I've been successfully running XRAY and AMX for the past 4 years now with no durability issues to speak of. I was feeling bored and burned out, so I decided to pick up a cheap 418 from Tower ($409 shipped!) to see how things had changed. I don't regret it.

I saw that Tamiya released new "reinforced" c-hubs and figured they finally realized it was a critical flaw and did something about it. To my surprise, the 418 is really good on carpet. It feels like where the 416X left off. As if the abomination of the 417 series never happened. Sadly, the c-hub thing is still an issue, all these years later, even after the reinforcing.

My other big gripe, the gear diff is better with red o-rings and the 417V5 changes. It's encouraging to see the team had a new gear diff design they were testing.

People getting defensive or acting like little bitches when someone brings legitimate criticism to a platform doesn't do anybody any favors. It's important that these companies know the shortcomings of their products in the hands of mere mortals on a variety of different track types. Ignoring this sort of feedback, or having people wave their hands and pretend there isn't a problem is precisely why these kits are collecting dust on the shelves in spite of being a very good car.