Firstly, I would like to say a big gudday to all you Cen owners (and nosey others!!!
).
For those have been frequenting this forum for a while you will know me (well? well-ish anyway), and for those that dont, well read on...
In about April of last year I was a real Nitro noob. I had previous experience with RC vehicles when I was younger, in the form of Radio-Shack electrics then Tamiya and Associated (RC10) electrics, but Nitro was always just dreamed about...
Basically I decided to get a nitro truck, on a budget, so the Cen MT2 fitted the bill, so on that information alone I went out and bought one and had it shipped over from the good ol US of A to lil ol New Zealand...
I was as excited as a 15 year old in a strip club when it turned up...man it was the best thing since sliced bread! Read the manual, got me some nitro and away I went. I ran that .16 engine in like it said, and then took off to the park to have me a good time...
Okay so I got a few more tanks under its belt on the flat then went over to the skate park to test out its flying ability...
SNAP went the rear diff-cup (and out flew the rear dog-bone)! Bugger thats not supposed to happen is it??!!...Little did I know...
Well after ordering some more parts, and doing some research, I found this site (RCU) and I found a few people that new a little (well a lot really) more than me about our friend the MT2.
I heard about the diff cup mod, how to set up your suspension, and the flexing issues...so I did the diff cup mod and built me a roll bar and I had a lot of fun with our friend the MT2. (see my first video...) Bent/broke a few more axles, you know, the usual.
About a month or so after purchase while I was having a bit of that fun I said I was having (Hey this thing boogies man!) The steering servo decided to say "I cant take this anymore" and died.
After the funeral I decided that the stock radio was CRAP CRAP CRAP! Hey what did I expect it was a $20 radio after all (at least that was the diff in price between the RTR with a radio and the non RTR without!).
So I went down to the LHS and got myself a budget JR set (budget without being CRAP) and a reasonable steering servo to boot.
Wayhey I was rolling again...while my pile of broken Cen bits was getting bigger.
A little while longer down the track Cen was feeling pretty bad with themselves for supplying us noobs (which is mostly who buys the MT2) with a CRAP radio, so they bought out what they called the Cen Radio Exchange Programme, (or something similar), where for $50 and your old radio (they needed the old one to prove you actually had a CRAP Cen radio...they quickly chucked them as far away as they could soon after their arrival back at CEN HQ...) ...yea so you send in the old one and 50 bucks (oh yea, PLUS postage...) and they sent you a brand spanking DECENT radio in the form of the Airtronics/Sanwa MX3.
Very cool offer Cen, thank you very much...I would like to add the aforementioned radio is still going fine...works well with my Savage...oops did I say that out loud? [X(]
When I sent my radio in I also included the broken servo, some diff cups and a couple of dog-bones (all broken) and got replacements on all counts, and they replaced the servo with a Cen high torque jobby which is still going strong. Thanks Cen.
So now I had the MT2 with modded cups, roll cage and wheelie bar (I got sick of bending the rear shock tower on wayward landings...(see gallery) but I needed more, so after hearing about the infamous OS18 CV-RX, I added that to the list of hop-ups.
Pretty soon I got the Hop-Up bug...
A JT chassis here, an aluminium brake seat there...here a servo, there a screw set......everywhere are TMaxx shafts.....you get my drift! (EIEIO) [:-]
I decided to do more research...
I wanted something TOUGHER.
I wanted something that would soar through the air (high) and not break or bend everytime it landed...
And then before too long, sitting in front of me was a brand spanking HPI Savage SS 4.6 Kit [>:]
And FYI my second choice from doing that research was a Revo, but it lost out because A: it wasnt as tough, and B: it has a small block engine smaller than the MT2. (that didnt impress me much!)
So there it was in all its infamous glory...the SS 4.6 kit...Since I was a kid I wanted to assemble my own kit and I couldnt think of a cooler one.
For those that are loyal Cen followers to the bitter end then maybe you should stop reading......
After owning the MT2 for a few months then going to the Savage, I have to say that IMO I should of got the Savage in the first place. I have had a lot more fun with it and it has served me better FOR WHAT I PUT AN RC VEHICLE THROUGH.
I guess what I am saying is that I needed a truck that can handle more punishment.
The MT2 is really good for hacking around the back yard, its quiet, fast and nimble...
Big air is not even contemplated now with my MT2, the Savage jumps like it has wings and is very stable in flight compared to the short wheelbase MT2, it is all round a bigger badder meaner truck...
But no its not perfect either, no truck is though, and I have spent my fair share in hop-ups for the Savage, for one the diffs dont last as long as on the MT2...
And now that brings me to my lates aquisition...a 1/8th Buggy...now everyone has heard of the 1/8th scale buggy, hey unless you live under a rock you know about the 1/8th scale buggy.
Well I dismissed them as something you get if you wanted to race not bash...but while doing an EBAY australia cruise around, I came across a GS Racing Avenger 1/8th buggy for a price that was really hard to say no too.
And so for about the same price that I paid for the MT2 (shipped), I had myself a cool new 1/8th scale buggy to play with.
Now I have to say that I am really impressed with this RC vehicle.
It has a .21 engine, weighs ballpark around the same as the MT2, but is BUILT A LOT TOUGHER. It has huge pillow balls on the hubs, decent drive shafts and can take a lot of abuse.
Ok, so I shouldnt really pit these two against each other...they were designed for different things...but then again I would say they were also designed for the same thing...to have fun with, and as for the best backyard basher out of the cars I own, the MT2, Savage and the Avenger buggy, it goes hands down to the buggy, without a doubt.
It rips it rocks, its fast, its tough...its brilliant.
And I may start racing this thing casually next year...what more could you ask for...?
Thanks Cen for introducing me to the world of Nitro offroad, and thanks Cen for introducing me to the GREAT Cen followers here at RCU, I have made a lot of friends and (I hope) not too many enemies here on the forums.
I will probably keep the highly modified MT2 I have...after all I just went out and spent a small fortune on steel spur gears, yes it has TMaxx axles so not too many worries there...touch wood, the diffs are still going (original). The latest thing I broke was the front lower A arm, right where the pivot pin goes through, its not surprising really when you see how much meat is actually there, (not much, Cen what were you thinking...?) but I dare not put the New Era Ali ones on it...goodbye diff housings...so if they are the only thing I break from now on I may be happy enough to keep the ol MT2...for a while longer.
I will never stop frequenting this forum, its my first, and first have meaning, I mean it is in no way (IMO) the best forum out there, although for Cen followers it probably is, but it lacks structure, I mean why lump every new post into one big list...doesnt make sense to me...it just means its more difficult to find anything...guess thats why the same questions are asked over and over and over...
Oh well, I think I am done rambling....this post will seem like a Cen bash but its not. Cen are constantly improving their products which is great and I have only had experience with one of them the MT2 which IMO was almost a great truck but just had too many shortcomings for my liking really...I can only hope that the Magnum line does better and from what I have seen on the spec sheet it should.
And while I dont think I would ever buy one, I would LOVE to see first hand or have a go with the GST, I mean there probably isnt even one in New Zealand!
I tell you what Cen, you send me one and I will give it a GREAT workout, I will bash it (but not go crazy) I will take it to the track and try and smoke whatever stands in my way... and I will share every moment of it I can with the world via the WWW here at RCU.
If that sounds like a plan Cen, then you know whereI am...
Cheers,
Azz