bleomycin

I've been out of the game for about 7 years now, and when I was "in the game" I knew very little! A friend and myself built up matching Xray XB4's and had a blast but managed to break suspension arms and whatnot basically every outing, which I fully expect to continue happening this time around as we get back into things. I was attracted to Xray primarily because I wanted a 4wd platform and their instruction manual was significantly easier to follow for a beginner than most of the other options at the time.

With that history in mind, looking to build up new 1/8 and 1/10 4wd buggies (or truggies, don't really care tbh). Who ticks the boxes for excellent manual/setup instructions for a beginner combined with excellent durability, little need to install tons of aftermarket parts to get the car up to snuff, and actual parts availability in the USA for when things break? Xray parts seemed reasonably available at the time through online vendors, and realistically because the local track isn't a fully stocked shop i'll be getting all my parts online. I've heard positive things about Tekno, their manual looks very nice but I have no idea about the parts availability especially over time?

fat500

iTrader: (51)

Search my avatar and you can see I've had just about every one. My opinion....for 1/8 is mugen. Best fit and finish and easy to drive. I currently have a associated and tekno 1/8. Associated is 90 percent a mugen copy...but the fit and finish is not as smooth but unless you owned an xray or tekno you will argue this point. but still a great buggy. The tekno is a beast. The most durable and the new one is more refined on the track. The tlr is my least favorite. It was my first ebuggy about 1.5 years ago and I thought it was the best...until all the racers at my track were re Engineering it, switching the chassis for a long one redrilling the mounts modifications to the suspension arms etc...if I have to redesign the car to get it to compete with the rest I move on...I then built the tekno and realized what a pos the tlr was. Everything went together so smoothly..no trimming or shaving needed. Just perfect. Then I got the associated. I'd say good value and I love the blue but fit similar to the tlr . I have a mugen mbx8r that I am building now. . The above are only my opinions. The kinda thing you will only notice if you owned an xray or a mugen. Most people will not true but....Ever hold a genuine rolex, drive a luxury car....most who have not have no reference point so the Ford or the Movado feel awesome to them. The hb is nice too. But in your hands the mugen is the rolex...assoc and tlr the Ford. Tekno the middle runner only because not as easy to dial in quickly, needs more set up time. The mugen does it all. And just feels great on the track.. The xray I cannot comment on unfortunately but all my onroad stuff is xray. So I have pretty high standards as far as what I like in a kit. I almost got the hb but after driving one the mugen was easy for me to push hard and drive fast. It feels the most in the track. Tlr was on the track floating everywhere. Too much steering or too little rear grip. Had to fight it on the track and modify it to work...nope... Associated feels identical to the mugen just mugen more refined.
I have not driven the new tekno but it looks good on the track. I will drive one next week so I'm curious as to how it is refined. Parts are no issue for me I get everything from amain. Read,learn and get what you like the most at the end...your not married to it and can always switch....mugen has everything I was looking for but had to go through three cars to find out. I'm 51 and not as sharp a driver as I was 20 years ago. I need the the car to provide as much mechanical grip as possible so I can just focus on driving and having fun. Good luck, marc

fat500

iTrader: (51)

For 1/10 I run a tekno eb410.2. It is decent. Just decent. If I get a new one it will be the xray or poss the associated. In tenth scale associated and tlr are much better then their 8th scale counterparts. And all are really good. All nearly identical geometry and fit and finish is good across the brands I find. In tenth scale choose a chassis based on what your track is, dirt or carpet. Imo you will see the associated cars work well in both, you can see the team setups and the team drivers rarely modify their cars to win. TlR hacks their cars up to be competitive, I mean common phenomenon phend car is running associated wheels and all kind of crazy parts that he can't even post a setup sheet for it. If you have do that to win then I don't want that car. Win with it as it is made like xray, associated, mugen hb and all the manufacturers do....if I want a bmw I don't want it with Toyota and Kia parts on it...that says alot about their engeering imo. Or lack their of.... their 4wd tenth scale car is the exception I would get one for carpet but for dirt they are lacking imo...too much setup required as the grip comes throughout the day. ...tekno has been OK for me but I switched radios with a driver running the b74.2 and I was instantly shocked at how well it drove, I was 3 full seconds faster per lap and still can't get my tekno their.... these have been my experiences and I pass my knowledge torch to you sir....have fun...all my running is on outdoor clay dirt btw...

bleomycin

Thank you fat500 for so thoroughly sharing your experiences, this is really valuable information and very helpful!

Cain

iTrader: (294)

offhand what conditions are you planning to run on for 1/8 and 1/10? I am assuming dirt but maybe you have something different for the 1/10 sized vehicles (turf, etc).

The Tekno 1/8s as mentioned by fat500 as a great option. Seem to have nice durability relative to their price point. Mugen has kind of shot the moon with their pricing, way up there like what Xray is known for.

As for 1/10 which we mainly run local here, 1/10 turf and indoor we do carpet, its common to see a mix of 1/10 4wds from AE, Yokomo, and some Xray, with a sprinkling of Tekno but mainly those at one track I go to that is more bumpy. The Tekno's are definitely more durable, but thats not say the others are garbage. Most wheelers are pretty durable these days especially when running these in the common 13.5 spec classes which are pretty fast on their own right. From what I hear from the Tekno drivers in general is with the part being kind of flexy, they see better performance on dirt with their cars then higher traction turf and carpet. When I went from Tekno to Yokomo it was easier on carpet to go fast with the car, atleast the version I had at the time (EB410.1 with variety of upgrades) to the YZ4SF.

As for parts support, in general I don't rely on a LHS having the part as in general you should carrry the common items and the LHS if it has any parts most likely would be the common ones anyway. Any oddball stuff they will most likely not have.