As we enter indoor race season, the Big Squid Bash Crew decided to check out the Team Saxo 1/8 RC Go Kart Kit ARTR. Designed to be affordable, yet scale realistic, we got a chance to build and bash one the Go Carts to see how it stacks up. Featuring a carbon fiber chassis, and a large driver figure, the Team Saxo Go Cart just screams fun! How easy was it to build? How fast is it? Is it worth the cash? What are you waiting for, scroll down for the details!
From: Team Saxo
Direct Link: Team Saxo 1/8 RC Go Kart Kit ARTR
Review And Pictures By: Cubby & T-$$$
Specs-
RTR or Kit: Kit supplied with some electronics
Age: 14+
2wd or 4wd: 2wd
Electric or Gas: Electric
Scale: 1/8
Body: Hard plastic pre-colored
Chassis: Carbon fiber
Width (measured by BSRC): 7.3″
Wheelbase (measured by BSRC): 6.6″
Motor: 4,100kV non-sensored brushless
Speed Controller:
Low Voltage Cut-off: Yes
Radio: Not included
Differential: None
Driveshafts: Straight rear axle
Shocks: Springs only
Screws: Hex hardware
Battery: Not included
Part Number: #GK-200
Top Speed (measured by BSRC on 2S stock LiPo): 26 MPH
Street Price: $249
Required To Complete: You’ll need a transmitter, receiver, 2S LiPo & charger, and tools, to get the get the Saxo Go Cart up and running.
What’s In The Box: What you get in the box is the Go Cart kit, a servo, brushless ESC, brushless motor, pinion, and realistic driver figure.
Build Notes: Uggghhhh it’s a kit! That’s what a lot of people might say, but this is a really easy kit. The Saxo go cart is based off a 1/12th pan car, meaning it has a very simple design that is super simple to build. Our kit went together flawlessly, with the exception of the rear axle. Our test unit came with a coating on the rear axle that prevented us from sliding the bearings over. After putting the axle in our cordless drill on high speed and sanding for a couple minutes to get the coating off, we were good to go. All in all, we think you can easily build this kit in just a couple of evenings. Also, the body is hard plastic and pre-colored, so there is no need for painting.
On-Road/Turning: Why not start with one huge caveat, being that we only drove the go cart outdoors on paved surfaces. The Saxo go cart is extremely low to the ground, in fact, probably the lowest we’ve ever tested, and even our quite smooth asphalt, was still a bit rough to be driven on. Even a tiny pebble was enough to pop the go cart off its line, and because it comes with a realistic straight axle, the go cart could be a handful in corners. While we love the fact that it came with a straight rear axle, which is exactly how shifter carts come in 1:1, adding a diff to the rear will make it easier to drive on rougher surfaces. Sadly, we don’t have a legit carpet track without several hours of our base right now, had we had one, we would have actually been able to test it in its true element. If you are more of a basher and never plan on hitting a track, you’ll definitely want to find the smoothest surface that you can to drive on.
Jumping: Just because the Saxo is an on-road car with virtually no ground clearance or suspension, that doesn’t mean we weren’t going to send it. So yes, we sent it, and no, you don’t want to! This really is an on-road only car, and while it can catch air, it’s kinda like jumping a brick.
Grass/Off-Road: Yes, we tried. No, you don’t want to. There simply isn’t enough ground clearance for any off-road fun.
Tires: The stock foam tires are pre-trued and ready for serious driving. On the pavement and asphalt we drove on, the stock tires were pretty dialed, and that was without any sauce or tire prep.
Power: Inside the box you get a brushless ESC and motor. The stock power system had more than enough yank for our driving needs. We used the included pinion for our testing and the go car absolutely rips away from a dead stop, then basically never runs out of power until it hits the upper RPM limit. We feel like the included power system will have plenty of yank for 90% of users. However, if you are more of an extreme type, there’s a lot of room to work with in the motor pod for larger, gnarlier motors and pinions.
Broken Parts: The front of the go cart is protected by the hard plastic body and the sides are protected by more hard plastic. Rear hits are usually rare, so out of the box, the go cart is pretty dialed for bashing. Also, the car is an extremely simple design, also making it harder to break. In the end, we drove it like we stole it and had a hard time breaking anything. We stripped a rod end and chunked a couple tires, but never had a severe enough issue to keep us from driving it.
Final Verdict: For us, we saw the Team Saxo Go Cart as the perfect “second class” kit for racing during the indoor season. It’s affordable, its made from high-end materials, and is very realistic, both in look, and how it drives. For indoor racers who compete in touring or pan car, the Team Saxo Go Cart is a great way to get in more track time, in a really fun, scale realistic, manner. For bashers, if you have a smooth road to drive it on, it’s super quick and looks incredibly scale while in motion. To sum things up, the Big Squid Bash Crew had an easy build with the Go Cart, and we had loads of fun sending it hard. If you are looking for a new way to have fun in rc, the Team Saxo Go Cart is a great way to do so.
