INTRODUCTION #

The WLtoys A959B is new revision of the super popular 1/18th scale brushed WLtoys 959 introduced three years ago. With this new model, the 390 motor is now remplaced with a monster 540 brushed edition… The advertized top speed is 70 Km/h !!! Just insane… As for the former series, three other car models are proposed where mainly the top canopy plastic is changed. Whatever, we need to check if this machine can handle a crash at such speed… and more generally the question of its durability must be answered.

BOX CONTENT #

1 x WLtoys A959B
1 x Transmitter (using 4xAA batteries not included)
1 x 2S 1500mAh LiPo with T-dean connector
1 x Charger
1 x Powerunit for the charger
1 x Cross Screwdriver
1 x Instruction manual (English)
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OVERVIEW #

From an external aspect, absoluptly no change can be observed…. We have a compact 1/18th car, fully nylon plastic based.

The main chassis is style 100% nylon based. A negative point especially when we know that the top speed is almost doubled….

Shock absorbers are super soft… too soft especially for jumps landing. The chassis will mostly absorbe most part of the energy

The two central outter plastic structure seems a bit fragile IMHO… and it will be the two weak points of this machine

At least, metal dog bones and cup are here….

but unfortunatly…. no ball bearings in the wheel section… only basic bushings to be oiled regulary

7mm hexagones are here for the four wheels

As already mentioned early only a basic bronze bushings is here… Faster performances can be obtained by replacing them with real ball-bearings.

LiPo #

The monster motor takes a lot of room

while the steering servo is a compact plastic model pretty cheap and not super precise

At least ballhead screws are here

The main electronic board welcomes a serie of MOSFET and the 2.4G receiver

The board seems to be covered of liquid electronic tape but not efficient enough to be 100% waterproof.

Transmitter #

Exactly the same radio as the fisrt original model. The radio protocol is based on a nRF24L01+ RF chip.

Four click buttons to trim the throttle and direction. I would prefer more analog pot to have finer trimming especially for the steering direction.

The grab is good for the control.

UNBOXING, ANALYSIS AND TESTING #

Clearly this machine is more adapted to run on super flat soft surfaces to enjoy the full speed capacity. Even there, it’s relatively hard to keep a straight line… and unfortunatly the steering direction is not enough precize to run long and far at full speed. The accelerations are just insame… thanks to the relative lightweight of the car. As you can see on the last part of the demo run, this type of flat rocky surface represents the best tradeoff between speed capacity vs offroad conditions. From medium tall grass, the machine speed is drastically recuded. From more advanced offroad conditions, the A959B bumps a lot killing also a lot the top speed. In fact, it’s almost impossible in such conditions to push the throttle at full positions… Be sure to inspect all rotatives parts. Even if the main spur wheel is fully covered, a small amount of sand can enter… and it can be fatal for the car.
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CONCLUSIONS #

Well for the price, the A959B is probably the fastest car available!!! no doubt… For a first RC car, it’s really fun and acceleration are just insane…. but be aware, the general quality build & conpounds is just basic… and with such speed the durability of the chassis, main spur, differential box and FET will be clearly lowered. GOod news, there is a full metal upgrade kit available but doubling the total price of the car.

PROS #

Damned fast !!!!
Good radio
4 Wheels transmission
Metallic dog bones
Hexagones

CONS #

– No specific metallic upgrade vs the original A9x9
– No ball bearings
– Not fully waterpoof
– Can’t handle from medium grass surface
– Soft shock absorbers
– Digital steering triming not super precise
This offroad car have been courtesy provided by TomTop in order to make a fair and not biased review. I would like to thank them for this attitude.
You can find it actually for 67USD at https://www.tomtop.com/p-rm8934eu.html. Use also this 5USD coupon: HTY5WY