Opinions on Duratrax Maximum ST

[PimpFloyd]

I ran across a Craigs List add for a Duratrax Maximum ST...been sitting in guys attic. Looks like it's almost new but the tires have flat spots from sitting so long and I'm sure the engine will need some help to get it started - probably at least a cleaning for starters. I'm looking at it as a spring/summer project - no hurry, first nitro, if you don't consider old COX .049 stuff from my youth, nitro.

Speaking of starters, he says the "Quick Start" isn't working.

$50 bucks

What say ye?

Thanks!

[sidewinder]

I have no idea on that but I do know where you can get a starter for $39 http://www.nitrorcx.com/electric-starte ... c-car.html I don't know if its a good deal or not.


If you're interested in nitro they have a 1/10 scale 4wd beginners nitro buggy for $119 http://www.nitrorcx.com/nibu1spforbe.html and a base level 1/8 Scale 4wd nitro for $199 http://www.nitrorcx.com/1forbe.html They're by Exceed, I don't know much about the brand other than Dave has one of their Mad Beast trucks http://www.nitrorcx.com/exrc1madbe28.html that he seemed impressed with.

[VooDooMafia]

was it a rtr set? if it has everything I think $50 bucks isn't bad and you can always offer lower

[PimpFloyd]

I'm not sure if it was a RTR...but I think it's at least RTWO (ready to work on)

I've been eye-ballin those Exceeds...I saw a few good reviews on the Hyper speed and the Forza looks mighty cool too at $159.00 bucks.

PF

[crazydave]

I would put the Exceeds on par with Duratrax in quality. Which means for the price, I'm gonna nit pick the Duratrax, but since the Exceed is more economical, then yeah, it's great car.

I've beet on the Tectonic with no problems. All I've done is bend the rear shock tower, which I hammered back into shape. The Mad Beast I was enamored with at first, but over time, it seems to spend more time being broke. Most recently I've done something to the rear diff, and while I was showing off when I did it, I've heard people in the LHS talking about how there's people on the internet complaining the the Savage XXL blow its diffs because the extra long chassis twist, and put stress on the diffs. The Mad Beast is longer than a Savge, and just a tad shorter than the XXL, which makes me wonder if it suffers from a similar downfall. Especially since the Exceed's aluminum is a tad softer than HPI's.

[PimpFloyd]

Thanks for the info Dave - I was going to inquire about The Beast and your experience with it.

After some investigation, it seems the Exceed stuff I was looking is really all Redcat. There are other vehicles that are identical on ebay that go by the name of Shockwave - again, from what I can tell, Redcat.

I found a Shockwave unit on the bay for 159.00 bucks where the shipping was free and they were going to throw in a starter kit - tools, fuel bottle, glow-plug warmer.

I don't know, I guess if you go into that deal with eyes wide open and don't expect that you can plie-drive it into a cinder-block wall and walk away unscathed, it may actually work out for some summer nitro fun - maybe a good intro to nitro if the engines aren't too persnickty.

From what I can tell, the reps for these things sell parts too, again with a realistic point of view, a person has to understand that parts need to be ordered and you're not going to walk into HT USA and buy them off the shelf like you could with a Traxxas or simliar - it's trade-off.

I'm half tempted to pull the trigger on that deal in part to be the forum guinea pig - report my experience in a months time or so. Also, unless I pick-up a used RC10GT or Evader ST from the bay, it seems like it might be a decent intro to the nitro experience with out a large investment.

Sorry - too much coffee this morning

PF

[sidewinder]

I mentioned it on the RC Addicts site but I think it's worth repeating here, you really can't pile drive anything into a cinder block and walk away ...or, in my case, run a Traxxas into a steel pole at speed.

PF, if you do end up getting one of the exceeds (or the others) I'll be interested in how they hold up and how hard they are to keep running. I was thinking maybe this fall I would look at one of their 1/8 scale buggies.

Dave, the Mad Beast breakage problem is disappointing, I was hoping to get one eventually But on the plus side, maybe by the time I can justify spending that kind of money on a toy they will have the problem worked out.

[crazydave]

After some investigation, it seems the Exceed stuff I was looking is really all Redcat. There are other vehicles that are identical on ebay that go by the name of Shockwave - again, from what I can tell, Redcat.

I could be wrong but here's my understanding. CEN is an OEM company, which means they make cars for other companies, probably some popular ones that you know. If you search around their website you'll see they extend their services out to the public, for anyone with some money to invest, and wants a line of RCs produced. Exceed, Redcat, they are not OEM manufacturers, these are companies that use the services of companies like CEN. While all these cars look very similar on the outside, the companies can request different specs, and designs, to meet their price point, avoid copyrights, etc.. Smartech is another brand that looks identical, but when searching for a center spur, I found it to be unique to the car, and I had search all over for the tech support (some company called JMP Enterprizes) to find one. To their credit it arrived in two days.

[payaso]

I would stay away from all that red cat/exceed/smartech stuff, but I've seen em run in person.

Some friends bought em to get started in nitro, but all hated em.

I can't even compare them to anything properly to explain it that well, so the best I can describe them is to say that they are a "rattly piece of junk"



Plenty of cheap RTR nitros out there. But I would stay away from those mentioned, and I would also stay away from used nitro goods if you are a beginner.







silla

[crazydave]

I can't even compare them to anything properly to explain it that well, so the best I can describe them is to say that they are a "rattly piece of junk"

Not to contradict you, because I see what you're saying, but if it's "rattly", it might not be a "piece of junk", it seems to me something needs to be tightened to fix the rattle. That's what I've said about these cars in the past, the parts are there, but they need a going over, you have to tighten some things, adjust some things, not for the novice, but I think if you know what you're doing, you give your cars a going over anyways. That's my beef on the Mad Beast, it's too complicated, and I'm too lazy to tear it down. The Tectonic is based off an 1/8th scale buggy design, it's an easy tear down, and everything has had my my magic touch.

[sidewinder]

So if I could put together some investors I could contract with CEN to make a 1/24 scale crawler. Maybe I should look up some old friends and blackmail them.

[crazydave]

So if I could put together some investors I could contract with CEN to make a 1/24 scale crawler. Maybe I should look up some old friends and blackmail them.

That would require custom tooling. I don't know just how far CEN extends their services, and I would guess that would require the kind of financial backing that a company like HPI or Axial has when they contract a Chinese company to make Wheely Kings, and AX10s.


Actually, CEN has changed their "about us" page. It used to go on about how they are an OEM company, but now this is all it says about it:

"Originally, CEN was an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) company for many of today’s top brands. Since then, we have taken our expertise and experience, and implemented it into our own line of R/C vehicles."

http://www.cenracing.com/about.html" target="_blank

But on the Contact page they do leave this Phone # for their OEM department, 714-792-1923 ext: 107. Seems to me like they are trying to downplay that aspect of their company now.

[PimpFloyd]

I would also stay away from used nitro goods if you are a beginner.

Yeah, ya know it's kind of a roll of the dice, eh?

I come across some tempting deals on used stuff on Craigs List but the common denominator for a sour deal is - did they break the engine properly...who could know? At least until maybe a week later when you have the time and your heart set on burning up a quart of fuel but instead, burn up an engine!

While I'm babbling - anyone have any experience with the Nitro Rusty? I kinda dig it!

Thanks!

PF

[crazydave]

Actually, you know what? I'm going to go on a little more about this even though no one probably cares, but in my defense, I pounded the crap out of these cars for my reviews, and they pounded on them for the photos. Any problems I had happened after I turned in the reviews, which made me feel a little bad, because I know people are skeptical of these cars, and I thought maybe I didn't pound on them enough. So when someone I consider a friend like Payaso comes up and calls them crap, I got a little offended.

But while I will maintain he went too far as to call them junk I will defend his point by saying, there are too many other, known, brands with better quality at similar prices to consider these cars. Knowing Payaso is a TMaxx guy I looked at the 2.5R in my current Tower sales flier, and it's $269, about $30 more than the Mad Beast, better quality, slightly faster, a lot more reliable and the support of the #1 RC company out there, but it's about 4 inches shorter, so that's kind of apples and oranges, so say we take one of Exceed's truggies at $279, and I had compared the Exceed in quality to Duratrax, well you can get the Duratrax Raze for $249. Probably similar, but the Duratrax will have better QC, and I don't think Great Planes, or Tower Hobbies is going anywhere, so you know you'll have support, and it has a FM radio.

Sorry I'm over here debating with myself, I just get sensitive about this stuff, because I know what people on the internet are saying, but if the car works for me, and I'm reviewing the car, not comparing, it's hard to give them bad reviews. I don't want to compromise my integrity, I always report any nit picky problems I may have, but I can only relate my own experiences.

[Murdoch]

For all we know CD, you pounding on them might have actually exposed the problems.

so if you could run a longer test/review to determine what the cause was, that would be much more beneficial.