Well, after much debate as to which RC to add to the collection next, I decided to bite the bullet and pony up for a MCD.
It arrived the other day, and so far my impressions are pretty much summed up with one word:
WOW!
It's gonna be a few weeks before the car see's dirt, as I still need to get electronics for it, but I figured I'd post up some pics and info anyways.
As with any car, it has it's good and bad. As I build it up, and drive it, I will be posting up both, since info on this vehicle is VERY scarce.
So first up, THE GOOD:
The car is CRAZY BEEFY.
Everything seems to be overbuilt. 4mm hardware is used everywhere except the suspension, where it gets bumped up to 5mm.
Suspension components are 1/2" thick, and everything is adjustable. Camber and Toe-in/out are adjustable front and rear via turnbuckles.
Shocks are threaded aluminum and have 5m shock shafts! Two upper shock mounts and two lower shock mounts allow for 4 different suspension rates and ride hights (current pics show the car set-up at it's lowest stance).
Rear dogbones are 6mm thick, and front CVD's taper from 6mm-10mm!
All the gears in the tranny are very wide, and look to be able to take a lot of stress. tripple disc brakes on the layshaft will provide braking at all 4 wheels.
Engine is a Zenoah 26cc that will be getting a Duratrax Firehammer 2 stage airfilter/cover. Exaust goes through a stock Zenoah can untill Samba releases their RaceRunner pipe next month.
Tires are way cooler then the pictures lead me to believe. Straight up HUGE at 6.75" high and 2.5" wide. The tread pattern should be great for bashing, and is DEEP. Each "tread" is 10mm high!
Body is a nice design, and looks far better then the standard "Marder" look IMO. This thing is not nearly as sleek and sexy as a HPI Baja 5B, but that's not really it's appeal. The rear spoiler is adjustable, and is made of a very flexible plastic that appears pretty impossible to damage.
And now, the other side of the coin, the BAD:
First up, the car is obviously NOT for beginners. The vehicle includes no information what-so-ever from the manufacture. No instructions, no exploded view, no part numbers or listings, absolutely nothing. You get the car, and a sticker on the wheel reminding you to glue on the tires. To be honest, I was pretty dissapointed considering the price-point these cars retail at.
Electronics: The stock servo tray only fits Hitec 5745 sized servo's. Not a big deal for those who like digital servo's, but it would have been nice to have had the option to use something else. You can get aftermarket plates for 805's or Multiplex servo's, but they are hard to find, and expensive to ship in from overseas.
The radio box is a very nice sealed unit, so the battery, reciever, and on-off switch are kept away from moisture and dirt. Problem is, the battery box is quite small at 60mm long x 50mm wide x 57mm high, and I cannot figure out how to configure 5 cells to fit in.
The Body: this one I personaly don't consider bad, but some may. Due to it's design, the body must be removed from the car to start it, shut it off, or re-fuel. You could cut out the windows to remidy this, but I think I may just suffer through the 5 body clips.
And ya, that's that.
Overall I am quite pleased with the car, and I look forward to running it.
Posts: 526
Joined: 3/14/2006 From: stratford,
CT, USA Status: offline
Hey looks sweet.Just hope you can find parts for it I mean your right about not seeing to much about this car here on RCU Keep up the thread after you've got it up and running
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Parts are starting to get alot easier to find, and there are a few shops now that carry the full line. Of course, it means ordering bits, but hey, better then just not being able to get them at all.
I'll keep updating this thread as I build up the car, and as I drive it. I hope to post some video's eventually too, as well as a car-to-car comparison between this buggy and the HPI Baja 5B.
Posts: 1089
Joined: 12/5/2004 From: Middle Earth, SWEDEN Status: offline
Well, congrats !! a great looking buggy, and you sure are going to have some fun with it even if parts are not that easy to get, they are available... only takes longer time then a fg part to get hold of.
Now if you think this nice buggy is beefy, check out the ultimate badass machine... the blueline hummer, now that beast are incredible Only sad part is the space it demands But the size of your buggy is more normal, so you will probably have no bigger problems finding a place to run, not that much harder then finding a place for a fg off-road.
Good luck with your mcd, keep us posted how it behaves vidz and pics are welcome
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All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Posts: 1592
Joined: 6/6/2005 From: Milton,
ON, CANADA Status: offline
If you need electronics try out Great hobbies in PEI. SInce your in BC you will NOT pay any PST. Plus hitech servos may still be on sale. Check out the 5645's. If I remember correctly you need to use regular siaze servos, no large scale ones in there.
Yes. The buggy has a center diff, and drive shafts from it to both the front and rear diffs. I have the center diff locked, but you can drop in an open one if that's your thing.
quote:
ORIGINAL: SELWA
If I remember correctly you need to use regular size servos, not large scale ones in there.
Nope, it actually requires large scale servos. The stock mounting plate is set-up for dual Hitec 5745 sized servos for steering, and a third for brake/throttle. There is a small adaptor available that allows you to use a "standard" size servo for brake/throttle however. I will likely use this in conjunction with a Hitec 645MG servo I have kicking around.
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All Forums >> RC Cars, Buggies, Trucks, Tanks and more >> RC Giant Scale Cars >> MCD Race Runner 
MCD Race Runner - 
Hey looks sweet.Just hope you can find parts for it 
I mean your right about not seeing to much about this car here on RCU 
Keep up the thread after you've got it up and running 
even if parts are not that easy to get, they are available... only takes longer time then a fg part to get hold of. 
Only sad part is the space it demands 
