Frost99999

iTrader: (4)

Hi guys, Im a newbie to offroad racing and to nitro in general, but I am considering a RTR 1/8 buggy that is reasonably priced for my first nitro car.

Ive done some looking, and the cars that look appealing in RTR form are:

Cen Matrix c-1 RTR
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...oducts_id/9826

OFNA/Hobao Hyper 8 Pro RTR
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...oducts_id/8921

GS Racing CL-1 Pro Storm RTR
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/11188

OFNA Jammin X1 RTR
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...oducts_id/3175

Team VTX B1 RTR
http://www.teamvtx.com/v4/default.asp?mod=vtx-b1

Im leaning towards the CEN...its RTR has good servos and a decent radio...but Im worried about parts support.

My LHS is pretty weak and barely carries anything, so the whole "get what your LHS carries" doesnt neccesarily apply, but if they have any parts it will probably be some OFNA stuff.

Ive heard some nice things about all of these. Im on a relatively low budget, so I cant get a kyosho/mugen/8ight, but I want a car that I can race out of the box and learn the ropes of 1/8 buggy on.

If anyone has any opinions on these cars, let me know

Thanks!

kamlooper

iTrader: (7)

Ive been there, done that with the rtr scene. The engine and electronics that come with rtrs are nothing outstanding...in some cases, junk. I run a rtr matrix and the car has been solid, but the engine is scetchy so are the servos. Id advise you to get the AAR or the FRE matrix and buy better running gear. A better motor would be a RB3port,OS VG or maybe a GoTech 3 port. Way less fiddling and way more user friendlyness. Yes the rtr motors can be made to run and sometimes theyre good out of the box, but spend a little more $ for a better mill. I replaced the servos with hi tech 645's, all metal gear, maybe down on power but theyve held out for a long time now. Get a better radio too, Spectrum 2.0 is a better option.

Jason Halvorson

iTrader: (22)

IMO the only good rtr is the losi eight....

sickboy

iTrader: (75)

out of those, the jammin is the best BUGGY. the others may come with better electronics, but you will most likely upgrade those down the road.
my suggestion would be to save a little longer and get the 8ight rtr. you get the best of both worlds.

Frost99999

iTrader: (4)

Im really not a losi fan...their RTR package is pretty awesome, no doubt, but Id prefer a different brand of car.

I know some of the buggies I mentioned come as kits/rollers, but my main objection is having to buy an engine...as a nitro newbie id prefer a cheapie RTR engine to figure out engine maintenence/tuning on. I actually have a decent 3 channel FM radio already, so the cheapass radios that come with RTRs dont bother me...I just want to make sure the RTR has decent servos that I wont have to replace immediately, and be relatively tuneable.

Thats why I was leaning towards the CEN, because it
(supposedly) has nice servos included.

I know the racing crowd is all about the flavor of the month (losi 8ight, and rightly so, its winning everything) but try and understand that Im not out to be on the podium or be super competitive. Im just looking for a decent start to my 1/8 nitro buggy racing experience

Thanks again for the comments, any other input is greatly appreciated

Jason Halvorson

iTrader: (22)

i can tell you that the cen does not have good servos...

Frost99999

iTrader: (4)

I must have missed this post, appreciate the info on the Matrix

Im half tempted to just pick up a used roller off the forums and outfit it the way I want, but my lack of buggy knowledge makes me hesistant...I wouldnt know immediately if I got a dodgy car or somebody lied about it being a "pro" model or something like that.

Hrm.

Jason Halvorson

iTrader: (22)

just pm the link to me and ill help you out....im sure lots of others here would be more than happy to help you out also...

Frost99999

iTrader: (4)

Cool, thanks for the assistance

tex1

iTrader: (4)

Might look for a used Xray or Mugen. They are tough as nails and can be had for very little money.
Used will probably be a good avenue for you.
Just get back with us on motors and pipes.
There are a lot of good cars out there for the money.

I have a used Xray TQ with a OS RG and JP pipe with a complete spectrum radio and batt pack for $385 sitting on our shop counter. This would be a great car for someone in your position.

Good luck!
TEX

kamlooper

iTrader: (7)

Theres a matrix pro in the for sale section, you can tell its new. good deal.

http://www.rctech.net/forum/showthre...ghlight=matrix

Cain

iTrader: (294)

I had the Matrix Buggy with a few of the CNC upgrades on it and it worked quite well. I race with Jason and he does well with his Jammin too.

The Matrix is very stout, and now that they are coming with cross pin diffs, should be super easy to dial in.

It can share alot of parts with the Kyosho cars too.

For getting into 1/8 scale buggy, it can be a good cheap alternative.

Advise on the vehicle however:

If you get a RTR version, sell the engine, servos, and radio gear. The servos are a bit too slow. The engine can be alittle bit of a bear to tune. Radio is fine if you get the Airtronics one however. Not sure if the newer ones are using the Skyion setup. Thats good too, its just AM. Airtronics is the MX3.

For engines, I didn't have good luck recently with the OS VG. The guy who now has its and the buggy says he is getting it to hold the tune. Good for him I guess. I wont' do another OS engine.

As for the Losi 8ight RTR, alot of what I hear about the vehicle has to deal with driving style. If you drive a certain way, the vehicle can perform excellent. IF you don't however, it doesn't conform as well to your style like others is what I am hearing.

I would say regardless of the RTR (the losi has crap for throttle servo, that 270 is garbage), the servos usually are what should be replaced right away or at a minimum use the supposed "stronger steering servo" on the throttle.

Frost99999

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the info guys, appreciated.

Quick noob question: I see that some RTRs and ARRs come with .26, .28, higher displacement motors.

When it comes to race legality, what displacements are legal? According to the "standard" nitro 1/8 buggy racing rules.

?

Ravenzz

iTrader: (8)

all depends where you race but the sanctioned events are .21 motors usually

Machine's R/C H

Don't be fooled by the low price of the Matrix FRE. It is as good as any car out there. And I stock every part in my shop.

http://www.cenracing.com/race/result.html
http://www.machinesrchobbies.com