Off-Road basher suggestions...

[PimpFloyd]

I would like to buy an Off Road vehicle. Just for messing around on my property and probably not for serious racing - just bashing and to try it out.

I have plenty of space, yard, woods, swamp.
I prefer 1/18th scale but have no real hang ups about 1/10 EXCEPT I'm currently limited to a 2000mah battery charger, it will charge NiMH and NiCads.
I prefer 2WD drive buggies and Baja's but would be open to 4WD trucks

What I like so far...

1) Losi Mini Baja - my favorite but can't find one quick or new except for the bay
2) Duratrax Vendetta
3) Traxxas Bandit (brushed model) I really like the fact that they say this thing is totally sealed i.e. you can run it in damp (snow?) conditions
4) Losi Mini Desert Truck - Another cute little Losi T, looks fun!
5) ProPulse??

That being said...I'm looking for opinions, suggestions and an education. I would like to start out cheap or at least get a good bang for my buck but would be willing to spend around 150.00 for a RTR with battery if you have a compelling point of view. I should probably add that I would pay a premium for a vehicle with good parts availability and a good durability rating.

Thanks for your input!

PF

[ph2t]

OK, I'll chime in on this one. Might as well add something usefull in my post count for the last 2 years, lol....

I've owned the following 1:18/1:16 rigs for bashing/general purposes.

RC18T
Mini Inferno
Mini LST2

Before I go into my experince with each model some general things I've found. My BIG 3 so to speak.

--Clearance. Gotta have good clearance. Most micro buggies don't. NAy grass that ain't shaved brazillian wax style will just slow you down.

--Centre diff. Any rig that has a centre diff (on top of front/rear ones) wins in my opinion. Just means there's more room for "give and take" in the drive train.

--Big arse rims/tyres. Linked in with clearance. Both for me offer a lot of clearance and therefore better adaptation to an offroad/bash environment.

I found the RC18T just too underbuilt. Can't take the hardcore "I'm a crazy prick" bashing sessions. The motor layout is shit, there's a gaping hole underneath that would make Jenna Jameson look like a virgin so it attracts a shitload of dust into the gears n stuff. The chassis just doesn't have the clearance either unless you get the RC18MT rims/tyres. Then it's a different story.

Mini inferno. This is one of the best, strongest, crazy fucker suited micro RC's ever made. It's really hard to break this thing. Excellent handling, the best outta the three rigs I've used. Clearance is low though. Still manages to power through a lot of terrain.

Mini LST2. One hardcore micro rig. I've had mine now for close to 18 months and I have yet to open the front or rear diff cases. Gotta a lot of respect for LOSI. They make some nice rigs. Clearance is great. Fucken strong as due to the duel layered deck. Big arse tyres. Can hanlde well once tuned. Not the best on bitumen though, can bite into corners due to the stock soft suspension. Things like roll bars help though. The only thing stronger than a mini inferno I've owned.

For example, I purchased the mini inferno 2nd hand off ebay. This was approx 4 years ago (life is a blur pre-kids) Kept it for 2 years, did some major shit. Sold it for approx 70% the original price I paid. The AON brushless that came with it is still working solid today!

RC18T I purchased new. Had to sink a shitload of cash into it to make it survive any given day. A fucken toy that is run indoor on "offroad" plastic tracks, poofter mobile....

Mini LST2 purchase new. Converted it to brushless and added roll bars. Also installed the slipper spur gear. Fuck even the shocks are still got their stock mix in them. Grade A bashing rig.

These are all 4WD rigs. The inferno and mini lst2 both have a centre diff which I believe is essential for any long term bashing. So you may not like them as much given the amount care they need vs a 2WD rig.

You might just want to get a 2nd hand Mini-T off the bay and go from there. They're cheap, shitload of parts, well known.

cheers,

ph2t.

[crazydave]

Personally I'd steer clear of Duratrax. They use brittle plastic. I would go for the Mini Desert over the Mini Baja, because the longer wheelbase will be more stable and easier to drive.

[PimpFloyd]

Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate this!

Does the Losi Monster Baja have basically the same under-pinnings as the LST2?

http://cgi.ebay.com/LOSI-1-18-MINI-MONS ... 7C294%3A50

Thanks again!

PF

[ph2t]

Whilst I can't say for sure since I don't have one it looks like is does.

It has the metal diffs, this is a big plus. the original mini-lst didn't have these.

It has the DSM receiver + the newer ESC. That should be good.

I'm not a big fan of the stock ESC. I found once I updated to the hotter twin motor pack the ESC would go into auto cutout mode quite easily. On the stock motors it was fine.

The lipo is a big plus. Dual motors can suck a bit.

Looking good.

Please don't just go with what I've said though, I'd feel especially guilty if you were to buy this rig on my recommendations alone

cheers,

ph2t.

[crazydave]

Dual motors can suck a bit.

That's my glitch with it.

Personally, I would say steer away from the Mini LST platform, it is overly complicated, so there is more that can go wrong, and it becomes a money pit to upgrade. It is my least favorite mini, but I still dig it.

[PimpFloyd]

Thanks for everyones input...after considering it all and talking to my local HS...I'm seriously considering a "pede" or a rustler.

Major consideration now is ground clearence and "moisture proof"...hence the change to 1/10th and Traxxas. The "pede" has a good rep around these parts and I can see being able to do more messing around with it throughout the whole terrain spectrum on my property without the need to build a specialized track...right away anyway

Thanks once again for all the input, it really did help! If anything it helped clarify a lot of things and made think more realistically about where I would run most of the time and the issues I should consider based on that.

I'm stoked to move forward...in four wheel drive!

PF

[sidewinder]

Actually those are both 2wd, but you're right about the durability of them, at least that's what I've heard.

[PimpFloyd]

I knew the Rustler was 2WD but I must of assumed the Stampede was 4WD...my head is reeling with all the options!

[crazydave]

Nope, the 'pede is 2wd, but you are right about it being better suited to handling unprepared surfaces.

My first hobby grade RC was a Stampede. I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

[payaso]

I also don't think you'll be dissapointed with a pede, but I do think you'll get bored with it quicker than you'd want.


What kind of driving style do you have?

Once you know, it''l make your choice easier.

2wd and 4wd both handle and drive differently

Nitro and electric both handle and drive differently

Start combining those 4 and you can come up with any vehicle on the market. There are lots and lots to choose from and it can get over welming pretty fast. It's like going out to eat and the fuckin menu is 8 pages long. You end up staring at the fuckin thing longer than you spend eating and then you end up wanting what the other person has...lol


If I'm outside, I prefer 4wd nitro offroad.. If I'm inside, I prefer 2wd mini Z onroad.



Good luck in your quest and if I can help, just ask.











silla

[PimpFloyd]

Well...I guess my heart and eyes got the best of me. I went down to local HT USA tonight thinking I was gonna pick-up a pede and I walked out with Bandit! (brushed motor) I guess I just gotta a thing for buggies at the moment, and when I asked to look at...I caved in! It's a REALLY nice looking buggy IMO but at this point for me...ignorance is truely blissful

I decided to buy locally this time because my local HT USA is really great - every time I go in there and ask a simple question the owner spends 10 - 45 minutes talking to me and he seems really up on RC so I wanted to support them.

I put the Bandit together tonight and took it for a maiden run in lthe lawn...it was dark by then so with spot lights for light it was fun but difficult to really feel it out. It is pretty fast for basic box stock RTR brushed motor vehicle. It WAS working hard in the grass though but when the battery was fresh the damn thing was really zippin!

I sure appreciate everyones help regarding my post BTW...I'm sort of embarrassed that I went in completely different direction(s) but I think Mr. Payaso's restaurant metaphor nails it on the head - eventually you get tired of the menu and pick something that looks like it might be good.

And BTW - can there be anything more fun than buying a new vehicle?? Addicting!

Rumor has it it's gonna be in the 70's here this weekend...ain't we got fun(AND DIRT)!

PF

[sidewinder]

Sounds like a good choice to me, I just looked at the same buggy today (a blue one) and almost bit, but they said they have two of the VXLs coming in sometime in May...so I decided to wait until I can try them back to back (it helps when you know the owner ).

Then I stopped over at Pep Boys to pick up some brake pads and was talking to them about the Slash, they had a demo and I went to high school with the manager...so we took it out back and demoed the hell out of it. I have to admit it was a lot tougher than anything had a right to be, I may pass on the buggy if I can talk Tim out of the demo at a reduced price...I figure once something breaks he'll be lost and I can swoop in and snatch it up cheap; maybe. I'm don't usually like 4wd (except monster truck stuff like my Wheely King) but that Slash was a blast, it was even able to drift a little on the pavement without rolling, it was much more stable than I thought it would be.

[payaso]

I don't usually like 4wd but that Slash was a blast, it was even able to drift a little on the pavement without rolling, it was much more stable than I thought it would be.

The slash is a 2wd pro2 truck. The slayer is a 4wd pro4 truck.










silla

[ibjamn]

It looks like you decided before I posted. Just kidding.

I would have said the Stampede. It's the funnest one I have, but after I modded and changed a lot on it. But the stuff I did to it was to make it more stable (it loves to turn over a good bit when driving wild) and the parts I put on it were upgrades and replacing a few parts when I went beyond it's limits and broke something. I didn't break much, but it was almost and excuse to upgrade them.

The newer higher TRX electric models now come standard with most of the parts I ended up upgrading. They did there homework there at least.

If you ever need to replace or upgrade, look into RPM upgrades. You would be surprised of the amount of parts that are cross-used. (I guess you say it like that)

Oh yeah, The Bandit you got, is it the XL5 version?