wracing

My son and Iare looking at truggies. We are both likeing the hpi trophy truggy. It looks great and a lot of fun. However is there a better way to go? Even if it cost more?

Perhaps a kit or converting a nitro truggy? We are likely not going to race much. We are open to 1/10 scale aswell. We need something durable.Thanks!

Foxy

I have to say, I have not been impressed with my friend's trophy truggy. It breaks often and seems cheaply made.

I recommend the Thunder Tiger MT4 G3. It is a monster truck by name, but it is based on one of the most rock solid and underappreciated truggies of all time, the ST-1 (you can probably find the ST-1 thread directly below this one at the time of posting). If you put regular truggy wheels and tires on it and increased the gearing a little, you'd have a rock solid truggy. Personally I'd keep it as a monster truck and race it in the monster truck class, where it would OWN. It;s also very reasonably priced for what it is. The electronics will also take 6S batteries when you and your boy are ready (I suggest you run it on 4s until you get the hang of it, it's a very powerful car). Reviews say the thing is literally indestructible. One is sitting in my wishlist at amain as I type this.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lbRrvV_DeU[/youtube]

HerrSavage

Losi Ten-T is worth a look if you don't want to race.

A 1/8 truggy is better though - but I am just a big fan of 8t scale everything..

An Associated RC8T CE, Werks B5 with 2058 pipe, and 2x Savox 1258 servos would be a pretty mega-awesome place to start - plus you get to build it yourself. Costs more, but then you've got the best of the best, that is immediately race-worthy if you ever decide to try that. The HPI truggy is OK for messing around. The RC8T mega-awesome for messing around, AND racing..

wracing

Thanks! How would you compare this to the HPIBullet Flux

wracing

Great Stuff! Thanks!

Foxy

It's quite simply 10 times the car. No comparison at all.

wracing

Thank You!

wracing

Would it be better to get an ST-1 and convert it to electric?

HerrSavage

No.

wracing

What about a Hot Bodies D8T?

Foxy

Very good car by all accounts, but I don't think it's available as an electric (I guess from your initial post you wanted electric?), you will need a conversion kit. If you are mainly just going to be bashing around and having fun, go for the monster truck, it's much cheaper and will provide bigger thrills. The truggy class is a highly evolved highly competitive racing class. Even oif you did get a truggy, I still wouldn't recommend beginning a racing career in the 1/8th classes. A 1/10th buggy or short course would be the class to get into to get a taste, the cars are slower, easier to drive, and the competition more even. It comes down to what you want to do really. Find out of your local track has a monster truck class. If it does, the Thunder Tiger MT will dominate it, being as it's basically a truggy with monster truck wheels, also, being as monster trucks are generally more unpredictable on a track, the racing can be really fun, because nnobody will complete an entire race without making a mistake, as you often in some of the more evolved classes (this is one of the reasons I gave up nitro on road racing, it's just asking too much to run 45 minutes non stop, knowing that your first and every mistake will cost you a position). This is the same advantage short course racing has given us lately as well, with covered wheels, there's more contact and hustling for position on the track.

Foxy

OK, this is the quote from the new thread you created. It is impossible for anyone to comment on this, as you have selected models of different power sources (electric/nitro), of different scales (1/10th and 1/8th), with different capabilities (pure bashing vs pure racing).

You need to decide at least what group of cehicles you are looking at, and precisely how much racing you plan to do.

If you want a pure mix of bashing and racing, a buggy or truggy is probably your best bet. If you want pure bashing and occasional racing in a 'run what you brung' class, then a monster truck or one of the HPI cars. The Vorza is an epic basher, but it has no real business on a racetrack.

Here is my impression of the cars that you have mentioned...

Serpent 811: 1/8th buggy. Available in electric or nitro. Pure racing machine. Designed to accept 4S (legal limit for racing). Squeezing 6s batteies in there may be possible, but probably not easy looking at the battery tie-downs. This would be a good choice once you want to start serious competition in the truggy class.

8t 2.0 - As above, only it's a truggy. Only available in nitro, would need a conversion kit to go brushless.

OFNA Ultra LXe - Low budget racer and basher, not a bad choice, but will do neither job as well as a car designed for one or the other.

Losi Ten-T - 1/10th truggy - only available nitro, no conversoin available that I'm aware of but I might be wrong. No racing class for this one.

Associated RC8T CE - 1/8th truggy, racing oriented. Nitro only, conversions available. Good all-rounder.

Hot Bodies D8T - As above.

Hyper ST - Competition truggy. Nitro only as far as I know, but may be wrong, conversions available. Another good all rounder.

OFNA Mutilator - 1/8th nitro truggy, superceded by the Jammin X2 CRT truggy - a great car, nitro only, conversions available.


Bottom line, you need to narrow your options. Would you prefer a car designed to be electric? Do you want a buggy or a truggy? How much racing do you want to do? Is it important to you that the car HAS a racing class?

Check out the Mugen MBX6eco. Fantastic car, 1/8th electric buggy available only as a kit or roller (you'll need your own electronics).

wracing

It rains a lot here in Seattle so our race season is limited... (outdoor racing). Idont expect we will get to do too much of it...

Foxy

Indeed, why bother when the MT4 is the updated platform and designed to be electric.

Foxy

I still think the MT4 is going to be by far the best bang for your buck. It comes out of the box with everything you would want, there is no reason to buy upgrades until you break something, good luck doing that. It will always be a great basher to fall back on, and down the line, if you really take to the hobby, you can get a serious racing machine, like a Mugen or Jammin truggy.

wracing

Thanks for all of the information! I will absorb it all and come back with some better answers!

wracing

Our local hobby shop does not carry Thunder Tiger parts. However we do have the Ruckus to keep us going until parts arrive. Also not water proof. Iforgot to mention that... We could waterproof though? It rains a lot in seattle and my son would be out in the rain using it if it was rated for it... That is one of the draws towads the bullet... However Ireally want a car that will hold together and not brake. Less down time...

On the buggies. The vorza looks great. The buggie kits seem to come in electric most of the time. But the truggie ones are more nitro. The truggie is what we like but due to lack of electric truggie kits should we consider a buggie instead?

Our dealer only has Traxxas and Electrix support for parts, And minimal HPI parts (no bullet, trophy or vorza parts)

wracing

How does the Mugen MBX6eco compare the the Vorza?

Whatis the closest truggie to the Mugen MBX6eco? The Mugen MBX6ec would be perfect in all ways if it were a truggie...

Foxy

If a truggy is what you like, and you want electric, there are options. Some can be converted very cheaply, but they will still end up being more expensive than a dedicated car. I myself run a Mugen MBX5T converted using hte conversion kit by Tekno RC, and indeed when I run it, everyone around stops and stares, it's an absolute beast on 6S, but imagine, to get an MBX6T from the box to being ready to run on 6S batteries is going to cost you in the region of $800-$900 if you use good quality electronics. If money is not hte main issue, this is indeed the way to go, and yes, you can waterproof stuff to a point, but the speed control will always be a problem if it is a big one with a fan, because it can't be covered. However, it would have to get very wet indeed to stop working, if it was light rain and you used some of that stuff you spray on to protect electronics from water, I doubt you'd have a problem.

With judicious use of grease and sealing tape, you could make the Thunder Tiger quite water resistant, and it doesn't surprise me that you can't find parts locally, Thunder Tiger is far more popular in Europe than it is in the US (marketing strategy of TTR) this is not a reflection on the quality of the cars, which at this level is top notch. The nice thing about the TTR, is that it is an insane basher with the monster tires on 6s, and can easily be run in the truggy racing class by switching to 4s batteries and putting regular size truggy tires on it (maybe a change of motor pinion too, to match the size of track), it really will do 'everything' well, and most importantly, comes with everything you want. A decent servo (not many RTRs can claim this), electrics that can handle 6S, a 2.4 Ghz radio for piece of mind, and they say that you just can't break the thing. Parts are widely available online.

If money was no object, and I was in your position, I would get a Mugen MBX6T, a Tekno V4 brushless conversion kit for the Mugen MBX6T, the Tekin 2000kv truggy RX8 combo, a good servo, a Flysky GT3b radio, and a few 3s batteries (to run in series for 6s mayhem). That would give you one of the best RCs in existence plain and simple, but cost you a very pretty penny. The TTR is almost all of that straight out of the box for half the price, but doesn't really compare to the Mugen in terms of overall model quality, while it's still good.

Foxy

It's infinitely better, but then of course, it's not available as an RTR. See my last post about the mugen truggy. Mugen stuff is right up there with the highest quality stuff in the hobby.

HerrSavage

Forget your LHW if he only has Traxxas. Well, forget Traxxas..

The Mugen is awesome..

Associated just came out with a new updated version of their buggy - the RC8.2 - and also an E-version.. Associated is fantastic value-for-money, competitive, tough, fast, etc.. Mugen is nice, but more rare.. I'll probably get the Asso over the winter for racing next year..

kawpow321

thunder tiger ST1 all the way buddy virtually bulletproof

wracing

Foxy,

What would be the diffrence between a Mugen MBX6T and MBX6eco from a bashing perspective? Would the truggy be a better basher?

wracing

Narrowing things down a bit. Here is what Iam looking for:

1)Pure Basher
2)1/10 or 1/8 scale
3)Durable
4)Lipo Powered (No Nitro) (Would mostly run 4sfor two battery, 2s for one)
5)Nitro conversion OK
6)Lots of fun

Prefer:

1)Truggy
2)Waterproof

HerrSavage

Thunder Tiger MT4 G3.

The only reason to want a full-on truggy is if you want to run on a track. If so, I would go with the Associated RC8T CE, and the Asso E-conversion.. Will cost double the MT4 G3, but yeah, would be awesome..