grampi

It appears HPI has developed the Savage SS in an attempt to sail right past the T-Maxx, and compete head-to-head with AE's MGT for king of the MT hill. The SS and MGT even have similar release dates. It looks like HPI is going about it almost totally in the right direction. The added power and the extra gearing should make the SS comparable to the Maxx in terms of top speed, which was really the only area the Savage was lacking in compared to the Maxx. It should be faster than the MGT. I've heard the MGT's top speed is somewhere between 30 and 35. A real plus, I think anyway, is the fact the SS comes in kit form. The only thing I'm a little concerned about is the included engine. It's a Nitro Star .25. Any of you ever hear of Nitro Star engines? I haven't. They may have done better to include a more well known engine, or not include an engine at all. They left the choice of radio up to the buyer, why not do the same with the engine? I shouldn't complain, at least we're seeing some progress in making some non-RTR kits available.

This makes my choice more difficult. Before, my choice was easy; MGT all the way. After reading up on the SS, I'm now thinking not considering it as well would be foolish.

grampi

My bad. According to HPI, there will be two versions of the SS kits, 845 which comes with an engine, and 844 which comes without an engine.

GALAXY

oh cool.....but I'll probably get it with the engine...I wouldn't know what o get anyway.

14leo

when will the one without the engine be out and how much will it cost. Can u give me a link where u got this from? I just wanna c for myself. hope u can help me

oztexs

geez i wish i knew more about this AE's MGT ?

grampi

14leo

Use Google's search engine and just type in "savage ss." That should get you to the site.

oztexs

Go to rc10.com, they have all the info about the MGT there.

ShOzz

this is the 1st i have heard of a kit that will be without an Engine.

you saw this on hpiracing.com ?

the Nitro Engine is what all HPI's rtr kits come with, a decent engine for the general consumer. the .25 they are sending out is made by the same people making the ofna Force .25 just with a different head on it. so again a decent engine but not a top of the line 200-400 dollar engine.

ShOzz

after looking over hpi's site there is nothing listed about 2 kits that i found on the SS page.

http://www.hpiracing.com/kits/savage...ge_ss_main.htm

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

remember though, think of the quality AE puts out compared to HPI, that makes the choice simple.

grampi

Please elaborate.

aznx2fine

hpi gets almost all their engines from novarossi(i think thats how you spell it)

DFF

No, HPI doesn't get ALL their engine from nova.

Only .12 size engine for sedan car and .21 for the on-road Proceed are rebadged Nova.

The .15 size are all derivated from the 15FE, like the 15SS and that's not nova brand (I thing Hong Nor brand or something close to it...)

For the .21 size Savage, they used Ofna engine tuned and modified especially for more perf and better reliability.

The Nitro Star .21BB is derivated from the Ofna Force P4, but don't be fooled, it has been tuned with ported crank, sleeeve and the like and an improved pull starter.

The Nitro Star .25 follows the same path i.e. being derivated from the Ofna Force .25.

I will reserve my judgment on the Nitro star .25 until I see the guts of this engine and side / side picture of both Nitro Star .25 and Force .25

I can only tell you that it will perform at least the same as the Force .25, but there might be good surprise (i.e. better porting and such).

We shall see

Grampy, for the 2 kit version, it might be because of european and Japan version.

For the record, the Euro Savage were all sold RTR but without radio.

So, Euro Savage SS might be sold without engine and radio while north america Sav would get an engine.

L8ter

DFF

whodoes

hot bodies dirt demon engine and the savage is about the same only the carbs were put the other way around i think the y got it from same company..

grampi

Something else I hadn't considered. The MGT is an RTR. I detest RTR's simply because the engine and radio gear are chosen for you, and because non-RTR kits generally come with more of the mods most people end up making to RTR's. Now, AE puts out some good quality stuff, even in RTR form. Their vehicles are well built and the Thunder Tiger engines aren't bad either. However, the Ace Jaguar radios leave much to be desired. Consider this; for $499 you'd get the MGT with a TT .21 engine and an Ace Jaguar radio, or for the same price you could get the Savage SS with the Nitro Star .25 engine, an Airtronics MX-3 radio, and a Roto Start system for the same price. The SS is sounding better and better.

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

actually AE's are coming with new radios now, ill look and figure out which ones they are.

grampi

They're still using the Jaguars. Even if they're improved, you can bet they still are nothing compared the MX-3.

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

i personally wouldn't buy a hitec radio anyways grampi... theres so much better out there... im waiting on the EX10 Helios

tjmaxx

It isn't a Hitec radio it is a Airtronics, it is a really good radio.

grampi

Yep, Airtronics MX-3. May be the best radio for the money.

caseyddr

My Feedback: (13)

my mistake.

ShOzz

i have always enjoyed Jr's for the money.

i got a 3 channel FM JR for 150.00 not bad.

grampi

JR's are very good radios too.

bueno_z

I would not worry about that Nitro Star .25, it is made by OFNA. It is a Force .25.

I have had my SAVAGE when they first came out in November of 2002. I still have my stock Nitro Star .21 in it, and it is already on its 11th gallon of fuel, and it still has lots of power, and still starts on the first, or second pull.

I am willing to bet that the Nitro Star .25 is just as Durable.

By the way grampi, I remember you cursing us SAVAGE owners, Why the change?

You must have seen the light!

grampi

I don't remember any cursing, but I do remember a lot of people claiming the Savage is leaps and bounds better than a T-Maxx. That simply isn't the case. Yes, the Savage does certain things better than the Maxx does, but there isn't a night an day difference as some have claimed.

Why the change you ask? Several reasons. The Savage is a very good MT as is, and with the introduction of the new SS kits they're even better. The SS comes with a lot of the hop up stuff most folks would want to add to their standard Savages. It's also not an RTR, which is a huge plus for me. I like choosing my own radio gear and engine. If I can get my hands on an overseas version of this kit (the one that comes without an engine), I'll be in heaven! I think a Savage SS with an MX-3 radio and a Picco .26 would make a hellova MT, don't you?

thunderdone

I was just looking at the teamassociated web site and it looks to me that they (associated) have updated the info on the MGT. The plastic piggy backs that everyone is compaining about look different to me. THey now have black caps on them. Could they be real? Do they come with the MGT RTR or are they add ons? There is a more detailed picture of the duel starting mechanism. Looks pretty cool. I can't wait to get one. The savage is a good truck too, even though it has the poorly engineered fuel tank, and soft plastic rims that sometimes strip. I like them more and more every time my friend brings his over. I like the duel starting mech better than the roto start. It seems more reliable and I already have a cordless drill.