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BSD Flux Prime Desert Assault V2 Review

One of the popular parts of the hobby is the RTR bashing scene. Here people are after tough, exciting cars that they can simply pick up f...


One of the popular parts of the hobby is the RTR bashing scene. Here people are after tough, exciting cars that they can simply pick up from their local hobby shop, take home and hit the road running.

BSD Racing in association with Century UK have a range of new cars on the market that they aim to fit that bill. The Prime Desert Assault V2 is the latest version of one of their popular models and it comes in a regular and Flux specification. The later is a brushless version for those who want to experience the ultimate assault on their senses.



Lets take a closer look

When the package arrived from Century UK I eagerly opened it up to take a look at the contents. Instantly I was struck by the striking neon glow of the bodywork and the overall rugged presence of the buggy.

As this car is a R.T.R. it comes fully assembled in the box. The only thing you will need is 4 x AA batteries for the hand unit and a charger for the kit included Lipo battery.
This car has a presence even on the pit bench
I removed it from the packaging and just admired it sitting on the table. This car has a lot of detail, the body panels are attached to a realistic looking frame that covers the car. If you peak into the canopy you can see a driver figure inside which also acts as a dust cover for the electrics. It is a very smart looking car.
The controller is a wheel type and it is easy to hold
The set comes with a 2.4ghz radio system installed and it is already binded out of the factory. You just need to fit 4xAA batteries to fire it up.
Here are the controller options
The controller feels comfortable in your hand, and it has steering throw adjustments and trim settings for both steering and throttle.

Now normally you would just charge the battery and take the car out for a drive, but curiosity got the best of me so let's take a closer look at what makes it tick.

What is under the hood?

So let's take a look at what is under that attractive neon shell. Now actually doing this did stump me for a few minutes as there is one clip on the bonnet and I couldn't see how to actually get the shell off.
The shell lifts up like a dragster
I realised that there are some side clips that you need to pop out of the chassis and then the whole shell can be lifted up like a car bonnet as it is hinged at the back. I cant recall seeing this before on a RC car myself but it shows some of the inventiveness that has gone into the Desert Assault.

With the shell open you can see the chassis. It has been designed to keep as much of the elements as possible from the electrics whilst still ensuring that you can easily get to the important parts.
The battery compartment can easily fit square pack lipos
Talking of electrics this kit includes a 3200 square pack lipo which will help give the car a boost in speed, and shows the intent of this package being a RTR for those who want some serious speed.
The shock tower is ready to take some large hits, note how the switch is even water-proofed
The shock towers are aluminium front and rear and even have balance holes so you can get serious at a later date if you want to race it.
Steel turnbuckles are used for maximum tuning options
This kit is also fully adjustable. The car comes with steel turnbuckles throughout. The front end you can change your steering toe and font camber.
The rear end is also fully adjustable
The rear end also allows you to be able to adjust camber as as well as the rear toe to help stability or to free up the rear end. The turnbuckles were all close enough matched as well, but as a racer I have a near fetish for everything being exact so I make a couple of 0.5mm adjustments here and there.

A really interesting design feature is that the front and rear end components are prominently the same. The hubs and knuckles are the same and that means you will only need a few spares, nice clever thinking.

With further dis-assembly I was able to take a closer look at the components of this car.
Waterproof servo included.
The electrics are all water proof. The steering servo and also the ESC.
This is an esc aimed for bashers who want to assault a wide range of terrain
The sensorless esc is cooled via the built in fan and features a set of programmable options such as Start punch, drag brake and lipo voltage cut-off. It is also able to take a 3cell lipo if you match it with a suitable motor.
The motor is mounted in a very sturdy alloy block to ensure it can take a lot of torque and power
The Brushless motor is rated at KV3421 which is around 10t so I am sure that it will give the car a huge kick of speed. It is mounted in a large alloy block ready to take a lot of power without flexing and damaging the drive train. The car is shaft driven and the main prop shaft is a very solid steel unit.
The spur and pinion are easily adjusted with mount holes
The motor has a 22t pinion fitted and that turns the 55t spurgear which drives the main propshaft. everything will spin freely as the entire car is fitted with ball bearings along the drive train.
Lots of grease installed aleady
I delved deeper and opened one of the bulkheads to look at the differential. They are sealed gear units and they have steel diff cups and the ring gear is also made of steel.
These feel like 1/8 scale units and seem like they will take a lot of abuse
The stiffness on the two ready built differentials feels good for both the front and rear, but you can always adjust them at a later date to tune the handling.
The tyres have a great multi-suface tread pattern and are fitted on some smart looking wheels
The Desert assault had front universal drive shafts which help for cornering, and the whole car runs on some large short course size tyres. These look great and they are designed to work on a wide range of surfaces.

Everything was put back together and now it's time to see if the Desert assualt will live up to it's promise.

Track test

The British summer time was true to form and the heavy rain ruined one of the offroad areas I like to bash cars around, but the all weather RCR stunt track (ahem local skate park) is nearby and will help test the strength of the car thanks to the steep jumps and unforgiving concrete providing a severe course to test this car out.
Ready for some street action
I plugged the deans connectors together, switched on and gently squeezed the trigger. The car moved away smoothly and then as I got a little more confident I pressed harder and the car launched off at a rapid pace. I slammed on the brakes and the car slid to a stop as the suspension absorbed the rapid change of momentum and the car lurched forward with all 4 wheels staying planted on the surface.
The neon bodywork looks fantastic in the sun
I soon realised that this car was really quick. This is the Flux specification of the Desert Assault and the electrics that are supplied are aimed to thrill those into high speed action and I can tell you that it delivers. I was quaking in my boots!
Watch out for the Jaws of Doom!
I gingerly continued driving around the course, slowly getting to grips with the Desert Assault. The steering was really crisp and the tyres were doing a pretty good job of balancing the equation of power and grip. I was able to slide the car around by throwing down the power and doing a Scandinavian flick. As I got to know the car I was becoming more cocky and the car was just able to take it.
The Flux Desert Prime V2 takes no prisoners
It soon gathered a group of spectators as the car looked great moving around, and even when I managed to roll the car it took everything in its stride and seemed to land on all 4 wheels. The park was too small for me to keep the throttle open for too long, but a quick dab off full pelt would allow me to hit the small kick-ups and launch the car in the air. The suspension would work wonders to cushion the landing and the strong plastic tub chassis would sometimes slap onto the concrete with no negative effect as the car continued on its path.

Pulling stunts in front of a captive audience was fun, I did get carried away more than a few times testing the strength of the car to the limits, including a rather large collision into the wall. Despite a few scuffs on the shell the car was intact and nothing had come loose or had broken.

Here is a short video of the Flux Desert Assault in action

Overall

The Flux Prime Desert Assault not only looks great but it also performs well. I gave the car a quick check over and everything came from the factory well assembled. There is an exploded diagram to help you if you need to replace a part in the future, and there is also an instruction sheet for the excellent brushless speed controller.
Ride the wall of death!
When you take the car out the speed will surprise you, especially as the car is not light. This solid self assured ride is electrified thanks to the brushless combo that is included. As you can see this speed is controllable as the servo and steering response allows you to quickly rectify any mistakes that you are making at the high speeds that the car provides.

I also have found it to be tough, and the combination of these makes it very hard to find any faults with the car. I could be picky and say that it would be good to include a Lipo charger but that would put the price up from the very good value RRP of £189.99

If you are looking for a great value, fun to drive car, you should definitely consider the Flux Prime Desert Assault V2.

Available from your local Century-UK stockist.  Contact www.centuryuk.com for more info.


review 1274015177099633134

Post a Comment

  1. I get here searching for information about my own model, but guess what... I own a RedCat blackout xbe. Is the same model, different brand, different model name. Still, both are great kits!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks mate you have helped me make my mind up, so iv just ordered mine. Cant wait to let ripp with it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My sons rear left on the Desert Assault seems to be moving in and out (out of true)... is that normal on this model. He only got it yesterday and it's had two runs on grass ... help !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would just check the screws around that area incase they have come loose, as all Rtr cars can sometimes benefit with a quick once over.

      I have been running the car for over a year and there is s little movement on the arms but nothing that makes the car handle bad.

      Delete

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