sturner123

i have posted other threads with price brackets that these two cars do not fit into but the fact that these are brushless makes me ask, hat makes these so cheap. If they are good i might buy one.

RC Dad

iTrader: (26)

Never heard of these, had to lean on Google for help. Note that the raptor is 170 UK POUNDS, not dollars. Not such a great deal when for $300 USD you could get a proven, US parts-supported 1/12 ofna truggy RTR and no int'l shipping. Just sayin'.

On the other hand, I took an out-of-character chance last year on a ZD RTR 1/8 buggy that turned out to be a pretty decent purchase after I took the time to go through it screw-by-screw.

Buyer beware, but hey, someone has to be the first to buy one or we'll never know what the odd brands are worth!

Neu_Racer

iTrader: (211)

This is a common question.

For those not aware, HSP, Himotor, Acme, Redcat Racing, and I'm sure others are all the EXACT SAME VEHICLES.

These cars and trucks are produced in Chinese factories with no stickers, brand, or label attached. Companies buy these in massive quantities and slap their own labels on them and sell it as a Redcat Racing Volcano EPX Pro, HSP brontasaurus or whatever.

If you are going to get any of these get a Redcat. They are much more involved in post sales support, have a huge network of dealers, parts are always in stock, etc.

Notice how these look similar:
http://www.redcatracing.com/RC-Cars/...olcano-EPX-PRO

http://www.hobby-estore.com/1-10-Ele...11pro-blue.htm

Exactly the same. Their 1/8 stuff is far better but the Volcano style trucks aren't bad either. The tornado and vortex are lesser quality a bit and not as tough. The tires do not include foams either which is odd when you spent $200 on a vehicle.

sturner123

Hey, rc dad, look at this, only £129,99. Good Deal? rc-hobbies.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1546

Pete720

iTrader: (33)

There is an article in the new R/C Car magazine talking about this very "market saturation". Those trucks are a good example, look at how many companies have "Duo" and "Duo 2" motors, battery manufactures are NOTORIOUS for this. Most of what you buy is the identical product with a brand new sticker on it so that's what I would look at, who offers the best after purchase support.

sturner123

Ive gone for the brontosaurus V3 after much pondering. Its arriving in 4-5 days. Will post my first impressions!

sturner123

It has been nothing but trouble. Broke 2 parts in the first 2 days.The steering is rubbish. It hardly turns at all. It is flimsy and the shocks bend at the first jump. It is always being repaired. Not getting a small brand again. 0The likes of Traxxas and losi are lots better!

Neu_Racer

iTrader: (211)

That's what happens when you don't heed the advice of EVERYONE.

Sorry you had issues, some do, others don't.

There is a video of a guy testing the Redcat 1/8 scales and jumping them off a 35 foot cliff. Nitro and brushless alike. All but 2 of them drove away after some extremely nasty landings and one was a nitro that just had the motor shift and miss the spur. The 1/8 buggy broke an arm. All others kept going. Its on youtube somewhere.

thepiper92

I have to say that my HSP Brontosaurus has been excellent. The only thing that broke was actually the Duratrax Intelispeed ESC that I put in it instead The thing just died. I thought it was a good ESC, but clearly it wasn't great. The stock electronics are not great, but then again, the whole kit costs less than what electronics alone usually cost. I am currently upgrading to some aluminum parts, which can be cheap if you look in the right sites, and a EZRUN brushless system, a cheap, but hopefully decent enough system. I have already put in a metal gear servo, just so I don't have to deal with a broken one (my duratrax evader st that is trash now had that issue a lot, along with broken arms, diff gears, and CVD's). The HSP truck has had no issues with breaking arms or any diff issues. Upon looking into reviews, I have found that an issue with design is that the dogbones are too long, essentially causing stress when the suspension is completely bottomed out, and also, I found out, when the steering is fully to the right or left. The front wheels actually bind a bit, not a lot, but enough to stop the wheels when I spin them by hand. I am getting shorter dogbones for the Redcat truck, being 87mm instead of the 89 or whatever the current ones are, just hoping 2mm shorter is not too short.