Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

Well, I got my second HPI Baja, a 5b SS already. So, the 5T and 5B SS have my fifth scale desires covered. I am not going to get any other fifth scale platform in the meantime, nothing really excites me besides the Bajas.

I actually ended up swapping the Rampage for 2 very, very nice complete brushless 1/8 setups and used the cash from some leftover part sales to buy a bunch of lipos (4x2S and 3x4s).

RAMTech-HBF-LSF

No, they are 2 diffeerent trucks. Kind of like the Chevy 1500 and 2500 series. The huge Monster Truck tires need a beefier all around truck. Since it is the largest MT on the market, why discontinue it if its selling well? There probably won't be any aftermarket support except for the exhausts, so thats not part of the decision. The number of parts to stock for long term support isn;t that much, so it will be fairly easy to have the MT stick aorund for years to come.

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

Interesting point. I still think they compete for the same market though. They are both trucks with large tires, albeit the MTs tires are larger. Fair enough.

Does Redcat have plans for a V4 of the MT then if they are different trucks? Will there be further development on the MT platform if it is doing so well? If it is selling well and is a different product, I expect that it will evolve then per my original discussion and be revised with fixes and mods at some point.

alvinm

Bad news for my buddies XT. He was running it in a sandy area and when he tried starting it the next day, it ran for a few seconds and then quit. He took the motor apart and found the top of the piston all shaved. There was sand in the carburetor as well. I saw the video he made from the bashing and I can't understand how it occurred. The Redcat air filter must be a pretty lousy design????

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

It has been observed (and I saw it too) that the Redcat inner filter often arrives dry and not oiled. It has an outer filter which is supposed to remain dry and then the inner filter is supposed to be oiled to catch the dirt and prevent what happened to your friend, well, from happening.

alvinm

Whats ironic is the break in procedure they recommend for the truck, which is quite time consuming. But they don't oil their filters?

bbuzzard

My Feedback: (5)

I think it is common knowledge to check your car's important parts before you run it...right?

RAMTech-HBF-LSF

I can't speak for Redcat, but I'm fairly sure we will see a V4 Monster Truck in the future. The HSP version Blackfoot is now selling in Europe and they are doing well over there. I just can't see a container of Monster Trucks selling out in 2 days, then Redcat getting rid of that model.

alvinm

Never checked if the filter was oiled in my Baja.. maybe because its a better filter design..

mooman007uk

even when oiled the HSP filter is garbage, throw on an HPI one before you even run.

as for the longevity of the current MT...if it continues to sell well then it'll be sold, if over the next 12 months sales tank due to the XT or any other player entering the lower end of the market then any savvy businessman would pull the pin on it...however the MT is sold in many different guises so I'd assume spares will be available for years to come unless HSP pull the pin on it themselves which I doubt will happen for a long time.

RAMTech-HBF-LSF

I think the MT will be around for some time.

rob64n

i've been running my v1 over 2 years with the stock filter. it's never cost me an engine

mooman007uk

depends on the conditions you run it, in the summer here our dirt turns to super fine bull dust and you need a thicker well oiled filter to stop it getting in (it's so fine it gets sucked straight thru an outerwears), my hpi filters only last a couple of tanks and need to be changed out and cleaned/oiled.

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

Good riddance to my Rampage experience. Believe it or not, the new owner blew out the Rampage's throttle servo (JR z590M)!!! and the clutch spring broke!!! within 5 minutes of easy running. The new owner thought I sold him a lemon and he was pretty sore at me. I had to make concessions to let him know I wasn't trying to pull a fast one one him. So, my Rampage curse persisted beyond even after it left my possession.

Why the throttle servo? I know why. I put the insufficient stock 2.4 transmitter and receiver back in the Rampage to sell it. Do you guys know what happens when you turn the Redcat receiver on before the Redcat transmitter? Well boys and girls, the receiver throws the servo to beyond its max travel and holds it until it gets a transmit signal. I noticed this when I put the system in and I am certain this is what caused the servo to fail. Some will say "ah, you are supposed to turn on transmitter first" to which I say "of course" and "guess what? 1) the engine wasn't started and 2) Not a single other tx/rx in my 20+ year history of RC has done this".

Why the clutch spring? Poor materials? Poor quality control? Take your pick. One issue I didn't even mention was that the stock clutch lost one of its clutch shoes within minutes of starting when I first got it. The shoe literally fell off of the clutch and bound up the other clutch so the truck wouldn't move. This was very early on, so I just put in a new clutch and figured it was an anomaly. Little did I know this was the sign of things to come.

I am certain that Redcat Racing will continue shipping tons of product because we are in the era of self indulging consumerism where cheaply priced products rule. This may be overreaching, but I question the sustainability of an organization that places their quality control solely in their suppliers' hands and remains wholly subject to their suppliers' quality programs and product development. There is a difference between importing a lot of OEM product and just pushing it to the masses vs. taking the steps towards building a cradle to grave product company. The latter is much harder and costs a whole lot more with tighter margins- you have to take controls out of the OEMs hands and start managing it in-house though I am sure the low price of importing Chinese goods and the handsome markup provide little incentive for considering in-house design, product management and quality control.

I would like to see a ground up Redcat Racing product design. Until that time, they are just an importer of others' goods and in my opinion will not be viewed on the same level as those that manage their own designs from cradle to grave like their competitors: Traxxas, HPI, Tamiya, Losi, Associated, etc.

I have probably said too much...

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

This is what I got for my Redcat Rampage in case anyone is curious. I am perfectly satisfied with the deal I made, no trader's remorse whatsoever.

#1 is an OFNA LX1E. Has the Hobbyking 100A ESC and Feigao XL sensorless motor. New, never ran. Not sure if the Hobbyking ESC is any good or not, I will find out soon. I have never run an 1/8 brushless buggy before, I can't wait.

#2 is LST2 converted to brushless. Mamba Monster and Medusa 2200kV motor. Thing has a bunch of upgrades on it and is clean to boot. Very little usage.

alvinm

You did well in that trade..[8D]

elven wizard

nice trade

RAMTech-HBF-LSF

Don't turn the receiver on your HPI Baja first either, it will apply full brake and burn out your servo. I remember when they first came out, that was the number one failure on the Baja.

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

Ahhh... I have always run Spektrum or JR FM radios, so I wouldn't know. That is good to know though. I guess the idea is that if it loses transmit signal that it applies full brake? Probably not a bad idea I guess, it should just not throw the servo past its intended movement.

Rob, you going to be at Phatdads place on April 2nd?

RAMTech-HBF-LSF

Yep, that is how the failsafes work. Most apply brake and turn the wheel.

I will be at Phatdad's, I am sponsoring the Mexican buffet table!!

Obeast44

DANGIT! Mexican Buffet!!! You are SO lucky I cant afford a plane ticket out there.....LOL

Hope you guys have a blast!

slimwadey

Well after reading this whole thread i can say it good riddance to bad rubbish !!

What a nightmare you have had , i have had similar experiences in the past . its just shocking what some companies will try to sell asquality products

All your hard earned cash goes on a Lemon .... not a nice feeling

Its good to see you finally got a decent deal .. that Losi looks fun !

Slim

fourwheels0

My Feedback: (7)

dale your gonna love that losi. get some good batts and have a blast.

bbuzzard

My Feedback: (5)

I have followed this thread and since I am recently dealing with a V1 MT which I haven't run but got to see it run fine(after many mods), I must say I never experienced any of the issues with my Dune Runner(DR) that other owners had (albeit, there are few compared to the MT) and it ran well for me. I have since converted my DR to a TT(I wanted something lighter) and I am impressed. I run it on-road currently to break in my new motor and I have run it into parking lot curbs real hard(running on slicks didn't help) without damage. I have enough experience now that I just don't go bashing a largescale beats without regards to the consequence. I have run 1/10th scale and you can bash the hell out of  them, due to the lighter weight, and come out with few issues.

I just wish to note to the current largescale manufacturers(if they read these forums) that just to make something large based on technology from smaller scaled platforms only works in theory. It takes some real R&D and I haven't seen it personally except for the models raced outside of North America. this may be due to us spending so much time *****ing and complaining (I am guilty) than expanding large scale racing here (North America) Don't get me wrong, I like bashing but it doesn't do my pocket well. I want to race and not have to travel time zones to do it!

The lack of US tracks on the East Cost is part of the problem for me and I am trying to rectify this but the fact that HPI is the major player in most events close to me, is disconcerting since they limit participation somewhat.

I just ran my XB against a Slayer and I must say, that car is way too small for me now...In my advanced age, I can't even see that thing past 50 yards, LOL!!


My 2cents

ratballs26

hi all i am new here to the site and wanna say hello, i own a redcat 1/5 had some trouble with tires wondered if any one else had trouble also, i boiled my tires off and repacked them my self with camping mat, but its slightly hard, does anybody know where i can get some other material that is durable and little softer thanks