Arrma Typhon 3s BLX
The ARRMA Typhon 3s BLX is a difficult one for me. Don’t get me wrong it is a good car from a reputable company with a fast motor. It has got so much going for it. My only problem is that in my opinion, the Team Corally Syncro 4 is better buggy for your money. ARRMA has been responsible for some of the best RC Cars of the modern age, his one is no different. It is one of the best out there. The issue I have is that at the price of around £330, it is not as good value as the Team corally Syncro 4 which is around £315. The team Corally Syncro is nearer to the spec of the TLR Tuned Typhon 1/8 4WD which is a £600 buggy when ready to Run. I think that the corally sits in the middle of these two models. This may affect the sales of both cars.
ARRMA Typhon out of the Box
From the start the ARRMA Typhon 3s has all boxes ticked. It is a good-looking buggy. The build quality is great and it is fast. Everything is there in the box ready to go, all you need is to buy a battery and put some AAs in the transmitter. The ESC on the Car is 2s and 3s lipo compatible so we choose a 5000mah 3s.
ARRMA has done a great job with this. There is a lot of strong composite plastic making up the chassis tub and all of the shock towers. The shock absorbers are oil-filled but, are completely plastic with metal shafts. ARRMA takes great pleasure in pointing out that the shocks have silicone O rings which provide a great seal. This is where the team Corally Syncro 4 has the upper hand as the chassis is metal and the shocks look chunky with metal tops and plastic bash guards.
When you remove the top of the Typhon 3s you can see that there has been a lot of research and development and everything under the cover looks great.
I like that ARRMA has used the motor cooling fan as standard and opted for the Spektrum electronics.
Electronics of the ARRMA Typhon 3s
As usual, ARRMA has gone with good quality electrics starting with Spektrum™ 3-Channel SLT3™ 2.4GHz radio and SLR300 Waterproof* Receiver which feels good in your hand and has a nice smooth action with good response times. The ability to tone down the speed setting is great for getting used to the car. I think you will need this as the car is quite aggressive. The next component is the Spektrum™ SPMS651 Metal-Geared Digital Servo. This is a strong servo with pretty quick action and more than capable of supporting the torque of the steering at high speed.
Moving on to the motor ARMA has used Spektrum™ Firma™ 3660 3200Kv brushless motor with Safe D pinion and ARRMA® heatsink and cooling fan. This motor packs a punch when linked up with a 3s Lipo although the increased KV will drain the Battery quickly as opposed to a car with a reduced KV and a 4s Battery.
First Run of the ARRMA Typhon 3s
To say this car is quick is an understatement. Running alongside the team Corally Syncro 4 the speeds are very even. The Arrma is a 3s with a 3200kv motor and the Team Corally is a 4s with a 2150kv motor.
On the first bash of the throttle, the Typhon 3s popped a wheelie this was an annoying factor. It is great fun but detracts from the control. in a race situation you need stability and control and not just speed. the acceleration is great. This was caused by the Fast rear-mounted motor delivering power at the rear end of the 4WD buggy. it is easy to flip.
The setup of these two cars differs greatly. The Syncro 4 has 3 diffs with the motor being centrally mounted delivering power and weight evenly. The ARRMA has only two diffs with a central bearing power that is more weighted to the rear. As stated before the speed was pretty equal but the control was more in favor of the Syncro 4. Both cars are great to drive. We put them through their paces side by side and both cars took the punishment handed to them.
In conclusion
I would choose the Syncro although it is a matter of opinion. The Syncro looks and feels stronger because of all of the metal. The Typhon 3s is more plastic and the shocks look a bit cheap and lack proper adjustment.. I prefer the feel of the Typhon transmitter over the Syncro 4 because it is slightly bigger and feels better quality in your hand. The motor in the Typhon is faster than the Syncro but the 3s power plant brings the speed down to the level of the Syncro which is a 4s. The Typhon could be upgraded by changing the ESC to a 4s compatible but this would seem a waste of money because you would add around another £100 for a decent quality ESC.
It was great to get my hands on both cars and you would be happy with either but, the Syncro has more control and durability.
