The mini market has grown larger and larger throughout the past couple of years. The list of manufacturers now rivals the list you'll find in the larger segments of the market, and you'll even find some manufacturers that focus solely on the mini genre. iWaver is one of these manufacturers, and has focused solely on the mini market.
iWaver takes their minis seriously offering a nice assortment of ?in the box? options, as well as other upgrades you can purchase separately as well. In fact, the iWaver includes more tuning options in the box than any other mini I've tested. When that's combined with the realism offered by the hard plastic body, it's an attractive offering to many.
The iWaver O2M Mustang GT offers a nice array of positives, that's for sure. Now it's time to see what's under the hood, and exactly how it drives. So let's get started.
Model Name: iWaver O2M Mustang GT RTR
Price: R995.00 (Approx. Street Price)
Type: 1/28 Electric Touring Car
Length: 4.9" (125mm)
Width: 2.8" (71mm)
Wheelbase: 3.7" (93mm) Adjustable For Other Bodies
Shocks: Plastic With Replaceable Springs
Motor: 130 Size
Radio: INTO2O 2-Channel FM
Additionally Required Items
8 AA Batteries For Radio
4 AAA Batteries For Vehicle
The body for the iWaver Mustang I received is formed plastic, which bucks the trend of lexan bodies currently seen on RC cars in recent years. However, this sort of body is still sometimes used in the mini scene, as it is with the iWaver. What this does is to allow the body to have a much greater level of detail than you might normally see if it were made of lexan. A separate insert fills in the interior of the convertible Mustang GT, adding a sense of realism. Other details, such as the sideview mirrors and tail lights, further add to the detail of this mini RC platform.
Of course you'll need proper documentation to help get you going, and iWaver provides you with a nice full color instruction manual. The manual covers the basics, such as getting you started. However, it also gives you a full explanations of the radios menus, exploded diagrams, tuning tips, and even a list of upgrade options that are available for the car.
You get quite a few accessories along with your iWaver O2M RTR vehicle. There's several option parts for the platform, to accommodate optional upgrade items that you may purchase later on. These include motor plates, pinion gears, and optional steering bars. You also get extra springs to tailor the vehicle's handling characteristics to suit your needs. Finally, you'll find antennas for both the radio and the car as well.
The iWaver O2M platform sports an impressive amount of options and suspension availability into a very small size. The car is powered by four AAA batteries that are housed in pairs on each size of the vehicle. While you can use standard AAA alkaline batteries the use of higher discharge NiMH cells, such as a set of Duratrax 750Mah NiMH AAA cells , will provide additional power-related benefits.
The motor is at the rear of the car's chassis, and is held in place by the motor housing. The entire rear assembly is dampened by a pair of springs in front of each rear tire. The upper suspension mounts provide additional mounting positions to account for the adjustable length offered by the vehicle's chassis.
The underside of the iWaver's chassis allows you to glimpse the plastic chassis plate that forms the backbone of the vehicle. One of the first items that is most noticeable is the receiver crystal, due to the fact it's accessed from the underside of the vehicle. You may also recognize the ability to alter the vehicle's wheelbase. This is to allow the wheelbase of the chassis to be changed so that it will fit other bodies in the iWaver lineup.
The receiver and proportional speed control is an integrated into a single unit and placed into the center of the iWaver's chassis. A plug at the rear of the circuit board feeds power to the motor, while another plug can be used to drive optional components such as LED lights. Even though this would require some custom fabrication on the owner's part, it's nice to know that the option is there.
The iWaver uses a micro-sized steering servo to handle pointing the tires in the correct direction as the car is being driven. The servo horn fits into a draglink that connects the two steering hubs together, pivoting them as necessary. Plastic wheel nuts are used to hold the vehicle's wheels in place on the steering hubs.
Underneath the wheels is an adapter that's keyed to fit the backside of the wheel. Springs, are fitted over the vertical pins to provide the iWaver with suspension movement. Optional springs are included along with the car to allow you to fine tune the vehicle's handling.
The battery compartments are located along the sides of the iWaver. It takes a total of four AAA batteries to power the vehicle, and its set up to house two cells on each side. A fiber ribbon is used to help you easily remove the battery cells when needed, and a plastic cover secures the batteries into place on the chassis.
The motor that powers the vehicle sits above the rear of the chassis. It's held in place by a plastic brace that fits around it. An adjustable wheelbase is used to facilitate the different length options the iWaver offers.
The rear shock assembly uses a single upper plate as a backbone, to compliment the lower chassis plate. The plate offers three positions to hold the shocks. Just as with the front, you can swap these springs to help tailor the suspension characteristics of the rear as well.
The iWaver is a two-wheel drive vehicle. The rear driveline is what powers the vehicle, and the differential sits on the right-hand rear side of the chassis. It's easily accessed once the wheel is removed. It's a five-gear assembly that uses three inner plastic gears and two outer gears.
The iWaver's radio has a very unique styling approach. It's very comfortable to hold, supplying rubber grips and a foam wheel. An aluminum handle at the top of the radio makes it very easy to transport when it's not being used.
The radio is an FM radio, and sports a digital display at the rear of it. This provides you with an easy to read interface that makes the radio very easy to use. Direct button alongside the steering wheel give you quick access to the trim functions, while a button at the upper end of the handle provides you with access to the ABS braking function. Other features include EPA and exponential.
The iWaver O2M Mustang GT is practically ready to go out of the box. So you won't find it necessary to do much before you head out to run the car. Anything necessary is very minor, and the first of these items is the radio's antenna. The stainless steel antenna is included in the bag of accessories, all you need to do is find it and insert it into the radio. Spin the antenna clockwise to lock it into place.
You will also need to equip the radio with a set of AA batteries to power it. The battery tray for the iWaver's radio is different from most radios. A clip on the back of the radio holds the tray in place while the radio is being used. Remove the clip, and slide the tray out. It holds 8 AA batteries. Make sure to use fresh cells for the best range and longevity. Once you've placed the cells into the radio tray, slide the tray back into place and replace the retaining clip.
The last items you'll need to complete are the AAA batteries for the vehicle, and its antenna. The vehicle's antenna is in the bag of accessories, and you simply remove the screw on the center right-hand side of the chassis. Then use the screw to hold the antenna in place on the car's chassis. After that, place the four AAA batteries in the battery holders on the chassis and replace the upper clips that secure them into place. With the chassis readied, drop the body into place.
With the iWaver O2M Mustang GT ready to go I headed out in front of the house to the paved driveway. I set up some cones to use as corner markers, and to give me something to drive the car around. Then, after switching the car and radio on, I pulled the trigger on the radio and the iWaver Mustang GT pulled away from me.
I started out with a set of standard alkaline batteries. The speed of the iWaver was average for a mini, with a top speed of around 10MPH. The responsiveness of the vehicle seemed a little sluggish though, not as instantaneous as I'd like to see. This response was focused towards the steering, and a quick inspection showed that the steering servo like to twitch some when the motor was in motion.
I investigated the motor capacitors, but found nothing amiss. I also rechecked the antenna, and it seemed to be fine as well. It simply appeared that the motor was causing some interference with the radio and receiver. With the close proximity of the receiver and antenna to the motor, it wouldn't be hard for many receivers to be prone to some minor interference. I could still drive the iWaver though, it was just seemed little less responsive than what I'm used to.
The car handled well around the cones, although I did end up needed to dial a little steering travel out of the car with the end point adjustments. It was really easy to oversteer into the corners otherwise, which would start to induce an oversteer condition. Once I had made my adjustments, the car handled much better, and was much easier to control. With ?the top down?, the Mustang GT sped between the cones as I drove back and forth between them.
With the change in the steering travel, the iWaver stuck well to the pavement. The ride was a little bouncy when the vehicle hit rough sections of the pavement or debris though, due to the undampened springs. I replaced the stock springs with the stiffer ones from the box, and this seemed to help tame the vehicle's characteristics. Without the ability to alter the vehicle's dampening, the harder springs seemed to really tame the suspension the best for my tastes.
One of the coolest features of the iWaver was how easy it was to change the gearing. Thanks to the extra spacers and motor covers, a pinion swap was easy to perform. There was no gap setting procedure, as you just simply removed the cover and spacer, swapped the pinion, and replaced the cover and spacer as appropriate. Changing the gearing seemed to make a noticeable difference, and although all out speed can be fun, I really liked the overall balance offered by the 8-tooth pinion the most.
After running the car for nearly 35-40 minutes, I opted to swap out the alkalines for a set of the Duratrax rechargeable NiMH batteries. These batteries ended up giving me about 15-17 minutes of runtime on a charge. However, they picked the speed of the iWaver up tremendously, increasing it by about 3MPH. At first that may seem small, but for a car of this size, it makes a tremendous difference. This difference is well worth the expense, especially if you're serious about running a mini such as the iWaver O2M series.
The one thing I noticed as I continued to drive the iWaver was how well the ABS function seemed to tame the car's approach as it headed into sharper corners. I toggled the ABS function on and off several times to continue to check the difference it offered in each mode. This single function made a huge difference in the feel of the car when compared to the ?overkill? braking offered by other minis.
When it came to the other big included function, exponential, I ended up leaving it set to off. While some people made like the different feel it offers, it made the car much touchier than I wanted it to. I prefer a more linear feel, especially when driving a vehicle on pavement. However, it's nice to see that it was included for those people who would benefit from it.
As the testing session drew to a close, I could reflect and see that the iWaver O2M handled well, and offers plenty of tuning options right out the box. If that isn't enough, there are also plenty of upgrades options as well, including motor, bearings, and wheels. If you're looking for a mini touring car platform that offers you plenty of room to grow, the iWaver O2M can prove it's up to the challenge!
The iWaver O2M Mustang GT has really shown it is a very tunable vehicle platform. The mini-sized ride can carve up the corners well, and looks excellent ripping down the straightaway. The included FM radio seemed to pick up a little interference, which isn't typical of FM modulation. However, given the cramped quarters of a mini platform, many minis have their range shortened because of the close proximity of the components.
Hardcore mini fans will probably look towards the faster aftermarket motor, and that extra speed will play into the hands of those looking to take their iWaver to the next level. If you're a mini fan and you're looking to increase the size of your garage with another vehicle, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the iWaver O2M platform. It simply offers a lot, and continues to spiral upward from there with the upgrades that can accompany it.
[b]Post Review Follow Up[/b]
Following my previous review on the iWaver O2M, I received another chassis. While the platform construction is the same, and therefore boasting the same features as before, the glitching I witnessed in the electronics has been eliminated. This is a standup effort on the part of iWaver to address the problems I encountered and further improve their product for their customers. I applaud them for their efforts in this.
After further testing with the new chassis and electronics, I had nothing but smooth sailing while driving the O2M. The handling and the power offered by the on-board motor was still the same, which means one should expect all of the previous handling traits to be intact just as they were before. The responsiveness of the iWaver was much improved, which didn't change the handling characteristics. However it did improve the ability of the O2M as it transitioned into and out of a turn. In short, it handled with the quick response you'd expect a touring car to!
In addition, the range of the radio and on-board electronics increased as well with the new improvements. This enabled me to drive the car at distances much further than what I could comfortably see at. Even at distances of nearly 100 feet I could easily control the iWaver, although it was really hard to tell exactly where the small scaled tires were pointing.
While the previous version of the car had a few minor issues preventing it from reaching its full potential, the revision fixes all of that and puts the O2M exactly where it should be. With all of the tuning options available, both in the box and as optional upgrades, the iWaver O2M is a very important consideration for anyone looking to step into the mini touring car market.
