99wolfsedition

OK i'm in iraq and am looking for a good mini to run in my off time even build a little track. i have looked and looked and i like the Trinity NOW but i read through the tread and thought i should make a poll.

so which one should i get. remember i'm in iraq and to get parts in going to be a little trouble i google it and the nearest LHS is 1300 miles so please give me some help.
thanks
P.S. i miss my Turmoil[&:]

Mattdg67

I'd go with the AE RC18T RTR, it can take a real beating.

Matt

maxxin2.5

yeah that what i was gonna say...the AE rc18t or the now...ive heard they are fast...they come with a lipo and brushless mottor to...you might need a better charger tho because its like a two hour charger... that my $.02

Mattdg67

The AE RC18T does NOT come with a Brushless motor and a LiPo battery. You are thinking of one of the RC18T clones on ebay.

rcmaster123

My Feedback: (3)

either the mini-t or rc18mt

combatman

I don't know anything about the Trinity NOW or Mini LST, so I will leave those recommendations to other people.

Since you are at least 1300 miles from a hobby shop, my suggestion would be to buy a car that that is durable, and one that can brave the elements, so you are not constantly left waiting for replacement parts (all cars break, but some do so more easily than others). So, I'd get one with a sealed gearbox (for trouble-free running in dusty/pebbly conditoins), and with a reputation for durability.

First, I would get the Mini Baja over the Mini T (Baja comes with oil shocks, ball bearings, as well as regular rear tires and sand paddles). The Mini Baja (like the Mini T) is also equipped with a sealed gearbox.

My true recommendation would be one of the RC18 vehicles. While they do not come with a sealed gearbox, you can get a gear cover from The Toyz (manufacturer of the gear cover is Driven Productions). In my experience and opinion, the RC18 vehicles are made of a plastic that is much tougher (more flexible) than the Mini Baja plastic, and can take a real beating just like Mattdg67 said. My Mini T parts break fairly easily, and my RC18T has yet to break anything, despite similar (or worse) punishment.

If you go with an RC18 vehicle, you might also want to equip it with a drag link, manufactured by Driven Productions, that can be purchased at The Toyz just like the gear cover. The drag link helps to eliminate steering slop. Heck, if you go this route, get the C springs for the RC18 servo saver, also at The Toyz, to help the steering servo center better.

YoungBuggy

I just got the RC18b an was surprised with the durability. i am real ruff on my cars. the thing that suprised me the most is had a car swerve at my Rc18 so i had to take it off road at Full speed smack dab in the middle of a rock an nothing broke on it. thats just my one cent on the rc18 class

jaejw1

I own the rc18,,,, the vendetta and vendetta ST,,, the XTM
all four cars can be made bullet proof but only the rage has a bullet proof drive train..... and come stock with steel dogbones/cvd,,, and the stock electronics can handle a 3s lipo.... its fast out of box,,,, bigger than the rc18 and the ride height is taller.....

also alloy parts are coming out soon for it
the stock tires will be great for the dirt/sand there.... and its only 129bux

only downfall is......no gear cover

check youtube for videos of the rage

99wolfsedition

thanks for the post sofar. i am thinking of the rc18mt now but "combatman" does rc18t hopups fit the the rc18mt?

Nik.

Yea, most hopups for the 18T fit the 18B and 18MT too. The only downside to the 18T trucks is they dotn have a gear cover, so that may be a problem depending on where you run them.

Other then that, an 18T would get my vote. I love mine.

jymellis

My Feedback: (7)

since your in iraq and id guess you have alot of sand. the associated line of vehicles has open gears. i dont think that would be a good idea lol.with open spur and pinion im sure youd prolly have some problems. have you looked at the losi baja?

jym

rcmaster8

get the rc 18mt its really durable i ran it into a curb like 3 or 4 times with a mamba in it and nothing broke

oldschool77

My Feedback: (3)

Duratrax Mini quake or the new XTM rtr!

The Mad Modder

If you plan on driving in sand, you might consider the Losi Mini Baja. It comes with sand paddles, even.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ7kDkKLPec

Keep in mind that a thin layer of grease along where gearboxes and covers come together helps greatly to keep dirt, sand, and other debris out and away from the gears.

combatman

Guys,

I will never claim to be the most knowledgeable person out there. But for those of you who said the RC18 series does not have a gear cover, read my first post in this thread. You can BUY one. If anyone has a different reason why 99wolfsedition should avoid the RC18 trucks, then please chime in. I am sure there are a lot of guys in Iraq who'd like a mini to help pass the time and get some enjoyment, so I think it is important that we try to provide accurate, knowledge-based information to our troops abroad.

jaejw1

in that case.. dont get the rc18,, they sux...


just kidding.. every mini out there will need some sort of repair.. whether its the gears or the arms or even the knuckles... something will fail at some point.. and you will spend more money trying to bullet proof it...

just accept the fact that any car you get will need repairs.... and every car has its weaknesses... (except for the vendetta...lol. )

let your wallet do the talking..

now since your in the desert.. and you plan on building a track,, i m guessing the track will be dirt and not sand.. every mini mentioned is a good choice... everyone has their personal prefernce.. (vendetta) but with a lil skill you can make any vehicle do what you want it to... some vehicles are just a lil easier to manipulate than others (vendetta)

so with that said,, just try to check out all of them and see which one you want to deal with (vendetta)

btw i own a few minis and i like them all for different reasons and i cant really say i have a favorite (vendetta) but i can tell you that the one i like the most is toss between my vendettas and the xtm rage .... (vendetta rule.. )


like i said before check out all the videos.. and also the vendetta nor the rage come with sand paddles.

squeaky penguin

I own a RC18, a Mini-T, and a Mini-LST. The RC18 has the most durable chassis, BUT eventually the drive line will fail, and it will be tricky and expensive to repair. I have tried all sorts of aftermarket upgrades and never figured out how to keep it working. If you are planing on keeping the stock setup, I would get a RC18, but it can't keep up with brushless lipo setup. If you are planing on using brushless I would go with a mini-t for the drive line is way stronger ( especially with a MIP diff and cvds) and the chassis is quite durable. I haven't had the Mini-LST for that long but so far it seems to be standing up to my brushless lipo setup. I hope this info can be of some help.

calvino

ok, NOT TRYING TO START A WAR[8D], but I have the RC18MT > RC18T and BOY is it tough as nails, the things I would recomend to you are
1. Gear Cover (DP makes an AWESOME one)
2. Draglink for steering (again, DP makes an AWESOME one)
3. Metal diff gears (no worries here bout blowin a diff)
4. Better Charger
5. Extra Battery
6. RPM Wide Bumper

Since you got alot of sand down there, I would say get the MT, the larger tires mean you SHOULDNT sink in... all in all, I recomend the RC18T, it is a very tough truck and has seen the riggors of a newbes bashing...

Dan|zu

And if ya got time to build a KIT which i doubt there is always the rc18 FT KITS Comes wit tons of metal

99wolfsedition

ok i am ordering a car in 8 days so keep them coming. thanks all

The Mad Modder

Where will you be driving it? Sand, dirt, etc?

jaejw1

have you seen videos of the cars mentioned in this thread..

jymellis

My Feedback: (7)

considering hes in iraq, id say he wants to run it rite away. what your suggesting is for him to buy the 18t from one place and have it shipped to iraq for who knows how much. then pay to ship a 10 dollar part to iraq just so he can drive the thing? sorry but i doubt if hell have a hobbytown or tower nearby to run to when one of those plastic dogbones go out. and i doubt hes gonna wanna pay to have shims sent just so he can set the diffs to not flop around. hands down if you want a sand machine get the losi baja. if you want a brushlesss system for it you can order it from www.b-p-p.com they have free global shipping. www.stormerhobbies.com is a great place to shop also. hope this helps.

jym

The Mad Modder

I'd say either a mini-baja or a Tamiya Tam-tech. The tamtech is definitely the most reliable stock. It comes with a ball diff,too.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...P?&C=CEA&V=TAM

The baja is good too, it's fun to drive, and it comes with both pin AND paddles for the rear. However the stock electronics aren't very good. The motor and servo failed on me not long after it was bought.

Although the tamtech doesn't have a large variety of wheels and tires to choose from(unlike the mini-t and baja), 12mm hex adapters are available for both minis so you can use sedan wheels, should parts support end.

Both baja and tamtech come with a full set of ball bearings. The baja comes with oil shocks the tamtech doesn't. This sounds like a big difference, but the oil shocks leak so badly that they will soon be no better than the friction ones on the tamtech. Another downside of the baja is that the steering for the left and right wheels are connected together through a drag link. This drag link rides on a fully threaded screw. When you steer, the threads slowly eat away at the drag link and over time steering slop for the right wheel will grow slowly.

I would go with the tam tech, since it is more reliable and is the same price as the baja. I like my Baja, but you have to do quite a bit to it for it to be a great mini.

The Mad Modder

Here are vids of the tamtech buggy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCSkFbNEFSY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqnzVzQBsYk

tamtech with Brushless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lQbYj1eDJg