paulh617

Im new to nitro and am after a good durable, easy to use offroad nitro buggy that i can bash without having to spend hours repairing bits. Im currently looking at HPI's. i started off looking at the firestorm, then got tempted by the Bullet 3.0 MT but dont like the fact it has plastic spur gear, now im looking at the trophy truggy and my eyes lit up when i saw the savage but this is expensive at £400 can anyone recomend anything please?

Zao18

HPI is known for making virtually bullet-proof stuff so you're looking in the right direction. Don't let a plastic spur gear scare you off of a kit you like the look of. They actually last a long time as long as you set your gear mesh properly. They are also dirt cheap. Only about $5 usually. I actually keep 4 in my toolbox at all times.

I have heard really good things about the nitro Firestorm and the Savage. Frankly, under $500 is dirt cheap to pay for a durable nitro. If you want a buggy, HPI is making an RTR version of their Hotbodies D8 that looks really sweet http://www.hpiracing.com/kitinfo/106116/. If you are on a budget though, the Firestorm is a great starter nitro truck http://www.hpiracing.com/kitinfo/105865/. Unfortunately, I know nothing about the trophy buggy and truggy, other than they do look nice in pics.

If you are not dead set on HPI, Losi makes a decent starter buggy as well, the 810 http://www.losi.com/Products/Default...rodID=LOSB0021. Out of personal experience, I would say stay away from their Ten T rtr truggy. It was my first nitro RC purchase and I love it to bits, but it was very frustrating dealing with the onboard starter issues. Losi does make RTR versions of their 1/8th 8ight 2.0 buggy and truggy, but they are $700-800 which I suspect is more than you want to spend.

I will mention that Team Associated makes RTR versions of their truggy and buggy, but personally, I wouldn't recommend them because they don't come with 2.4 GHz radio systems.

And finally, though many will roll their eyes at this, a lot of shops carry a lot of Traxxas products. They are far from race-worthy but I have heard they are reasonably durable and usually have great parts support. They make buggies, stadium trucks, short course trucks and monster trucks, all 1:10 scale I believe.

I recommend going to your local hobby shop if you have one where you live, and talk to the guys there. Find out what's really durable, what's easy to work on, and most importantly of all, parts support. When you are first getting into nitro, you want a durable kit that's easy to get parts for. I would also recommend getting something with a pullstart if you want to keep cost down. Also stay away from anything that has an onboard starter built into it. They can be more trouble than they're worth, and they make it harder to check or change out glowplugs. And most importantly of all, get something that has a 2.4 GHz radio in it. AM and FM radios are ancient technology now that have no place in modern-day kits.

Hope this helps, and good luck! Welcome to the hobby!

LosiPRRACER

you answer'd your own question. but the savage and the bullet is not a buggy. for a bashing buggy i would look @ ofna series they are ment to be tanks.

for a monster truck etc hands down the savage. you get what you pay for most of the time. excuse traxxas from that saying though... they are shockingly overpriced for the quality you get.

EatYoLegs

iTrader: (1)

Mugen mbx6!!

zenbonzakura

iTrader: (4)

1+ on the mugen mbx6

Zao18

Given that the OP feels that 400 pounds is expensive, I don't think that a Mugen kit is what he's looking for, regardless of how awesome it is .

Kits aren't a great budget-minded option when buying your first RC on a budget, unless you find some killer deals, and have someone to help you build and set it up for the first time ever. Spending $1000 on a kit and all accessories is a bit much to swallow, especially for something you've never tried before.

Now if the OP can score a Mugen second hand, fully decked out, at a decent price, then by all means, go for it! On that note, if you are willing to go second hand paulh617, another tough buggy or truggy to look at is a Hotbodies D8 buggy or D8T truggy. A lot of people on this forum can attest to its toughness. Unfortunately there are inherent risks to going second hand........I'd be pretty pissed if were brand new to the hobby and bought something used from someone, only for it to turn out to be a lemon or more trouble than it's worth.

FormulaOfSpeed

im a little confused with what you want, but id go for for the D8S when it comes out, or this kyosho truggy

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-Engine-Type-1

i don't if you should do a kit since its your first nitro

paulh617

Thanks for the great feedback, unfortunatley I am on a bit of a budget. As much as i would like to go all out and spend big i need to get a feel for the hobby first off. I just want something that will give me a good insight without getting frustrated when bits keep breaking off. So now I am thinking either the Firestorm (£199 RTR) or the Bullet MT (£229 RTR) do you guys think these are durable enough to keep my happy for a while or maybe a bit to cheap and nasty??

Zao18

I can't comment on the Bullet MT but if the nitro Firestorm is as durable as my wife's e-Firestorm, it's good stuff. I am certain I have seen other people on this forum comment on the high durability of the nitro Firestorm. HPI in general are known for some of the toughest kits too. How much is the Losi 810 in your area? It's probably a little less durable than HPI, but it's still definitely no glass cannon, and it's better set up for racing, given that it is 4WD with sealed tunable differentials. It also has a bigger, proper wing attached to the rear shock tower, so it will take jumps much better as well. The wing on the Firestorm is just a thin plastic one bolted to the body shell. However, if the 810 is over your budget, I would not feel nervous about buying the Firestorm to be honest.

One thing to consider though, if you are ok with a monster truck, the Bullet does appear to have some pretty hefty shocks, plus it will have bigger tires, and it is 4WD, while the Firestorm is 2WD. If you want something purely for bashing and are very unlikely wanting to go to the track, then a monster truck might be the better option. It all comes down to personal preference though. I personally don't like the way MT's look or handle. But I wanted to get into the racetrack stuff. Either way, it looks like you are pretty close to buying something really fun.

paulh617

Cheers, with your help I have definatley narrowed it down to one of these 2 now. Im thinking more towards the firestorm because slightly cheaper, looks simple which can only be good for a novice, things like the spur gear easy to access being 2WD and located on the side (1 nut to remove and replace). The MT monster truck looks nice but plastic spur gear in the middle could mean trouble if i need to change it but it does have waterproof servo abilities which the firestorm is lacking. I think im just nervous about buying because my very first nitro buggy I bought last week which was some ACME cheap chinease rubbish that could barely even handle being picked up without breaking. This has feared me into spending more cash and having the same experience I have with the ACME becasue atm i cant imagine anything else. I have fixed the ACME up and banged it on ebay hoping to recoup some of my cash. I am very keen to get into the hobby and will not let the ACME put me off. great to have you guys here have recieved a lot of usefull info =D

Zao18

Good to hear. You can't go wrong with HPI. Tough stuff, great parts support, and great customer support too. Good point about the ease of accessing the spur gear on the Firestorm, you are definitely right that it's easier to get at. There is definitely more maintenance involved with a 4WD vehicle too, since it has 3 differentials you need to change oils on. I also noticed on the HPI webpage that the Firestorm comes with a fuel bottle and glowplug igniter, which is more cash saved. It doesn't look like the Bullet MT comes with those accessories.

One thing I will HIGHLY recommend you do though. It looks like the Firestorm is set up to use AA batteries for the receiver. Change this out. Depending on what charger you already have (assuming you already have one), get either a NiMH hump pack like this http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...er-Pack-IB1600, or get a LiFe receiver battery like this http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-Balancer-Plug. When you go to buy the kit, assuming you are buying this at a local hobby shop, chat with someone there about taking the truck out of the box and seeing what batteries they have in stock that will fit in the battery tray. Also see if you can find a battery that has the same connector as the one on the cable going to the switch. Otherwise, you might need to look at changing the switch too. Yes it's a little extra added cost, but there is a HUUUUUUGE difference in using a NiMH or LiFe receiver battery, versus using AA alkaline batteries. Quite frankly, AA's have no place as receiver batteries on a hobby-level RC car these days.

junebugg

iTrader: (1)

OFNA lx2 with .28. 300 american dollars. ENJOY! fin

paulh617

Good stuff thats me decided then I think, hopefully I will have a good experience owning a HPI! yeah the bullet looks quite a complex build with lots of bits that could potentially break if i push it a little to hard! The model shop by me have the firestorms in stock so might have to pick me one up tomorrow. Ye i noticed the free fuel bottle and glowstart but seems that is only on the American Website =( HPI europe do not mention it and nothing mentioned about that on my local hobby shop site either. Oh well

Zao18

Wow, that is a pretty amazing deal actually!

Let's slap a link to that too: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...Hz-Transmitter

paulh617

ah cheers for the advice about the batteries, i will have to look into this as this never even crossed my mind!! this is where its always good to listen to people with experience!