Play Amazing With Tonka Richocet 4×4 RC Vehicle
Initial Impressions It takes only one glance to understand that the Tonka Ricochet is among the most unique and original RC land vehicles released this year. It's 19" long and has 5" diameter tires by having an incredibly low-slung design. It is so low, actually, and the tires are just too large, that it makes you wonder whether it could drive upside-down. Actually, it may, by design. Whenever you turn the Ricochet over, the underside even has another body on it of the different color. The making of the Tonka Ricochet RC feels tough and well thought-out. Everything is pretty sturdy and the parts seem thick and strong. There's no antenna poking from the vehicle to get snapped off or scraped up. Even the controller has an unusually tough design, with a thick flexible protecting sheath around its antenna that's can't get permanently bent or broken. It's tri-band technology, letting you select from three radio frequencies to help you run multiple Ricochets within the same area without interference, even if they're the same color. The controls are semi proportional. you will find three forward speeds plus reverse, and 2 steering angles. There's also a button you are able to press together with your right index finger that will transform the Ricochet from low-slung street & stunt demon to high-riding monster truck. The way it executes this change is actually unexpected, and you'll just have to take a look in the video.Included using the Tonka RC Ricochet is really a 9V battery for that controller, a 9.6V rechargable battery pack for that vehicle itself, and a two-piece charger. The charger goes far above & beyond the norm amonst toy-class RC sets. Most chargers are just a power unit that you plug into the wall and battery, plus they put out a small, fixed quantity of electricity, called a "trickle charge." Because this trickle is never-ending, you have to disconnect your battery at the best time, when it gets warm to indicate that it's full, otherwise the pack is going to be over-charged, causing some degradation to the lifespan from the cells inside. The charger included with the Ricochet includes a normal trickle charge unit to it, but you don't plug that part straight into your battery. Instead, there is a separate box that goes in between that will automatically stop charging battery when it's full. The technical term for this can be a "peak detection" circuit, sensing when the battery reaches its absolute maximum voltage. Because of this extra piece, battery charging with the Ricochet is 100% hassle-free so that as safe as can be. You are able to put the pack onto charge in the evening and practically forget about it. Testing Due to the big tires, I first ran the Ricochet on the bumpy dirt field. It had been pretty fast had lots of capacity to overcome moldly to moderately rough terrain, but traction would be a problem. The tires, though air-filled, are in fact made from quite a hard rubber, plus they do not get good grip. The way the Ricochet steers is by completely bending in the center, rather than just steering the leading wheels alone, and the result is that even at 1/2 steering input, it turns pretty sharply and with many different momentum. On dirt, even whenever you straighten out after a transform it really wants to keep turning a bit, almost enjoy it wants to spin out. It is then difficult to have it to visit straight again without completely letting from the throttle to let it get settled. Even when I tried to place my 11 years of pro-grade RC driving experience to work it had been still pretty difficult to result in the Ricochet go just where I wanted. When i tried out the Ricochet's transforming ability and took it to a flatter gravel area and on an asphalt surface. It does not go any faster in low mode, but because it's longer, it is a little simpler to handle when turning. The tires still do not have great traction a street surface, and with two-wheel-drive and plenty of power it will still powerslide & spin a lot more than you want it to, but it's more controllable and fun than you are on dirt. It had been interesting to discover that after the Ricochet gets flipped inverted, it's not going to steer as sharply as when it's right side up -- it will only turn at the half-steering angle. Surprisingly, this made it simpler to control as less available steering makes it more difficult to spin out accidentally. Conclusion The Tonka Ricochet 4x4 RC is really a tough vehicle which was definitely designed with a lot of thought and care. It's a little about the expensive side, but you purchase real quality. What a tragic shame it is, then, that the manufacturer made a very, very bad decision about just one critical component. The tires look great and are the perfect size, but the use of a stiff, plasticky material utterly decimates the performance and enjoyability from the vehicle. Don't misunderstand me. The Ricochet is a fast toy RC, it's fun, and also the transforming & flipping abilities are awesome. Many kids will absolutely love it. However, just by using softer tires, the handling and driving experience would have been made at least 50% better, easilly propelling it deep into "grade A" territory. I really hope that this is only the first in a number of new Tonka RCs, since the Ricochet is definitely a step in the best directly for toy RCs, with progressive and innovative features and lots of durability. With just a tiny bit more attention to important details in a future revision, it could be a serious force in the world of action toys.
Tags: Tonka Ricochet, Tonka Ricochet 4x4 Rc, Tonka Ricochet Rc, Tonka Ricochet Review
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 at 6:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.