Need advice on 4wd choices (now with slide show!)

sidewinder · Post by **sidewinder** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 3:16 pm

I just sold my Tamaya F1 and decided to replace it with something that doesn't need super smooth pavement just to run it. So.. I was looking at the mini LST but I keep hearing that the diffs have real problems... so what about the Kyosho Half 8 mini inferno GS? Does anybody have one? are they any good? What about a Sportwerks Chaos? I've never had anything gas powered other than cox stuff so I don't know how much work is involved keeping them running...I'm looking for something fun not a full time hassle. Any thoughts?

Also, while Im asking has anyone ever heard of Exceed or FS Racing team brands? Thanks

payaso · Post by **payaso** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 3:31 pm

You're in the off road section, so I'm guessing you want an off road vehicle?

Are you wanting to stay with 1/18, or does it matter?

The 1/18s are too toyish for off road if you're going to be racing. They act squirrely when the come off the ground. Bashing is another story.

I would suggest a 1/10...

Not that I'm old, but the smaller they get, the harder they are to see at speed, and or distance. Young kids have way better eye sight.

How much do you want to spend?

silla

BilboBaggins · Post by **BilboBaggins** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 4:26 pm

I use an RC18T and a PRO-T100 (Now MegaPro) Both seem to be holding up well. The 18T servo saver is a pain but fairly easily replaced.

The Wife has the Mini Inferno but has had problems with the center diff not holding settings.

She loves her Vendetta and Mini-Quake but she seems to be getting replacement parts from Duratrax all the time (thank god for the guarantee on Duratrax plastic parts.)

I haven't gone 10th scale yet because of the limitations of the place I run (back alleys in Philadelphia). The 18th scale fits the size of the alley very nicely. The alley has cracks (dips) and bumps so Touring cars are a No-No.

crazydave · Post by **crazydave** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:02 pm

I agree with Payaso. Not so much about racing, though I do think the smaller cars are harder to control. I like my 1/18th scale cars for around the house, but outside you really need something bigger. I used to get irritated with my Losi XXT. It was always getting high centered on small rocks. It was only good for the track. I used to love my Stampede. Have you thought about a Stampede? They are hella fun, and when I had mine there wasn't many hop ups for it, but now you can go nuts. The Wheely King is a whole lot of fun in stock form too, you don't have to build a crawler out of one, but you always have that option.

If size is a concern, then I have heard nothing but good stuff about Half 8s, good durable cars (You're talking the gas one, right?). I would be a bit leary of the Chaos, personally. Tops out at about 25mph, and since it has such a tiny motor, I'm not sure how difficult it would be, or if it would even be possible to upgrade the motor. It also has a center diff, and only rear brakes, so it tends to spin out when braking for corners.

I've been bashing on a CEN MG16. It's more like a short wheelbase 1/10th scale car than 1/16th, and yeah, they're funny looking, and it's hard to find a body to fit them. The plastic is soft and flexible, the bumpers fall right off, and the body mounts are usually soon to follow, but the drive train, and the parts that matter are stout. I gave up on the bumpers, and it don't need them. The .15 motor is screaming. I think it's pushing 35mph, now that I've leaned it out, and it gets there instantly. It's a tire ballooning, wheely popping little beast. I've been beating the crap out of it. Lots of fun.

Sorry, I typed a lot. Sometimes I feel like talking sometimes I don't.

sidewinder · Post by **sidewinder** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:09 pm

Thanks, you all had good stuff. The problem I'm having is other than my mini-t baja the last off road rc I owned was a tamaya grasshopper...I had it for years. It went from stock to motor upgrades, to custom chassis (my first attempt to build anythong myself. then the fron suspension got swaped out for some rc10 stuff... then it was on road pretty much all the time other than a few cheap toys (think Nylint).

I'd like to keep the price down just in case I get bored with it quickly...I can always upgrade latter. As far as room to run goes, half acre lawn--46 acres of woods and 2 State Parks within 10 miles. So I have room. I actuly thought about the new Grasshoper or a new Lunchbox but I figgured why not go a little more modern.

I have part of a Rustler that came with a bunch of other stuff but I never put it together (that's latter this summer, and it will be mostly for show)...I'm thinkng 4wd. The last two things I listed (the Exceed and FS Racing are Ebay import clones but they say they are 80% compatable with Traxxis, Losi, etc. ?? probably junk, but the price is right for a basher.

Oh and one last thing, I don't see any racing in the future of whatever I get...we have a dirt oval and I have a Slider for that if/when I get the urge. Oh well, I'll have to re-read your comments and start looking around. Thanks guys.

sidewinder · Post by **sidewinder** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:50 pm

Well I decided to go the Wheely King 4wd RTR route...I checked at the LHS but they wanted $250

... seemed a little high compared to what I'd seen online. I wouldn't mind paying a little more to support the local guys but that seemed way out'a line. So I went to ebay and found a couple of place that had deals but their feedback was low and they were overseas, then I saw a company out of Michigan and, other than that crappy university they have up there, I figgured at least if they screwed me I could drive up and yell at them face to face.

They had 9 Wheely Kings 4wd rtr up with no reserve, I was number 9 by $0.53. So I have a new in the box WK comming for $144 shipped.

I think that was a pretty decent deal. Now's when I'll find out they had 'em on clearence somewhere for around $50

I'm thinking of doing this body, maybe painted like the scooby-do van. What'da think?

payaso · Post by **payaso** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:27 pm

Nice score, but that van lid will get crushed like a pringle under oprahs ass...

If you can keep the wheels on the ground, it'll last ya, but how fun would that be?

silla

sidewinder · Post by **sidewinder** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:45 pm

Yeah, you may be right about crushing it... I hadn't thought of that. I'll bet this will be heavier than I'm used to

Maybe I'll keep the stock lid for a while and think about it.

crazydave · Post by **crazydave** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:46 pm

That was a good deal, I paid $200 for mine last year. Same kind of deal with the LHS, tried to sell me a 2WD one for $225. When I told him I'd have to pass on that deal, I wanted 4WD, he tells me, "...but you can upgrade, it's just $75." No, ney, non, not, get a friggin' clue, jeez. I tried to support them. I really tried.

I think you'll like the WK. It's cool for realistic monster truck action. Throw a faster motor in there and it'll be a blast, or gear it down and drive over everything. I really want a stock one, I almost wish I didn't make a crawler out of mine, but I don't want to give up my crawler either. So I want to get a one for my kid... now I just need more money.

I was all for the Lunch Wagon for a second, I've seen a WK one before, but I have to agree with Payaso, but again for different reasons.

I hate using long body mounts, the body shakes around, and makes alot of noise. Parma also makes a Midnight Pumpkin repro, I think that would be cool, and is also 1/12th scale.
Oh yeah, and it's not too heavy, mostly the tires and battery.

sidewinder · Post by **sidewinder** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:17 pm

Yeah I think I saw the lunch box version on R7R, those were some wildly long body post. I'm going to have to look around some, that midnight pumpkin looks cool. Wasn't that something like SWG was building? Although I think he was using a 1/10 scale body for a more scale look. I'll have to find that thread.

I was looking around to see if I could find a semi cab but the only ones so far are 1/8 scale which would be way to big. Oh well, I have all summer, I might as well mess up the stock body first.

crazydave · Post by **crazydave** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:21 am

Yeah, SWG is doing the trail rig thing with a '57. There's not very many 1/12 off road bodies. Old bodies intended for the Blackfoot have a 9 1/2" wheelbase to match the Wheely King, but their proportions are more 1/10th scale, so you kinda lose that true to scale monster truck look, and they're getting harder to find.

You know you can also pick up HPI's crawler conversion for $50, to extend the wheelbase easily, so you can run 1/10th scale bodies. It also includes 17mm hexes so you can run Savage sized wheels too. I've been having daydreams about doing that, and sticking a brushless motor in it.

sidewinder · Post by **sidewinder** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:23 am

Well the Wheely King came today...I freaking love it so far. I was expecting it to be kind of lame in the stock form but I guess I was wrong. Not that there's not things I'll have to change,like finding a way to shift some weight forward. The wheely thing is fun but I'm betting it will get old fast... I was already looking at it and thinking it would be great to build a tuber chassis... maybe lipos and brushless eventually... but for now I think I'll leave it pretty much the way it sits with the exception on a new body soon.

I only had time to run for maybe five to ten minutes so far and then just in the grass and some on the street but it seems to have some real potential.

OH and I'm hopeing the label on the box was wrong:

crazydave · Post by **crazydave** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:27 am

sidewinder wrote:OH and I'm hopeing the label on the box was wrong:

I couldn't find it for you, but somewhere out there is a clip of a WK being repeatedly driven off a 100 foot cliff. It took 3 tries to disable it.

sidewinder · Post by **sidewinder** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 3:42 pm

I just took it off 6 broken up old concrete steps--almost cleared them-- it hit the last step and rolled twice poped back upright so I hit the throttle and it kept going. It didn't even scratch the body... I guess the lable was wrong.

I was impressed with the fact that I took it into he field in grass that hid the tires and it managed to climb up on the grass and skim across it... of course it didn't go the way the wheels were pointed and you didn't want to stop or it would get stuck...but all in all it was pretty impressive.

frizzen · Post by **frizzen** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:52 am

The BOX is fragile!
Once you get the WK out of the box it's fine.