sovietspyguy

I've been leaning mostly towards the Savage and if not for the backorders I would have bought one. However, I keep liking the MGT more and more...and most of the reviews say things like "you'd need to spend at least 100 more dollars on the Savage to get it to be as good as the MGT," or "Stock vs. stock the MGT is the best," and etc...

Well, I ran into a guy at my LHS selling a Savage. Here's the text from the ad he placed on a site:

This Savage is almost new and has been run all together 1 hour max. It has:
- a Hyper 8 Port engine,
- CVD shafts,
- Aluminium knuckles,
- Threaded shocks (the original shocks are also included for spare),
- An aluminium tank protector,
- An ultra high torque Hitec steering servo.
- It also comes with the original new body and an extra Hummer Chrome body.
- Some extra spare parts.

There is for more than $350 of hop ups on this truck.

It is sold without radio (unless the buyer wants the HPI radio that came with it originally).

I want $350.00 for it without the radio and $375.00 with the radio.

This truck is almost new and I want now to race 1/8 scale buggies.

Taking those upgrades into consideration...would it be worth it to spend the extra on the MGT? Aside from initial cost though, take into consideration how one would feel after six months have passed and the extra money is forgotten. The MGT looks bigger and that's kinda what keeps making me doubt the Savage. It also has more ground clearance and apparently goes nearly as fast and is much easier to work on, more durable, etc...

I'm having a tough time with this and since my LHS only has 3 MGTs they might be gone soon so I'd like to decide as quickly as possible. I'd prefer responses from people who own or have driven both. Any input at all is welcome though. And don't suggest any other MTs please, my mind is made up (almost).

Thanks again for any replies!

ThermalRD

I have em both, and i love em both. My savage has tons of money in it. My MGT is nearly stock. I took both trucks to the track on Friday night, and ran the MGT for close to 2 hours non stop. Never had any problems. I really cant say one is better than the other. The MGT is awesome, easy to work on, flawless reverse setup, motor is strong and reliable, CVD's are HUGE and come stock. The MGT's setup allows you to access the rear of the motor without ever removing it. The savage has proven itself to be nearly INDESTRUCTIBLE. I still hate the radio box design, its a royal pain to access, and get back together. The stock linkage on a savage is junk, anyone will tell you that. I dont care for Force motors either. The savage has a nice reverse module from what i understand, although i cant imagine where you would fit all the electronics once you add that, and the servo under the receiver. Im shocked the aftermarket hasnt gone crazy redesigning it. Those are just some things that come to mind when i look at both my trucks. I would still buy em both if i were to do it again. The savage rocks when its mod'd. Heres a pic of the trucks next to each other. From left to right. Wasp powered savage with CF plates, MGT with FT cooling head, 2.5 maxx with Raven RC, and my Savage with HCR parts, and an OS .21 RG.

sovietspyguy

So would you say I should go for the Savage considering the mods and price? Also, I can't tell from the picture what the sizes are like. Is the MGT really that much bigger than the Savage? Or is the body just bigger? I saw one picture that a guy took where both were facing each other, and the MGT looked like it swamped the Savage in size, but I think it may also just have been the tires. Also you have four trucks listed in the picture but I only see three...and from left to right...well that left one doesn't look much like a Savage. Thanks for your input though. I need to decide by wednesday since that's when I'm going to a track to look at the one this guy is selling.

ThermalRD

There are four trucks in that pic. The one on the left didtn show up all that well because of the Carbon Fiber TVP's. I'll take some comparison pics for you right now.

Matt

sovietspyguy

So there are...I thought that was just a wheel. Thanks for the pics in advance!

ThermalRD

Here are some comparison shots, and just some pics for ya...Might help you decide. Either way, you really cant make a bad decision here. They are both awesome, and the MGT is already acquiring a HUGE lineup of aftermarket parts.

This is a comparison shot of the stock savage tire next to a stock MGT tire.


Heres a shot that shows the difference in width between the two tires.


Heres a current pic of my HCR savage with HPI dirtbones tires.


And one shot of them together.


If you want more, i can take more...Have any more questions, i'll answer those too.

Matt

sovietspyguy

Hmm...could you possibly take a shot from the top with both of them side by side, front wheels lined up? Sorry if it's any trouble but the hobby shop won't take one out of the box and I'm having a tough time deciding. I realized though, that I wasn't ever sure if the Savage he was selling was a .21 or a 25/SS. If it's the former, I'm going with an MGT. Thanks.

sovietspyguy

Well, turns out it was a .21. So I'm going by my LHS today to pick up an MGT. Thanks for your replies though! Here's hoping it'll be everything I've heard about it.

ThermalRD

You wont be disappointed. And lets see some pics when you get it!

Matt

sovietspyguy

What irks me now though, is that if I had known I would buy the MGT sooner, I would've not bought that savage body and extra receiver (~110) and would've spent that money on an XR3 instead of an MX-3. *sigh* Oh well...I guess I have a spare receiver should I ever need it. I bought the extra receiver for my electric but I'm just going to end up using the MGT's radio system instead so I can take both out with a friend. Lesson learned.

popa71

I think you cant go wrong with either!!!! both are durable, the MGT looks easier to work on. The Savage has a unique design. No matter which one I brought I would probably upgrade the engine. Although I had the Savage and loved it. I would probably go with the MGT because its new!!!!!!!!

sovietspyguy

Ok, just got back with my MGT. And holy crap. Looking out it out of the box eliminated any doubts as to whether it was up to my standards of prettiness. This thing is a BEAST. It's friggin huge. I can't wait to break it in but for today I gotta study math. Still sucks about the useless body/receiver/servo that could've been a better radio, but oh well, the MX-3 is still damn good. I am now a believer, and caseyddr is an idiot. I'll post pics soon (tomorrow). And man you oughta see it next to my old traxxas TCP. It's like one of the wheels.

ThermalRD

LMAO....I love that part!

Matt

sovietspyguy

Well, tried the MGT today and wow...that thing is a powerhouse. Brakes are nice as hell too. And end point adjustment kicks ass (Thank you airtronics)...so much better than screwing with the damn linkages. Anyways, I haven't even quite broken it in yet, went through four or five tanks.

Have a question though...according to the break in instructions, you're basically supposed to run the truck around right away. This kinda goes against everything I've heard. I was kinda wary...so the first two tanks I let it idle for the most part after changing the needle settings per manual, and also drove it around a tiny bit (not fast at all). The next two I took it out onto the street and did a couple of high speed runs, letting it hit second a few times. Was this a no-no? The manual if I read it correctly basically said to take the car out and did mention accelerating at WOT from a stand-still...on the first tank. So what gives? Also, how long does this "cleaning out" take. I'm guessing that it hasn't yet because sometimes when I go WOT it'll kinda stay slow and not upshift. In addition, the engine leaks if you prime it too much. I know you aren't supposed to prime it too much, but I found that odd. I noticed dripping down the flywheel and also out of the backplate(after I took off the pull-start to but the damn cord back in...spring popped out once, earned me two nice deep cuts, later filled with rubbing alcohol and fuel, in succession). This normal with this engine? Also there is air leaking in through the slide. If I take the air filter off and look into the carb, and then open it all the way and release, it'll close and a second later there will be little bubbles forming around the edges of the hole where the slide part is. This is coming from the slide thing. Normal? Aside from those things I'm very impressed with the truck, just sucked that the pull-start cord popped out but I guess that was my fault anyway. Was a ***** to start occasionally, and the engine is friggin hard to turn over...

Anyways, great truck, just wondering if I did the break in right and if those engine things are normal (keep in mind it leaks only when flooded and I keep priming it, not normal conditions obviously but still just wondering if that's to be expected).

And one more thing, I took off the header to make working with the backplate easier, and when I turned the engine over and moved the piston up through the cylinder, I heard some air leaking past the piston on part of the upstroke. Normal? Or did I do something right...


During break in, the engine temps never exceeded 240, including during WOT. Usually much lower though, so mixture is probably still rich.

Welp, time to go and endure another day of school...and all I can think about is getting home to my beloved MGT.

sovietspyguy

Here are some pics I just took for a friend...not great quality but hey do you want to wait ten minutes for a download? These are next to an HPI MT2 for comparison. I thought the MT2 was sorta big when I first saw it but DAMN.

ThermalRD

Sounds like alot of the things you mentioned (excess fuel everywhere, pullstart problems, hard to turn over) are due to the flooded engine. My engine was never really all that hard to turn over. I cant say much about the fuel leaking from the back plate, i sealed my motor, and filled my diffs when i got it. As for the breakin period, i never let them idle long. Just enough to get them to temp. Then i start to drive around. I've always had great success with motors after i've done breakin like this. Basically, i'll drive them around, ranging from 190-220, on and off the throttle. My final tune leaves me somewhere between 230, and 260 after LOOOONG WOT passes. It sounds like you are enjoying your truck, i know i love mine. I'll be heading to the track again wednesday. How is that HPI MT2??? I've been thinking about buying one.

Matt

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

bleh dont waste your money on a MGT, biggest company failure ever. My LHS rarely sells them, and the ones in the area and fwe others up north i check out occasionally have problems selling them also. They are just to slow :-/ Somebody mentioned the breaks on em being strong, what do you expect from something that cant hit 30mph :-/ slower it is, the faster it stops. Get yourself a proven truck, the Savage.

ThermalRD

Casey, get a life. Everybody knows the savage is a great truck already. You dont help anybody by saying those things, so just stay out of the conversation. You probably havent had ANY hands on experience with the MGT either.

Matt

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

i wish I hadn't.. :-/ Its ok if you don't like my opinion, but no need to bash me for it. I'm just stating what i feel, and the original poster asked for opinions, mine is go for the savage.

sovietspyguy

If you've learned how to read and see things, you'll have noticed that I already bought one, so no need trying to tell me it's a piece of crap.

sovietspyguy

Just got back from a bashing session (6 tanks). And man...this thing rocks. I pulled the pull-starter out again, guess my repair was inadequate. Oh well...still had a drill. I would get a new engine since I want more speed, but other than that it kicks ass. I'm still confused about the fuel mixture though...it's about 45 outside, and the truck will be at around 230, so I'll lean the needle a little (like 1/8) and then it goes to 260 and a little over, so I'll richen it a bit, and it'll kinda stay around there and be stubborn. Temps of 250 are what I usually get. Aside from the sorta slow (but still nice as hell) engine, this truck rules. End of story. Caseyddr, quit yer *****ing, it's a good truck.

sovietspyguy

And thermalRD, about the MT2, it's a neat little truck but we've had lots of problems with it. First of all, we barely broke it in before we stripped the rear final gear in the diff, and the front one was going as well. We weren't doing anything insane either, but the gear is CAST ALUMINUM. Which is total crap. So that was a pain. I'd definately suggest getting some different brake/throttle linkages, as these are more than a pain to setup. After the MGT with my MX-3, I never again want to look at them on the MT2. Also, I'd get a pull-start...the roto-start works just great, except that the damn pins on the end of the starting shaft got sheared off after two days. One came off on the first day and the second a couple days later. The engine runs very well, and the thing goes pretty fast. Not too shabby off road either. The wheel nuts like to come off (happened twice), as they aren't all-metal like on the MGT, they are metal nuts with holes drilled through them, filled with some kinda epoxy or something, and fitted over the threaded end of the driveshaft so they dry in the shape of the thread. Not the most durable nor the least prone to coming loose. Can't loctite them either. Nuts are cheap though so it isn't really a problem, more of an annoyance. We did break a swingarm after a few jumps. Not big jumps either, perhaps 3-5 feet high and maybe 10 feet long max. Kinda expected it to hold up to more but oh well.

Anyways, the MT2 is pretty cool but my MGT could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Speaking of the MGT, do you have any suggestions for a good (stiffer) servo saver? The stock one is a bit mushy especially on grass. Turning radius is just too wide. Also, would stiffer springs or heavier shock oil be a better purchase to reduce the roll-over tendancy?

I'm going to do a little removing of the fake reservoirs with Mr. Dremel soon as well.

Thus far I love the truck. Rolls a bit but that's easy to change. I even clipped one of those *****ly bushes at full throttle. The truck just did a cool 360 in the air and kept going (taking a fairly large branch with it). Rock-solid. I was initially doubting the strength of the body mounting system, but it has held up quite well. By the way, caseyddr, can you refuel, prime, and start your truck, and adjust the mixture without having to remove any body clips? Didn't think so...

The dual-start system is much cooler than I initially thought, and I'm gonna go buy a decent drill soon. And when this engine wears out, it's either a 4-stroke or a .26. Can't wait, hehe. This summer might get a heli, and then eventually I want me one of those buggies that H.A.R.M. makes. And then sometime an on-road nitro sedan. So I've got a pretty full repertoire.

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

may be good, but is it worth 500$? hell no.

Kinson

I have run over 1 gallon thru my AE MGT at our RC track and no probelms at all. After seeing the others run and break, I would never even think about another MT. For the price that's out there ($425-475) you can not go wrong.

ThermalRD

Soviet, thanks for the review of the HPI MT2. I've been thinking about one, but im still headed for that GS truck next. As for the steering on the MGT, i used a Kimbrough super duty servo saver for a while. It works better than stock, but not as good as the Factory Team Associated steering upgrade. I installed my FT steering, locking hubs, and vented brake disc wednesday. The steering setup is a must have for all MGT owners.

Matt