Thinking of nitro

All discussions about 1:18 scale and up nitro on & off road RCs.
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Sasquatch
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Thinking of nitro

Post by Sasquatch »

Right now I'm only thinking of nitro, not ready to buy anything yet, just wanting to get information.

I'm going to bash most of the time, but when I can I'll be heading out to the track to do some racing, but not heck of a lot. Needs to be durable, raceable and bashable. Also parts support will help.

I'm looking at Truggies and Buggies (NO SAVAGES! I just don't like the chassis, great for strength but in my mind terrible for racing and wrenching).

So far I've looked into the HPI Hellfire, HPI Baja 5B (only because RTR and looks way kool), Ofna Mutilator and Ofna, Mugen Seiki, Kyosho, Hot Bodies and other 8th scale buggy manufacturers.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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Post by sg219 »

LST 2 :-o :-o

Hellfire :-o
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Post by Sasquatch »

What do you recommend in buggies? I want some variety to choose from.

Also, what do you think of the Baja 5B? It looks interesting to me, looks like it has some good suspension. I just hope it's not too long for it's sake, looks like it'll turn into a U after a really hard nose-dive. Otherwise it looks nice and fast, should be reliable with that weedeater engine too.
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Post by betty.k »

i'm a nitro virgin too. as i've said before, if i got one it would be the hpi hellfire :-o
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Post by Sasquatch »

Yea, I'm lovin' it too, but it's basically Hellfire, Buggy and Baja 5B, but thats then my choice. I'll look at some up close, see what they are like, if I can I'll try to get a test drive to see which I like the most. I'll talk with some local people to see what they say too.

I just need a buggy to add into the mix.

Right now it's a tough fight between the Hellfire and Baja 5B. The 5B looks so smooth and almost snakelike out on the terrain while the Hellfire is mean and menacing and just attacks everything.

I'll check prices and where I can run them, that will basically be my finally verdict, but it looks like Hellfire or 8th scale buggy due to practicallity reasons.
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Post by payaso »

Between the Hellfire, and the buggy. I'd pick the Hellfire.

If you're new to nitro, I'd pick something all together different.

The new T Maxx 3.3 is out. The new Revo 3.3 is out. Both great trucks.

The new LST2 is out. Really nice truck. I've driven my neighbors quite a bit. It's a fuckin power house.

I run a Revo, and a lite race predator Maxx, and I love both. My neighbor runa a MGT, T Maxx, LST2, and a Jato. All great trucks.




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Post by crazydave »

I believe the 5b is a 1/5 scale buggy. It runs off one of them weed whacker motors, an altogether different beast. Probably wont find much competition at the track.

Because the tires are so much larger, trucks are much easier for the beginner to drive than buggies. A buggy may seem twitchy and hard to control compared to a truck, which is much more forgiving.

The Hellfire uses a 3 needle carb, which if messed with, could be a nightmare for a beginner.


Traxxas cars are good for the nitro newb because their engines are very reliable, easy to start, and easy to tune. There's probably a good reason Traxxas has risen to the top of the RTR market.
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Post by Sasquatch »

I got no problems with twitchy cars, Ir ace Mini-Z's, and anyone who comes from the bigger scales to Mini-Z's knows what I'm talking about when yous ay twitchy.

The Hellfire is too appealing for me, and I can always get help from my shop teacher and a neighbour with the 3-needle carb setup.

I guess it's Hellfire and an 8th scale buggy, I basically know what needs to be done and all, I just need recommendations on a good RTR platform.
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Post by payaso »

The Hellfire is a good platform for racing.. Not really a basher.

A decent basher RTR 1/8 buggy would be the Sportwerks Mayham.

If I were you, I'd look for a truck/buggy/truggy with some sort of a starting system other than a pullstart. ie. roto start, easy start, bump start... ect

Breaking in a new engine with a pullstart will leave you with a headache, and bloody fingers. Extra worse for mid/big block engines.


The LST2 is having engine failures from what I'm hearing now.



What's your budget? Are you looking to stay under a certain amount?




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Post by Sasquatch »

In some ways I don't have a budget, I'm willing to pay (example Baja 5B), but if I don't need to pay a lot to have a similiar vehicle for a cheaper price, then I won't (XRAY vs. Jammin similiar performance, one cheaper, both worth it kind of thing).

I will be bashing, but I won't be doing anything like BYT does. Huge air is kool and all, but doesn't really appeal to me that much. Biggest air I will look into is whatever you get on a race track, not much more than that. I'll just be racing around and having fun, but not going overboard. I love really long jumps, not height, and speed is always fun too.

I kind of ruled out buggies, I guess if I really get into racing I'll go for one, but I doubt I'll head to the track often enough to make good use of it. So no more buggies I guess.

I've been checking out the Ofna Mutilator and it looks interesting. It would be an interesting platform to work with. It doesn't look too low like the X1-CRT, so that it's not capable of bashing, but it's not too big that it's not capable of racing.

In some ways I narrowed it down to the Hellfire (I'll pick up a bump box or roto-start w/backing plate when I get tired of the rope), Baja 5B, maybe Mutilator and thats about it. I'm still open to offers though.

All I'm looking for is a platform that isn't too hard to work on, has good tuning features and isn't too racey to not be able to take to the park. Thats why I am looking mainly at Truggies. I guess basically what I'm asking is my choices aren't bad if I can go ahead and have fun. I'm just hoping I'm not picking something like what the Xmods are to Mini-Z's.
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Post by Mrv9292 »

If you decide to go 2wd Stadium Truck you should go with the Jato. It is perfect for noobs. Its my first and only nitro and its really easy to use. The speed also is a plus :?

By the way if you want to jump it is amazing at jumping :eek:

I have jumped off roofs, raised overpasses, and into a huge ditch. Stuff breaks but it is durable. And the aftermarket support is just starting up with companies like GPM, New Era, and Lunsford catching on.
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Post by Sasquatch »

I've done more and more research, turns out even though the rear braces, or whatever, even though they don't attach to anything, a lot of people haven't had much problems with them unless it was an extremely violent crash. Also the front a-arms aren't supposed to be amazingly strong, but I'll upgrade to RPM when necessary.

Not enough information on the Baja 5B, but from the videos it looks like it handles extremely nice. Can't wait till it's released.

I have kept on searching for other vehicles to think of, but I keep coming back to the Hellfire and Baja 5B. They are just too appealing, so I guess I made my choice until I'm ready to buy. Now the final verdict will rest on long-term reviews, because when I am most likely ready, the Hellfire will have been out for at least 3 months and the Baja 5B for at least 1.

Can't wait! I hope I win the lottery....
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Post by payaso »

Can I ask why the new 3.3 Maxx or Revo didn't make your list?

You said you liked the looks of the Hellfire, but it's like the Revo with less teched out suspention. Both of those trucks have a proven track record.

The Tamiya TNX is also a great choice of a truck. I know it looks like I'm trying to steer you away from the HF, but I'm just trying to keep you from having a huge case of buyers remorse.


If you planned on spending more time at the track, I'd say give it a try. You said the main things were easy to work on, and durable. Quite a few out there like that now, and they already have the support you were looking for.




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Post by crazydave »

I with payaso. Sounds like you're gonna be bashing more than at the track, and I don't know much about nitro cars, but I know 1/10th scale, and I know race oriented cars, with their low chassis, have a tendency to get hung up more, and take more of a beating. I really believe you'd have more fun with something like a Revo.

Then again I know right where you're coming from. I wanted a Mini LST. After considering more practical options, I still wanted the Mini LST, no matter how impractical. And the Hellfire is being kinda hyped as a basher that can also be raced, so I suppose you'll probably be happy with it.
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Post by Sasquatch »

The Revo is still sort of on my radar, if you talked to me last summer, it's all I ever wanted, a Revo. Maybe I didn't mention it but it's still on the list.

A Maxx I heard breaks too many bulkheads and such, would be fun but I heard requires some upgrading to get into good reliable condition.

HPI has that touch more parts support here over Traxxas, it's like HPI takes up one wall, Traxxas takes up 3/4's of a wall.

I guess when I see something I like, I get a little stubborn, then without notice I'll find something else and go along with that. Don't worry, I still got at least 3 1/2 months at least before I go to any shops to buy anything. In the end if I can't get nitro, I'll go for an E-Maxx instead. It's close enough.

I got into Mini-Z's because I thought they were kool, especially after seeing Davemud's creations. I picked up an IW-02 planning to turn it into a rally car, I headed out to a Nanospeed meet at Machine's house, and we raced and I decided, hell no, my car isn't going to be no rally car, it's now for racing. Same thing with my MA-010. Thats kind of why I'm picking the racier vehicles, because I know I'll get addicted and I want to be competitive from the start, sure I could race a T-Maxx and be competitive, but is it a race vehicle, no. Thats why the Hellfire is so appealing to me. Revo is a bit more MT for me, and I got the truggy vibe right now.

PS: Kyosho MP777 SP2. Worth it, not worth it? I was going to change to a Spektrum DX3 ASAP for whatever nitro vehicle I would get, and I could pick a nice engine too. I know it's a kit, I can take it to my metal shop at school and skip a day of school to build it. Shouldn't be too hard, right? :???:
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