Deadareus

hey guys,

about to get into this hobby for the first time. a buddy of mine recently purchased an HPI firestorm and since checking his out i've been obsessed with getting my own.

i wanted to do a little research first and see what sort of truck/car would best suit me. i really like the looks (and speed) of the road cars, but i'm most likley only gonna have one car (for a while anyhow) so i best make it something i can take anywhere and get the most enjoyment out of. which led me to a stadium truck. i like the low center of gravity so i can stick to the ground mixed with the off road ruggedness.

i've somewhat narrowed it down to either

Jato 3.3
HPI MT2 G3.0

i like the 4WD of the MT2 a lot. i had pretty much made my mind up that the MT2 was going to be the truck i would get, but that Jato just looks like so much fun! and so fast!! i just don't want to rule it out yet until i get some more opinions. not to mention i like the idea of 65 MPH and being an on road truck as well as off road capabilities.

i should mention it's strictly for bashing, i can't see myself ever competing on a track. not anytime soon anyhow.

is there another truck i should be looking into?

yakfish

My Feedback: (27)

welcome to the hobby from a fellow Canadian!
I would suggest the MT2. it is an awesome truck I used to have one and it was built like a tank. there are also a descent number of hop up parts available for it so you can make it your own and it is pretty fast stock. the jato will be faster and has a 2 speed. I haven't owned a jato but from what I have heard there are some durability issues with it. I have owned a Traxxas revo and it was a nightmare I spent alot more time fixxing it than I spent driving it. and the jato has the same plastic geared tranny. with the mt2 you have a much stronger drive line which has the capability of handling more power. I mentioned that the jato has a 2 speed in it. there is a 2 speed available for the mt2 which would make the top end competative with a jato once you had it geared properly. and then there is the 4 wheel drive. what more can I say? if you are wanting to do some offroading the MT2 is a great truck that you can take on road and ripp as well. you may want to look at a savage as well. I think they are pretty much the bashing kings for off road. and you can find a nice used one for about the same price as a MT2 or almost the same price as a jato new. but if you are only wanting to go fast in a straight line go fo r a jato but from what you described I don't think thats all you are wanting. I have never been a big fan of traxxas products as you can probably tell from this post and there are other people on here who will say the opposite. but I have owned alot of nitro rc's and every hpi product I have ever owned has been better than any traxxas product I have ever owned.
just my 2 cent!
which ever one you descide to go with I know you are going to love the hobby! it is very addicting and can get quite expensive but have fun!!

Deadareus

thanks for taking the time to give me an opinion Yakfish.

makes total sense and gives me a bit of a push in the right direction i think. The MT2 has been #1 on the list for the most part and will probably end up being what i get.

as for the Savage, after looking at some video it seems as thought the bigger trucks have a little more 'bounce' to them then i care to have. i realize of course you can adjust ride heights as well as shock levels etc. but i think the stadium trucks just look a little more built for speed than what the bigger trucks are regardless of what engine they boast. am i wrong in thinking this?

i'll keep everyone posted on my progress. not looking for right away, but sometime in the near future.

yakfish

My Feedback: (27)

monster trucks are going to be more top heavy than an st. so your are right.

ASYSTEMERROR

if you never plan to work on it other than swap the motor or fix what's broken i'd say the jato, BUT with some work not much but with some optional parts i'd say MT2 all the way. the HPI MT2 is a very nice truck for people who want to dress and customize the truck for any need but the jato will only do the speed thing good and not much else. i have had two jato's and 3 mt's and 4wd comes in handy drag racing or just bashing. i don't own any jato's now just mt's

xxSLiMxx

+1 On the MT2. Right now mine hits 70kph on a good open flat parking lot.

xcfds65

My Feedback: (10)

well i have never had a Jato and like some of the others have said i have heard of trouble with them. Now for the HPI RS4 MT2 this is a sweet little truck i have two of them and would not sell either one. nice speed and a ton of fun to just bash. get ready to go and start racing with friends this one will hang in there. a friend of mine added a two speed to one of his older MT and it worked good have to keep the dirt cleaned out of the two speed are it will stop working. But if i had to do it again i would go with the MT. Best of luck and welcome to the hobbie

Snipin_Willy

HPI MT2 if those are your only 2 choices. But you might consider the mini-truggy Jammin CRT.5 if you are going to be ordering. I've owned an HPI MT and I was one of those people that loved to put money into it. Fun truck, but it has its limits. I love my Jammin CRT.5, the center differential is very good to have. The parts on it are very tough and the diffs are more than tough enough to handle a heavy brushless setup if you choose to really get nuts.

Mine is not stock, have a brushless in it, some jato front shocks, and some 2.2 rims and gladiators. I haven't needed to put anything into upgrading the durability. It has taken some bad tumbles and keeps coming back for more, it's a real tank. I'm going to get an RCM chassis and with that it'll be as large as a 1/10 scale. Price wise you wouldn't be looking at much difference if any, maybe even cheaper.

SAVAGEBANE

how did you get that MT2 to go that fast?
2 speed, what size engine, gearing?
i didnt know it could go that fast.

for the thread i would say MT2 as well. i have always wanted a 3.3 jato, but i have heard that all the fixing is not worthe the straight line speed that you get. blistering speed is what you get with a jato.....until you hit a bump or a hard turn. rumor is that they are hard to control. fun indeed just not practical. if they went the same speed i would get the MT2. 4wd and extra tough.

xxSLiMxx

If you are asking me how did i get it that fast. I am useing an O.S. 18CRV Motor gears 15/49 and it was tested with a police radiar gun.

yakfish

My Feedback: (27)

he said 70 KPH thats only about 35 MPH thats not any faster than stock. with a 2 speed and the proper gearing 60mph isn't out of the question

SAVAGEBANE

aaah once again i didnt look at the measure of speed i always think mph.
i was looking for a new engine for the mt2. the one in there now has a .15 made by hpi. i want this thing to fly so i am looking into a .18+ motor.

xxSLiMxx

Its more like 45mph. And i just had a look at the gearing its 13/52 and that was when i hit 69.8KPH. Higher gearing 18/49 i could easly hit 100KPH/60MPH.....Keep in mind tho if you hit anything at 60MPH you are going to destroy something...ur truck...legs...cars...ect ect.

vote4nitro

wow thats one slow car...no offense...but a stock jato would own that...jato 3.3 all the way

Deadareus

Thanks for all the advice guys. i'm back where i started and glad to be looking into getting an MT2 soon.


True. but i think i could handle the speed. and would love to have an MT2 that achieve that kind of speed.

i've been looking around ebay/kijiji etc for an MT2 SS or SS+ for the added toughness built right into the truck. i'm definately leary of buying used though, but if the price was right and even if the engine wasn't working properly i could always switch it out.

then sometimes i think i am just better off buying new and seeing what i think before i start investing & buying something i'll need to replace an engine in etc. which is most likely what i'll do.

yakfish

My Feedback: (27)

check this one out. If I was in the market for for another MT2 I would buy it! here is a quick look at what you would need to get it running and what it would cost.

MT2 136.00 shipped http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...link:middle:us

OS 18 CVR 129.99 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXGGP7&P=SM
exhaust manifold 12.99 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXBTB5&P=7
Tuned Pipe 15.00 http://www.hpiracing.com/products/en/86907/
motor mount 11.99 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXN373&P=7
Flywheel 3.89 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXPYY4&P=Z
Clutch 6.69 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDLJ2&P=7
Clutch bell 10.99 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGWX8&P=Z
Total cost $316.55

I think thats all you would need to be running you might go in a different direction than what I put in there too like a different engine or even a used engine to be even cheaper. you would come out a bit cheaper than buying a new one and you would have a much nicer truck than if you were to buy one stock. plus you would probably want to upgrade later on any way.

yakfish

My Feedback: (27)

or you could just forget about my previous post check this one out!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hpi-Mt2-O-S-18-E...d=p3286.c0.m14

Deadareus

lol, i was just looking at that one yak.

i have it in my watch list.

here is one from last week that i am completely kicking my arse over not buying. i wasnt' online while it was ending or it would be in the mail on it's way to me right now. i can't beleive it only went for $166.

ebay item number: 130258043185
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=130258043185

xxSLiMxx

Thats a bit pricy for an OS .18CRV motor....i got mine new from my LHS for $100+tax. I was told that OS had lowerd ther prices on some of there motors.... .18CRV is one of them, i guess tower is take advantage of that!

ASYSTEMERROR

the only thing a jato and a MT2 have in common is they both use nitro and they both have 4 wheels ! in respect to most MT2 owners they like to use their truck off-road but say me, i have built a certified JATO KILLER !! i know this cause all my buds with jato's will not even come around anymore or answer their phone's not cause i rub it in their face but they came looking to beat me with their 75 mph traxxas beast. it takes a jato forever to make whatever speed it does so i'm not impressed by it's top speed BUT i've killed them with eb modded motors and one diablo powered didn't matter i've killed everone i faced cause i made my MT2 for the street and to combat any rc i come against and i've killed one other MT2 also. with saying this there not even trucks because 1. 2WD vs. 4WD 2. even with the same motor the 4WD drive slows the car down from the start. and it would take a bigger motor to over come the 4WD drag.
I don't think it was about the speed but more of "Will i want this thing tomorrow after the warm fussy feeling leave" i really like the jato myself but it needs just as many upgrades as the MT2 for me to proudly own one ! Just my 99 cent on the matter !
OH yeah check my feedback i also owned a .21 Menace these trucks were suppose to be 80+ out the box with a 3speed i murdered the euro trash with my MT2 so What's left runing nitro ? inferno gt sold both cause i killed them 2 ! i think a MT2 is the most flexiable rc known to man ! it can be whatever you want !

vote4nitro

srry ASYSTEMERROR but u said,"it takes a jato forever to make whatever speed it does so i'm not impressed by it's top speed." which is sad considering it is one of the fastest rtr's out there and it gets to its top speed really fast. cough cough 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds cough cough....and the mt2 would get owned by a jato if they were both stock.....idc about any upgrades im talking stock.

ASYSTEMERROR

Ok i want you to understand where i'm coming from a stock MT2 sucks ! cause i'm not into dirt ! I own nothing stock and i re-entered the hobby on a brushless kick so 0 to 60 4.6 is slow when i'm use to 0 to 60 in 3.3 the take-off is where the race is lost in rc racing BUT i really do like the jato and think it's nice but like i said their not the same at all ! BUT hear me out ! if the mt2 came stock how much more horsepower would you need before the 4wd becomes a plus ! keep in mind a full throttle launch by a jato is not controllable as so many people has lost to me trying that method after losing any other controlled take-off as well a new set of tires and a two speed and hpi would have a new truck !





These are my Two babies but i run the @#$% out of them it's just the nature of the hobby !
The MT2 was so much fun i built a savage ! HPI does rock !

silverD

Deadareus.....No kicking here. I woke up at 2:15 and won it[8D]

Deadareus

well, it's a good job i wasn't on the ball....otherwise i might have cost you another 30-40$ i don't think i would have gone over $200.

congrats though...a nice score! did you get it yet? how does it run? what's the condition? let me know how you make out with it please.

MPevine11

jato for sure, traxxas is just that much better then anythign else.