jackle

Tower is starting to have lots of parts in stock for the "Duratrash" firehammer. The firehammer is supposed to be closely RELATED to the marder. I know its "Duratrash" but hey, competition is good. I would still rather see people buy from Molzermoweryracing and VSModelsport than tower. So with that said, if anyone chooses to order duratrax parts from tower, post them here along with the part numbers and how/if they worked.

FGUK

[quote]ORIGINAL: jackle
It is supposed to be an exact copy of the Marder, which in turn means most of the parts will fit your Beetle or Monster Truck.

No Mate it isn't............ The Firehammer is a version of a Chinese copy of the Marder, The Carson Attack.

So in fact the Duratrax is a copy of a copy, you'll find not that many common parts on there.

jackle

Does it really matter if its a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy ?

Sir Not Appearing

From what I understand, the Duratrax and XTM buggies are both manufactured for them by Carson so its really not a copy.

Its no different than say... General Motor's habit of "badge engineering" in the early 80s. Change some trim here, some wheels here, a bumper there, and now you have a new model for another company. The best example would be the early 80s J-body. There was one platform, came down the same assembly line and were sold as Pontiac Sunbirds, Chevy Cavaliers, Buick Skyhawks, Oldsmobile Firenzas, and Cadillac Cimmarons.

Carson takes the same parts throws them in a different box marked XTM or Duratrax and depending on which box it goes in it gets different decals.

I'm all about having the Duratrax for competition. It will make tires/wheels cheaper when I need to replace the ones on my Beetle. For the price it would cost to buy a full set of real FG wheels/tires, I could by a set of real tires for my daily driver Nissan.

FGUK

Well yes, actually it does, if you're going to tell anyone who'll listen that "It is supposed to be an exact copy of the Marder, which in turn means most of the parts will fit your Beetle or Monster Truck. "

Let's see you list all the compatible parts, I was merely pointing out that it isn't an exact copy at all, nor do most of the parts fit.

Mate, you're wrong, I respectfully suggest you research your subject first............

Sir Not Appearing

I agree its a copy of the Marder and not suggesting that parts interchange. I'm just not agreeing with your first post that that suggests that its a copy of the Carson which implies that not only is it not interchangable with the FG, but it also isn't interchangable with the Carson.

FGUK

Mate........ I'm not even trying to correct you, all I was doing was pointing out to Jackle that posting that sort of information on here is unhelpful and misleading, the majority of the parts on a Carson Buggy are not interchangeable with FG Marder/Beetle/Truck etc. And to post to the contrary is not ideal.

So to state correctly then............ The Duratrax Firehammer is a VERSION of a copy, and most parts are NOT interchangeable.

I don't know what the quality of the Carson etc is like, but I do know that the wheels don't come with the steel reinforcing ring that FG use on their Leopard/Marder Race wheels, they may be cheap and cheerful, but will they stand the abuse?

mnf1sand

Why do you think the Carson is not a copy of the Marder? From the history that I have found the Carson was a copy of the Marder first but didn't sell well and sort of disappeared for a while now they are making them again with the XTM and Duratrax names on them. I saw them in Chicago a few months ago and they are very close but there are differences some parts will look exactly the same and some parts are very different. It looked to me that for example: the front hubs on the Duratrax were different ,Very thin and not as durable as the FG, BUT i think the FG'S would bolt right on. I think in the big picture the more 1/5 and 1/6 cars we can get out in the public will only help this segment of the hobby, The more people interested the more the inovations by manufactures, the more fun we have.

Sir Not Appearing

OK, we're on the same page. I assumed incorrectly that you were replying to me.

Resume conversation.

chevyman_de

All mentioned cars are the same, just labeled differently. According to our experience the quality of the parts is not as good as FG, but there are many buyers having fun with them. Sure, when they need a replacement part they'll take a FG part whenever possible. Some parts are direct replacement, others need some work or the swap of additional parts; and for some parts you can't use a FG part. FG pinions for the clutch bell for example do not fit.

Another point you'll have to look for is their parts list. The list for the Carson Attack in Germany is in German/English/French, so it may be the same list in many other countries. This list contains a lot of mistakes. Some have been eliminated with the latest version, others are still there. The spur gear is labeled 46 teeth, it has 48 (FG 48t fits). The pinion on the layshaft (diff side) is labeled 15t, it has 16. Again FG parts do fit. There's a r/h and a l/h version of every wishbone, at least according to the list. And yes, there are a R and a L on the wishbones. Other than those letters on them, I can't find any difference between left and right parts.

The gear plate, even though looking the same as a FG does not fit. I've heard it will fit when you change the engine mounts too, but I've no personal experience to proof this.

It's correct that the Attack rims have no reinforcement rings, but neither do the Marder rims. There's no room to fit a ring. Only the wide track rims feature this ring.

jackle

I changed my post, happy now? Geesh

rompingdonkey

All I can say is I have got a Carson and TBH I think it is spot on

I have had it a few month now and havent had a single problem with anything,,,,I know people on here say the parts arent as good as a FG??? Why??? I havent broke a single thing on it

My mates have got FG's who I go out with and one of them as even bought the rear roll cage bit where the wing fixes on for a Carson even though he as got a Marder cause they are thicker and dont bend as easy

Dont get me wrong I am not saying that a Carson is better nor am I saying is an FG but what cracks me up is how quick people slag something off if they dont own it

FGUK

[X(]
Mate......... I do hope you don't think I was lsagging your or any other Carson off?

All I was doing was trying to make sure the information on here was correct, there's loads of new people here and I was trying to get it right.

Please don't think I was lashing Carson!

rfaster

My Feedback: (1)

Was planning on picking one of these up back when I only had 1 FG... but now that I have 4 I probably wont. I'm kinda surprised they actually have them in stock Finally --- $800 out the door ( with the coupon's etc...) is pretty nice deal for a RTR - hope it turns folks onto large scale.

amitysanimal

The Firehammer and most parts are now in stock at Tower Hobbies. I plan to order the rims and tires for my Monster Beetle.

amitysanimal

rawpwr

My Feedback: (1)

i just ordered some firehammer parts today. I'll let every one know if they work on the MB and for the price you can't pass it up. if anyone else has ordered any parts for the firehammer please let us know how they fit.

DuraTrax Nylon Body Post Black 3" (2) 2 $5.38
DuraTrax Lower Arm Set Front Firehammer 1 $7.29
DuraTrax Shock Tower Rear Firehammer 1 $4.49
DuraTrax Engine Mount Set Firehammer 1 $3.59
DuraTrax Steering Knuckle Firehammer (2) 1 $4.49
DuraTrax Lower Arm Set Rear Firehammer (2) 1 $7.99
DuraTrax Differential Case w/Sleeve Firehammer 1 $4.49

TooLy

I will order a few parts from tower to my smartech traveller, it's 100% the firehammer.