WL-Model 16800 1/16 Excavator RTR
XK Innovations has been strong partner with Motion RC for a few years now, and we're especially proud to announce their first entry into the hobby-grade Construction Category with their very own 1/16 scale Excavator! In this review, I'll cover all you need to know when considering whether or not this is the right machine for you. We've been part of this development for nearly two years, so I'm excited to dig into what makes this worth buying for someone looking to get into hobby grade RC Construction without breaking the bank.
Let's start with a few basic specs:
Model: 16800 Excavator
Scale: 1/16
Weight: 10.5 lbs / 4.7kg
Primary Materials: ABS Plastic and Metal
Power system: Electric, single 2s 1800mAh battery with T-connector
Assembly Required: None
Delivered As: RTR - - Everything in the box except four AA batteries for the 2.4Ghz radio transmitter
Features:
Fully independent drive system on metal caterpillar tracks
360 degree upper hull rotation
Steel gear driven boom
Electric linear actuator driven stick and bucket
Fully proportional precise control inputs for all movements
Trip switches for over limit protection
Sound system
Innovative "Exhaust effect" water vaporizer system (no oil required!)
LED lighting
Detailed cockpit with clear window panels
Metal bucket included; future accessories planned
Initial impressions so far : Solid value for the price point!
Unboxing: Packaging
The Excavator arrived an outer shipping carton and a custom cut EPP foam enclosure that fully encased the Excavator and its accessories with a very tight fit. The factory decided to ditch the art box packaging and I'm glad they did, choosing instead to focus on maximum protection against drops during transportation. It's a utilitarian approach that I think makes sense. After my initial unboxing and testing, I repackaged the Excavator and conducted drop tests against flat faces, edges, and corners, from one foot to three feet. In all instances, the Excavator emerged unscathed, which is a testament to the effectiveness of this packaging method.
Unboxing: Contents
The Excavator is delivered as an RTR, meaning everything is included in the box except for the four AA batteries required for the radio controller.
The Excavator itself is fully assembled and painted. I was pleased to see that the paint on the metal and plastic parts match each other well, to the point that it's almost impossible to tell them apart.
The radio is a typical gamer style controller with four trigger finger buttons for driving the tracks, a D pad for toggling sound, and a number pad for toggling the smoke effect and other features. The left control stick induces cabin traverse and stick extension/retraction, while the right stick induces boom elevation/depression and bucket scoop/dump. At 50 feet, the radio's range test shows operation far beyond what I'd consider typical for an earth mover, where usually I want to be right in front of it to watch all the action up close.
The radio requires you to provide four AA batteries. One nice touch is that the battery hatch cover is attached with a latch but also fastened by a screw. I'd guess that the screw is used for additional protection against young ones opening the battery hatch, but for us adults, I ditched the screw and just rely on the latch to keep the cover attached. This makes swapping batteries quicker because I don't need to look for a screwdriver anymore.
A simple "WL Construction" logo is branded on the boom and the cab. I was very happy to see that these are silkscreen printed, not decaled, which means that one could theoretically add a decal over these areas without the WL branding hampering the decal's surface. In other words, they're easy to cover over, for those inclined to do so.
Unboxing: Accessories
One 2s 7.4V 1800mAh Li-ion battery is included, which can be charged using the included USB charger or most common RC Hobby chargers. I've had good experiences with this battery over the years; it's the same battery WLToys uses in several of its larger RC trucks, buggies, and crawlers. A T-Connector is used, and I noted that there is precious tight space in the battery bay for an adapter, if you choose to use a different battery with, say, an XT60 connector.
Out of the box, a full metal bucket is pre-equipped on the Excavator's stick. Interestingly, other accessories were not included in the box, but there are two cutouts in the EPP foam cradle for what appear to be other earth moving accessories. Additionally, the stick has a low profile hole in it which contains a hidden 1.3mm powered input, which strongly suggests that WLToys is planning to produce powered accessories to replace the standard metal bucket. I'm interested to see what they provide in the future! Excavators are very versatile and there is a wide range of potential accessories I can imagine would be fun to use on this machine.
Setup
Zero control setup is required for the model out of the box. The radio arrives already bound. Charge the main battery, turn on the radio, slide the switch under the house, and the excavator will come to life with its onboard sound system. An empty flexible plastic bottle is provided to inject tap water into the reservoir, which then produces a mist "exhaust effect" when pressing Button 4 on the radio transmitter's number pad.
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