Silver_

Hi all, I am getting a bit fed up with the nitro scene at the moment, and was thinking of moving into large scale, I have seen the marder and it looks real good, and I know you can buy a conversion kit if you ever want to make it into the beetle. But I was just wondering if the Monster Truck or Monster Beetle Pro was worth the extra money. I heard that the monster truck is abit more lumpy and not as nimble.
I will only be using them for bashing.
Thanks.

Mad Wax

No point buying a Marder if you're then going to convert it- the conversion kits are pretty expensive. The cheapest is probably the Marder Eco, around £450 I think. Checkout Hobbytech as they include 100 Euros of parts free (spark, bearings, layshaft gears)

Don't forget you'll need all radio gear- transmitter, receiver, batteries for both, dual steering or single high powered servos, torquey throttle/brake servo, switch. I bought dual 705's and a 645 (hitecs) for £80. Add another £25 for battery, and say £80 for a TX/RX set.

The off-road buggies look like they handle better than the MT/MB from the movies I've seen due to wheelie problems with the MB/TV (compared to the two I have) also poorer cornering and problems with backflipping when going up hills or hitting little ramps. Where are you going to drive it? I would recommend the MB/MT only if it was redesigned with a more central engine, so at least the extra height does not cause constant wheelies. The "Monster" cars don't seem to common over here in the UK, buggies are more popular.

Silver_

Cheers for the reply Mad Wax, I'll be mainly running them on grass, gravel and mud.
I have been reading previous threads on here and the discussions about servos gets soooo confusing.
I realise I need decent radio gear and was looking at the Futaba 3PK, you can get them off ebay for about £150 new.

Mad Wax

I just bought the 3PK PCM version as well, £195 all in including a metal case (about £30) I'll let you know what I think about it. About £250 in the UK without a case. With the HRS version you have to use digital servos. With PCM you can use digital or analogue servos. PCM has better noise rejection, HRS is 3x faster response (but probably talking ms so not really a big deal) From my own research digital servos have their pros and cons (great holding power, but use more current, can burn out and dislike constant applied force, especially if servo arm jams)

As for servos, it is quite confusing. You need quite a bit of torque behind the steering, I've re-purchased Hitec two 705's - 400oz of torque- alot more than a single higher end and expensive servo, and nice and cheap too. Go metal gear all round. Use quarter scale servos for steering of course.

http://www.hitecrcd.com/Servos/hs705.htm
and a 645 for throttle/brake
http://www.hitecrcd.com/Servos/hs645.htm

One upgrade I would recommend for the Marder though- a stiffer RC plate. I found it flexes considerably (especially throttle/brake servo area) and quite weak around the central post. Eventually it splits. The Leopard has a far superior RC plate design, it not only allows one extra space standard sized servo for front cable brakes but also more posts to support the plate (zero flex)

You'll also need a charger. The Ripmax Mercury EX looks good (going to get one myself) to charge TX & RX- and auto shut off after detected charged (rather than a timed charger) Needs a PSU or 12v battery though, allows custom charge rate, voltage and capacity of battery/

At least get a 40mhz FM set, don't use 27mhz (most likely kids in the area on the same frequency)

icecreamslick

My Feedback: (9)

From what I've seen, read, and experienced with my FG Monster Beetle, there is no clear-cut solution to getting into giant scale off-road cars and trucks other than putting a good deal of money into your first purchase. I'm sure there are loads of people who will disagree with me, but this is how I feel after six months with a 1:6 scale bug:

You can go with...
-the cheaper route (Firehammer, Carson, XTM). They seem good, but upgrading parts always seems to be...will this FG part fit, will that FG part fit etc.
~or~
-middle price range vehicles for this scale (Marder, Monster Beetle, Monster Truck). They generally need several upgrades or replacement parts within a short period of time...steel pinion, alloy carrier/do I want the gear cover, steel diff. tube, pipe & wheelie bar etc.
~or~
-high price range (Lauterbacher, Hormann, Mamba). They have lots of aluminum and do not need many upgrades, but they cost a lot of money.

So that's it. You can choose to buy cheap, have fun, and deal with the issues that arise. You can spend several hundred dollars more for a better car/truck and have the same problems, but with several available upgrades that will work (expensive, but available). Or you can save your money and get a higher quality, high-dollar rc that you can just enjoy driving with much fewer hassles.

Whatever you choose, just remember that none of the vehicles in this scale are really designed to withstand the kind of big-air abuse that your nitros can take. They are tough overall, and the motors are generally hassle-free, but they need a decent driver in order to keep giving you entertainment.

For me now, it is like looking back on my junior high and high school days...
If I had it to do all over again knowing what I know now, I would be such a stud! On the same note, if I could start over in giant scale with what I know now, I would buy a top-of-the-line buggy (Lauterbacher or Hormann) to start with, instead of trying to make mine into one, a little bit at a time. [8D]

I've got at least $2500.00 in mine and it is still in pieces on the dinning room table. [&o]

THIS IS ALL MY OWN, PERSONAL OPINION. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT LIKE IT...well, you know. [sm=pirate.gif]

badz

My Feedback: (1)

Easily you'll spend more than $1000 for the car/truck ya choose...and by bashing hopefully ya don't mean bashing like is done to them little nitro's.....gasers are heavy and won't take 15' high jumps like the small nitro's will...you'll break alotta parts if you bash them too bad....parts aren't hard to come by for any of them other than steel upgrade pinion gear for firehammer/xtm/carsons are only available oversea's...I run mine(xtm's) at some local bmx tracks but don't beat them as bad as my savage or revo since it's cheaper to totally replace those than it is a gaser. A decent and low priced gaser out of the box is the firehammer.....people won't agree but it's got some good reviews and people posting here that own it seem to all agree it's well worth the price. But once you get into the gaser's you will spend some cash on them...their alot more fun and there's alot more options to hop them up..so tossing $2500 at one isn't all that hard to do...considering a decent steering servo alone will cost you $100+

drevil

My Feedback: (5)

I didnt read through all of the post so maybe somebody mentioned this already....
I just wanted to add that if you are looking to save money when getting into this you do not need a $300 radio. All you need is a decent FM radio. I've been running an airtronics MX3 for the past 2+ years and i love it.
Also i'm not sure if anyone mentioned but you should also get a failsafe.

MountainMotor

My Feedback: (7)

You guys think with the proper care and no bashing that an MT-5 with all of the above mentioned upgrades (steel gears, alloy carrier, etc.) could run for a long time without any major problems? Just running it hard but not bashing or ramping it.

drevil

My Feedback: (5)

Yes. I've run my marder (hard!) for more than two years now without any real problems. My first big problem happened yesterday when i hit a rock that caused me to come to an abrupt stop.....stripped two teeth off the pinion and the carb spacer/manifold cracked (believe it or not).
These are really durable and the engines are near bulletproof in stock form.

Silver_

Thanks for all your replies, No, when I mean bashing I mean mainly driving around trying to cause as much mess and mayhem as possible. I'm not really into doing massive jumps anyway.
Yeh the marders do seem really popular over here, the monster truck just looks a bit heavy and lumpy and not as nimble. Do the side TVP plates make the monster truck more bullet proof??

kengentry5000

My Feedback: (2)

I bought a Firehammer used for $575 USD. I immediately upgraded the throttle/brake servo to a Hitec 9545MG with built-in failsafe. My local RC shop has the Hitec field programmer box and was able to set the fail-safe position (allowed me to skip the separate failsafe).

It's been a steep learning curve because I like to bash. I had a lot of problems initially with loose screws causing the diff gear mesh to get out of whack. Got some great tips from this forum and my local hobby shop to correct the problems.

The Firehammer also has NO padding in the receiver or batter boxes. All the vibration and jarring had worn the battery covering off and started to bare the wire insulation. I added some foam padding and cleaned/repaired the battery and have not had any issues since.

I wanted a Monster Buggy but it was going to easily be 2.5x to 3x more than I have in the Firehammer. I will enjoy the Firehammer with all it's shortcomings (compared to FG kits) and then decide in a year or two if the FG kit is the way to go. By then I will have all the extras that FG does not include purchased for the Firehammer that I can transplant onto the FG (if I decide to go that route).

Ken

hpiguy

NO R/C that I know of has padding in the radio box from the factory.

Most just wrap the receiver in foam rubber like you figured out.

Also most large scalers use a SubC 6V pack for the receiver so it's mounted in the FG made spot for it on the chassis with the mount included. But I think the small battery included with the Firehammer gets the job done fine too.

kengentry5000

My Feedback: (2)

I use two different 6v subC packs in my Firehammer. Duratrax included an 1800 mAh NiCD pack and the previous owner bought a Venom Racing 3300 mAh NiMH pack. Both are 'standard' 6V subC receiver packs same as all the other 1/6 (FG included) models out there. The Duratrax trickle charger is the item you can toss out when you buy the model. Using a standard delta V charger than can support receiver packs I get plenty of uptime. The padding suggestion comes from having to repair wear spots on the battery sheathing and wiring.

Good racing,
Ken

Silver_

Thanks for the replies people, seen the marder and MT in person now. I have seen the MT running but not the marder.... just need to make a decision on which one to get MT or marder, MT or marder, MT or marder, aaahhh decisions[:'(] Can you help

turnell

NITRO T, I started out with the MARDER, but got the MB conversion kit just for a change (and so i could squash all the nitro's in my area), if you cant get your head around what you want think of how the real things act....... a BUGGY is nimble and can be whipped around.......... a MONSTER TRUCK is more dominating n clunky, now i have my MB i wouldn't want to change it back to the MARDER.... well not for long anyway. im sure alot of people in this forum would agree that overall your probably get more fun out of the MONSTER B/T.

Mad Wax

Download some Marder, MB & MT videos from the video section. You could buy the Monster Marder, then also buy Leopard wheels/rims, and correct bolts- so can easily swop from Monster Marder to off-road Marder.

drevil

My Feedback: (5)

Here is a vid from the RCU review of the firehammer. Although i'm not sure if this video does them justice because they dont seem very fast or loud in this video.
http://67.18.81.100/rcuvideos/magazi...s/520/high.wmv

There are also a number of videos here http://www.molzermoweryracing.com/download_page.html

gonsped69

My Feedback: (6)

The buggy is more stable, corners better and generally faster than the MT overall - thus you'll find more people race these models.

The MT has much higher ground clearance, generally more bouncier than the buggy but also relatively easy to rollover - therefore more people tend to bash with the MT.

All in all its really a personal decision between the two - What do you wish to do with a large scale model?

jimbo1890

If you are not interested so much in the look of the MT you can get a buggy and stick MT wheels on it and get the best of both worlds

Silver_

Hi all, been looking around at different sites and trying to get peoples opinions.... One of the only reasons I was going to get the MT was not because of how it looked but because I thought it was stronger and was possibly better with the extra parts on. However I much prefer the beetle and marder shell, so my plan is to buy the marder and save myself some cash and then if I want always upgrade to the beetle. Some people say there is no need for the extra shocks and side plates, so I think that is what i might do. Might even buy a samba pipe with the left-over cash.

kengentry5000

My Feedback: (2)

In talking with an FG dealer, he somewhat encouraged the Monster Beatle over the Monster Truck because the extra shocks made the suspension *too* stiff in his opinion. I would recommend the Monster Beatle over the Marder for the monster wheels and tires.

I run a Firehammer (copy of Marder) and really want monster tires for it. The MB was just too far out of my budget (so was the Marder by the time I added the electronics).

I also think the Beatle body is way too cool ;-)

Ken

Silver_

I've read on loads of previous threads that the MT isn't any stronger than the MB, but are the suspension arms better because they have been re-designed??

ditchy

My Feedback: (2)

I bought a 2nd hand Smartech Traveller with a Zenoah 230rc in it for a good price and I have just ordered all the parts required to change it into a Smartech Bigfoot from Hong Kong. The cost of the parts was real reasonable, but the shipping is quite expensive. I should recieve the parts this coming week. When I do I'll let you guys know where I got them from as the cost is "real good" I just want to make sure that all the parts come as ordered and that the deal was as good as it seems.
I wanted a truck mostly for the looks and I just bash and a truck seems more suited to what I want to do with it.
Glen

Silver_

Could someone show me a pic of their MB beside their MT at all, as I have not seen the MB in person.
Also is there anyone out there that owns both??
Thanks

deeppaul

My Feedback: (8)

If you don't have much money the place to start would be a scrap yard. There is one in town here and it is a gold mine for scrap parts to use on an RC. They sell the scrap by weight and not the part. The one here sells all kinds of SS sheets with surface flaws for around $.60 a pound. You could find all kinds of parts you could use. I wish I would have known about them when I was younger would have saved a lot of time and money.