werner sline

the kraton seems indeed to be a good do it all truck, good choice.

I want to promote arrma's stuff and will buy a n outcast/notorious. I want to help them since their arrma nero model was shut down due to unfair battles about ridiculous patents ! arrma does a good job at making badass trucks that get better at each generation.

SvTPower

I too am in the market for another MT rc. I have had xmaxx, revo, and currently have a Tekno ET-48. I am currently looking at Arma as well. Seems the Kraton is a great buy for the money.

Bri

You guys should have a look at the Team Redcat TR-MT10E. It's a beast on 3S and flies great in the air. I would put in the top 3 as far as the best overall 1/10 monster truck basher. The Tekno MT410 is for sure in the top three and the other one is up for debate.

Best regards,
Brian

SvTPower

Since i have a ET-48 I'll pass on the MT410. Just want something different. Maybe the Redcat.

Mike

Bri

One thing to consider is that ARRMA vehicles are overbuilt which makes them weigh a lot. So to get the performance that brings a smile to your face, it takes a more expensive 5S or 6S battery. Don't get me wrong they are really good RC vehicles but something to consider nonetheless. Personally, I prefer lighter weight vehicles that run great on a less expensive 2S or 3S battery. Plus, I find lighter weight vehicles to fly better and are easier to control in the air.

Best regards,
Brian

Herrsavage

I was in a hobby shop yesterday, and they had a brand new MT4 G3 on display. I looked at and fondled it a bit.. Man, I forgot how cool brand new shiny RC trucks are...(I have been flying planes and quads a lot in the last few years.. Cars are too expensive, resale value is too low, and racing is - WAY - too time consuming...)

I have been mostly driving my converted Tamiya TRF801XT truggy - but I just blast up and down the street. I only run 4S. I have two old 4S lipos, and the speed is OK for me, as is the wear and tear. I don't want to have to replace or even shim diffs every month - so I'm fine with 4S.. I rarely bother taking it anywhere. I have a whole spare kit, plus a few spare packs of A-arms. The notorious arm weakness keeps me from going crazy with it... I already had to replace the shocks with RC8B shocks, since a lot of the Tamiya alu is pretty much junk.

I also have my old, beat up MT4 G3. I have a drawer full of parts for it too - including a chassis, diffs, etc.. The brand new shiny one sure looked great.. I just saw on online a brand new one costs €349, which seems like a pretty good deal. I have been keen on a Krato for a while, but they are over €500.

In addition to that, I have all my 8th scale AE nitro stuff still - including my main RC - the racer RC8T. With boxes and drawers full of spares(except CVA's unfortunately..), tuning, 5-6 bodies, etc etc.. (Trying to sell, but no dice.. Not going to give it away..)

Then there are my two LST2's, both rrreeeaaallllyyy long in the tooth. I have a fare few bit of spares for them too. I could probably make a winter project out of consolidating them into one decent truck, but doubt I could be bothered.... The LRP ZR.30X seems to eat trannies, and I got sick of ordering new trannies and 2-speeds from abroad... The 2-speeds were not the problem, definitely not the gears themselves. But I suspected the internal hubs sometimes..

Anyway, is the Kraton still the ultimate basher for the money? The Outkast is cool looking and all, but I wouldn't want to just flip over and wheelie all the time.. I think in my case, if I were going to get a new truck, the MT4 G3 for €349 would make the most sense, especially since I already have one + spares... Kind of want a longer chassis electric truggy though.. But not for €150+ more... Hmm...

I do have a soft pack 5S 4200 I bought for my MT4 G3 like 3-4 years ago, but have never used. Just set to storage... I never really understood how to reprogram the ESC for 5S. Messing with the ESC one time I lost a chunk of thumb when the truck took off at full power, and the tire caught my hand.. (it grew back, thankfully..) Anyway, I don't want to buy new batteries. I have two 4S 5000's and the 5S. I wouldn't bother with 6s, one because I don't want to buy any(I have WAY too many lipos already...), but two, as I said, I don't want to have to mess with diffs regularly...(or other damage from increased wear and tear...) I very much would want any cars of mine to be set and forget. 4S is fast enough for me with the MT4 G3 and Tamiya anyway...


Edit - Found the Kraton for €430 shipped. So not as bad as I thought... Still, all those spares I already have for my other cars. A new brand and model would lead to even more unused spares laying around in drawers, wasting even more space and money... I think if I got another one, it'd have to be an MT4 G3... Cheaper, more spares, etc etc.. BTW, I have the guts of an MT4 G3 in my Tamiya, so I have two of those motors and ESC's, and they have lasted forever and worked fine with no headaches...

Herrsavage

OK, I edited that post enough, so I'll just do a second one..

So I see there is a Kraton V3, and that one costs €530 - so a fair bit more. Is it worth €100 more than the V2?

Also, I like the looks of the V3 Talion. Tad cheaper too it seems. Could I just put MT4 G3 wheels/tires on it and have a good truggy basher, as good as anything else?...

I see it has an XT90. That would have to go. XT60's or Deans only. Also not running batteries in parallel.. Would have to use the batts I arleady have..

Herrsavage

Speed Chaser

iTrader: (4)

I personally love my savage still one of the best RC I ever own.

SavageSpawn

MY fist MT was the Savage 25 hence my username, but it was a real pain in the ass to fix and I would always strip a screw and out came the dremel. Not sure the order but ended up with an lst/lst2, cen matrix Truggy, mini Lst, Mugen Mbx6t. Mini Revo and now a new to me LST 3XL. Nitro can be fun but I was never really good at tuning an engine.

The mini revo is a really really fun car to drive ended up trading my savage roller for it. My Kid are learning to drive on the mini revo and we have a blast. I kind of want an 8S but I have no place to drive it. Got he 3xl, no regrets.




Lst1/2, LST 3XL, MBX6T

Herrsavage

My first real RC was a Savage 25 RTR. Hence my name as well...

But I soon thereafter got an LST2, and it was just VASTLY better, in every possible way. I remained loyal to Savages for a long time, but when I saw how the drivetrain just got ragged out - as if made from butter - with a .26, and meanwhile the LST2('s - I had/still have two, not to mention a Muggy as well..) had virtually none in those same areas after gallons of use.., with bigger and more powerful engines.... - I just had to abandon Savages. They looked cool, were cool, and got me into a major RC obsession. But Losi was just a big step up..

As for nitro, I suspect the internet and all the BS you read about it did a lot to give nitro a bad name.. Even from the so-called gurus. NITRO IS NOT HARD. A lot of the gurus blabbered for ages that it was. That you need to disassemble and clean a new engine, that you need to preheat, that you need to change bearings and rods, that you need a gallon break-in, etc etc etc.. All total BS. Get the right gear - in the case of the LST2 an LRP Spec 3 .28 with the stock pipe, clutch, etc.. Use decent fuel and most importantly just make sure the sound is good and you see some smoke - and nitro is easy and doesn't have to be anywhere near as high maintenance as some people used to make out..

That said, cars in general are SSSOOOO much more effort to work on.. My Tamiya threw an axle pin yesterday, and just fixing that - which admittedly took max 15 minutes, but afterwards my hands were nearly black... Ha ha.. Something more serious like changing oil in a diff takes half a day and you feel it in your hands the next day.. (sometimes I almost kind of miss it.. I do miss assembling new car kits...) Planes are so much simpler.. Well, unless you crash that is... Cars are also just VASTLY more expensive... I can fly 120mph for under $200(not including basics like radio, battery, receiver, etc.. - i.e. stuff you just have on hand after a while..)

Not looking to argue, and no offense to others with different opinions, but the mini E-revo was the worst RC I ever had. Over-plasticy fragile money pit.. I would never buy a Traxxas (or say anything nice about Traxxas.. But I was already inclined that way after years of hearing about them and their needs for tuning parts etc.. I was biased in the Savage vs. Revo "debate"... ) after that experience...

Cardiak

iTrader: (1)

I've been running my first nitro/hobby grade rc (7TR truggy) for the past month and I had zero issues diving right in and knowing exactly what to look for when tuning and maintenance except for a few things that I've asked questions about to make sure I was on the right path. It's not hard at all. Just turning a couple of screws until you have good bottom end and top end and a consistent smooth idle. I don't get why guys say nitro is "hard". I wonder if any of those guys fix or change their oil in their real cars.

Herrsavage

I got my MT4 G3 about four years ago.. A few months later, I bought a 5S 4200 lipo. I never ever used it though. I didn't even charge it - til this morning. And that was to fly in my E-flite Rare Bear.. It was WAY too windy though, so I came down with the cells at about 4.02 or so...

So I went home, and instead of throwing the battery on the discharger, I though, let's try it in the ole' MT4 G3.. So I reprogrammed the ESC LVC - had to a few times to get it right. Then I just blasted up and down the street.. Holy crap.. At one point I was thinking I'd have to dive out of the way, as it was coming right at me, about ten yards just on the tiny wheely-bar wheel, all four tires going all pizza cutter...

Anyway, I think I'll stick with 4S. Don't want to fry stuff - or have increased wear and tear - with 5S. 5S does seem fun though... Not interested in 6S and rebuilding diffs every month though..

Kind of surprising how good the MT4 G3 still is though....