Pro5thScaleDistributors

Hi,

I am just wondering everyones reaction to some of these china made gas 1/5th scale cars.
There are many companies I have seen,bringing these 5th scalers into the states.
We deal strictly in high-end cars,but a company sent me a few of these cars to test out and to tell you the truth,the quality was pretty good.
Now for you guys running the well known brands,these are not for us,but they are perfect for maybe your kids or newbie large scale guys making the change over from nitro.

Here is a couple of pics.
These are 2wd version RTR's with cable brakes and tuned pipe...less then $400 us.

sheograth

Is that the Mutilator? If so, I've driven one. Seemed as good as the Smartech stuff to me, definitely a hit for the price.

Pro5thScaleDistributors

No it's not,but I guess it does look similar to it.
This buggy is called the Blaze Runner.

sheograth

I like that body, yeah looks the same as the mutilator.

Pro5thScaleDistributors

It's funny,the company also makes aluminum replacement or hop up parts.
Again,the quality looks good too.
We did'nt figure how much it would cost to make the whole buggy all alloy yet..lol

Bratch96

What pipe do you have on that one in the first picture? How does that perform?

Pro5thScaleDistributors

Well,like I said,it performed better then I expected,thats for sure.
We only ran 3 tanks,it does have a 650cc tank which is nice,but we didn't notice any problems and it handled well,for the money it is worth it.

Pro5thScaleDistributors

That pipe is a tuned pipe the company supplies with the car,it seems to work really well,it has a nice sound to it,the 23cc CY works great too.

hndaman1

My Feedback: (6)

now does the Firehammer parts fit on these then?and where can you buy parts otherwise if they do not? I would love too get my hands on those cable brakes

Pro5thScaleDistributors

Well as far as I can tell, most parts will not fit,but if I was to order 100 units,I would also order 3x the parts.
So parts wouldn't be an issue.

Foxy

If a clone is not up to the quality of the car it's based on (in this case the FH or whatever), AND it doesn't take parts from the original, then it's not worth having, in my opinion. If you find a weakness in a part, and you can't exchange it for a part that does not have the weakness, then you're looking at constant financial outgoings, or custom fabrication of a better part. If it IS up to the quality of its counterpart, and spares are readily available (which seems unlikely, why would it be cheap in that case?), then it may be worth looking into.

In the case of the Baja 5b clones that take HPI parts, I can see the attraction, but if a clone can't take parts from it's counterpart, it's likely to be a money pit. My 2c.

Big Boys Toys and Hobbies

Here is the Mutilator

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mutilator-HUGE-1...QQcmdZViewItem


These cars look really cheap! You get what you pay for.

htawfik3

Nice car, the body looks more romantic than other ugly models on the web, front bumper and wheels looks like Lauterbacher super cross, I believe with price less than 400 US.$ it is a good deal even in Egypt which is a price sensitive market, we sell FG RTR with this price multiply by 2.5. Do you have 4WD version?

hndaman1

My Feedback: (6)

But the Firehammer does come with a WARRANTY..that is a plus....I've had 2 firehammers now and I like them... I still have 1 left and it is going strong....

Pro5thScaleDistributors

The smartech is also $650+ vs. lets say $389.
You cannot compare the 2.
As I originally said,you are running FG's and HPI baja's,even the fire hammer,these cars are not in there class.
But for the money,I know my 11 year old son can play with this and stay away from my $3k cars and I wont have to worry about it.
For $389 I wouldn't expect a warranty as long as the car works well...and it does.

krayziedxc

My Feedback: (9)

^ 2nd that. $389. is reasonable price.

also how much is it just for that pipe,on your site. w/o the dual pipes.

Foxy

I never said anything about the FH. [&:] I see it as a standalone product, due to the manufacturer support from a huge company like Duratrax. It 'is' a clone, but I don't put it in the same basket with these $400 items, you misunderstood me.

csp1971

That's pretty cool. I'd love to see their aluminum replacement parts and their cost.

Pro5thScaleDistributors

Well since this post,I have had many shops contact me for pricing.
I was still up in the air,if we were going to do anything with them,cause we only carry top end big scale.
But,if there is this much interest,I will go ahead a pick up 20 units and aload of the alloy parts and maybe convert some also.
Anyone interested in selling them,can contact us at our site or sign up .

Once I get everything set,I will provide dealer and retail prices.

They also make a monster truck..
Thanks

wannagofaster

I might be interested in buying one of these. I have been looking around for a cheap 1/5 rc for a while now. A few questions though. Does this buggy need those alloy motor mounts? And how are the electronics? If this thing works good and there are replacement parts available it seems pretty tempting

Dave ESPI

OK BUGGY.

LOL.

For a RTR at 400.00 retail I'd say it is ano-brainer to have in a store, then when people are hooked, they will come back for the good stuff as you can upsell them way easier with QUALITY versus PRICE. Somepeople just want a big loud fun car/ truck, and don't care about "performance" when romping around the backyard at a family BBQ..............

Pro5thScaleDistributors

Our friends are hard at work!
Here is some pics before assembly ........

NitroBurn1

I have a Firehammer, and it looks like the parts on these buggies should fit. I would be interested in one of those gas tanks, and some aluminum engine mounts if you have any for a reasonable price.

hellya

let the hakin begin................there are so many different 1/5 vehicles being offered all designs are up for grabes......For Every company that has produced a vehicle there are copies made and sold for half the price.....

HPI MCD FG and all other companies out there have to worry about the copying machines that make the products for less then we import them.........Not that keeping the price down is a bad thing ....mabey the big companies will lower prices and lay off their workers to stay in business.

...................Ok my ranting is done.....................

JQuest64

While I do agree that copycat manufacturers can in fact be harmful to the hobby, the original design manufacturers are doing little to help their own cause.
Sure they have the initial R&D costs, but does anyone seriously think that FG has not recouped their investment on the Marder chassis by now?
Also while the MCD platform is quite a nice design it is way overpriced today IMHO. Does a roller seriously cost that much to manufacture anymore?

IMHO, if these original manufacturers reduced what it cost to get into the hobby they would sell many more units and in turn sell many more parts down the line.
Also if a company like FG would actually create a new platform instead of slapping some parts onto a 5-10 year old chassis, I could accept and understand their pricing policy. As it is today however, they are simply keeping hobbyists away from the hobby instead of luring them in with their pricing and product.

In every other hobby I enjoy, prices come down over time or as newer models release, yet for some odd reason the large scale does not follow that same business model.
While I am usually against any sort of piracy, I am also against business strategies that take advantage of the hobbyists.
With the standard manufacturers most have no real viable option for those looking to get into the hobby.
Knock offs are the entry level now, and most manufacturers have no one to really blame outside of themselves.