It’s big, it’s black, and it’s got some attitude! Think of the ARRMA Big Rock 3S BLX 1/10 Scale Brushless Electric Monster Truck as your exclusive invitation to get in on the revolution.
We’ve had the pleasure of testing the ARRMA Big Rock extensively, so you can be rest assured that the information you get from this post will be accurate. We covered the ARRMA Big Rock in our 10 Best Brushless RC Trucks post.
In this post we will go over our thoughts on the ARRMA Big Rock V3 3S BLX 4WD Brushless RC truck.
Table of Contents
Features
Get ready for an EPIC off-road adventure with the ARRMA® BIG ROCK™ CREW CAB 4X4 3S BLX! This powerhouse allows you to take on scale realism, dirt crushing action and reach speeds up to 50+ mph. It's been upgraded with a Spektrum™ SLT3 radio, Firma brushless motor along with improvements in chassis strength and wider stance so it can handle your most extreme adventures.
- Stronger chassis and retained hinge pin plates
- Spektrum Frima 3660 3200Kv Brushless Motor
- Castellated slipper pad and sliding gear mesh
- 23T Spline servo saver
- 37T 1.35Mod diffs with silicone O-rings
- Oil-filled shocks with silicone O-rings
- Body with matte black finish
- BLX100 2S/3S waterproof* ESC
- Spektrum SPMS651 Metal-Geared Digital Servo
- Vented multi-terrain dBoots® RAGNAROK™ tires
- Wider arms front and rear
- Double wishbone suspension front and rear
- Wheelie Bar
- 2-year limited warranty
Check out this showcase video of the ARRMA Big Rock RC Truck:
Pros & Cons
- Tough (V3 gets a stronger chassis)
- Easy to get replacement parts (ARRMA is a popular brand)
- Fast out of the box (50+ mph on 3S Li-PO!)
- Adjustable ride height, body mounts and turnbuckles.
- Longer than the ARRMA Granite (more stability)
- Metal Geared Differentials
- Waterproof Electronics
- 2 year limited warranty
- Slipper clutch rather than center differential
- Does not come with batteries or charger
- Wheels are not as good as the ones provided on the ARRMA Granite BLX
- Motor is floating with no support underneath
- Sometimes rocks can still get stuck in steering servo arms
- Shock tower mount sometimes can pop off
- No sway bars
ARRMA’s slogan is accurate, “Designed Fast, Designed Tough”. The ARRMA Big rock delivers on all fronts, but although the ARRMA Big Rock is a magnificent RC truck, it still has some drawbacks. We will go over the Pros & Cons in more detail below.
Pros
It’s tough, I mean seriously tough. Unless you are going 50mph into a metal pole or jumping 40 feet in the air and landing on solid concrete upside down, this RC truck is hard to break. ARRMA is quite a popular RC brand, so if you end up breaking anything on the Big Rock, replacement parts are easy to come by.
It’s fast, dangerously fast. On 3S Li-PO this spectacular RC machine can do upwards of 50+mph. For a beginner this might be a little much, fortunately ARRMA has already thought of this. On the SL3 radio that is included there is a 50%, 75% and 100% power option, so if you are worried about the power, you can always start at 50% and move your way up as you get more comfortable.
Cons
Slipper clutch rather than center differential. Now this could be interpreted as a pro or con, but for this list I decided it was a con. Many users of the ARRMA Big Rock RC Truck have come across many issues with said slipper clutch, but in recent refreshes, those issue have been addressed.
The electric motor is floating, this isn’t exactly the biggest issue if you aren’t doing huge jumps, but just note that under stress, it could bend the motor mount. Luckily there are numerous fixes that can be found online. Here is one fix I recommend doing, as most people have the materials required lying around (4mm screw.).
Sometimes rocks can get in the way of the servo arms. You may have to knock them out from time to time.
Shock tower mount can pop off at the bottom, but it’s an easy fix, just pop it back on.
No sway bars. This makes sense for the ARRMA Big Rock as it’s not meant to be a competitive race truck, so there is no need to worry about not having them.
Our Rating
Design
The design of the ARRMA Big Rock 3S V3 BLX is very good, but some things like floating motor, slipper clutch, rocks blocking servo arms and shock tower mount popping off, could be improved upon or changed.
The modular design makes it easy to replace or fix components of the ARRMA Big Rock, the driveshaft for example is spring loaded, so all you need is some force to get it out.
The electronics are placed in easy to get locations, so if you were to need to work on them for any reason, it is easy to do so.
The Chassis is built to sustain hard impacts, so it minimizes the chances of cracking. Parts are designed to bend so that the tolerance of breaking is higher.
Overall the design is excellent, albeit a few things that could be changed.
Durability
ARRMA is known for their durability, so it’s no surprise that the ARRMA Big Rock is extremely durable. Being one of the toughest in it’s class, you can jump, land, roll, flip and do wheelies all day without worrying about breaking anything! After rolling this thing 100’s of times we never broke a thing, we even hit a tree head-on going relatively fast (+/- 30mph) and didn’t break a thing! It only gave us a small heart attack.
The chassis of the Big Rock is plastic, but this is what makes it so durable. The plastic chassis has a way higher tolerance of bend before it will break, while a metal chassis may bend under a lower tolerance. Just be careful in colder weather, as plastic is more brittle!
Quality
The quality of the parts and electronics used are phenomenal. Spektrum electronics are used in the ARRMA Big Rock and they are super reliable. On the Big Rock we tested to make sure everything was good out of the box, we had no troubles with loose screws, bolts, oils/lubrication or anything of the sort.
Price
The price is the biggest downside to this RC Truck. Coming in at $340 USD, it is quite expensive. Even more so considering this does not come with batteries or a charger.
Although the price puts most buyers off, the build quality, durability, parts and warranty makes it more than worth it, especially if you can find it on sale.
Recommended Battery & Charger
Since the ARRMA Big Rock 3S BLX does not come with a battery or charger, we will give our recommendation on what to use.
Battery
5200mAh capacity, 80C discharge rate for fast acceleration. This is our recommended choice for 3S Li-PO battery. We have used Zeee batteries extensively and for the price, almost nothing comes close to the quality.
Please note that this battery comes with a deans connector, while the ARRMA Big Rock uses IC5/EC5 connectors. You will either need to solder on a IC5/EC5 connector or buy an adapter.
Charger
Affordable, quick and small. This charger gets the job done, but unfortunately you will need an adapter for the IC5/EC5 connectors though. Not to worry! We recommend using this one. The good thing about this adapter is it should have every connector you will ever need! It even has a connector for Traxxas.
Conclusion
The ARRMA Big Rock V3 3S BLX brushless RC truck is an absolute beast. It’s design is state of the art and we’d even say it punches above it’s class. The only downsides are the lack of batteries and charger at the price point they are selling truck at, but if you are into RC hobby and love your toys, we have no doubt you will love this truck.
Would we recommend the ARRMA Big Rock? Absolutely. It has blown us away with its quality, durability and speed.
Calling all RC enthusiasts! The upgraded ARRMA BIG ROCK CREW CAB 4X4 3S BLX is here and ready for action, with scale realism to help take your racing experience to the next level. It's packed full of features from a Spektrum SLT3 radio, Firma brushless motor and tougher chassis - able to unleash 50+ MPH speeds on any terrain you choose!
Thank you for reading, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them down below and check out our previous post. Have a wonderful day!
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