Evaluate: CEN M-Sport Ford Puma Rally RTR

What’s Included
It is a full-on RTR package and comes with nearly the whole lot it is advisable to rise up and operating.

What’s Wanted
• 2S or 3S LiPo Battery
• LiPo Charger
• 4 AA Batteries

Essential Options
1. In fact, the very first thing we have to chat about is the stellar Ford Puma Rally physique. This piece of polycarbonate is an absolute murals – lovely strains, wonderful graphics package deal and an excellent little bit of exterior components – rear-view mirrors, facet scoops (non-functional) and that hefty rear wing. Finishing the general look is a set of white, multi-spoke wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero treaded road tires. The rubber compound on these works nice on the asphalt (so long as you’re not cooking them), however does require a mushy throttle finger within the dust. You may, after all, scale back the battery from a 3S to a 2S, leading to much less energy however a smoother drive – except you’re like us and identical to to throw dust all over the place and make a giant mess!

2. The 1:1 Puma is a beast within the energy division, so CEN determined to match that blistering efficiency with a stout energy system of their very own. Steering is dealt with by a 12Kg, metal-geared Savox servo. It comes with a industry-standard 25T servo horn and is caught properly on the chassis underneath the receiver field. Proper behind that could be a Hobbywing 100A 3S-capable ESC with a T-Plug connector. It has an exterior fan, automated throttle vary calibration and presents 5-levels of punch. The ESC wires attain again to a CEN-branded 3000kV brushless motor. It is a sensorless system and, sadly, we did expertise some laggy acceleration. Nevertheless, as soon as it received up and going, this factor was a missile! Controlling your entire venture was an AMP-30 3-channel radio system. It’s not fancy, however it does have the whole lot it is advisable to maintain this Puma in a straight line – twin charge, trims and EPA. Oh, and a failsafe system which, fortunately, we didn’t have an opportunity to take a look at.

3. CEN has given the Ford Puma a reasonably hefty suspension setup. Each ends of the automobile characteristic aluminum shock towers with plenty of adjustment holes, each above and beneath, to assist change the experience top must you be Rallying on tarmac or dust. Massive bore shocks are on all 4 corners and have threaded our bodies to simply alter experience top. Beefy steering blocks are up entrance and hubs within the rear, all with a number of camber hyperlink places to effective tune the efficiency. And at last, the Rally automobile has some trick suspension arms that aren’t solely thick, they’ve channels in them to assist divert air in an try to maximise downforce. Now, we’re fairly positive these channels don’t do a lot however the concept is admittedly intelligent.

4. As a base for your entire platform, CEN features a black-anodized aluminum plate operating down the middle of the automobile. It’s slender however has cumbersome plates connected to every facet to assist strengthen it up. These facet plates additionally assist maintain particles out of the chassis nevertheless, ought to any rocks or dust get in, channels within the rear enable it to simply stream out. Cool concept! The aluminum plate additionally has just a little little bit of kickup within the entrance, plenty of screw holes for changes and the M-Sport CEN Racing brand printed on it. Lastly, an enormous entrance and rear bumper are connected at both finish to maintain the whole lot in between protected throughout impacts.

Efficiency
So, we had been all set to offer this automobile a full blown tarmac and dust thrashing, nevertheless we’ve got to be trustworthy right here – throughout our preliminary check run, we tried to be just a little aggressive with it on a small concrete path and ended up making use of a bit an excessive amount of energy, sending it off target, off the trail and into a really massive concrete gentle submit. At velocity. The tip outcome was principally a Pile of Puma.

We did, nevertheless, get to drive it for just a little over 1/2 a battery pack so we’re going to base the beneath evaluation information on that. We do plan on getting it repaired and doing an excellent Rally video quickly – simply ready on the components.

Velocity
We really tried the Puma on 2S for about, oh, 30 seconds. It’s enjoyable, however we knew that because the electronics had been 3S succesful, we actually wanted a extra highly effective LiPo on this factor! Dropping a much bigger battery in was the ticket as now the Puma turned a rapid monster to drive. Calming down a bit on the throttle, we managed to begin pulling off some good energy slides and drifts. A fast run with the SkyRC GNSS confirmed a prime velocity of about 47mph, spectacular for a automobile designed extra for squirty Rally programs than all-out velocity runs.

Dealing with
The M-Sport handles about nearly as good as you’d anticipate from an overpowered, outsized automobile that’s made for power-sliding. Once more, underneath regular circumstances (which means, not full throttle 100% of the time), the dealing with is there. The tires and suspension work in unison to maintain the automobile managed and manageable, nevertheless the second you ‘simply need extra’, the dealing with sort of goes out the window. Our suggestion – in order for you good dealing with, use a 2S LiPo. If you need out-of-control and a wildly rad experience – 3S.

Suspension
Once more, relying in your battery output, the suspension can both do its job or it may’t. For probably the most half, the shocks are nice at calming down the automobile when driving in a managed trend. Small jumps, uneven pavement and even tarmac-to-dirt transitions are all soaked up splendidly by the Puma’s suspension. It’s if you begin getting uncontrolled that it struggles, however we’re undecided there’s actually a repair for that because the automobile simply overpowers the adhesion stage of the tires.

Sturdiness
Okay, in order we talked about earlier, we broke the automobile. It was a reasonably rattling good hit on the left entrance quarter panel, bypassing the entrance bumper and forcing the brunt of the hit on the left entrance tire (that was sadly changed into the crash). The hit broke the arm on the hinge pin, snapped a steering arm and pulled the cap off the shock – a reasonably devastating hit contemplating the quantity of enjoyable we had been having.

Now, we all the time ask ourselves throughout a time like this if the automobile must be damaged or are the components simply weak and, nicely, we will actually say sure it most likely ought to have damaged. A wider entrance bumper or extra meat on the interior hinge pin boss may need prevented as a lot injury, however it’s arduous to say.

One last item we wish to contact on is the mounting of the physique. As lovely as it’s, it does sit only a weeee bit ahead, making the tires a weeee bit far again within the wheel arches and, underneath heavy acceleration (or landings), could cause the physique to tuck up underneath the rear tires. Since we will’t actually shift the physique again, we needed to trim it simply barely to assist stop the tuck. It’s not a giant deal however one thing that must be addressed by CEN previous to the official launch of the automobile.

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Remaining Ideas
The CEN M-Sport Ford Puma Rally stunned us from the second we noticed the wonderful field artwork. The physique is past gorgeous, the wheel and tire package deal matches completely, the chassis design has some cool options to it and the Hobbywing energy – simply wow. This automobile has the whole lot going for it, apart from the minor (however annoying) physique situation, and must be on the highest of your checklist in the event you’re searching for a 1/8 scale Rally experience. Nicely executed, CEN!