Mattholew

hear hear.

+1 on that Lug.

When I saw the first advertisement for the 1/16 Slash VXL, I was like.....Woooo Hooo, a VXL slash, finally, then I realized it was 1/16?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! What the heck????? They have a Rustler VXL and a Bandit VXL and yet one of the most popular models right now is not available in a VXL.....certainly there is one coming along shortly.

black mamba

I've been around this stuff since the RC "revival" of the mid 80s-1986 is when I first got into hobby-grade RCs. The "true" r/c hobbist is somebody that is into electric.....if you want to get into RC history. Electric is what we all ran. Nitro was around back in the day, but it was a niche at best unless you were into airplanes. Nitro didn't become "big" in the car/truck genre until the T Maxx came on the scene. Everybody else followed suit because the performance was superior to brushed motors and nimh packs. Nitro was also easier to maintain than brushed motors...no comms to cut-no brushes to change. Electric took a lot of work (and money) back before brushless was around, and nitro was a viable alternative that was in so many words, cheaper. But until the T Maxx came out, nobody knew how to successfully package and market nitro. Traxxas deserves all the credit for making nitro what it has become. Now nitro is on the decline due to the rapid popularity of the more powerful and just about maintenance-free brushless motors and lipo batteries. And manufacturers that have been riding the nitro wave are ready for the BL revolution with BL offerings. The writing was on the wall a year or so ago once people figured out how to use and charge lipo batteries without starting fires.....and anybody that knew anything about the hobby knew nitro was going to be on the way out at that point. I don't think you will ever see nitro as big as it has been ever again because electric is going to continue to get better and cheaper, and nitro will not be able to keep up in performance or price.

black mamba

Get the VXL kit from Traxxas and slap it into a Slash. Problem solved. lol

rclugnut10

My Feedback: (1)

ahh but the mini slash has 4wd...
if you want a good handling powerful sc thats 4wd check out ofna's...

the lug

black mamba

lol. Brushless and 2WD = excellent/talented driver.

rclugnut10

My Feedback: (1)

yeah they are a handful to control for sure, BL and LIPO really make you understand the phrase lighting up the tires...

the lug

jbates14760

I love electric, my kid runs one. I just happen to like big boy toys, and the smell and sound is better with nitro.

thzero

Yeah my friends's E-firestorm Fluxes (has a sidewinder/5700 combo) are pretty gnarly especially with grippy tires; easily flips over. Same with my Mamba Max/5700 in an XXX-T. I would imagine that a 5700 in the Blitz might be a bit less wheelie happy (maybe) because of the longer chassis, but it'll probably have less grip because the SCT tires are thinner than stadium truck tires.

Gereke

I too am glad to see HPI stepping up and producing a SC Truck. Variety and choice is always a nice thing to have. Something to fit the tastes of all really helps to keep the hobby strong. (Though it's too bad Losi's offering to the SC pool is ugly as sin, but hey beauty is in the eye of the beholder). I'd like to have one, but it's another case of too many wants, more needs, and not enough disposable income!

That out of the way..

RE: Nitro/Electric

Nitro has it's place and I think always will. I've enjoyed the nitro side of the house, to include Aircraft, Boats, and Cars. There is a draw to the sound of those little engines screaming along. There is a draw to learning how to tune them to that "Sweet Spot". I've had JUST as much fun with Electrics however.

But when people make silly comments to the tune of "Electrics are for kids and instant gratification, Nitro is where the Big Boys play"... Come on. Lets get real about this. Hobbies are about having fun in the way we each see fit. It's not about comparing the size of our "transmitters".

People just need to do what they enjoy the most and fudge all to everything else.

BANKRUPTER

good post ^^^

So all this nito /BL debating... What ya all think about this kit? Seeing as the slash is built on the pede/rustler platform it does not have a chance. I think is a solid offering from hpi thats ready to kill all the lil slaheys at the track. I wont get into the the other SC's as I know nothing about them. I do know the BL firestorm it was based off was not bad performer out of the box. I hpoe HPI does well with this new kit. my 2 cents

Mattholew

I think the problem and potential for the failure of the Blitz is the late to market syndrome. Slash Spec classes are very popular, and VERY strict about what is let into them. So far at our local track all offerings in the SC class post Slash Release have been deemed illegal to run in that class. Now in the Open Electric Class you can run anything you want to but if you put anymore power through one of these little 2wd trucks than the stock 12T motors they come with they get really unstable and EXTREMELY hard to drive well real quick.

BANKRUPTER

This one has a 15 turn. I was just referring to the brushless firestorm. If you could drive it was not over powered by any means

Mattholew

I should have clarified actually, that a HOT brushless set up in a SLASH would be Extremely difficult to race well. It all really depends on motor Kv and Battery Voltage, as well as gearing and diff set ups, so I should not have so broadly painted it as "BL" but more so as High Power Brushless.

BANKRUPTER

I gotcha bud! Most people do think its cool to grossly over power a kit. it was a safe statement lol..

black mamba

My opinoin on SC. SC is just starting to take off, even as popular as it is now. Next year, it will be absolutely huge and more classes are going to open up. You'll see bone stock classes and unlimited BL classes. Bet the farm on it because there is a ton of money to be made in SC. It will be around for awhile. Look at rock crawling...nobody would've ever guessed it would get as big as it did and last as long as it has.

SC is the T Maxx of the early 2000s..................lots of RC newbs are getting their feet wet in SC, just like many got their feet wet with a T Maxx years prior. The cool part is how the "heavy hitter RC vets" are getting into SC too. Traxxas is behind this one too as they got the SC ball rolling. They must pay their R&D/marketing people big money, because they get the job done for sure. Ever watch a TORC race? Good stuff. SC is the "fresh start" our hobby needed.

One sweet pic of the Blitz courtesy of Big Squid......looks so scale!

BANKRUPTER

my LHS ordered 4. I should have mine soon.

Mattholew

that does look really good.

jbates14760

[/quote]
I've been around this stuff since the RC ''revival'' of the mid 80s-1986 is when I first got into hobby-grade RCs. The ''true'' r/c hobbist is somebody that is into electric.....if you want to get into RC history. Electric is what we all ran. Nitro was around back in the day, but it was a niche at best unless you were into airplanes. Nitro didn't become ''big'' in the car/truck genre until the T Maxx came on the scene. Everybody else followed suit because the performance was superior to brushed motors and nimh packs. Nitro was also easier to maintain than brushed motors...no comms to cut-no brushes to change. Electric took a lot of work (and money) back before brushless was around, and nitro was a viable alternative that was in so many words, cheaper. But until the T Maxx came out, nobody knew how to successfully package and market nitro. Traxxas deserves all the credit for making nitro what it has become. Now nitro is on the decline due to the rapid popularity of the more powerful and just about maintenance-free brushless motors and lipo batteries. And manufacturers that have been riding the nitro wave are ready for the BL revolution with BL offerings. The writing was on the wall a year or so ago once people figured out how to use and charge lipo batteries without starting fires.....and anybody that knew anything about the hobby knew nitro was going to be on the way out at that point. I don't think you will ever see nitro as big as it has been ever again because electric is going to continue to get better and cheaper, and nitro will not be able to keep up in performance or price.

[/quote]


HUH? I guess all the RC-10GT's, nitro rustlers/ stampedes 1/8th buggies and such were not first. The T-MAXX just brought "RTR nitro" to the masses. It in no way made nitro, it robbed the youth just coming into this hobby of the joy and reward of building a kit. Any of the older guys will attest to the great memory of building that first RC. Traxxas makes entry level products, they should be credited with bringing our hobby to the masses as they have. But to say they started the nitro trend? Check your facts.



Sorry to interrupt the thread currently in progress... BTW this looks like a killer truck. Can't wait to try one.

rclugnut10

My Feedback: (1)

yeah i really wish the kit scene was bigger, i loved building my savvy i was thinking about getting a t4 kit for my first truck but the RTR was just that much cheaper and had better stuff in the box but i may get a FT T4 anyways... or one of these if it comes out as a kit which i think it will.... XRC had something that hinted a kit...


the lug

spiftacu1ar

You could choose to buy a smaller lipo and it would have similar power, but less weight. BUT WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. PPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEERRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mattholew

The lightweight is there if you ask me. I was running a 7 cell 4600 Nimh in my slash but then bought a Tanic 30c 4250 2s pack and guess what.........1 POUND lighter and has the same power except holds it voltage longer, so essentially it has more power near the end of a race, where it matters. The truck handles SOOOOOO much better after shedding a pound of "dead" weight as well. Jumps better, corners better, basically it does everything better now.

BANKRUPTER

the blitz ecs can handle 2S but no cutoff.... Rob from HPIBAJAFORUM has opened a biltz forum its has a few members ATM check it out if the blitz is your kinda thing

http://www.hpiblitzforum.com/index.php

black mamba

Nitro was a niche before the T Maxx was released. I never said nitro didn't exist prior to the T Maxx, it did, it just wasn't as visible because there weren't that many people into it. Like I said, it was a niche. The vast majority of people ran electric and that's what you saw. Nitro wasn't "popular" in the car/truck genre until the early 2000s...after the T Maxx was released. Coincidence? No. Believe what you want, but the T Maxx truly did bring nitro to the masses of the hobby, and in essence, rejuventated it because it spawned the nitro monster truck revolution that has been helping to keep this hobby alive for the past 10 years. Without the T Maxx there would be no Savage, no LST, no MGT and so on. Lastly, get 10 RC guys in a room and most of them will say they either owned or knew or know of somebody that once had or currently has a T Maxx. lol

black mamba

I'd just gut it and put a dedicated BL system in it. Stuff is so cheap now, it doesn't make sense not to. Running no cutoff is stupid.

supertib

I have been running both Nitro and BL lately....... We run on a very simple bashing style track... 180 foot straight, huge double jump.....very simple layout with very few corners...... IMO chassis capability matters alot more then wether your BL or Nitro...My Nitro Truggy absolutely smokes both a Flux 6S and a E-Revo 6S everywhere on our track.....The only thing the BL MT's can do slightly better is popping the jumps with no run up distance... But down the straight the Truggy absolutely owns the MT's, in the corners the Truggies kill, and landing the big jump the Truggies kill....... We also have been running a BL Truggy and Buggy and on the track we have they are no faster then then the Nitro's...We are running Tekin systems on both 4S and 5S.......... So IMO chassis capability matters alot more then whether your BL or Nitro...A Great Nitro chassis will own a mediocre BL chassis at least as far as track performance is concerned ..... so before you start bashing nitro look to step up your chassis capabilities first, as that makes a much bigger difference......If your Nitro experience is limited to a Savage with a Axial 32 you've only touched the tip of the iceberg on what Nitro is capable of

here is my buddies losi 8B on 5S

http://www.vimeo.com/6029238