A question for the buggy gods.....

[mcvickj]

One of my good friends and I managed to get a little bashing time in last night. He knows I have been looking around for a buggy so he has been keeping is ear to the ground. Turns out he knows a guy that has an Ofna MBX R2 with servos and lots of extras. The buggy is running an OS RZ-VO1b with one quart of fuel ran thru it. It also has the Ofna high torque starter box. The chrome top one I believe. He says he wants to get rid of it for like $340ish.

The buggy looks to be in nice shape. It comes with a new body that needs to be painted. Two pipes plus a slew of extra parts.

Now at this time I don't see my self into any serious racing. Most of the time it will be just going to the track or where ever with friends just to have a good time.

I know some of the others on the board really give Ofna a bad name and would never suggest them to others. I would like to hear your ideas on the package.

If I don't go this route I would then be leaning towards the HB Lightning Pro package that Rob found online. Thanks.

-JR

 

[Smokey]

This is a personal opinion, bear this in mind when making your decision. The package that you are looking at seems to be an average price for what is being offered.

I have an HB Lightning PRO, for $250 it is a tough buy to beat. The main issue is support, parts are lacking as of yet, I can only assume that once the Dirt Demon excitment calms down, that production will resume on parts for the Lightning. I have had my HB for a couple months now, put it through some SERIOUS ABUSE, and have yet to break anything but the wing. I immediately put an RB C4 in it and the drivetrain is still performing flawlessy.

You can't beat an OFNA for aftermarket support, but, I love my HB and continue to run it every week.

Now that I have made everything as clear as mud, good luck on your decision.

 

[mcvickj]

WHOA! $250? Where did you get the Lightning Pro for that price? The cheapest I have seen it for was $320

 

[Nitroaddict]

MC - here is my 2 cents. first - keep in mind that ofna does not build buggies. it imports them. not all of the buggies it imports are the same make. all are korean. how many full size cars does korea make that are any good? from what i have read and what i have seen, the only one that is worth a hoot is the PBS, because it is from a different manufacturer.
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Before i got my storm pro, i thought about getting a real cheap buggy, since i am not racing, and just having fun. i even looked at the Axis. but what i came to realize is that the major thing u needx to look at is how durable a buggy is when u are using it for a basher. racing on the track for offroad is less stressful on the buggy itself than harcore bashing sessions. i decided that a low end buggy would break alot, like my streetforce did, and i would end up spending more money in the long run on repair parts than if i just got a good buggy to begin with. i made this mistake twice, with getting the streetforce as my first TC, and getting an RTR for my first ST. i should have just waited till i had the money to get something good and do it right. my advice to you would be to ask if the buggy was new, and at regular price, would u buy it then? if the answer is no, then it isnt worth getting used. a deal is a deal only if u want the product. the other concern is the the mill. the OS RZ is a VERY VERY good engine, but it is a racing engine that will not like to run rich, nor will it like to be improperly tuned. that is why i ended up going with the RG for mine, of course it was also 100.00 cheaper. i learned the hard way about racing engines too. i purchased a Rossi pixie black for my NTC3 when i first got it. and although the engine was stupid fast, it was a bear to tune, wouldnt stay idling, ran lean as hell, and very hot, and was very tempermental. i recently sold it for an OS CV-R.
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The mbx is not the base buggy by ofna, so i think it is halfway decent, but again, if this isnt your dream buggy, then wait, save up, and get the one u really want. u will be more happy in the long run.

 

[mcvickj]

Hmm...thanks for the input NA. No I don't think I would have looked at the MBX if it was new.

Durability is high on my list. I was talking to the owner of the LHS and he mentioned he was starting to stock parts for the HB Lightning.

A nice engine that isn't fussy about tuning is also on the list as well.

 

[Nitroaddict]

like i said - thats just my 2 cents, and i am trying to be unbiased to my storm.

i just see alot of mistakes that i made in the past, and don want u making the same ones.

one other thing to take note of: I would never, ever buy a used engine. there are no exceptions to this rule in my opinion. u just never know what u r getting.

 

[mcvickj]

Agreed. How do you like your Storm? Did you pick it up as a roller? How much and from where?

 

[Nitroaddict]

Originally posted by mcvickj
Agreed. How do you like your Storm? Did you pick it up as a roller? How much and from where?

i got the storm pro kit. i paid about 450.00 at my LHS. not only did i love being able to build it myself, but the quality of the kit is just amazing. every piece fit perfect, and was of the highest quality. the aluminum was estremely thick, tons of carbon fiber - the thing is built like a tank.

it wasn't cheap - but i have yet to break a single piece, and have put it through some brutal bashing.

 

[RobH]

I too have never broken anything on my Lightning Pro. Parts are scarce, but it doesn't really matter when nothing breaks.

For this post, I will assume you want to race the buggy and not just bash it.

The Lightning Pro provides a very cheap, very durable chassis that mimics the Kyosho Inferno MP 7.5 in many ways. The main advantage is that the Lightning Pro chassis will cost you $275 (after you sell the stock engine and pipe on ebay) where the Kyosho Inferno MP 7.5 (chassis only) will cost you $500.

After you have the chassis, the rest of the costs are the same regaurdless of which kit you buy. The engine will cost you a mimimum of $300. The pipe will run you $100 give or take a 20. A good FM radio (if you don't have one) is another $150 at least. A good steering servo is another $100. Good tires will be $60. The Lightning Pro will need a set of good shock springs ($30). $80 starter box. You can chalk up another $75 in dumb things like a fuel filter, shock oil, diff oil, air filter and god knows what else.

After you buy your kit, you're looking at another $800 in order to race competatively.

Lightning Pro: $1100
Inferno MP 7.5: $1400

What in the hell does that have to do with the OFNA in question? It sounds like this guy was a racer. Ask FlyingRazorBack, that is a sweet engine. It sounds like he's upgraded the pipe. He has a new steering servo.

The OFNA may not have a chassis that is as durable as the Lightning Pro. The hop-ups, however, will reduce that $800 to a manageable size.

My advice: buy both. I am dead serious. Buy the OFNA now. Later, after you get sick of buying chassis parts, buy the Lightning Pro. Sell the stock engine on ebay for $75. Then, transplant the engine, pipe, steering servo, tires and anything you can to the Lightning Pro.

Get the OFNA; steal the hop-ups.

-Rob

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

:LoL: I have seen many Ofna's run and the one thing I give them is their unbelievable durability. When my buggy was breaking and being fixed all the Ofna's were still running.

 

[mcvickj]

Thanks for the input Rob and blazer. I wish it was Saturday. The guy is going to drop the buggy off to me Friday night / Saturday morning some time and let me test it out for the weekend.

 

[Nitroaddict]

Originally posted by humboldtblazer
:LoL: I have seen many Ofna's run and the one thing I give them is their unbelievable durability. When my buggy was breaking and being fixed all the Ofna's were still running.

wow - that is the exact opposite of what i have seen. although i am no expert in this subject, knowing only two people that have an ofna buggy. the run a lx gt, and a hyper 7. both of them have had nothing but problems, even the hyper 7 guy, and everyon says that the hyper 7 pro can give the kanai, mugen, and storm pro a run for the money.

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

I have seen probably over 20. Some being driven by some of the worst drivers I have seen to date and none broke. I am not saying I like them but that is what I have seen.

 

[Smokey]

I disagree with RobH on the total cost of everything. I got my Pro for $280 with shipping and tax from a LHS in PA. I already had a radio (a good FM radio ~ $150). The engine that comes with it is OK, not the best, but will hold up for awhile (no starter box needed), it is the same engine that comes w/Savage.

You could go with the Lightning RR RTR, but I would not recommend it simply beacause of the hop-ups that come with the PRO will ofset the expense to do it later.

If you are just going to bash and have fun, then I would get the Lightning PRO, leave it alone, get a radio and a good steering servo. You can't go wrong with it.

The MBX R2 from what I understand has a diff issue. I have yet to do anything to the diffs on my PRO even with the added HP from the C4. I did make some small changes, like adding diff fluid to all the diffs, chnaged to a heavier shock oil, now I am looking at going with dual rate springs, other than that, the HB is tough!!

Until I got my HB, I was always just trying to keep my vehicles running all day, now, I am actually tweaking things here and there for more performance. I love it!! I don't have to worry about the HB running all day long, just how well it performs.

 

[RobH]

Originally posted by Smokey
Until I got my HB, I was always just trying to keep my vehicles running all day...

it's funny you say that. all my other R/C's (duratrax maximum ST & traxxas nitro hawk) seem to have more down time than uptime. i thought maybe it was just the nature of the 1/8 buggy to run like hell all day long. i guess that's just the nature of the Lightning Pro. :x

 

[militarymaxx]

Well, here's a 'new to buggies' point of view. Nitro's can be frustrating and getting something used, even if it's a worthy steed, can add to that frustration. So I feel strongly about purchasing your choice of whatever it might be, to be 'new'.
I'm sure that there are some fantastic deals out there, and it's hard to explain, but for me starting off with something new
possibly made the difference in staying or leaving the hobby.
I have a Storm (RTR+). I say + because I have upgraded some of the parts. I have no other buggy to compare it with so I won't give my two cents on them. But I love the Storm, it has great support both factory and aftermarket. The only regret I have is not getting it in kit form. But these are the lessons I must endure along the way. All my next purchases will kits, where I can choose the engine and electronics. You have much to digest and I'm sure after doing your homework, as I did, will come out with something nice. Good luck !!