Pro-Line is well known for Readers’ Choice Award-winning bodies, wheels, and tires, as well as the PRO-2 Buggy, PRO-2 SC, and PRO MT kits. Now Pro-Line is branching out into rock-crawlers, minis, and ready-to-runs…all in one model! The all-new Ambush is a 1/25 “True Scale” rock crawler with all the detail you’d expect from the body and tire giant, plus features normally found only in 1/10 and larger machines. Everything you need to hit the trail is in the box, including a Lithium-Ion battery, USB charger, and a good-looking 2.4GHz transmitter–first-class stuff. How much and how soon? Expect the Ambush to land in October at about $184. Here’s everything else you need to know about Pro-Line’s new mini-crawler.
Take me home! The window-box packaging will look good on the hobby-store shelf, and even better on your passenger seat.
The Ambush and its 2.4GHz transmitter for a sense of scale. It’s a high-quality combo.
Good-looking truck. The body hits International Scout notes, and is topped by an injection-molded cage and separate roof panel.
‘Sup bro? The tiny driver figure’s rubber head wears a backwards cap and shades. Safety first with a 4-point harness (even if it is just a sticker).
Rear angle. Pro-Line does a good job decaling the Ambush for you. Let’s get a look under the Lexan…
The body is held on by two Velcro strips. The chassis is very neat, just a couple of boxes (battery up front, receiver/speed control in the back), a few tidy wires, and no antenna.
Here’s the speed control/receiver combo. There’s an extra slot for a third channel.
The battery is a 2-cell, 350mAh, 7.4v block that slips into a holder and connects automatically. That’s one less plug in your life.
The USB charger is ready to jack into your phone charger, laptop, or your RC charger’s USB port if equipped. A red LED lets you know charging is under way, and a green LED lights when the pack is good to go.
The steering servo is mounted on the axle, and aims the front tires with a linkage setup like what you’ll find on many 1/10 trucks.
Here’s the chassis with the battery box and receiver/speed control unit removed. Until you really look at it, it’s easy to mistake the Ambush for a 1/10 scale model. The black steel chassis rails and black plastics set off the plated leaf springs, hardware, and shock towers nicely.
The transmission sits on a steel skid plate and houses a single gear mesh. The motor plate is steel too (I goofed in the video and said it was aluminum). Note how each chassis rail is actually two pieces of steel.
Here’s a look underneath, starring a sturdy skidplate and solid-axle drivetrain.
Here’s two angles of the trans out of the Ambush, with the gear cover off. All the truck’s hardware is .050″ hex, so it’s easy to work on.
Telescoping shafts link the transmission to the axles. The tiny shafts are just over 6mm in diameter.
The solid axles provide full-time 4WD, and the “stacked” housing makes it easy to guess what’s inside–namely, a worm-drive setup instead of the usual bevel pinion and ring gear.
Tires off for a better look at the axle and the leaf springs. The axles are locked, no differentials.
And here’s a look inside the axle housing. It’s all metal in there, and since it’s a worm-gear system, there’s no freewheeling–the gears only turn under power. That means the Ambush won’t roll off obstacles when you stop.
The Ambush’s suspension looks trick with its plated shock towers. Each spring consists of three separate leaves, and they’re very thin for flexibility. The shocks also have springs inside them.
Hey, did you know Pro-Line makes excellent tires? Not many people know that, besides everyone. The Ambush gets a set of Flat Irons that are ringers for the 1/10 versions, but these are just 2″ in diameter. The tires are glued to Denali rims and separate trim rings give the wheels beadlock styling.
Most minis totally skimp on the radio, but Pro-Line specs a nice unit.
Steering and throttle trims are digital, and the L-M-H switch sets maximum throttle to Low, Medium, or High. The lower settings are handy when you want to devote maximum trigger throw to minimum throttle range for extra-precise crawling. The silver thing tucked into the upper corner flips out so you can clip the radio to a lanyard if that’s your style. Not shown: battery-meter and link-status LEDs, steering rate adjustment buttons, and the third-channel switch in front of the wheel.
And one more thing: Pro-Line supplies extra decals so you can change up the stripes for a fresh look (or so you can tell whose truck is whose when your buddies get theirs).