Buying My First Monster! Help me decide!

[untchbl]

So There are so many more trucks out now, then even a year ago, that I don't even know where to start. I want something to bash with since I've totally lost intrest in raceing these days. I think I'll get back into the raceing scene eventually, but right now, I just want something to screw around with.

So now there are all the choices besides the savage and the t-maxx. I don't even know where to start. I've always liked losi stuff, and the lst seems awsome. I think the price tag is pretty resonable too since it actually comes with a real radio. Then there is the mgt, the genisis, and the xtm stuff. I just don't know where to go.

I almost think that the savage woudl be a safe bet. just get the thing rtr and go with it. Grow into it so to speak. but I know I'd end up buying a new radio for it, and then a couple hop ups and then I'd be right there with the price of the lst or a nicely equipped mgt.

So point me to some reading. articles, or give me your testemonial. Hell, I'll probably end up with two monsters, a buggy, and another stadium truck, before I even realize it. so lend me your thoughts.

I've been searching as well.

Brandon

 

[Rolex]

I was about to suggest a search. Glad you started with that.
Everybody recommends what they like, so it's a tough call. Wait for someone who's had, or has several, and get their opinion on durability. I've had a Tmaxx for 2 years. Quite a few hop ups, but not much breakage because I prefer to run on a track, rather than jump or bash.
If you plan to bash hard, be prepared to buy parts, no matter what kind you get.
Go with your idea of getting one of each, then let me know which one you like the best.

 

[JasonB]

In my short experiance with my T-Maxx, I can honestly say, I would never buy another monster truck, especially a T-Maxx.


I have considered that new one from Losi though, it looks tough.

 

[untchbl]

rolex, I've been around ez boards for years, so I know when a search is prudent. lol

I'm right now town between the savage and the mgt mostly. And then you've got this revo and lst in the big thick of things, so hell if I know. lol

Brandon

 

[ADDAndy]

IF you get a T-maxx be prepared to buy everything from UE to make it where you can run it for more than 2 tanks without breaking something. The new monster that I am going to get will either be a Savage SS or a XTM X-factor.

 

[Rolex]

rolex, I've been around ez boards for years, so I know when a search is prudent. lol

Glad to hear that. It's rare.

Some people trash Traxxas, but it seems to be the most popular brand at the track. Every LHS stocks them, and parts are readily available. By this time tomorrow, you'll probably have over a dozen opinions to mull over.
good luck with whatever you get, and welcome to a great forum.

 

[hb1111]

I've had my savage for 6 months and never broke anything yet with the exception of a few stripped rims and 1- spur gear due to a .27 fantom other then that cartwheels,landing on the lid mega jumps and a few high speed crashes nothing its a solid truck with tons of hop-ups and parts availible,take that into consideration cause if you go with a newer truck like the genisis,lst,xtm not many of the hobby shops going to stock parts!!!good luck in making up your mind...savage rocks!!!

 

[SkyMaxx]

T-maxx...truck with a history. That thing has been around for a while and has developed quite an aftermarket following. This is a good thing, as hop-ups are almost a requirement with this truck. In fact, if you don't hop it up, you might as well start laying in the spare parts that you will need to replace the damages when they occur...and that will be often.

Revo...more of a beefy stadium truck than a Monster truck despite what TRAXXAS advertises it as. New to the scene, but has some parts commonality with the T-Maxx. To me this is both a good sign and a bad omen. I would expect to suffer the same breakage rate with this truck as with the T-Maxx.

Savage...been around for a couple of years. Has developed a reasonable aftermarket following. Not a real necessity as the truck is about as tough as they come. But there are some nice upgrades available, and they make the truck even better.

MGT...new kid on the block...sort of. Not a huge following, but growing. I think the jury is still out as to whether or not this truck is a performer. It has some first run issues that people are finding out, but the biggest problem is parts support. Give it a year or so, and I think this truck will make a great one to have.

LST...even newer kid on the block. This thing has Monster written all over it. So far, the reading on this truck is all good. Some very minor issues that are not a big deal and are easily compensated for. Again, parts availibility is a big issue.

Genesis...another big truck. Haven't heard much, but what I have heard is all good.

________

That gives a run down of the ones I know of. I personally owned a T-Maxx and a Savage. I would not recommend the T-Maxx. Too costly to keep it running. The Savage is my choice simply due to parts availibility issues with the other new trucks. If I had to choose between the LST and the MGT, I'd probably go with the LST. Why? Have heard more problem stories with the MGT than the LST, but that is probably due to the fact that the MGT has been out a little longer than the LST (which just hit the market).

 

[jon2]

THere are always issues with MT's, Buggies ST's etc. Just know that you are the one that deals with em and how you deal with em is how happy you will be with them. I have a Tmaxx2.5, and a MGT. Both have made me happy and unhappy. I am think that this is really becoming more expensive to have more then one..at least for me. who knows I may sell one or both of them and just keep my two buggies.

 

[ApriliaRacer]

I hear you about "burning out" on racing. I did the same thing and bought an MT just to bash (although that was last year and I've started racing again)....

Anyways, I started out with the Savage 25 which is/was RTR and now have an Associated MGT (also RTR)

Between the two, I prefer the Savage, it was much more durable. Since I was bashing I expected that something would brake but only once did something break that prevented me from continuing to drive (totally my fault).

With the MGT, I've broken a few things and that was driving it on a track. Some of the parts on the MGT are a hard plastic. They should be made of a softer more giving plastic like on the Savage.

Performance-wise they are about the same. I didn't change out any of the radio equipment on either did have any real problems with either....

If I had to pick a truck today for bashing (I consider the Revo a race truck), It'd be between the LST and the Savage....

 

[Candyman]

I laugh when everyone trashes the Maxx. To each his own, I guess. Granted, it's the Godfather of monster trucking. And it's a bit of a dated truck. I still think it's a good one. I've had mine for 2 years and broken little. Certainly more than 2 tanks through it. But that's just my experience.

I would say that if I were in the market for a new MT right now, I would either go with the Savage or the LST. I read a few user reviews on the LST from guys who got theirs last week and they sounded quite positive. A few minor design issues have come to light, but nothing that seems fatal yet. So those would be my picks...

 

[WA2FAST]

The LST definitely seems to be a beast. I am thinking about adding one to my stable. So far, the reviews on it are damn good, but it's hard to say how the long term reliability and durability will be, but Losi is a damn good company, I don't think they would risk an "iffy" release. A friend of mine has a MGT, good truck for sure, but he has broken tons of stuff on it. Some he deserved, some I think shouldn't have broken because the polymers used could be better from the factory.

 

[Vincemaxx119]

I was waiting for everyone to dog on the truck that started it all. though the big T is outmatched these days(the savage included) I myself would probably go with the Genesis. Not as much as the LST, pretty tough, and really fast for those speed freaks out there.

 

[olds97_lss]

If you think your going to upgrade the radio in a short while, get the savage ss kit. Then you can buy a good radio up front without getting it later. The ss kit doesn't come with electronics or an engine.

I have had both the maxx and the savage. The maxx took a lot of $ to be a good basher and even then, without getting a good 18, it just isn't worth the effort. I started with a 2.5 maxx, converted to a 21 maxx, and reverted back to a 2wd orion 18 maxx. Still, it has a ton of aftermarket, but it rarely breaks down. Lately, the only thing that blows on me is the spur gear, which is much more preffered than the trans or diff.

My savage on the other hand, started as a roller from sky, which was basically the SS kit put together. He had done some upgrades on it like the brakes, shocks and cvd's. I put a radio, decent servo's, monster pirate steering upgrade, engine and 1/8 buggy shocks on it.

To put it mildly, both will now take an exceptable beating. All I do is bash. I try (stress the word "try") to keep my air down to 6 feet when I bash. I took last week off from work and drove both my trucks a ton. I burned up about 1.5 gallons of nitro between the two. I drove both about equal time. The only problems I had were on the savage, I had a ballend pop off on my steering (I did a poor assembly with lunsford titanium turnbuckles) and I toasted a spur on my maxx. The spur on the maxx went due to neglect, I had an engine bolt that rattled it's way out and the other 3 were loose.

As for everything else that's out there, your going to have to rely on others to help you out.

Bottom line, go with a savage SS and an engine that puts out around 2.5hp and you won't be dissapointed.

Good luck.

 

[untchbl]

wow, thanks guys. I had pretty much narrowed it down to either the savage or the lst. Right now the savage is looking good due to the parts that are available. and then maybe once the lst has gained some use and support, going with it.

Now to decide if I want to buy the ss or the rtr.

Brandon

 

[RatzoRC]

I had the T maxx, the Savage, and now have the Monster GT.
I'm not bashing, just stating my experiences.
Tmaxx, even though it was very modified, still broke easily compaired to the stock Savage.
The Savage seemed the strongest, but lacked what the Tmaxx had in the handling and speed.
The Monster GT in my opinion, handles better then both the Savage and the Tmaxx,
and it's also a very tough truck. I haven't broken a thing on it yet. Then again, I don't ride it as rough as I did my other trucks (yet).
My pick would be between the MGT and the LST.

 

[untchbl]

guys, this all helps me a ton. Keep the experiences and posts coming my way.

Brandon

 

[jgrs4]

Yea I went with the Savage SS, this way you can pick your own radio, I went with the Airtronics MX-3 a good radio at a good price, and you get to build it yourself :hammer: , do your own hopups while building it, eventhough it is a great kit stock out of the box. Good luck on whatever you choose.

 

[untchbl]

and for the record I have an rc10gt in the fs forum, that I'm willing to trade.

I currently have a jr xr3 that is new in the box that I could easily use for the mt. This is if I bought a ss or roller of some sort. I don't think I can wait around along enough for the lst to come out in roller form.

Brandon

 

[swami]

If you think your going to upgrade the radio in a short while, get the savage ss kit. Then you can buy a good radio up front without getting it later. The ss kit doesn't come with electronics or an engine.

I have had both the maxx and the savage. The maxx took a lot of $ to be a good basher and even then, without getting a good 18, it just isn't worth the effort. I started with a 2.5 maxx, converted to a 21 maxx, and reverted back to a 2wd orion 18 maxx. Still, it has a ton of aftermarket, but it rarely breaks down. Lately, the only thing that blows on me is the spur gear, which is much more preffered than the trans or diff.

My savage on the other hand, started as a roller from sky, which was basically the SS kit put together. He had done some upgrades on it like the brakes, shocks and cvd's. I put a radio, decent servo's, monster pirate steering upgrade, engine and 1/8 buggy shocks on it.

To put it mildly, both will now take an exceptable beating. All I do is bash. I try (stress the word "try") to keep my air down to 6 feet when I bash. I took last week off from work and drove both my trucks a ton. I burned up about 1.5 gallons of nitro between the two. I drove both about equal time. The only problems I had were on the savage, I had a ballend pop off on my steering (I did a poor assembly with lunsford titanium turnbuckles) and I toasted a spur on my maxx. The spur on the maxx went due to neglect, I had an engine bolt that rattled it's way out and the other 3 were loose.

As for everything else that's out there, your going to have to rely on others to help you out.

Bottom line, go with a savage SS and an engine that puts out around 2.5hp and you won't be dissapointed.

Good luck.

Actually, the SS Kit does come with an engine. It's the same as the RTR, a NitroStar 25. Since you've got the radio already, all you need are some servos. Sounds like an SS Kit is in your future. I have the
25 RTR and it's an awesome truck. I just wish I had an XR3, or an XS3 to control it.