chicagokenji

I fully agree with Berm. Because of 1/18th scale we were able to build a new track 10 minutes from our house, in Chicago, last February. We now have a popular racing program that meets twice a week. Most of the regulars weren't racers before. So 1/18th created new racers. We expanded last Spring to running outside with 1/10th scales because we had the racers. These same guys are now racing at other local tracks and there's even a nice size group heading to TCS next month...all because of 1/18th scale. We are attracting brand spankng new racers, and guys coming back to racing after a decade long hiatus, all the time.

Also you mentioned cost...if you are running on a track that is scaled for 1/18th scale I'd say it isn't a money pit to be competitive. Once you take that 1/18th scale and drop it on a 1/10th scale track it does become a money pit to be competitive.

But....at our 30 foot long track a guy running a M18 with a Venom Fireball or a Robitronic 9 dollar motor and five cells can still be competitive with a guy running the same m18 with a Mamba brushless and Lipo. The size of the track doesn't give an advantage to a hopped up vehicle.

gashuffer

iTrader: (48)

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gashuffer

iTrader: (48)

Here you go.

oXYnary

iTrader: (4)

You did hit on something Duneland. A sorta general guideline was established by the forerunners. In this case the MRS4 for sedans, the Minit T for 2wd, and the RC18T for 4wd.

I think the headaches began when Kyosho decided to do "half" scale. I actually thought having 1/16th for the gas versions would be kind of less of a headache since the distinction would be more noticeable (and allow bigger fuel tanks). Now though, I see a series of Japanese,Taiwan, (and Trinity) manufacturers going 1/16th electric.

Anderson tried to cheat by making a car that was close to 1/16th, but could claim 1/18th since it was smaller. The major error though was in the ST by going so darn wide to get it closer to a MI ST versus looking at the established truck, the RC18T and making something closer along those lines.

The cost may be the same to setup, and thats only for the RTR which jip you from the racing parts. They make the initial RTR cheap, but then stiff you with the race hop ups. The maintenance cost is lowered in any case (compare tire and Batt prices). And its hard to argue that you can't make a mini too fast for cheap.

jaejw1

my cars are set up for dirt,, not for smooth surfaces without jumps..


sorry about that BERM.....

notfastenuff

hey guys ist nice to find out people are thinking. Duneland is correct when he says scale isn't accurate, yet most race directors dont seem to care. when I show up at local tracks (and I regularly do) detta st ant 18t race together most 18ts seem to be running rear wings to make them truggy appearing, no complaints here many of the locals acrossed Indiana run 10th scale foams on thier 18t and they look like skinny bodied detta st's. still no complaint here. Yet when I show up at then Indy state champs the few "team" drivers there running 18t's have little Asc. foams turned down to rubber band thickness running with us. now if the regular guys are running tc foams and the big dogs run little bity ones and the playing feild is fair why should the nats be any differnet??? stadium truck is just that, stadium truck. monster truck is something else, any body can look and see the differece. so lets be realistic,the only 18th scale truck thats even close to its 10th scale counterpart is the mini-t. how many 10th scale 4wd trucks are you seeing at the track?? We need to be tollerant of size due to the manifactures lack of consideration to the racers who adore these smaller riggs, and theres enough interest in these post to get noticed detta st owners voice your opinion is the st a stadium or monster truck? where does it belong?

gashuffer

iTrader: (48)

The St should be in a class of its own, just like 1/8 scale buggy 1/8 truggy. The ST is the mini equivalent to the truggy.
Jae, Berm there is a great off road track too. If you want I can meet up with you one day for practice.

jaejw1

i need to make time to go out there... driving from dana point will be a lil trp for me.. how is the dirt track,, im told its huge..

rswartz

iTrader: (62)

I think class distiction is kinda rediculous sometimes, but when it comes down to to it..Didnt we get into this hobby to have fun ? Who cares what your racing against. I think there should be less crying and more driving..The top 2 drivers at my local track is a detta st and a 18b they go 1 and 2 week to week..Somtimes the 18b gets the win other times the detta gets the win. 1/18 scale doesnt and prolly will never get the recognition its so desperatly needs. I have more fun running my minis then I do my 1/8 scale or my 1/10 scale stuff.

gashuffer

iTrader: (48)

No body is crying it's just that there are certain rules that apply when racing sanctioned events and with the many mini options out today alot of people are scattered with to many classes and not enough of one.

Jae the off-road track is huge but smooth. Recently they changed the track for 1/5 scale race so the jumps are a perfect size. onlinerc.com as some photos of the track but not any up to date with the layout, but if you click on the ariel veiw you can see how big it is.

jaejw1

that would be perfect... it looks as if it could be the same size as revelations.. but a track like that,,, smooth surface is the key..

rswartz

iTrader: (62)

OK not crying..some people are saying that its unfair to race the detta's against the rc18's because they are bigger and heavier..but its fair to run them in a MT class???unless your racing at a track where there are a bunch of hacks nobody intentionaly hits others.so the size and weight issue is just dumb..90%percent of micro racers are running brushless anyhow so speed and power shouldnt be an issue. in any case you cant please everyone.

ammdrew

iTrader: (25)

we spec the motor and batts. this gets all the chassis working on the same level. If we have someone new show up to race with us who is out of spec, we let them race and DQ them at the end of the night. They get to run the mains and even bump but we bring the 2nd place guy up with them. and dq them at the end of the bight so they do not effect points.

We race on road so the chassis change from xray, associated, sportwerks.


The hard part here is these are sold as toys, and we adopted them as race cars do to size and ease. they will become just as exspensive when raced hard. Someone will have to make a box. that becomes the legal car. And then hopefully you will see the manufacturers adopt the box and bring cars that fit the mold.

Bermbuster

iTrader: (11)

The thing you need to realize is the Monster truck class does work.....
this is the scenerio.....
In the monster class you have rc18 mt, x ray m18mt detta st,the mlsts,
raminator(new) mini quake, etc...
Now we have a group of trucks...some small some big....
This is what makes this class work....The small trucks getter bigger and the big trucks get smaller....its that simple....The detta ST is lucky it is the perfect size already....
The competition is there.....all the top guys run multiple classes so they have trucks set up in multiple configurations and they do pretty well across the board attesting to there skills as national caliber racers....
The really kool thing Madness does at the end...it has the super main where all the A main winners compete in one race showing who and what is the best.....


At the mini nats brushed racing is probably more popular then bl.....

Djballen

iTrader: (10)

The problem with your scenerio is the RC18MT and Vendetta ST are not monster trucks and will dog the crap out of a MILST and MINI Quake. That if why there are classes to group similar type cars together. Now if you dont have enough ppl to race together you would have to combined class. I just hate how Associated has put this tag either RC18T,RC18B or RC18MT when all of the cars are the same just with different bodies. The problem is that there is not a major sanctioning body with clear cut: size, length, height, weight, wheel base, battery configeration, tire size and tire type to make all the cars competitive together like 1/8 scale has. Untill that happends we will just have to group simmilar style cars together and just not worry about the slight size differents.