bitPimps.lixlink.com

The SE is not RTR, but it is one nice package.

If you have the room, go for a T4 RTR. But don't forget, with a smaller car, you get basically 2x the space to run it in.

Like I said, the new RTR RC18 comes dialed out of the box. The motor, with some slight tuning, will be a nice track motor. The driveline already has the shimmed diffs and outdrive sleeves. The stock radio gear is pretty nice. The Tx isn't the greatest, but it gets the job done. The only thing you really need to go once you get the RTR RC18 is get a Peak charger, such as the Duratrax PIrhana Peak Digital. You may also want to spring for an extra battery pack or two.

now i never had an rc18t so feel free to cut me down!
but ph2t had one and after witnessing his experience with it i wouldn't recomend it.

there's a gaping hole in the tub right under the gears and dirt and rocks just fly in there. he wouldn't get 1 minute of offroading in before a rock screwed up the pinion and spur.
the stock cups and dogbones were a joke too, i saw him break one just driving in 2 inch grass! the topcad alloy cv joints were even worse!

if i was looking around at the 1:18 offroad shop then i'd go for the 1:16 kyosho half eight. add some essential hopups like oil shocks and you'll have an awesome mini buggy.

all that's just opinion, i've never owned either.

betty.k wrote:now i never had an rc18t so feel free to cut me down!
but ph2t had one and after witnessing his experience with it i wouldn't recomend it.

there's a gaping hole in the tub right under the gears and dirt and rocks just fly in there. he wouldn't get 1 minute of offroading in before a rock screwed up the pinion and spur.
the stock cups and dogbones were a joke too, i saw him break one just driving in 2 inch grass! the topcad alloy cv joints were even worse!

if i was looking around at the 1:18 offroad shop then i'd go for the 1:16 kyosho half eight. add some essential hopups like oil shocks and you'll have an awesome mini buggy.

all that's just opinion, i've never owned either.

Yeah, forgot about that, but it makes a great first project (making a cover). Someone on ebay actually does make covers. The Mini-T breaks a lot of parts, so unless you go mostly aluminum or baby it, stay away. One of my friends has broken 3 stock chassies and an aluminum one.

What about the half-eight? It's pretty sweet, but be-aware. There are limited brushless options (many people use Aon T4015 series, Mega brushless, or Warp4 motors.)

Mambas have issues (not enough torque for that heavy of a buggy, so it wants to get hot), and you might find a mamba ESC with another motor better. I spoke with Troy at b-p-p.com today and he said he is testing a new (very cheap, like $44) motor right now that is excellent. Great runtimes, very fast, and with back-flipping torque off the line. I'm phyched, but I don't remember what it is called. I'm sure it will be up within a week. He told me to call him back in a week and we would get a battery pack and motor picked out! =)

-JNY

pimpsmurf wrote:What about the half-eight? It's pretty sweet, but be-aware. There are limited brushless options (many people use Aon T4015 series, Mega brushless, or Warp4 motors.)

Mambas have issues (not enough torque for that heavy of a buggy, so it wants to get hot), and you might find a mamba ESC with another motor better. I spoke with Troy at b-p-p.com today and he said he is testing a new (very cheap, like $44) motor right now that is excellent. Great runtimes, very fast, and with back-flipping torque off the line. I'm phyched, but I don't remember what it is called. I'm sure it will be up within a week. He told me to call him back in a week and we would get a battery pack and motor picked out! =)

-JNY

My 8000 moves my zilla really well, and I can pull a backflip off the line so hard it bounces off of the roof and back onto its wheels!

You guys are awesome, thanks for posting here ideas and thoughts that pop in your head. It really does help me a lot.

I've had the $ to buy a killer off-roader three times now. But every time I try and save money lately, it's like Murphy's Law of poor-man savings or whatever, and some B.S. always pops up that I have to spend it on.
Be it Auto repairs, Dentist bill, etc.

Soon though, I can feel it. But that's what I said last time.

Well, I did actually make some r/c purchases shortly after this thread, and I'm not sure why I didn't respond back.

I wound up getting a little bit of money from this weird aunt of mine that no one really knows or sees, so I had
a little more money to spend than I had originally anticipated.
Advice in this thread, along with friendly no b.s. advice from my local Hobby store friend Gene, and a slightly buffed budget, I purchased:

1/10 E-Maxx got a set of the 7-cell packs
1/18 rc18t got a 7-cell pack for it as well
Intellipeak Twin Pulse Charger


E-Maxx:
betty k.'s pic and advice,and others 1/10 advice stuck in my head, and closest I could get was the Emaxx.
It has been a frickin blast! Hauls ass out of the box, dual 7-cells give it superb punch, on top of the punch it already has. Seems very sturdy.
I've had to repair it, but each time it broke, I knew exactly why.
Like I hit something solid, just bad driving, and heard 'crunch' and knew something happened lol.
We're talkin', like I hit something solid doing probably 20mph or so lol.
And when I did repair it, it was simple and somewhat inexpensive considering I only used the stock parts to repair with, except for the bolts and pins.
I went with the hardened square style ends, and got a pretty decent 10$ square-head wrench set. Sooooo much easier on the hands/wrists.
What else can I say? Doing jumps with a 1/10 rig is something just amazing.
It has this weight and 'flow' to it that I don't experience from a 1/18. Obviously due to weight, scale etc.


RC18T:
man, you guys were right about that gapng hole in the rc18t. this thing is MISERABLE out of the box. To me, a newer r/c hobbyist, this was a joke/scam.
Its just b.s., what a design flaw, someone got fired for that one.

Well, my path was enlightened by the recommendation of a gear cover produced by an online r/c company called DrivenProductions.
Still not sure why I HAVE to get this seperate part to make the rig run favorably, but, ok, I'll play.
I think it was somewhere around 15-30$ iirc. Easy install, and let me tell ya, the rc18t is now as it SHOULD be.

This thing kicks ass. Very fast, even with the stock 6-cell pack it comes with.
When I moved from Maple Valley and shacked up in Seattle to do gigs, this sucker solved all my r/c desires, since I had to kind of give up the 1/10 for the time being.
I've rolled, smacked, flipped, flown, and this little guy has been very good to me so far.
I damaged a front shock, got new stock ones and this wider front bumper for a replacement, heck, was like 5$, and has solved all my front impact problems since.
Slightly stiffer springs (gold colored) and some heavier shock oil, (40 i think) and I was very pleased with it's performance for a city parking lot/street/alleyway/curb runner.
I have it geared somewhere between a buggy and a truck. It's been a while since I popped it open, I'll have to take a look.

I wanted to put something aluminum on it, but didn't want to affect any impact points or whatever, so I went with the aluminum steering upgrade lol.
The 7-cell pack I have doesn't fit inside properly with the DrivenProductions gear cover on, so I must install it vertically as opposed to it laying down in the default position.
I don't notice a top-heavyness or a weight distribution change, but I'm still pretty new to all this.


I have a few questions and want recommendations/advice if ya don't mind.
With my current budget, and the size of my available play area, and my longing to get a Micro-T, I figured I'd leave the E-Maxx upgrades on hold for the moment.
The hobby store keeps showing me this Castle brushless system for the 1/18, but I don't want to go there just yet.
I was just thinking more of some type of brushed motor upgrade.
Then I heard I have to gear my vehicle somewhat as per the turns of the motor. That's where I start to get lost.
Where can I look for that?
I mean, there's no zipzap cover I can run to and refresh my memory on the colored gears and motors rofl.
Or should I just say screw it and go with the brushless system. I think it's only like 110$ atm, and brushed motors seem 1/2 that price for a decent one.
But then will I start mashing plastic gears and need aluminum?
If the new hobbyist thinks the original purchase is a tough decision, wait until they try and decide on some type of upgrade lol.

good to hear that you got your self a 1/10 and 1/18

I was just on nirtrorcx.com and noticed they had some EZ Run brushless systems on sale. Sure they're not Castle but I've heard nothing really bad about them either and for $46 for the 1/18 system how wrong could you go? http://www.nitrorcx.com/ezrun-combo-a3- ... l-esc.html

sidewinder wrote:I was just on nirtrorcx.com and noticed they had some EZ Run brushless systems on sale. Sure they're not Castle but I've heard nothing really bad about them either and for $46 for the 1/18 system how wrong could you go? http://www.nitrorcx.com/ezrun-combo-a3- ... l-esc.html

Goddamn you Sidewinder.. I havent even touched my Pro pulse since getting my Tmaxx but now You have me wanting to throw a brushless system in it..

I just reviewed these little guys, you'll see them in the May issue:
http://modelrectifier.com/search/produc ... p?ID=11396

Brushless and Lipo for under 2 bills?! Hard to beat that.

MRC, that was who made my first ni-cad charger. I used to get stuff from them all of the time...good to see they're still around and still a good value.

Well, nevermind all those dumb questions I had asked earlier.
I went from "uhh, i dunno" to fully ripping it apart, shimming the diff (i found out it was a late '04 model even though the manual says '05),
I was so into it I replaced the thrust bearings lol, now I realize what that black grease is used for.
Re-geared for these other slightly larger tires I have, and threw it back together.
The limited maintenance I've encountered since I've owned it, along with the ease of working on it, and, well, I'm definitely a happy camper.
Whilst driving it around afterward, I had to say to myself "i've had nothing but great experiences with this great consumer product."

This is coming from a guy who has limited R/cs and limited R/c experience, so take that for what it's worth.
I mean, I can't 'compare' working on an rc18t to, say, like a Mini T or something.
I do know that I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, and I tore this thing apart and put it together with ease, heck, hardly looked at the manual 3-4 times.
Ok maybe 9 or 10, but you get what I mean lol.
The way that it's built just seem to make sense.

great

Hey Dave, I just read your review in the May issue; which one of the three of the MRC's did you like best?