When trying to advise on what model to buy, the conversation will inevitably move to 'so how fast is it?' Scale speeds aside (to a novice) mph figures often sound disappointing, but not nearly as disappointing as the prices of models than can hit the big ones!
Thankfully manufacturers like BSD Racing and Absima have our back, offering genuinely quick, brushless powered RC cars for as little as £170. Lets take a look at what you get for your money.
High Grip Multi Surface paired tyre setup (all with inserts)
Powerful 3421KV 550 brushless motor
Water-resistant 35A ESC and steering servo
Steel-toothed diff gears, heavy duty dogbones and sealed ball race bearings
43cm long, 26cm wide and 12.5cm tall
Ready to run, but bring a charger
The Flux Storm package is only missing 4xAA batteries for the transmitter and a charger for the main battery, common for these more powerful budget cars (many hobbiests already having their own fast charger). The included 3200mAh 2S LiPo offers good runtime out of the box (driving style and surface dependant) and the model's mid-mounted battery tray is flexible enough to take a wider and taller unit.
The included Li-Po battery is terminated with a deans connector so bear that in mind when selecting a charger (or check the compatible Hop-Ups section on our product page). We'd recommend going for a fast balance charger but cheaper (slower) options are available.
The supplied battery isn't bad at all, but we'd suggest picking up a 5000mAh cell for a little more runtime and some added weight (which we actually found helped traction).
Transmitter included
The B7070 2.4Ghz transmitter included is the standard BSD model we've seen included with the Beastly Marauder as well as the lower-spec Prime Desert Assault buggy. Its a no-frills unit with an ugly aesthetic (chrome wheels in 2019?) but it does have the basic adjustments of rates and trims (under a flip-up top panel) you'd want when trying to control a model with this much pace.
There is no TSM stability or any of that magic on this model, so we suggest taking it slowly at first. If you are having difficulty cornering at speed, dialling-down the steering rates can sometimes help.
As mentioned it takes 4xAA batteries and with the right power adaptor (not included) you could charge/discharge them in-situ. Its not pretty but we found it provided good range with no interference issues when tested and survived being dropped several times by clumsy me.
Rear-engined Rear-wheel-drive
The chassis is a simple design with a self-contained gearbox and differential mounted to the back of the plastic chassis plate. The motor hangs off of the back of this with a bumper/mudguard extension mounted ontop.
As standard it runs an open diff, so matching high RPM's with shallow cut tyres will end with spinning wheels and no progress; Going hard onto the throttle on loose surfaces is best avoided.
However when it hooks up the buggy will fly, popping wheelies on grippy ground like the decking below.
However give it too much throttle and you will end up with all four wheels in the air and the buggy sat on its rear bumper!
Rear wheel drive buggies have their own handling characteristics and they can be difficult to tame. We love the challenge of driving these things aggressively without spinning them out.
The grooved front tyres offer reasonable purchase but the main issue is the lack of weight at the front axle. This results in understeer on slick surfaces like wet sand. We didn't experiment with custom weighting the front axle but fitting a heavier battery certainly altered the weight balance in our favour.
Build quality
When reviewing these models we aren't intending to test them to destruction, however not all of our staff are the greatest at driving and accidents (frequently) happen. Thankfully the Flux Storm can put up with some abuse.
The most common issue we had was steering rods popping-off after high speed cartwheels into walls. Thankfully the plastic cups can be popped right back on without tools, the model back on its wheels in moments.
The combination of relatively light-weight and punchy-brushless-power mean the truggy will take flight and 'maintain altitude' if you hit a big jump. Whilst we managed to scratch the shell up, the composite chassis plate never cracked even after multiple drops onto brick and concrete. This thing can take a tumble. As with other BSD models, the parts are comparatively inexpensive, softening the blow if you really do trash something.
Note that the electronics on this model aren't waterproof. Only the ESC is rated for water resistance so we'd advise keeping it well away from rivers/ponds/the sea!
Upgrade potential
Whilst the ESC documentation suggests its 3S compatible, we found that the transmission is most definitely not. If you drive it hard you are likely to see some serious, potentially terminal wear on the gearbox in just a few battery cycles (ask us how we know!).
On 3S it was an absolute beast and blisteringly fast even on standard gearing (see the photo above picking the front end up whilst on the move with just half power). In this configuration the under-steer was wild, requiring a dab on the brakes to get the model to turn in.
We'd love it if BSD offered a fully-metal-geared unit as an optional extra (after all it takes just 10 minutes to swap out) for the power hungry amongst us!
As touched on before, you could upgrade the electronics for proper water resilience but such components could easily cost more than the model did in the first place.
Some chunkier tyres might offer more grip (with again, added load on the drive-train) and if you spend a lot of time at the beach like we do, some sand paddles would be a cool addition.
Who is this truggy for?
We can't stress this enough, cars this quick aren't suitable for young unsupervised children. Save it for teenagers with some RC experience or 'big-kids' who (disappointed with brushed offerings in the past) actually want an RC car that shifts.
It can be used on a variety of surfaces thanks to its ground clearance and its power provides some great driving challenges and entertainment.
This truck isn't for RC enthusiast die-hards or anyone planning on a series of heavy-duty upgrades. Regardless of our earlier upgrade potential observations, the Flux storm is more than enough fun out of the box for 90% of people.
A sidenote, (should your pets warm to it) brushless buggies also make for handy dog-walking tools!
A gentleman walking his pet Sloughi was happy for us to wear out his hound mid-walk. The dog did a fantastic job of keeping up with the truggy on repeated top speed runs and this was on a 3S battery! Remember that not all pets enjoy the company of RC models, make sure you play with them responsibly!
You can pick up this model on our webstore right now. If you need a charger and are buying this on a budget then the Overlander RC3 (slower) balance charger is probably your best bet. However if you are planning on getting more models, a flexible, faster charger like the Overlander RC-S60 would make for a good investment.
