Review: Vaterra 1986 K5 Blazer Ascender Trail Truck

Blazin’ a Trail Over Hill and Dale

If you haven’t noticed the continued growth of RC “Scale” Rock Crawlers (AKA RC Trail Trucks), you’ve probably been hiding under a rock. Vaterra is about to put you on top of those rocks with the release of their highly anticipated Ascender, the company’s first 4WD, multi-link, solid-axle scaler that has its eyes on the competition! This truck comes as a kit (I’m sure an RTR version isn’t far behind), allowing you to build it in several different wheelbases as well as stuffing it full of your favorite components.

Features

Chassis
The chassis on the Ascender is typical of your scale crawler; it’s based on a “C” channel setup with a central pad for the transmission to mount. Vaterra has a couple of tricks up their sleeve, however.

For starters, they’ve designed the chassis in four separate pieces. Using two pieces per side, you can build the Ascender in one of four lengths; 278mm, 290mm, 302mm or 314mm. This allows you to tailor the length to your driving style and opens the door to a whole slew of trail-ready bodies.

The four chassis-mounted plastic wire looms are a cool feature. There are two looms on each side of the truck, designed to capture the servo lead and motor/ESC wires and keep them safely tucked close to the frame rails. I would have liked a few spare looms to add as needed but instead attached a few black zip ties through the unused holes where there were no looms.

Another unique feature is the floating battery tray. One end is attached to secure points (just in front of the transmission) while the other is attached to the front axle. As the axle moves up and down, so does the tray. This design puts the battery low and over the front axle to help add traction when climbing over rocks or steep inclines.

Suspension
Vaterra has modeled the suspension to simulate what works in the scaler world. A multi-link system spans the gap from the central transmission pad to the solid front and rear axles. Aluminum threaded links can be built to match the chassis length you’ve chosen; all the spare parts are included.

The front also includes a panhard bar, something you don’t find in most scalers, especially as an included option. This bar prevents lateral (or longitudinal) movement of the front axle, allowing it to only move up and down.

The K5 also includes a full set of plastic, threaded-bodied shocks. Once built they are very smooth but the included oil seems a bit thick in the ‘hand-flex’ test. I’ll know exactly how they work once I get the K5 on the trails.

Drivetrain
Sitting in the center of the Ascender’s belly is the heart of the truck, the metal-geared transmission. It’s a standard three-gear unit and includes an adjustable slipper clutch on the top shaft. I’d also like to note the four odd holes on the top of the transmission; perhaps the mounting location of a future upgrade.

From the transmission, a pair of heavy-duty slider shafts transfer power to each end of the truck and into a set of one-piece, solid-axle housings. Each one-piece axle housing (yes, I said it twice because I think it’s cool that they’re one piece) holds a bearing-supported spool that is captured by an external, chrome-plated pumpkin cover. The heavy duty axles then feed in through the tubes and key into the spool. It’s a very simple design that works well and keeps the parts count to a bare minimum.

Steering
You have two options to mount the steering servo depending on the chassis length you choose. Either way, it mounts in front of the front axle for better weight bias. The steering rods are all threaded aluminum for extreme strength. One thing I noticed right away was the incredible angle the front tires can attain while turning. The Ascender can muster an impressive 45-degree steering angle, more than any other truck in its class.

Electronics
The receiver box is mounted near the rear and has quite a bit of space in it. The manual suggests mounting the ESC on a platform just in front of the receiver box but, because the Tekin FX-R isn’t waterproof, I chose to mount it in the receiver box to help protect it. An up-and-over slot is located at the front of the box for the wiring. If you choose to run a waterproof ESC, you can mount it in the suggested location, leaving room in the receiver box for something like a light controller.

Servo
A trail truck like this doesn’t require a super expensive servo, however I would suggest one that has a full metal geartrain and a high torque rating. I dropped one of Spektrum’s S6030 servos in for this build; it meets my requirements with all metal gears and a whopping 278oz of torque. This servo should have no problems turning and keeping the Ascender’s front tires pointed in the right direction!

ESC/Motor
I’ve used Tekin’s FX-R/T35 HD Motor in a couple different models and have to say it’s one of the best systems I’ve used. Besides having a dinky footprint, The FX-R has an amazingly smooth feel and some very powerful brakes, great for both steep ascents and descents. Unfortunately it’s not a waterproof system, but the Ascender does have a protective box onboard to help keep it dry during moisture-filled excursions. I count this as only a minor drawback in comparison to the performance this system provides.

Battery
Since the battery tray on the Ascender is designed for a shorty LiPo, I decided to drop in one of Dynamite’s Reaction 4000mAh shorty LiPo packs. This tiny pack fits in the truck perfectly and provides plenty of power for long jaunts out on the rocks or dirt trails.

Radio
The final piece of the puzzle is a quality radio system. I went with Spektrum’s compact DX4C DSMR 4-channel unit; it’s lightweight and is loaded with great features like AVC, 20 model memory with ModelMatch technology, pre-set mixes for the different channels and even includes a waterproof SRS4210 receiver.

Body and Bumpers
I like the fact that Vaterra has paired up an old-school K5 body with a more current set of wheels and tires. The body has pretty good detail but the best part is the plated front grille. This gives the K5 a little ‘modeling’ touch, something that the scale guys will really appreciate.

Wheels and Tires
The wheels also look great and the Super Swampers should be fantastic on almost any surface you drive on. The internal foams are oversized and I would have liked to star-cut them prior to gluing but due to time restraints I didn’t get a chance to. We’ll just have to roll with the full foam.

Additional Features
There are a few other features I’d like to touch on. Starting up front, Vaterra has incorporated a slot in the bumper for a winch system. They’ve included a plate to cover it up until then, but it’s cool to know you don’t need to swap out the bumper if you do get one. There are also separate tow hooks to install as well (on both front and rear bumpers).

Performance
Fortunately for me we have quite the trail truck testing grounds right outside our office. For the first part of the test I wanted to get a basic feel for the Ascender so I headed straight for the garden section. This area features some big mounds covered in loose mulch with quite a few tree roots stretching through it. As I expected, the K5 conquered this area like a champ, easily powering through the mulch and climbing over all the obstacles.

The next location would be deep in our parking lot; a nice dirt area with mild rocks, small paths and some uphill ascents. This is where the K5 is really at home, slowly traversing inclines while navigating rocks and other obstacles. The steering radius is superb and allows the Ascender to studiously choose the perfect line, however I wasn’t 100-percent thrilled with the traction of the tires; the large, puffy foam inserts don’t let the tires flex and grab like they should. As a complete package, however, the Ascender is very capable with anything you throw at it.

On the way back to the office I decided to give the K5 a real rock garden test. Our parking area is on the side of a hill and has multiple levels. In between each level are large rocks ranging from baseball to basketball-sizes. This is certainly not a place you’d find a trail truck, but it’s always one of the places we go to give any crawlers we review the maximum durability test. I started at the bottom and slowly started my ascent. I noticed immediately how the extreme 45-degree steering angle helps the K5 navigate these large rocks. This angle lets the front tires grab rock edges to give the truck leverage to pull itself up and over, even at slow speeds.

Another major advantage to this truck that I never really thought about was the size of the axle pumpkins. They’re dinky in comparison to other trail trucks, but this small size adds HUGE benefits. Because they’re located in the center of the axle, the pumpkin tends to get caught up on rocks and can stall a climb. This is not the case with the K5, and the added ground clearance is very noticeable both in front and in the rear.

All good things must come to an end though, and after maneuvering my way multiple times up and down the 8-foot wall of stone, we heard the dreaded ‘click’ in the rear pumpkin followed by the rear slider shaft exploding. Apparently the rear tires got wedged on the way up and I didn’t notice it. Instead of backing it down, I did what any good ol’, K5-owing American would do and just punched it. This snapped a tooth off the rear input shaft, wedging it in the gears and causing the rear shaft to fail. End of the day.

Additional

Spec Data

Online Build
If you need any help building the Vaterra 1986 K5 Blazer Ascender, check out our online build. We show you, step-by-step, how to assemble your truck from a box of bags to a running rig complete with pictures and helpful tips.

You can see the build here: Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build

Conclusion
I’ve played with quite a few of the other trail trucks and had a great time with them. Most of those trucks have seen multiple versions over the years and plenty of time to fine-tune the final product. In my opinion, Vaterra has hit the ground running with a truck that has enough ‘difference’ to it that it’s worth taking a look at. There are a few quirks during the build and, as I mentioned before, you’ll need to be a little patient during that time, but the end result is a very capable trail truck that will allow you to experience several different build options. That’s how you blaze a trail.

Features: 8.5
Appearance: 9
Performance – Speed & Braking: 10
Performance – Steering & Handling: 9
Performance – Durability & Maintenance: 6.5
Performance – Tuning: 8
Overall Value: 8

Connect
Vaterra, www.vaterrarc.com
Dynamite, www.dynamiterc.com
Spektrum, www.spektrumrc.com
Tekin, www.teamtekin.com

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