critrmac

Yaaa, ordered it from a hobby retail shop on e-bay and was suprised that
the deal went down pretty simple.675$ was the initial cost 28$ fot shipping.
new in the box!

critrmac

When i flew aircraft it was then when i realized that it can get expensive, i
think the intial start up is the most because once you have your euip and
the accessories for and field tools and such it kinda tapers off but yes, will
allways spot some upgrade,gadget,accessory to compliment your field box!

kengentry5000

My Feedback: (2)

A couple more tips to keep the Firehammer body shell in decent shape...

When a 25 pound object going 35 - 40 mile per hour hits something it can cause some very cool acrobatics. [:@] If the FH lands on its roof which is often it can be a problem. There is a good amount of empty space between the rollcage and the roof of the car. This space gets collapsed when the car lands on the roof causing the A and B pillars to get flexed. This flexing will lead to cracking and breaking. I have broken and repaired every vertical support for the roof of the body shell. I have been repairing the shell for over a year. On my outing Sunday it got broken so badly that I am going to 'Baja' the body shell (cut off the shell just below the windows) and run with a HPI Baja 5B looking shell. I picked up a spare shell for a good deal (thanks Ditchy) and might use it sometime soon if the 'Baja' shell doesn't work well.

I have found that if you fill up that air space with foam blocks to the point it takes a little effort to get the body seated on its pegs it will not flex like this on a roof landing. You want the foam blocks to be wide enough to sit on top of the rollcage. I forgot to put the foam blocks in for the last few runs and it shows.

Another body shell tip - Put some type of reinforcement on the holes that hold the body shell to the side rails. These holes tend to tear out for the same reason as above.

Also, if you break the front body mount you can skip replacing it. The body clips on the sides hold the shell on just fine and the front clip is really not needed.

Ken

critrmac

I take that as not being sarcastic and partial towards the Baja B5, but as
legitimate advice ?

huw4027

Hey Ken, i got mine about 4 months ago off E-bay brand new in the box for
$600.00 including shipping.

ScooterTrash

Hi Kin, I use the rubber grommet's in the holes to help to keep the body from tearing! Cheap preventive maintance![sm=thumbup.gif]

critrmac

Does the FH boucnce to point that it flips? i don't plan on bashing
the buggy, just do flat out high spd runs with the occasional
small incline ( or none at all if possible ). not saying that i
won't jump it at some point,but nothing drastic. thanks
Chris.

ScooterTrash

[8D] Hi critrmac. I was told that if you use these [link=http://www.gshobby.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=353_572&products_id=7351&osCsid=ad4b8ad5cc34781775a4d7cecd7562a2]GShobby[/link] that it woildn't boucnce. I haven't tried them my self "Saving up some more $$$" I think Mike told me that & that they carry them at [link=http://www.rcnutshobbies.com/cart.cgi?group=0&child=5149]RCnutshobbies[/link][sm=thumbup.gif] They are good people to work with! I am getting ready to order around $500.00 worth of part's!

critrmac

Okay thanks for the tip, so the tire foams can make a difference? what about the style( knobby or monster )
which i don't really like the monster style, but will these make a difference to the bounce thing.

ratpower396

the suspension bouncing is like any other car or truck all dependant on the setup..If the oil is too light & spring too stiff=bounce..Oil too thick & spring too stiff=bounce.Spring too soft & oil too thick=bottom out & bounce.. You get the idea. You are going to have to experiment with different combinations to see what works But the tires that come on it work really well with little bounce factor..

Matt

critrmac

Okay thanks, thats kinda what i thought,i was into f1 and gp style pc race sims for awhile
(not that theirs a comparerison ) but i'm kinda familiar with spring set-up/function/outcome,
it's just that i read somewhere in the forum that the FH flips a lot and was wondering if it
was from tires alone or some other factor ( i'm new to this ). i can tell this buggy is a
high performer, so anyway thanks. gonna be many questions to come and i have'nt even
started the FH up yet!

kengentry5000

My Feedback: (2)

I run on pretty rough terrain. If you hit a rock, mud rut, large embedded stick, etc at speed it will send the buggy cartwheeling end-over-end. You can do barrel rolls in these buggies if you exceed their cornering abilities when turning at speed. These are gentler rolls and are less likely to cause much damage. If you are running on very smooth terrain you will most likely not have too much trouble except cornering rolls sometimes (until you get the hang of the car).

The Firehammer is going to flip about as much as the FG buggies and FG trucks and (I assume) more than the Baja due to the Baja's apparent lower center of gravity.

The Firehammer wheels come pre-glued with foams already installed.

At my old job we had a model making shop that had some metal working machinery and tons of scrap metal and alumium. I made some body mount reinforcements from some sheetmetal laying around. Others have used grommets of different kinds. Others have used lexan material glued on inside the shell.

critrmac

The terrain that i will being running on is primarily flat, i live in a semi rural section of the town
and have access to a bunch of school grounds with lots of flat,open land. how about jumping
the FH ( small jumps ) does it take it pretty well if you're not going the fastest you can go? how
is the landing aspect, i've read that you can somewhat control the trajectory of the jump angle
thus making a four wheel touch down, two wheel and so on and so fourth. gonna get lots of
practice before even thinking about attempting these manuvers.

teamchrome

My Feedback: (4)

If the body breaks to much you can always go with a baja look to your Firehammer body.
The last pic is a comparison of the stock diff housing and the steel diff housing that can be found at FG hopups, very much needed.
Also order some shock rebuild kits from Tower hobbies, you will need them..
This is great forum and a great buggy, enjoy..

hellya

I remeber when I thought I was only going to spend $600 on a buggy....that was $12,000 ago and 5 vehicles later[X(]

badz

My Feedback: (1)

Yep I hear ya..get into planes and heli's and it increases even more

critrmac

Okay, i see the difference between the two differential housings.i guess i'd
better create some kind of budget huh? are these parts and upgrades very
complex and difficult or are they relitively straight foward? when you buy
upgrades and hop-ups do they come with some sort of diagrahm or would
i have to refrence from the exploded diagram the came with the FH?

BuggZy99

My Feedback: (2)

well it depends,
funny how the baja was "perfect out of the box", "needed no hop-ups", "built tough", but as time goes by,they all need more power, front brakes, they all want fg tire kits, need a new steering servo, the way i see it, by next summer, theyll all become as expensive as any fg truck. although RTR, the RTR **** aint worth it, there all changing there remote and servo and as for a tuned pipe, well, very limited choices so far.
Not bashing it in anyway as it is a nice buggy, i even plan on getting one next summer to add to my colection, Just want people to be honest and say it as it is, and now that FG are dropping there prices at the end, theyll come about to same price.And as alloy parts will come available for the baja they will become a must, just like on all rc out there.

badz

My Feedback: (1)

Well I've only added a bore kit, wheel adapters and wheels, alloy motor mounts, steel pinion and a heli muffler on mine. I beat it pretty good. I don't jump it like I do with nitro's. It's difficult to control in the air also unlike a nitro. They are alot of fun to run around though and save alot of cash on engines and fuel compared to nitro's.
The worst part about the non-fg cars is getting the hopup parts. So far I only know of 1 person that sells them and thats [link=http://www.fg-hopups.com]FG Hopups[/link]. Good thing is though that he's great with getting your parts to you quickly and has good service. The nice thing is the cost of the upgrades aren't as expensive as the "other" guy's. My bodies broke all around the body pins but its no big deal the bodies still protect the car even broken somewhat and it's just not worth $80+ to buy a new one only to break it again.

critrmac

The FH is such a nice looking buggy that i don't want to bash it no more than neccessary,
so most of the manuvers will be fast staight runs with small jumps where permissable.
What is the first thing that i should upgrade in order to run trouble free for awhile? and
should i not be able to run trouble free for awhile if i take it somewhat easy on the FH? i'm
in the process of building a work station in my b-ment, so as to get prepared for repairs.

badz

My Feedback: (1)

I'd say the must have parts are the alloy motor mounts and the steel pinion gear from FG Hopups, he also recommends the alloy carrier to run a steel spur but I don't run one cause someplace needs to be a weak point and the plastic spur holds up great with the steel pinion and alloy mounts.
FG guys claim the rear arms hit the spur but I've yet to ever see it happen on the clone buggies, it's a design flaw on FG's they squeek the gears back slightly further than the clones and they hit.
You drop a PM to hellya and he'll hook you up with any part you need.

critrmac

Okay thanks, i'll make a sticky of this for myself in my folder, thanks.

critrmac

merry x-mas everyone, i neglected to pick up some air filter oil and none came with
the FH ( i.e baja 5b ) is there any oil that i can use for now just fot the run in period ?
if not i won't be firing up the FH on christmas and that will be dissapointing !

badz

My Feedback: (1)

I use Belray foam filter oil. You can pick up foam filter oils at local dirt bike shops, they come in quarts or spray cans and either is fine...it's much cheaper and better quality than duratrax stuff. Just be sure to oil every surface and even the places the foam seats, also the out filter doesn't always just drop into it's groove so sometimes ya can use a long flat screwdriver to ease it in there right. I oil my filters in a ziplock bag and squeeze out the excess so they aren't over oiled. With belray they'll get a blue tint when oiled right.

Ron E

no... as a dirt biker and soon to be firehammer owner you MUST use air filter oil, it is very tacky and stops debris from entering your engine, if you use a engine oil it will just run out of the filter. wait till you get some good air filter oil and your engine will thank you... while at the bike shop do yourself a favor and get some good 2 stroke oil, like yamalube, mobil 1 2 stroke oil, bel ray or something along those lines, not all 2 stroke oils are the same, although any will work in a pinch... have fun a keep us posted. i'm working on the wife to let me order a firehammer from the same e-bay store you just did, i'd like to support my local hobby store, but for a 200.00 differance i'll have to go the e-bay route. enjoy and let us know how the firehammer works out. [8D]


badz beat me to the reply, he must type faster...