: Shaft
- Electric or Gas: Electric
- Waterproof: Water Resistant
- Length: 571mm
- Width: 249mm
- Height: 258mm
- Servo Type: Hi-Torque Servo for Steering
- Wheelbase: 324mm Stock (312-336mm Adjustable)
- Ground Clearance: 73mm
- Chassis Type: 1.5mm Thick C-Channel Frame Rails
- Wheel Width: 45mm
- Wheel Diameter: 115mm
- Speed Control Type: 40a Brushed Waterproof ESC
- Motor: 17T, 550-size, Brushed
- Radio System: 2.4GHz Radio System
- Dry Weight: 6.9 LBS (3130 grams) Battery: Not Included
Needed to Run:
- 4-AA Batteries for Transmitter
- 2S-3S LIPO or 5-9 Cell NIMH Battery
- Battery Charger
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Conclusion
Redcat Gen8 Scout II 1/10 is solid performing truck at the price range it is offered at. The licensed International Scout body is perfectly scaled. The chassis is solid. The Drive train leaves very less to be desired. The Gen8 might look great on the road but it is an off roader at heart and performs its best there. Motors tend to get hot in grass running. But its call is crawling and the stock shocks are just perfect for that. All in all, it is a great performer and will be a nice addition to you RTR crawler collection. It also provides with one of the best value for money.