nikkor

Hello Guys,

I've dabbled with 1/10th circuit cars 5 years back, driving a taiwanese Colt with a RB concept .15 engine. I gave it up then, due to its high cost as a student. I would like to pick up the hobby again, possibly racing it since playing alone is incredibly boring. I need some recommendations here.
Here are my priorities

1) Reliability
2) Parts availibility and cost, product support
3) Chassis performance

I've narrowed down my choice to the Serpent 710, HPI R40, Kyosho V1-RRR. I'm unfamiliar with other brands, like mugen seiki.

Please advise which would be a good chassis to purchase, the above priorities into consideration. If you could do a comparison between the models, it would be fantastic. Engine wise, not much issue... probably just pick up a Nova or RB engine. I understand that the Serpent is going for $650, so is the HPI, not sure about the kyosho. Serpent used to be the Ferrari of Nitro cars, but it seems the price has come down a bit. Kyosho sounds like a Honda, reliable and quick.

haowee

In last month’s issue, we handed the magazine over to you, the readers, for our Readers’ Choice Awards. You picked your favorite cars, trucks and gear, without interference from us fussy editors. It was all about you, but now it’s time to name the Car of the Year, and it’s all about us. So how do we pick a winner? It isn’t rocket science; any car we reviewed since the August 2004 issue is up for consideration, and the winner may be chosen for a number of reasons. We might cite its sales success, its value, or its innovation. But sometimes, it just comes down to sheer performance, and this year, no car exemplifies “sheer performance” quite like the Kyosho V-One RRR. It’s a no-nonsense competition nitro tourer that proved its mettle by not just winning the IFMAR Nitro Touring Car World Championship but also by dominating the event and sweeping the top five spots with a total of eight V-One RRRs in the 10-car final. When a race car fulfills its mission so successfully, it’s an easy choice for Car of the Year.
The Worlds-winning
V-One RRR
Left: Here’s the car that beat all comers: Adrien Bertin’s personal V-machine. It’s packing Sirio power, and the suspension settings have been tweaked to suit the Worlds track, but features-wise, the car is pretty much stock; you can buy all this stuff off the shelf!

Right: Here's Kyosho prez Aki Suzuki accepting the Car of the Year award at RCX. How do we know he was psyched? He sang his acceptance speech!

Right: Don’t bother looking too hard for any factory-driver unobtanium; Adrien’s Worlds ride is basically off-the-shelf.
Adrien’s race gear
Engine: Sirio S12TRPI
Pipe: Sirio 2611
Fuel: Sirio
Tires: GRP
Body: Protoform Mazda 6
Electronics: Airtronics M8


Left: no team got it done at the Worlds quite like Team Kyosho. Eight out of 10 cars in the final were V-One RRRs, including the top-five finishers.

Right: “Weeeeeee are the chammmm-pions....” Takaaki Shimo, Adrien Bertin and Chris Tosolini wear their K-colors on the podium in Jundiai, Brazil.


V-One rrr features
1. 3mm 7075 main chassis

2. Lowered 2mm graphite upper deck

3. Laydown throttle servo with bash guard

4. Pivot-ball suspension with vertical rear ball studs

5. 3-belt drivetrain

6. Front one-way hubs

7. Sealed, 6-gear rear differential

8. Central fuel tank with spillway

9. 3D Centax clutch

10. 2-speed, clutch-type transmission with 0.8-module gears

11. Threaded-body shocks with nutted pistons

12. Power Tyres 35-shore


SCALE 1/10
PRICE $479 Varies with dealer

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 10.2 in. (260mm)
Width 7.97 in. (200mm)

WEIGHT
Total, as tested 96.9 oz. (2,748g)

CHASSIS
Type Machined plate
Material 7075 aluminum

DRIVETRAIN
Type Triple-belt
Primary 16/61T (1st gear)/ 21/56T (2nd gear)
Drivetrain ratio 2.00:1
Final drive ratio 7.625:1 (1st gear)/5.333:1 (2nd gear)
Driveshafts Dogbone
Differentials 6-gear, sealed rear; front one-way
Bearing type Metal-shielded ball bearing

SUSPENSION
Type (F/R) Double A-arm/lower H-arm with turnbuckle upper link

Shocks Threaded, aluminum body with Teflon shaft guides and bladder seal

TIRES
Type Power Tyres 35-shore, zero-offset

ENGINE AND ACCESSORIES
Engine Not included
Clutch 3D Centax
Manifold Not included
Pipe Not included
Fuel tank 75cc primerless with internal filter

nikkor

I suppose thats an abstract from a magazine. Thanks for that.

How much are the V1RRRs going for, and who distributes them ? Hobbylink does serpent cars, but the parts are at killer prices. So I'm a bit hesitant

superon

All the 3 cars have good spares support. If u are considering the HPI, you can wait for the 2005 edition which will coming out soon.

If price is too steep for you, can consider :-

1) Team Magic G4 E classs - very good car and with good support by rotor and cheap.

2) Hobao GPX4 Pro - A pro level ok car but cheap. Carried by Taising. With engine going for about 650.

RR

Hi there nikkor

for your addition info in seaching your car

mugenseiki is coming with new 1/10th car,"MTX4"
and it is reaching Singapore this early Oct
which is a few more weeks to go
you may want to check it out when it arrive...
and the place to go will be sim lim square basement.
Pacific model, mugenseiki distributor.

check out the picture, and
at this website, www.mugenracing.com

happy seaching for your new car

nikkor

I notice that there are no Serpents 710s in the list of cars in the upcoming taising race at TAKA. I find it very strange, since they are quite cheap and have a good reputation. Is it because they are not permitted and in a different class ?

skywalker

All brands are allow, it's an open race!!! I think racer from other camp have no time???

Vinyard

I beg to differ.. Serpents are never cheap.. they are like the premium RC cars.

nikkor

The 710 cost $650, same as the R40. The V1RRR is probably more expensive.

dodo

standard kit is cheaper, WC kit is more expensive. maybe? anyone?

ianchai

I think Mugen seiki is a better choice if you are worry about the price, just check out the easily damage parts like arm and spur gear. I have MTX3 and I find the parts which are more prone to damage are much cheaper than Kyosho. i have a V-one s before, and the parts are v expensive compare to Kyosho. Secondly, not much Hop up need to be done, as the stock part are quite good already. Handling of the car is very good, though I expect the MTX4 to be better. Heard alot of them say that serpent cannot make tight turns in a small circuit due to its large turning radius. just consider a few factors.
1)Are u going for belt drive or shaft drive? Different handling.
2) Cost on spare part and availibility

Think about it.

Hope my suggestion will help.

haowee

but then I think kyosho the parts are very durable. I crashed my into the wall at WOT and the chasis bent alittle only. Nothing else broke.

rinkeberg

overall id say that in the long run, the Mugen cars like MTX3 and the soon to be released MTX4 are better because of parts availability like mentioned before and cheaper and they are just or more durable and you will save more money meaning that you will have more money to spend on other things, question: would you rather spend hundreds of dollers on parts every 1-2months or save that and use that for other things?

ianchai

I totally agree with you, cos the spur & arm are so much cheaper as that is the parts that are prone to damage, secondly, talk about handling it is so much better. If you want better control the front can change to a differential gear, but will be much slower compare to one way.

golem

iTrader: (1)

Never realised that Serpent's were 'premium RC cars' but then again never really explored how much spares are for other manufacturers but I reckon they don't differ very much. A couple of dollars here and there. Overall, I'd reckon that they work out to be roughly at the same running cost. Besides, the aim is not to buy a car that is in indestructable, although admittedly crashing is an inevitable part of the sport. Although, its noted that the general perception that Mugen's tend to have a higher crash survivability rate than other brands is probably true, but this comes at the cost of an overall heavier car. There's no nirwana - get something; give something back.

Nikkor, I'd suggest finding out what you're looking for in a car to begin with. Some cars are easier to maintain since their design facilitates quick accessibility. If you're a hop up freak, some have more hop ups than others. And if you're into being able to change a variety of settings on a car; some have more built-in options than others as well.

I've worked on Kyosho's and Serpents and I have to say Kyosho's are a nightmare to work on. Kyosho's design doesn't really facilitate for frequent maintenance as any work done can be quite complicated and require removal of a lot of parts and screws. Can't say much about Mugen but I reckon its similar to Kyosho since the design layout is similar.

In general I'd say, ranked in order from best to better:

a. easier maintenance/overall accessibility - Serpent, Mugen, Kyosho
b. Hop Ups - Serpent/Mugen/Kyosho (about the same)
c. Settings - Serpent, Mugen, Kyosho

Sorry, haven't messed with HPI's so I've no visibility on them but from what little experience I've had with them, I personally wouldn't buy one. Although, at one time their marketing themes did entice me. The lack of proliferation of HPI on the pro and global 1/10 racing scene speaks for itself. Added to that HPI has lesser penetration worldwide so if you intend to race globally, you might find yourself in trouble faster than you imagined.

Despite comments that Serpents cannot turn well on smaller tracks, its all a settings issue. I believe most cars out there have similar capabilities but its the settings that eventually make them perform differently. Across Malaysia (where smaller track racing is common place) the 1/10 brands that dominate the local racing scene are made up mostly of Serpents and Mugens and a growing smaller minority of Team Associated (notably the nitro NTC3). Kyosho, remains the premium car in Malaysia. Both for their spare parts cost and their constant changing models within a year.

At the end of the day, just buy something you like to work on and look at when its standing still and naked. Coz the car's not going to be on the track every minunte of the day. Most cars handle similarly on the track. Its the hand and the settings that account for more than the car's brand itself.