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The ARRMA Felony 6S BLX is one of the fastest street bashers ARRMA makes: Horizon Hobby rates it at 80+ mph on 6S with the included speed pinion. Quick note if you searched for a “Felony 8S”: there isn’t one. The Felony is a 4S/6S car, and this review covers the current Felony 6S BLX (ARA7617V2).
Horizon describes the Felony as inspired by the American muscle cars of the 1960s and 70s, with a retro-mod twist: a multi-part undercut body, front bumper and splitter, a rear diffuser with exhaust detailing and an adjustable wing.
Under the body is a 6S brushless power system, covered in the performance section below.
Still, there are a lot of competitors that you may be interested in as well.
One of them is the Infraction 6S, which shares the same 1/7 6S BLX all-road platform. So, what makes the Arrma Felony 6S worth your time and money?
This is what we will answer in this article.
Let’s get started in the next few lines…
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ARRMA Felony 6S BLX Specs at a Glance
| Spec | ARRMA Felony 6S BLX (ARA7617V2) |
|---|---|
| Scale / drivetrain | 1/7, 4WD, independent suspension |
| Motor | Spektrum Firma 4074 2050Kv brushless |
| ESC | Spektrum Firma 150A Smart |
| Servo | ARRMA ADS-15M waterproof |
| Radio | Spektrum DX3 DSMR with SR6110AT AVC receiver |
| Batteries | 4S or 6S: two 2S or two 3S LiPo packs, EC5 or IC5 (sold separately) |
| Max pack size (per tray) | 140 x 47 x 38 mm (5.5 x 1.85 x 1.5 in) |
| Rated top speed | 80+ mph (6S, included speed pinion, optimum conditions) |
| Stock gearing | 16T pinion, 46T spur |
| Gear ratios | Internal F 2.8:1 / R 3.07:1; final drive F 8.05:1 / R 8.83:1 |
| Chassis | 3 mm 6061-T6 anodized aluminum plate |
| Length / width / height | 725 / 328 / 192 mm (28.54 / 12.91 / 7.56 in) |
| Wheelbase | 406 mm (15.98 in) |
| Weight | 5 kg (11 lb) |
| Wheel hex / tires | 17 mm / dBoots Hoons all-road |
| Price | Check current price |
Arrma Felony 6S Design
Arrma Felony Body
The body is what most people notice first: a retro muscle-car shell instead of the usual basher look.
It suits you if you like drift-style street cars and classic tuned cars.
The Arrma Felony body comes in two colors. Black and orange. Also, it does come with 4 clips to fix the body on the chassis.
The front
As you see, the Arrma Felony 6S has a classic muscle-car look (Horizon cites the 1960s and 70s American muscle cars as the inspiration) with some modern design updates on the body.
Details include LED light decals, a large front bumper with an air splitter, and a grille with the ARRMA logo on the side.
Most of the small details are on the front bumper. The LED lights and the grille are decals, not working parts.
On the hood sits a non-functional air intake. It does nothing mechanically, but it adds to the classic look.
This air intake is included in the box, so don’t expect to be on the car once you take it out of the box. It’s up to you to add it or not.
In addition to the air intake, other small accessories come in the box as well which you can use to customize your RC car.
Other than that, there are a lot of other small details that you’ll enjoy discovering yourself. I’m not going to spoil everything.
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The Rear
Concerning the rear end of the Arrma Felony 6S, it’s interesting as well.
The first thing you notice at the back is the large rear wing (Horizon calls it aerodynamically adjustable). That spoiler can be removed or you can just leave it there.
Some people like it because it adds more stability, others don’t because they see that it doesn’t play well when it comes to aerodynamics since it increases the drag.
In the end, you can try to drive the Arrma Felony 6S with and without a spoiler to see which one is most convenient for you.
In case you remove it, you’ll find another small spoiler that will as well help with the aerodynamics.
The rear bumper has a dual-exhaust detail in the middle.
Below it is a large rear diffuser. Horizon lists the rear diffuser with exhaust detailing and an aerodynamically adjustable wing, but publishes no downforce or stability figures.
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Arrma Felony 6S Chassis
The chassis sits low. That suits pavement and smooth dirt roads, but it limits where you can drive it.
When it comes to the chassis structure, it is the same 6S BLX platform as the Infraction 6S.
Like the Infraction, the Arrma Felony 6S runs two LiPo packs side by side: two 2S packs for 4S, or two 3S packs for 6S if you want full speed (Horizon). Each tray takes a pack up to 140 x 47 x 38 mm, so check your packs’ dimensions before you buy.
Compared with the Infraction V1, the Arrma Felony 6S has updated electronics. Compared with the Infraction V2, it is almost the same.
This means that the features that the latest infraction has are the same as the Arrma Felony 6S has as well. That includes even the adjustable body mount which allows you to elevate the body from the ground.
Most of the updates that the Felony has is from the Spektrum parts like the ESC, the motor as well as the fan, and the heat sink.
Under the body, Horizon lists a 3 mm 6061-T6 anodized aluminum plate chassis with a center brace, steel driveshafts throughout and all-metal diff outdrives and gearbox internals. That is what lets it take the abuse of high-speed crashes.
In AMain Hobbies’ video, Brett crashes his Felony 6S into a curb, and the only visible damage is to the air splitter. That is one crash, not a durability test, but it fits the aluminum chassis and center brace Horizon lists.
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Arrma Felony Tires
At these speeds, tire condition matters for both handling and safety.
The Arrma Felony 6S comes on ARRMA dBoots Hoons all-road tires mounted on five-spoke wheels.
For muscle-car handling the rear tires are larger than the fronts, and ARRMA matched the front and rear gearbox ratios to the tire sizes: 2.8:1 internal ratio up front and 3.07:1 in the rear (Horizon specs).
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Arrma Felony 6S Performance
Horizon rates the Felony at 80+ mph, “achievable in optimum conditions using a 6S LiPo and the included speed pinion gear.”
It comes with a Spektrum® Firma™ 4074 2050Kv brushless motor and a Spektrum® Firma™ 150A Smart ESC. Horizon does not publish a top speed for the stock gearing, so treat the 65 to 70 mph numbers you see quoted online as owner estimates, not a rating.
Out of the box it runs a 16T pinion on a 46T spur. Add two 3S LiPo packs and it is ready to run.
To chase the 80+ mph rating, you swap to the speed pinion. It is included in the box, and swapping it is a basic job.
With the speed pinion on 6S you unlock what the Felony 6S was rated for, but only on clean, smooth pavement with plenty of room.
By the way, as Brett said in the video above, each pinion gear has its function. The one that comes as a stock with the RC car can be used for bashing and drifting.
The speed pinion is for speed runs only, not bashing. Bashing on the speed gearing risks overheating the electronics.
Everything above applies to the stock Felony.
Experienced owners can go further with aftermarket electronics and gearing, but that is outside Horizon’s rating and adds heat and wear.
One thing to know before you change tires: the gearboxes.
As mentioned earlier, the rear tires are larger than the fronts. That is not just for looks.
There is a reason behind that. It’s the gearbox. The rear gearbox is different than the front gearbox.
The problem remains if you’re looking to use aftermarket tires since they don’t provide the sizes of the rear and the front tires.
However, if you’re using the stock tires, or even if the stock is broken, you can always get the same with the same size for the front and the rear. Click the button below to check those tires:
Because the front and rear sizes are matched to different gearbox ratios, the stock dBoots Hoons (or the same sizes) are the simplest replacement. Mixing random aftermarket sizes changes how the front and rear axles track each other.
Overall, the Arrma Felony 6S is fast and well built. The electronics below are what make that speed usable.
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Arrma Felony 6S Systems
Active Vehicle Control (AVC)
With an 80+ mph rating, a system that helps you keep the car straight is worth having.
The Felony uses a Spektrum SR6110AT receiver with AVC (Active Vehicle Control) for high-speed stability (Horizon). When the car starts to step out, AVC applies steering corrections to help hold your line.
If the car is sliding to the left, the wheels turn automatically to the right, and so on.
You can adjust how much AVC intervenes from the transmitter, which helps if you are new to the car.
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Remote Control
The remote control of the Arrma Felony 6S is the same as the one on the Infraction. The same function, the same size, and the same technology (Spektrum® 3-Channel DX3™ 2.4GHz DSMR).
Horizon notes the DX3 has a built-in voltage level indicator that tracks the on-board Smart battery power, so you can see when to bring it in.
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Spektrum Dashboard App
Because the ESC and motor are Spektrum Firma Smart parts, Horizon says you get real-time ESC temperature, receiver (BEC) voltage, drive pack voltage and motor RPM (Horizon).
To see that data, Horizon points you to the free Spektrum Dashboard app for iOS or Android. Check Spektrum’s instructions for the pairing steps for your radio.
Watching ESC temperature is the practical win here, especially if you run the speed pinion.
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Arrma Felony Upgrades
Any RC car has its upgrades. And so had this RC car.
The Arrma Felony upgrades are widely available and can be found quickly.
There is a variety of parts and accessories whether you need them for replacement because of damage or for customization.
Expect to break parts, especially if you drive it hard.
On the customization side, there is a full carbon fiber kit that changes the car’s look.
Carbon fiber shafts, new bodies, Aluminum suspension, and a lot more are all available for you.
So, don’t worry about the Arrma Felony upgrades.
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Honest Cons of the Arrma Felony 6S
- The real price is higher than the sticker price. Horizon lists batteries and charger as sold separately, and it needs two LiPo packs (Horizon).
- It is heavy. At 5 kg (11 lb), a cartwheel at speed breaks parts, and the body and splitter take the first hits.
- Low ground clearance. Horizon pitches it for on-road, dirt roads and oval tracks. It is not a grass or rough-lot basher.
- Pack size is limited. Each tray takes up to 140 x 47 x 38 mm, so many large 3S packs will not fit.
- Tire choices are narrower. Front and rear sizes differ and are matched to different gear ratios, so you buy fronts and rears separately.
- The speed pinion is for speed runs only. Taller gearing adds load and heat, so keep it for straight runs on clean pavement and watch ESC temperature.
And a small one: the LED headlights and grille are decals, not working lights.
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Pros of the Arrma Felony 6S
- Rated 80+ mph on 6S with the included speed pinion (Horizon).
- AVC stability through the SR6110AT receiver, which helps a lot at high speed.
- Smart telemetry: ESC temperature, BEC voltage, pack voltage and motor RPM.
- Tough build: 3 mm 6061-T6 aluminum chassis, center brace, steel driveshafts, metal diff outdrives and gearbox internals, oil-filled aluminum shocks.
- Runs 4S or 6S and takes EC5 or IC5 packs.
Beyond the performance, it is easy to customize.
Even if you don’t want to buy some aftermarket parts, you still have a group of accessories that you can add or remove to get the look of the car that you wish.
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Arrma Felony Price
The Arrma Felony 6S BLX price changes often (Check current price on Amazon; see current price at HorizonHobby.com). It comes in black or orange.
Budget for two 2S or two 3S LiPo packs with EC5 or IC5 connectors and a charger that can handle them, because Horizon lists both as sold separately.
→ 3S 5000mAh hardcase LiPo with IC5 (you need two): check the 140 x 47 x 38 mm tray limit before you buy.
Check the current Amazon price for the Felony 6S BLX:
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So, Should You Buy It?
Having the Arrma Felony 6S or any RC car that can go at high speeds over 60mph can be good and bad at the same time.
If you’re an expert and have some experience with high-speed RC cars, then you shouldn’t worry about the Arrma Felony 6S. Still, it will shock you. You can control it after all.
However, if you’re a beginner and this is your first RC car, then you should take it seriously. You might hurt yourself or someone if you’re not careful with it.
Even as a beginner, you can still buy it as long as you don’t use the second pinion gear and go with high speeds.
What about kids? Can you buy the Arrma Felony 6S for your kid?
No, I would not recommend it. Kids tend to run at full throttle, and with a car rated at 80+ mph that is dangerous.
So, is it worth it? Yes, if you want a fast, tough on-road basher and you are ready to pay for two packs and a good charger. Skip it if you mostly drive on grass or rough lots, or if this is your first RC car.
Check the current price below:
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