Maverick Quantum R First Impressions and 2S and 3S Speed-Runs
KB169
Updated 2024-04-29 by Andy
So today we're looking at the Maverick Quantum flux R which is a 4s capable Street Basher from Maverick which is the subsidiary company of HPI an American brand which have been around the RC scene for many years now.
So initial impressions, It's a very sturdy-looking truck from the outside.
Lots of angles and flared arches with all the aggressive detailing you would expect from a tyre-destroying monster.
The red, black silver and white paint work certainly set it off very well and add an air of menace to set the tone.
The wheels look really purposeful with a solid six-spoke design and come wrapped in semi-slick rubber for maximum gripping when at full send, they definitely fit the truck and its overall design direction.
Up front, there is a splitter and a huge supercharger sticking out the bonnet which unfortunately doesn't work but it looks epic so it can stay.
In the rear of the car, there is a spoiler at the back along with a diffuser underneath to complete the aggressive street racer style which Maverick was clearly going for with the Quantum R flux.
In the box you get the car controller, which is a nice looking and feeling controller with all the usual trim adjustments etc, it also has a full instruction manual as well as a lipo warning sheet.
You don't get a battery with this model so you will have to provide your own battery and charger which is an additional cost you need to take into account if you don't already have something suitable.
So on location, It's a fairly nice day, there's a little bit of moisture on the ground and there are a few puddles around, but it should be okay and it should allow us to get to the vehicle's top speed and also see how well it handles in general use.
So we'll start with the general handling impression on the 2S lipo.
It drives fairly well. Little a little bit of wheel spin on the damp surface but overall feels very planted.
There is a little bit of understeer until you provoke a little bit of oversteer with extra use of the throttle, but it makes it a nice and predictable feeling platform. So let's see what we can get out of it on 2S.
After a couple of passes up and down we managed to get a speed of 27 miles an hour which on 2S I think is quite respectable and it's what I would expect to see for the motor ESC and battery combination.
So let's see how a 3S battery changes the handling and also let's see what it does to the top speed run of the vehicle.
So first thing I noticed is on 3S. It's more lively.
The car wants to spin its wheels more often and it definitely pushes to a more oversteer feeling platform which is quite good for the more experienced RC users but may catch some inexperienced users out as it does.
The swap ends quite quickly as it's got quite limited steering lock as you would expect.
So now let's go and give it a run on 3S and see what the speed we can achieve is.
So we're in the same location and it's the same weather conditions. So the only difference is that we've got another 3.7 volts of power and the associated additional RPM to put through the drive train.
So with a couple of fast passes up and down on 3S, we've managed to achieve a respectable speed of 37 mph which is what we expected.
Also as mentioned earlier the transition to 3S has changed the handling feel of the car from a stable understeering feeling platform to an oversteer drift machine.
Overall, the first drive has provided us with some good information regarding the car.
Firstly, 2S would be quite suitable for a novice user as it's quite a stable feeling and understeer-orientated platform and when the need arises for a little bit more excitement or for a more experienced RC user, they can swap over to a 3S 11.1 volt lipo and you'll then get a much more entertaining vehicle capable of just under 40 miles an hour on a speed run and giving a much more exciting and rear-wheel drive platform.