Team Losi Micro T - just for Fusion

Model Name: Team Losi Micro-T RTR
Part Number: LOSB0230
Price: to be announced…
Type: 1/36 Scale Stadium Truck
Length: 4.5" (114mm)
Width: 3.5" (89mm)
Weight: 3.4 oz. (96 g)
Wheelbase: 3.0" (76mm)
Drive train: Two Wheel Drive, Gear Differential
Suspension: Front C-Hub Carriers and Rear Bearing Carriers
Axles: Stainless Steel CVD Axles
Shocks: Coil over Friction
Wheels: 0.75x0.53" (19x13mm) Plastic Dish-Style
Tires: 1.13x0.56" (29x14mm) Pinned Rear, Grooved Front
Chassis: Composite Tub
Motor: Micro Electric
Speed Control: Integrated Receiver/Speed Control with Reverse
Radio: Losi 27MHz AM

Team Losi turned the RC world upside down when they released the Mini-T. Until that point no one had put the level of detail into a mini platform the way Losi did. This showed with the way the vehicle's popularity exploded. Now Losi is poised to do this yet again with the Micro-T. Up until now 1/36 scale micros vehicles have been street cars with very basic suspensions, not stadium trucks with a very capable independent suspension.The Mini-T offered a very well-rounded package, but Losi touts the Micro-T as a fully ready to run vehicle. You'll find the radio, charger, and even the AA batteries in the box. So it's ideal for someone looking to get into the hobby, or someone that doesn't want to purchase a lot of support equipment. I'm curious to see exactly what kind of power the Micro-T offers, as some minis seem to suffer in this department. Team Losi's minis have never really had a problem with speed, so I expect this little truck to be a nice little pint-sized terror. However, the proof is shown with the radio in hand, so let's find out!

The Losi Micro-T arrives just as its bigger twin the Mini-T did, with a pre-stickered body that's ready to go. There are three variations of the Micro-T, each with a different color body; blue, green, and red. The main body color has a metallic sheen to it, which really causes the body color to pop. Two holes, one at the front and one at the rear, provide the means for the body to be secured to the posts on the chassis.

Losi doesn't leave you out in the cold without means to understand the inner workings of their latest pint-sized terror. So you'll want to glance over the included documentation before you first run your new Micro-T. The Operations Guide gives you the basic information you'll need for charging and running the Micro-T, while another included sheet provides you with exploded diagrams and a parts list.
The Micro-T sports a similar radio to what was first seen in my Losi Mini-LST review. It's a basic AM radio with analog knobs. The Micro-T's radio uses crystals though, instead of synthesized operation. The main reason behind this is to keep the cost of the model at a very competitive price range. The radio does include a dual-rate adjustment, which is very handy if you need to dial out some of the truck's steering. The radio has a nice cushy feel to the steering knob. The angled grip is designed to fit both smaller and larger hands, so it has a unique characteristic to it. It takes a little time to get used to this, when compared to other radio handles that are more vertical in design. However, it works well as I could use it comfortably, as well as my kids. The Micro-T comes with a nice compact charger that's self-contained and easy to carry around with you. It's very unique, thanks to the fact that it doesn't use an external power source. Instead it relies on a set of eight AA alkaline batteries to power it. A single LED lights up when you charge the Micro-T, and turns off once the truck is ready for some action. The plug that connects to the truck is keyed, making it easy to distinguish the direction it needs to be plugged in for charging.
The Losi Micro-T offers one outstanding feature that is rarely found in the RC industry. That is the fact that everything you need to run the Micro-T is included in the box. This includes all of the AA alkaline batteries needed for both the charger and the radio. The completeness of the Micro-T makes it a true ready to run vehicle.

So just how big is the 1/36 scale Losi Micro-T? With a length of only 4.5 inches, it's just a little larger than a common Matchbox or Hot Wheels car. I knew the Micro-T was small, but until I actually held it in the palm of my hand I simply never knew how small it actually was. I thought it was amazing when Losi produced the small Mini-T platform, but the Micro-T platform is unreal and takes shrinking a stadium truck to a whole new level.

With the lexan body in place, it's hard to get a true feel for the size of all of the Micro-T's components. So much more can be seen with the body removed, and it gives one a real feel for what it took to produce a truck of this size. For a vehicle of this size, there's still quite a large amount of detail involved.

The Micro-T is a two-wheel drive truck, just like its larger namesake. A plastic tub chassis forms the foundation of the truck, and supports the front and rear suspension assemblies. The top of the front shock tower is kicked back, and allows the front skid plate to angle up. This provides some extra caster angle to the front of the Micro-T, and helps the truck correct itself upon landing should the front end come down a little too hard. To the rear of the shock tower you'll find the transmission, motor, and driveline.

The bottom of the Micro-T is nice and smooth. Countersunk hardware is used to avoid having any screw heads that could catch the ground as the Micro-T speeds across it. The left-hand side sports a power switch to turn the truck on and off easily without the need to remove the body. Behind it, you'll find the cover for the battery compartment, held in place by a pair of screws.

The front suspension mimics what you'll find on the larger versions of Losi's popular stadium truck platform. There are some differences however, due to the small size of the components. Most notable of these is the fact that the front shocks aren't given any adjustment options like you'd expect to see on Losi's 1/10 scale truck. However, given the small size of the truck, shock adjustments are likely to have little effect overall. The plastic lower suspension arms have a thickness of 3mm, with the upper 1.5mm thick camber links utilizing a bend to provide clearance for the front shocks. The axle and steering assembly for the front is made possible by a c-hub assembly. The steering links are fixed, and made of plastic. They are surprisingly thin at first glance, but their design allows them to flex if impacted which offers the servo an extra layer of protection. The axle stub is stainless steel, and has a diameter of 2mm. A groove at its end serves as a point meant specifically for the e-clip that holds the wheel in place. The suspension pin used on the front of the Micro-T is u-shaped and serves double duty, working as both the suspension pins and the tiebar. Its 1mm thickness is paper-clip size in appearance, but provides plenty of strength for the small lightweight Micro-T.

The rear suspension is modular, just like the front. This makes it easy to remove the whole assembly if maintenance becomes necessary. Just like with the front, the lower suspension arm is plastic and 3mm thick. Instead of a c-hub, you'll find an axle carrier to support the rear axle. The rear shocks are adjustable, with two positions provided on the suspension arm. The shock tower doesn't provides the shock with any adjustability options though. The pins that connect the suspension arms to the rear assembly have a thickness of 1mm and are stainless steel.
The dogbone axle assemblies are a sight to behold, as seeing the axles this small is really hard to imagine. The dogbone shaft is only a mere 1mm thick, but offers plenty of strength for the pint-sized truck. The axle stub has a flat spot which is made specifically to mate with the wheel, and the stub rotates inside a set of bushings. A groove on the end is meant for the e-clip that holds the wheel in place on the 2mm axle stub.
The Micro-T uses plastic friction shocks to handle the dampening duties. A 1.5mm thick stainless steel shock shaft offers plenty of strength for the Micro-T. At the top end of the shock, a plastic shock cap is used to hold the upper end of the spring is in place. The shock's preload is not adjustable, but again will not have much of an impact on such a small vehicle.
.The micro motor is mounted to the rear of the stadium truck on a metal plate, and is protected by a plastic brace that wraps around the motor. The motor is equipped with a 12-tooth pinion from the factory. If you're looking for more gearing options just swap out the stock pinion for the optional pinions that are included in the box.

The entire transmission assembly is made to be easily removed from the Micro-T for easy maintenance. The pinion and spur gap is adjustable to accommodate the optional pinions included with the truck. The stock plastic spur gear is protected by a slipper clutch just as a larger stadium truck would be. As I mentioned earlier, optional pinion gears with 10 and 14 teeth allow you to easily alter the truck's performance for more speed or torque.

The inner workings of the transmission spin on a set of ball bearings. The differential is a geared differential as opposed to a ball differential that you'd normally see in a stadium truck. However with the size of the Micro-T's differential this makes much more sense. The inner gears are brass, while the outer gears and idler gear are made of plastic. The gear mounted opposite of the spur shaft is also manufactured of brass. The question everyone probably wants to know is what sort of speed to expect out of the Micro-T. For that, I pulled out my trusty radar gun and took some readings. Trying to clock this super small truck wasn't easy, but after several runs I got a good feel for what the speeds appear to be. The stock pinion seems to offer speeds of around 12 MPH, with the other gears swing the truck's gusto about 2 MPH in either direction. One may first think those figures are slow, considering they way I've talked about how fast the truck is. However given its size it's really fast, especially when you're indoors zipping around at full speed, which is what the Micro-T was really designed for.

The Micro-T offers a very stout durability factor as well, which surprised me. While I managed to bang it into the wall a few times myself while driving it, I opted to really put the truck though the torture test via my 3 year old son. I didn't expect it to last long with him at the wheel, but I ended up being very surprised. I turned him loose with the truck and let him run a full battery out in the basement game room. He tends to perform most of his running wide open, and slammed the Micro-T into the walls, brick fireplace, pool table, and treadmill over the course of the time he ran it. He ran through a total of five battery charges in this manner, and I cringed as he seemed to leave no immovable obstacle untouched. However, when all was said and done, the Micro-T was still running at the end of the day.
Brushless available for system.

And hop up parts galore –