MJX Hyper Go Monster Truck (or truggy?) 14210 - unboxing impressions

So I've been buying these Hyper Gos based largely on the recommendations of Tomley RC almost since they first came out. I've got two of the 1:16 models, the 16207 buggy and 16209 monster truck, and one of the 1:14 scale street bashers, the 14302 Lancia-lookalike rally car.

The 1:16 scale off roaders are damn near indestructible. I've been running both of them on 3S for more than a year, and not one single thing has broken except for some body cracks (easily addressed by trimming the body back and reinforcing with tape).

The one complaint that most owners have with these small trucks is the small battery tray. You either buy extended parts to raise the retaining arm for the battery tray, or you remove the retaining arm entirely and hack together your own solution with velcro straps. Or, just bite the bullet and use the largest 3S pack that will fit the out-of-box tray. The best I could find is a 3S 1300mah Gens Ace that fits like it was made for it. That's still plenty for 11 or 12 minutes of full on hooning, or half an hour of on-and-off trail trucking.

The 14210 monster truck follows on the design of the 1:14 scale street bashers with a similar flat metal chassis plate design with a wheelbase a couple cm longer than the 1:16 scale trucks. It has a LOT more space for the battery, and it can fit 3S 2000mah packs or 2S 3000mah packs out-of-the-box. The servo is no longer parked under the ESC, and can be separately upgraded without taking the whole thing apart. RX has been moved into a dedicated waterproof box. Tires are slightly larger than the 1:16 scale trucks. All welcome updates!

MJX has corrected a lot of the problems that early Youtubers identified:

• Rear CVDs have been upgraded to sliding driveshafts anchored at both ends, no risk of a dogbone end popping out.

• Several screws on the model have been replaced with flange head screws, where Youtubers had noted there was risk of the parts pulling off over the screw heads.

• The "super speed mode" on the ESC has been eliminated. Looks like it's running full power right out of the box.

• The 2S Li-Ion cylindrical batteries used in the initial release have been upgraded to regular flat-pack LiPos.

Other first impressions:

• The shocks (metal bodies, metal caps, threaded) are large and buttery smooth for a model of this size. Out of the box, the model squats pretty low, like a Talion or similar truggy. But the kit comes with free stiffer shock springs if you want to push it up into a more traditional monster track stance.

• The 14302 rally car had a problem where gravel could slip into the joints of the suspension arms, effectively jamming the suspension. Those gaps have been filled with solid plastic on the 14210.

• The two included bodies (black and gold) are pre-installed with hard plastic sliders for durability.

• The servo saver is really, really soft. It's built into the servo horn, so I'm not sure if it's adjustable. We'll see how it performs.

• The 30 page manual is surprisingly comprehensive for an RTR Chinese import, with detailed exploded diagrams & part numbers for all subsystems on the truck.

I picked mine up on Amazon for $170, but if you're willing to wait a couple of weeks, you can find them on AliExpress from reputable sellers for about $155.