Recently the crew at IMEX RC sent us one of their Exterminator 1/12XL Brushless 4×4 RTR Stadium Trucks for review. The Exterminator is small enough to be driven in areas where larger trucks can’t go, while also being big enough to handle rough terrain outdoors. After putting the Extreminator through the wringer for a few weeks, we learned a lot about it. What ya waiting for? Get to scrolling for the good stuff!
From: IMEX RC
Direct Link: IMEX Exterminator 1/12XL Brushless 4×4 RTR Stadium Truck
Review By: Cubby
Pictures By: T-Money
Specs-
RTR or Kit: RTR
Age: 14+
2wd or 4wd: 4wd
Shaft or Belt: Shaft
Electric or Gas: Electric
Scale: 1/12
Width (measured by BSRC): 10.8″
Wheelbase (measured by BSRC): 9.7″
Motor: 3,800kV brushless
Speed Controller: 45 amp brushless
Low Voltage Cut-off: Yes
Radio: 2.4GHz
Differential: Front and rear gear diffs
Driveshafts: Dogbones rear, CVD front
Shocks: Oil filled, plastic bodies, aluminum caps
Screws: Phillips
Battery: 2S LiPo with charger
Part Number: #IMX19405
Top Speed (measured by BSRC on 2S stock LiPo): 29 MPH
Street Price: $219
What’s In The Box- You get everything you need to run the truck, with the one exception of AA sized batteries for the transmitter.
Build Quality- Out of the box our Exterminator looked pristine. It came with the plastic wrap still on the outside of the body, thus ensuring it arrived scratch free.
Test Drivers- Oh yes, we had to get the old gang back together. Myself, Tee-Money, Iron Mikeee, and the RC Kid were all in attendance to put the truck through its paces.
Test Venues- We ended up bashing the truck at a couple of our local parks including Minnie Ha-Ha in Fenton Missouri.
Set-up Notes- The BSRC Bash Crew ran the truck bone stock, as is the normal for all our testing. We used the included 2S Lipo for much of our testing, but also ran it on a 3S for crazy power.
Turning: On grass, the stock tires allowed the truck to turn well. On pavement, the somewhat hard nature of the tires allowed it to slide around a bit, thus keeping it from traction rolling. Out of the box, we loved how the Exterminator turned. While some 4wd trucks don’t turn well, the IMEX does, thanks to proper suspension tuning from the factory. From the factory the IMEX comes with lightly damped front shocks, while allow the truck to really turn-in at corner entry. While the stock servo isn’t fast, it does have enough grunt to get those monster truck style tires turned as needed.
Jumping: Oh yes, the IMEX just loves to jump! With big brushless power and a 4wd drivetrain, we found the Exterminator a blast to catch air with. Once up in the air, the truck was easy to control, as just a blip of the throttle would easily bring the nose up, or a slight tap of the brake would bring the front down. Now, landing was a bit of a different story. To get all that luscious turning, IMEX went with light damping on the front suspension, which bottoms a bit too easily when landing from bigger jumps.
Bumps/Whoops: Once again we found the light damping on the front suspension held the truck back a bit when the going got rough. While the rear is well damped and generally well planted in the rough, the front definitely had some bounce to it. Over small ripples, the truck would blast right through with no issues, but when hitting the really rough stuff at Warp speed, a more damped front end would have allowed higher speeds.
On-Road: The relatively hard stock tires really helped the Exterminator when driving on-road. A lot of monster trucks have too much side-bite out of the box, which then results in traction rolling. The Exterminator would tend to slide out, instead of flipping over, and we appreciated that.
Grass: While the truck is only a 1/12th scaler, it did not have a problem driving in shorter grass. Those burly tires, combined with 4wd and big brushless power allowed the truck to really rip in shorter grass.
Tires: Yes, about those tires. The tread pattern is really good for dirt and grass, giving us plenty of forward bite, with just the right amount for side-bite. On-road they were hard enough to help prevent traction rolling. Yes, you can easily bolt on competition tires for more overall grip, but the stockers are just fine for normal bashing.
Power: On 2S Lipo, the Exterminator rolled into the power softly just off the bottom, then the power came in hot and heavy through the mid-range and top-end. On 2S, we felt like it had plenty of power for normal bashing, on-road or off. However, we feel that dropping a couple of teeth on the pinion would help improve the low-end yank, while also giving a bit more runtime. On 3S, it felt like the power had instantly doubled, with a serious hit of power that came in during the early mid-range and just kept on pulling up top. We felt like the Exterminator has more than enough power for 99% of drivers right out of the box and perhaps a bit too much for first time drivers.
Radio: A 2.4GHz radio comes standard and we had zero issues with it. While not fancy, it did the job with few complaints from our drivers.
Broken Parts: The first part that broke for us was one of the tie-rod ends. After slamming into a big rock, one of the rod ends stripped out on the steering. A couple of drops of CA glue later, we were back to bashing.
Misc Notes:
We did not have optimal weather during out test period. The lowest ambient temperature that we tested in was the high 80s F, with most of our testing being in the 90s. All you long time bashers know that temps like that are not easy on power systems, so we kept our bash sessions on the short side to prevent overheating of the motor. Stock gearing is fairly tall, even for 2S, so we would drop a few teeth on the pinion for longer runs on hot days.
A small light bar comes stock and is perfect for those late evening bash sessions.
Nice to see aluminum shock caps on the IMEX. Plastic caps always seem to fail, aluminum caps are definitely good for long term durability.
Those stock wheels look hot! They have a scale appearance and just plain look good on the Exterminator.
We measured a top speed of 29 MPH on a 2S Lipo battery. That’s hauling folks for a 1/12th scaled vehicle. While it’s not the fastest truck on the market, it has plenty of rip for its size, even for experienced drivers.
Most of you guys probably remember IMEX from their giant monster truck tires. Now days they still sell a ton of tires, but are also into the truck game. As this is the first IMEX we’ve ever reviewed, we had a great experience and look forward to driving more IMEX vehicles.
Summary: If you are looking for a good bang-for-the-buck, the IMEX Exterminator is certainly that. For under $220 you can have a powerful 4wd stadium truck that loves dirt, loves jumping, and is blast to driver around at full send. We had a great time with our Exterminator and think you will too.
