Carisma Scale Adventure SCA-1e Coyote

Carisma jumps into the scale scene with an all-new rig

- Kevin Hetmanski

Despite plenty of history producing attractive cars (including models for some of the big guys), Carisma’s following in the United States has been pretty small. The brand hopes to change all that with Scale Adventure, a bold entry into the trail & scale scene. The centerpiece of the push is the SCA-1E Coyote, a 1.9-inch rig that rolls out of the box fully ready to run, right down to the included AA batteries for the transmitter. The all-new truck clicks off must have features such as a 4-link suspension, full-metal transmission, bead-lock wheels, and realistic scale looks. Let’s unpack the Carisma Scale Adventure SCA-1E and see what it has to offer.

Old-School Toyota Body

The body is loosely based on the second-gen Japanese-market Toyota Stout, and it has an attractive flat-black finish. The rearview mirrors, door handles, windshield wipers, rear bumper, and front grille are injection-molded pieces and further boost realism. LED mounts come with the truck, and they are used to light up the turn-signal area above the headlights.

35T Brushed Power & Waterproof Electronics

The Coyote’s speed control is made by Hobbywing and can be set up for NiMH and LiPo packs via jumper plugs, and you can choose Crawler mode (100% drag brake) or Boat mode (yeah, weird), which has no brake—so stick with Crawler mode. A sealed-can 35-turn brushed motor provides the power, and Carisma gets you rolling with a 1400mAh 6-cell NiMH battery. That’s not a lot of capacity, but crawlers are notoriously frugal with power, and it’s one less thing for a first-timer to buy.

Rock Ripper Tires on Bead-lock Wheels