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Please help.The good and the bad of current cars.

Please help.The good and the bad of current cars.

Old 07-06-2004, 01:38 PM
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Default Please help.The good and the bad of current cars.

I am looking for a new gas car and want to know what is good about the following cars and what is bad.

I want to hear from owners of the cars. please just tell me what you have found about the cars.


Performance, breakage, adjusments, parts and driving. what you like and what you do not like.

I am looking for feedback on :

Serpent 710

Mugen prospec

AE FT NTC

Kyosho FW5

Trinity G4


Thanks for this It will help me decide.
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Old 07-06-2004, 01:56 PM
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I own the MTX-3 Prospec and the NTC-3.

Good cars.. I haven't run the MTX-3 yet still in the process of building it but I can tell you that the build quality is excellent.

The NTC-3 is a fun car to drive around. Competition wise I can't really tell you since I don't race, yet.

But both cars feel great out of the box.

My friend has the 705 and his is a nice car too. The rear tends to spin out a bit but I think that's more of a setup thing.

I guess it would depend on your budget. The NTC-3 in my view is a tad on the weak side. I had to replace a ton of parts already but it hangs in there like a champ.

Once i get more input from the car when i take it out, I'll let you know. But I can already tell its going to be a monster! If you're just beginning, I'd go for the factory team TC3. If you kinda know what you're doing, setup wise, then go for the MTX-3 Prospec or Serpent.

No comment on the Trinity or Kyosho....
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Old 07-06-2004, 02:56 PM
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I have the NTC3 and the MTX3. The MTX3 is all around the best car that I have owned. I have had a few others that are not mentioned, so I won't either. But the NTC3 is a great little car for small tight tracks but won't hang with the Mugen or Serpent. If you do run small tracks, you will need to get a front diff for the mugen. As for weak points, the only thing weak with the mtx3 is the 2speed parts, other than that nothing. On the NTC3, don't try to use the car like Tony Stewart drives, unless you want to replace parts all the time. The new rear suspension on the NTC3 sucks, the best thing that I have found for the NTC3 is the aluminum Hub Cariers and THE FIX. with those 2 upgrades, it will be twice as durable.

Good Luck
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Old 07-06-2004, 04:30 PM
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Default FT NTC3 V2

I have just started running an AE FT NTC3. My car is standard except for the Carbon Fibre radio plate and side plate to protect the tank.

Last weekend was my first race with it. I race in a sport class with up to 1hp motors(the beauty of the NTC3 is that you can run any configuration of pull or non pull start, side or rear exhaust so the car can eveolve with your skills).

In that first race meeting, I was immediately on the pace of my old car, then I went on to realise the car was faster than I was driving it and ended up setting a new laps record for a 5 min qualifier in my class. I also would have qualified second in the pro class (any hp .12 engine) behind an MTX-3/JP and ahead of 2 S710/JP combo's.

I can't say enough about how well the car handled with a slight mod to Barry Bakers Las Vegas setup for the V2 car. I had a couple of crashes early on that I thought would break the car according to the hype, however my big box of spares that I expected to use remained closed.

I run on a track that has long straights and also some technical sections. See it at www.warcmcc.org .

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Mike.
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Old 07-07-2004, 05:43 AM
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i drive a mtx-3 and only weak part i have found is the front up rights. get the mugen front uni's they are very strong. car setup wise if relatively easy to dial in.

I also have a keen interest on the FW-05R have heard lots of praise for this car. So try to stick with these 2 cars.

NTC3 is to weak the rear suspension is only supported by 3 screws or something so i heard.

G4 is pretty weak as well but very good handling car once setted up. same goes with 710 i believe.
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Old 07-07-2004, 06:46 AM
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This is a great thread idea. I hope we can keep the "i heard from a buddy that the serpent sucks" comments out and just hear comments on a car people have actually owned. I have a few questions regarding the cars in speeds list and also a few other that I am considering. This seems like a good thread to ask so here goes:


Serpent 710: How hard is it to get parts in usa for this car and are they really expensive compared to others?

Mugen mtx 3: Is the mtx 4 right around the corner making this kit obsolete? The Pro spec sure is pricey.

Kyosho VoneRRR: When will this kit be available? Anybody have an idea? This looks like the kit to buy but I don't want to wait forever. I have heard it is tough to get parts for kyosho in usa. is this accurate?

Team Magic G4: Is customer service a problem with this car in the US? Is the steering problem as bad as people say? I keep wanting to buy this car and keep talking myself out of it for some reason.

HPI R40: Is the US version a big heavy pig? I don't want to have to spend 350 bucks on damn upgrades for a supposedly "pro" kit.
I have heard I can get the 2004 kit shipped to the us for around 360.00. Why not just buy the Serpent then? Please tell me r 40 owners.

The NTC3 and FW-05r I am not really interested in as much as the kits above but would love to hear any comments from owners on why you believe they are the kit to buy.
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Old 07-07-2004, 07:39 AM
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Originally posted by IDrinkNitro
Serpent 710: How hard is it to get parts in usa for this car and are they really expensive compared to others?
You can always order Serpent parts online.....nitrohouse, Ashford, Serpent itself, Buckner....etc. S710 is a great car, just need a lot of experience on setting and in RC racing in order to get that car dialed....just like MTX3.

Originally posted by IDrinkNitro
Mugen mtx 3: Is the mtx 4 right around the corner making this kit obsolete? The Pro spec sure is pricey.
Sure...eventually, what I heard from my friend in Japan is late X'mas...............and you can see that, Mugen release a fully loaded car and try to do one final push for the sales then release the new platform..........same concept like selling new cars, new TV or new DVD player or new Computer....
I don't have Mugen at all.......but I have seen some in action, again, TOP NOTCH design and performance.

Originally posted by IDrinkNitro
Kyosho VoneRRR: When will this kit be available? Anybody have an idea? This looks like the kit to buy but I don't want to wait forever. I have heard it is tough to get parts for kyosho in usa. is this accurate?
You can get parts easily from TOWER, but not cheap.....RRR is planning to be release in October in Japan, then you can do the math in USA...probably X'mas time....again, good car (I think), but definitely consider the MTX3 and S710 before V1RRRRRRRRR.....

Originally posted by IDrinkNitro
Team Magic G4: Is customer service a problem with this car in the US? Is the steering problem as bad as people say? I keep wanting to buy this car and keep talking myself out of it for some reason..
No comment.....I heard it is a OK car, but just not as popular as Mugen, AE or Serpent...........

Originally posted by IDrinkNitro
HPI R40: Is the US version a big heavy pig? I don't want to have to spend 350 bucks on damn upgrades for a supposedly "pro" kit.
I have heard I can get the 2004 kit shipped to the us for around 360.00. Why not just buy the Serpent then? Please tell me r 40 owners...
You buy HPI cause it is a good car.....again, not the MUGEN and SERPENT kinda quality but the car is FAST enough to hang with them.........you buy HPI cause their parts are dirt cheap and you can even find them at Hobbytown USA across USA.......
The US version of R40 is around $245....2004 spec ship from HK or JAPAN via EMS and PAYPAL is around $385 (not $360)...to upgarade your R40 to 04 spec....roughly $200...not $350.
Yes, everything adds up, you might as well get the Serpent and Mugen......but I have to say, car is a lot easier to setup and drive, does not have all the TOPS from the others, but somehow, the car is FAST....

Originally posted by IDrinkNitro
The NTC3 and FW-05r I am not really interested in as much as the kits above but would love to hear any comments from owners on why you believe they are the kit to buy.
I cannot say about the FW....it took the PRE-WORLD Champion several months ago.........so that must be a good car.

But about the FT NTC3.................if you have never drive that car before, borrow one and give that a try....................our track is like 50% NTC3......and we local racer can use the NTC3 with some $180 and below motor to race against the Mugen and Serpent sponcered drivers with team spec and equippment.............so far, the best I can do is right behind them, and the last 30 minutes main, was like 2 laps behind, that is not the car, that was the way I drive is not as good as them........but with my limited driving skill, limited TIRES and engine suppport......if I can use the NTC3 to hang with the big boys like S710 and MTX3PS..............THAT MUST be a good car.......not to mention, parts are dirt cheap like HPI, and you can find parts everywhere across USA. And I know ppl say NTC3 is made out of glass..........yes, it is not the strongest car in the market, but I rarely touch the board or other cars while racing....I didn't break much parts lately. But last year, got 3 broken tanks cause others just cannot drive and t-bones me from the side............so I got the 2mm carbon fiber side brace to protect the tank....problem solved.

P.S........Forget about those weak arms and legs, broken steering hub or rear linkage..............ALL RC cars has parts that easy to break, if not, whos going to make parts for RC.........? If you want a bulletproof RC car....stay away from the board, or leave your car in the garage, that is bullet proof.

Last edited by Rookie Solara; 07-07-2004 at 07:46 AM.
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Old 07-07-2004, 08:04 AM
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Originally posted by Rookie Solara
RRR is planning to be release in October in Japan
i thought kyosho is going to release the rrr some time this month in japan.
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Old 07-07-2004, 08:21 AM
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Originally posted by Data
i thought kyosho is going to release the rrr some time this month in japan.
I saw that on the Japanese RC magazine.....and saw ppl post pictures they took from the hobby show....well, I might be several months off, and you might be right.
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Old 07-07-2004, 12:06 PM
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Speed2004:

I have all the cars in your list except the G4. I could tell you that all of them have their goods and bads. Different people would tell you different stories about them, and these stories may or may not apply to you. One good way to help you decide, I suggest, is to go to the track where you would run your car, tally up what car that people there run most, and get that one. You won't go wrong by doing that cause at least information and setup help would be easily available at the track when you run your car.

My 0.0002 cent
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Old 07-07-2004, 12:09 PM
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g4 is a good car but steering sucks, wait till they coume out with new steering design
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Old 07-07-2004, 02:34 PM
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Originally posted by brooklynrc
g4 is a good car but steering sucks, wait till they coume out with new steering design
Thanks I am crossing it off my list
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Old 07-07-2004, 07:22 PM
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The NTC3 normally requires a different style of driving due to the free drivetrain. Either people will love it, or hate it.
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Old 07-07-2004, 07:44 PM
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The NTC3 really suits my style of driving I think. I was making lap times all within less than half a second of each other in last weekends qualifyers.

I don't like to use brakes unless I'm in the pit lane or in trouble, and the NTC3 carries some serious corner speed that allows me to do that.
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Old 07-07-2004, 08:00 PM
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Its futile asking this kind of question to anybosy, anywhere. 99% of people will tell you to buy the car they have. I would go with my gut, really.
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