First nitro, dual purpose, need some help choosing

[Supralover72]

I finally gathered up enough money to get a nitro. I really want a 1/8 scale buggy. Since I first got into the hobby, they have mystified me, but a 750 dollar rolling kyosho's out of the question.

I have 500 bucks to spend total. All I need is a buggy that's bash worthy and has racing potential. It doesn't have to be a super racer out of the box, since I'd need more money to race it anyways. It just has to have the ability to hold it's own on the track.

I was looking at the XTM X-cellerator 2. It looked pretty promising. But, I would much MUCH prefer a kit with engine. I have an MX-3 and could add a few bucks for servos. I would really prefer not to spend more than 500, but if it's really worth it, I'll go 550.

Thanks guys.:buggy1: :redbuggy:

 

[kx250ryder]

Solid beginner setup, without cheesy pullstarts/rotostarts or servos that will crap out in a week:

OFNA Hyper 7 TQ kit 220
alloy chassis braces (to replace stock plastic ones) 30
coreless, high torque, metal geared steering servo (such as Hitec 985) 80
high torque metal geared throttle servo (such as JR Z590M) 40
OS RG (get one before they are discontinued) 110
Jammin JP-2 Pipe 50
OFNA 10253 starter box w/ power panel, glow plug clip, 12v battery, & charger 125

655 plus shipping, tools, and finishing supplies such as shock/diff fluids, fuel, spare glow plugs, and paint. Its above budget, but if you buy quality you buy once, if you buy a cheap RTR you will spend double replacing the bargain basement gear.

 

[Supralover72]

Whoah. Tha'ts a lot more than my budget. What about a hyper 8 rtr? I could get that, and a starter box plus fuel within my budget when tower has it's sales for over 300 bucks. Or am I dreaming and would need more than that.

If not, what about a Jammin rtr? I think a kit will cost too much.

Or how about a hot bodies lightning? I could get the sport rtr on tower for 340 not including savings?

Thanks for all the help.
***EDIT: maybe I'm making a mistake getting a 1/8th scale buggy. I know from experience if you go cheap, it bites you in the you know what. It just looks like there is no cheap way to get into 1/8 scale buggys.

 

[Tarant]

the 3 buggies you listed are all great buggies, If their is one in your budget do research on it and if you like it, buy it.

Have you thought of buying used.

 

[olds97_lss]

Used is about the only way I go anymore.

If you don't want to go with a kit anymore (too much dough), you might want to swing back the the XTM rig. Their supposed to be pretty tough out of the box and you can upgrade later.

Also, buying fuel online is much more expensive than going to a hobby shop.

 

[Supralover72]

Well, I think that the only one of those in my budget is the hot-bodies. I think I'll just wait. I'm gonna look into used rollers. That way I can learn the break in process and get my own electronics (I'm picky about electronics).

 

[Chelu]

I was into on road with my NTC3 then got a monster truck MGT got rid of those and picked up a used Hyper 7 roller for $150 and I love it to death finally something I can jump and just trash and only have to stop for fuel. With the MGT and NTC3 I was constantly replacing broken parts but with the buggy I spend more time driving then wrenching. Found what I was looking for In Buggies

 

[HeartBreak]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it, so I'll toss the name into the ring: GS's Storm CL2. If memory serves, you can get the RTR for about $450, give or take. You'll still need a glow ignitor, fuel, bottle, 12 AA batteries, and basic tools (screwdrivers, pliers, etc).

For the price, the Storm CL2 is a very capable buggy.

Here is the link:

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=GSC3100C

I had one of the first Storms' ever produced (the original, not the MK2), and it was, pound for pound, the best value. It handled great, and took a beating.

 

[Supralover72]

^^^Thanks for that. I was looking at those, but I think I'm gonna stick with an ofna. If I can get a good deal on a rolling Jammin or Hyper 8, I'll jump on it. What should I be looking for in-terms of price for a stock rolling chassis in good running condition for these buggies? Thanks again for the help. I know I'm difficult!

 

[speedticket75]

unless you just have ya heart set on a buggy you can get a savage truck.......they are real durable outa the box & fits your price range.......i went with the savage limited edition for my first one which i modified for racing then got a savage x.........

 

[Supralover72]

^^^That's cool, but I was either considering getting a revo or a buggy. I don't really want a savy as they take to much to be competitive. Thanks though.

 

[kx250ryder]

. . . maybe I'm making a mistake getting a 1/8th scale buggy. I know from experience if you go cheap, it bites you in the you know what. It just looks like there is no cheap way to get into 1/8 scale buggys.

This may be the case. If you can't buy into the upper end of a class of R/C, it may be better to look into a class where you could.

Take the example of a Jammin X1 CR FTE buggy. If you buy that kit its on the order of 550 dollars. Yet when you buy the RTR which comes with a buggy, a radio/receiver, servos, an engine, its fully assembled, and painted, and it costs LESS than the kit?

There is a reason. To make up for the fact that they included all that extra (cheap) gear, built it and painted it for you, they have to cheapen the car. The buggy ships out with a 6061 chassis instead of the 7075, it has stamped aluminum upper plate, top plate, and radio plate instead of CNC or carbon fiber. It has cheaper shocks, driveshafts, tray supports, wing supports, plastic chassis braces instead of CNC, cast steering knuckles instead of CNC, the list goes on.

Basically they cheapen the materials of every load bearing part which makes the car weaker, heavier or both. To replace all that they cheapen acutally costs more in the case of the Jammin than the pro kit would have cost istelf to buy. So they get you two ways, you spend the money on their junky RTR, and then you go back and buy every part they would have given you in the kit. I used the Jammin as an example, but this is the way for all buggy RTRs.

EDIT: If you do go the RTR route, the three most important things I would have on the replacement list (if possible on order when you order the RTR itself) is a 12 volt heavy duty starter box such as OFNA 10250 (or 10253 with the included power panel for glow starting) which are designed to deal with big block .21+ engines. Trying to learn nitro with a pullstart may turn you off to the hobby before you even start.

The next would be a six volt ni-mh receiver pack to make sure your servos get enough power. The 4 cell AA holders that RTRs come with don't hack it when pushing an 8lb buggy at 40+ mph. The AA packs also die more suddenly than rechargables, which can lead to runaways. A decent peak charger comes in handy here too to make sure that you are getting the most from your rechargables in terms of runtime and power.

The third thing (and some will disagree with me) but I think a quality steering servo is one of the most important things for your buggy. First, the RTR units don't usually last more than a couple weeks or so before they give out on you. Usually, people rush out to buy a similar replacement. But the units that come with the car are acutally baseline models designed to handle the weight of a smaller, lighter 1/10th scale vehicle. For this type of heavy duty application, you want a servo that is coreless, 150+ in/oz torque, and .15 or faster reaction (in that order of importance) to really see the quick handling that these buggies have to offer.

 

[Supralover72]

I agree with all of that. I've decided to start nitro with a monster GT. I have plenty of experience building kits and truck from associated, so I'll mainly be able to focus on the nitro aspect, versus having t oknow about the truck too.

Thanks for the help guys, who knows, maybe one day I'll have a Mugen MBX5 Prospec?