RCcrazy1979

My Feedback: (-2)

I want to move up to giant scale trucks or buggies. I dont race I really just like to bash around and have fun with my buddies. What is the best truck or buggy that can take a decent ammount of abuse? Also could you point me to a web site that is good to puchase giant scale kits and parts? my LHS only carries the Traxxas 1/6th sclae buggy. I am not sure how well these perform? Whats your thoughts on the traxxas buggy? Thanks in adavance for your help.

badz

My Feedback: (1)

The Traxxas MB is alright....it's got a terrible shock setup is really it's main problem, it also needs a updated air filter system if you run in real dusty conditions. Its shocks are bad cause they didn't place any pressure on them so the rear shock shafts have a tendancy to bend alot...a simple fix is redrilling some holes to tighten them up. It won't strip off gears like most the other gasers do..theres no need to add steel gears to it...it's got a fully enclosed transmission and rear. It's a decent buggy...the price however well it's Traxxas...

The FG gasers seem to be the choice on here for most, they are available in the states and so are the parts. A link for them in the states is [link=http://www.orienttoyshobbies.net/]here[/link] and [link=http://www.molzermoweryracing.com]here[/link]

[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGMP7**&P=0]Duratrax Firehammers[/link] are good for the fact they are ready to go at a decent price and parts are dirt cheap and available at Tower and some LHS's stock them also.

The XTM 1/6th is the exact same thing as the Firehammer with the exception of the Air Filter assembly and it's not ready to run. All Firehammer parts do fit the XTM's..._if_ you buy a XTM don't buy parts from them, they are very expensive and always half the price or better on Tower.

The Smartech's are the same as the Firehammer/XTM/Carson...they cost about the same as the XTM does here in the states.


Anyhow welcome to this part of the forum...some awesome people post in this area.

Those links may help some...the FG guy's will give more I'm sure plus they'll be able to tell you more about the FG's.
You may want to check out this [link=http://www.quarterscalelegends.com/]link[/link] also...it's a cool site for 1/4 scale.

BTW when you buy a gaser...you'll park your Nitro

Oh also you may want to browse thru the pictures post here...you'll see all the different styles of the gaser there.

Mad Wax

Basically you have the following off-roaders

Marder
Marder Race
Off-road Beetle
Pejero
Monster Beetle
Monster Beetle Pro
Monster Truck
Leopard Race
then one off's like Monster Marder
Stadium Truck (on roader but could be converted to off road/asphalt easily enough with tyre change)

Decide if you want a "Monster" or "Buggy" type, basically the Monsters offshoots are more or less the same, minus body shell, dual shocks etc. Buggy similar except different body shells, pipe, extended chassis, tub etc.

Generally you're looking at another couple of hundred $ for RC system, or more if you're using a higher end TX/RX/Servo/Battery system.

The Monsters look more of a basher RC car but can handle more rougher terrain, but the Buggies handle better and are faster.

As for the Traxxas a couple of people have complained with lack of parts, or at least finding them at any LHS or several online shops, AFAIK you need to go direct to Traxxas. With FG I can buy from at least 15 places in the UK, Norway, Sweden,Germany, USA etc. And not forgetting 300+ FG parts on ebay at any one time.

Personally I would buy the Marder Race- a nice car, decent handling but with a few upgrades over standard Marder. Easy to setup and access components. I would buy the thicker poly cover for hard bashing (need to cut out) as the standard ABS body isn't that tough.

original.mb

hi

the fg monster truck, fg monster beetle and the fg pro beetle are all major players in this large scale game, because you are state side i recommend www.fgperformancerc.com they can source you a kit and all the aftermarket stuff you could possibly need

i have an fg mb and i bash for the fun of it, trust me guy once you get a large r/c there truly is no turning back and you will kick yourself for not doing it sooner mark my words

JQuest64

Revo, I was just in the same thought process as you, and opted for the FG MT. It is my first large scale, and I simply love the MT look.

I am still in the wrenching stage, electronics and some upgrades, and I am already in love with the truck.

I cannot speak for any of the other larger scale manufacturers, but FG certainly puts together one quality piece of machinery. Just from working on the MT, I have been thoroughly impressed by it. Cannot wait to fire it up, hopefully tomorrow.

Good luck in your search, if you have an experience like I am happy, you will have no regrets.

RCcrazy1979

My Feedback: (-2)

Thanks for all yoru replies guys! You are all great. You all had great information for me. I think I have narrowed it down to the FG MT Or a Marder Race.. I about pulled out the debit card a few moments ago after reading all your post. But My wife did not react to well considering last week I just spent 500$ on another stock Revo + better radio gear and another 200 on a RC 18MT for my 5 year old nephews birthday. So this may take some sucking up but I would like to have one ordered next week. Another question though. What do you guys reccomend for TX/RX and Servo's? that is affordable. (I dont want to piss the wife off to bad) Since I am new to the whole giant scale thing I dont know much about these 2 stroke engines or the electrical components like the servo's and so on. Any advise is great.

radio_controlled_mad

either marder race or mt are both good choices but if i had to choose between the 2 it would be the marder race - this comes fitted with much better parts as standard - alloy oil filled shocks all round, cav ball drive system,steel pinion gear,adjustable front end + more - as well as the upgrades the marder handles much better and is faster due to the gearing - & if you do get sick of the marder shell you can always fit monster beetle or pajero body which dwarfs the monster truck when fitted.as for the radio gear thats just a matter of choice but in my experience with anything you buy not just r/c gear - if you buy cheap you buy twice - so you may as well get the best you can afford at the time.some pics of my marder race with beetle shell in my gallery.

jeepfreak1972

Revo and JQuest just remember one thing, all rc car will break at some point. There are a few weak spots in these cars. They still are hands down better than any nitro I have owned. Get the latest fg catalog if you go with the fg brand. They are a life saver. Molzer Mowery has them for under 10.00 bucks. The main problem you will probably have is stripped pinion and spur gears. Put a steel pinion on and replace the rear upper and lower a-arms with alloy ones to stop the problem 99% of the time. Alloy gear carrier is a must too. Glue screen inside your pull starter to keep leaves and grass out of the cooling fins. Get a hd diff tube. You will see why if you run in any stones or gravel. Go to Molzer Mowery Racing and click on Sandys R&D. Go to the off road section. There are lots of good tips for fixing weak points on these cars. If you get a monster fg you will want alloy body post also. Plastic will not hold up a 25 pound car landing on its roof from 5 feet at 30 + mph. Get a pre filter to get loger intervals between filter cleanings. That all I have right now that I can remember. There is alot more that I have done because I wanted to not because it was a weak spot.

Mad Wax

I use two hitec HS-705MG metal gear quarter scale servos for steering (£26 each) HS-645MG metal gear for throttle/brake £28. Pretty good value. A standard 3 chanell 75mhz (for US) FM set £50 is suitable.

hellya

Dont just go with the FG vehicles...... try Carson, Smarttech, same fun less money and ALMOST all parts for all vehicles are interchangable with each other 90-95%

drevil

My Feedback: (5)

I personally wouldn't go with the traxxas as there is no aftermarket support for it, and getting replacement parts is hard since you have to go directly to traxxas. For whatever reason traxxas refuses to let hobby shops stock parts for their buggy. The problem with that is what happens if traxxas decides to stop making their buggy? Parts replacements will be next to impossible to get.

Whether you go with a FG or Duratraxx/Carson/XTM depends on what you plan on doing with the car. The FG cars have alot more aftermarket support especially in the alloy replacement parts. So if you are planning on buying a bunch of alloy parts for your car/truck then go with an FG. On the other hand if you go with a Duratraxx/Carson/XTM you can buy replacement parts for them straight from [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0005p?&I=DTXD97**&P=Z]Tower Hobbies[/link] which are way cheaper than FG's replacement parts.

chowderhead72

My Feedback: (4)

Drevil pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you want a basher buy one of the asians other than the traxxas(xtm,carson,duratraxx) or a basic marder. If you want something that will handle look into the marder race or the leopard. The Monster series (Beetle or MT) are lots of fun but their handleing is definitly sub-par to nitros.

badz

My Feedback: (1)

The Traxxas parts are not hard to get. Traxxas almost always stocks what little parts you need. The reason they don't allow LHS's to stock them is the R&D work involved in the buggy itself. No other gaser can take the abuse of the traxxas and not strip a gear off. I don't care if its FG,Smartech,Firehammer...none of those have strong gear setups. I've done very little to my Traxxas it runs and runs....Something I can't see one other person claiming. Sure ANY gaser is tough on concrete. Run them in sand,mud and really dusty area's and see how long the plastic pinion/spur last. I don't recommend it simply cause it's price...not the design or parts. Face it FG's made in Germany and not every FG part is available in the states. Any manufacture can cease making any model at any time...doesn't mean FG/Traxxas/XTM/Carson/Smartech is going to be around forever just cause they sell some rc's. Any you'll also notice not alot of posts exsist on here about Traxxas MB problems and when they do it's usually cause Traxxas ran out of a part. But they do support it and aren't ending support for it anytime soon. All I'd say is best bang for you dollar on a gaser is a Duratrax Firehammer. Easy to get parts and it's built pretty well. I'd never spend the extra money for a FG maurder when it's basically a firehammer.

drevil

My Feedback: (5)

I'm not saying that FG (or anyone else for that matter) will be around forever. What i'm saying is that if Traxxas stops making their buggy and replacements tomorrow there will be absolutely nowhere to get parts. While if FG/duratraxx/xtm/carson stop making their buggy and parts tomorrow there will be tons of replacement parts out there because hundreds/thousands of hobby shops stock those parts.

RCcrazy1979

My Feedback: (-2)

I have decided to go with the Firehammer. I am ordering one monday from my LHS unless they happen to have one in stock. I think it is the best way to go for me I just feel like bashing a bigger toy around really. If I like it I will spend more money on the FG MT-5 that really catches my eye. But I figured this to be a decent inexpensive way to get started.

fourwheeler

From what I have seen and read you have made a good choice. I hope you have a lot of fun wuth the new car. And welcome to large scale

hellya

I bought a firehammer as my 2nd 1/5 scale vehicle added some MT tires, changed the pinion to a steel 18 tooth
(I got a 17 & a 19 also) added a tune pipe that i use on my hammer and my mt........loads of fun but lots of $$$$$

JQuest64

Revo, best of luck with the new ride, keep us posted as to how things go.

I will say this, I finally fired up my MT for the first time yesterday. The moment it started (first pull) I knew I had made the right choice. After the break in warm up/cool down, I did a few mild runs with it. The power these things have is astonishing.
I just wish I would have made the jump sooner. We are now in the process of figuring out what is best for my son, it seems the Marder or the Firehammer are the finalists. Please post your impressions when you get the ride.

RCcrazy1979

My Feedback: (-2)

Well my wife about shot me yesterday night but I bought a FG MT-5 of Ebay last night. And I ordered a Firehammer from tower hobbies. So I have both commin now. She likes RC but just really puts around the yard a lot with her Revo. And that is hard on glow plugs so I might have her talked into believe that this new investment of mine is better for her to put around the yard. haha.

I am excited about both though. I am going to try to find a forum post on how to upgrade the tires and wheels on teh firehammer and do that for sure. I have way to many R/C's now I think enough to finally put them all down and look like I have spent my life saving on this hobby. Ohh wait now that I think about it. I have! lol.

If you know any must have upgrades for both before I start runnign them go ahead and post them for me and let me know guys.

JQuest64

Hey, I bought mine on Ebay as well, who was the seller? I purchased mine from Bjb3100, and he is a great Ebayer and I know he had another up for sale that is now gone, maybe you purchased from him as well? If you did, have I can assure you he ships real quick, and mine was perfect on arrival.

I went right to the steel spur and pinion upgrade, FG aluminum rear shock tower, rear axle mounts, uprights and wishbones. I also bought a spur/pinion gear protector.

wl6

My Feedback: (8)

I was the one with concerns about the Traxxas MB parts availablity. After talking with badz, I called Traxxas and spoke to WG. The online store for parts showed my part is "out of stock". WG took my name and phone number and said "let me see what I can do for you to get you up and running again". Thats was on a Wednesday I spoke to Traxxas, on Monday the part was in my mailbox-FREE OF CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now thats what I call customer service!!!!!!!!!!!

WG @ traxxas said anytime you need a part, CALL and we will get it for you. Now it kinda stinks traxxas is the only source for parts, but after my last experience, my confidence level is way up. Wg mentioned that parts will be available for a long, long time to come.

The only reason I needed the part is I had the slipper clutch too tight, and melted the entire assembly. I thrash the buggy pretty hard, and have not broken anything thrashing around. The only time I broke a part was when I first got it and slide it into a tree at almost full throttle. The only time I would throttle it down , was when I would drive it close to check the fuel level!!!

I cannot comment on the FG, Firehammer or the other large scale vehicles. I am very happy with my Traxxas Monster Buggy purchase, and with parts support. And now with badz shock mod, my shocks will work like a real shock now.

I think it all comes down to what can you afford, and go with it. Its all about having fun!!!