I was just about to order a Micro-B when...

[desmobob]

...HeliDirect put the Hobby Plus Speck-B on sale for $79.99. I couldn't resist. I currently have two Hobby Plus vehicles, the T-Hunter V3 and the Terranaut, and I've been very pleased and really impressed with them.

The only negatives I've seen mentioned about the Speck-B are the steep angle of the steering rod causing the link to pop off too easily and the slight lack of top speed. I'll just be bombing around the living room so the lack to top speed doesn't bother me. As for the steering issue, it seems that a spacer to reduce the angle of the rod might be the easy cure. Time will tell...

I had a tiny WLToys indoor 4wd buggy at one time but I ended up giving it to a friend's son. The boy was very young and the buggy didn't last long. I've been playing around with the little crawlers this winter but it would be fun to have something made to go fast on floor. I'm hoping the Speck-B will fill the bill.

 

[Ritz413]

I watched some reviews on these. I here some romm for improvement with the suspension. Will be curious to see how it goes for ya.

 

[Doom!]

I was curious about the Speck B too.

 

[desmobob]

I just edited the thread title. It was the Micro-B I was thinking of ordering; not the Mini-B!

I watched some reviews on these. I here some romm for improvement with the suspension. Will be curious to see how it goes for ya.

As usual before ordering a new model, I watched as many videos as I could stand before placing the order. The comments on the suspension I saw were positive (Speck-B's has good damping, more travel and adjustable preload collars vs. Micro-B's). What negatives did you hear about? I'm curious, not concerned... I won't be racing it and just want it to handle OK when driving around on the old-school braided rug in my living room.

I almost forgot... I still have two old Kyosho Mini-Zs in a box in the shop. These are from the 72mhz radio days. One is the Warsteiner Mercedes and the other is the Mitsubishi Pajero. I think the Pajero is still operative. The Mercedes might be, but I know it's been repaired several times in attempts to keep it going (repairs to delicate chassis parts, IIRC).

I used to tie a long piece of string with a feather at the end to them and drive my cat crazy. I always referred to those Mini-Zs as "the world's most expensive cat toys." The cat passed on long ago, and the Speck-B will be my toy.

 

[Ritz413]

I just edited the thread title. It was the Micro-B I was thinking of ordering; not the Mini-B!


As usual before ordering a new model, I watched as many videos as I could stand before placing the order. The comments on the suspension I saw were positive (Speck-B's has good damping, more travel and adjustable preload collars vs. Micro-B's). What negatives did you hear about? I'm curious, not concerned... I won't be racing it and just want it to handle OK when driving around on the old-school braided rug in my living room.

I almost forgot... I still have two old Kyosho Mini-Zs in a box in the shop. These are from the 72mhz radio days. One is the Warsteiner Mercedes and the other is the Mitsubishi Pajero. I think the Pajero is still operative. The Mercedes might be, but I know it's been repaired several times in attempts to keep it going (repairs to delicate chassis parts, IIRC).

I used to tie a long piece of string with a feather at the end to them and drive my cat crazy. I always referred to those Mini-Zs as "the world's most expensive cat toys." The cat passed on long ago, and the Speck-B will be my toy.

I went searching for the video I had seen. I may be thinking of a different car. There was 1 in this same idea with a rear mono shock friction set up. Glad it's not this model. Hope it's a good time!!

 

[desmobob]

I just saw the second reference to a peculiarity of the Speck-B: two reviewers said it felt like it had strong drag brake action. It turns out it wasn't drag brake, but plain old drag... over-tightening the wheel nuts can push a small collar on the inside of the wheel up against the bearing, causing noticeable drag. The solutions were to either run the wheel nuts looser or grind off some of this collar inside the wheels.

This may also explain why some reviewers found the Speck-B slower than the Losi Micro-B while other recorded faster speeds.

Edit to add: Simpler/better explanation of the issue is that the wheel hexes are too deep.

 

[desmobob]

It arrived this morning. This little thing rips! I'm really impressed with the design and apparent quality of the Speck-B. I have the throttle dual-rate down to about 50% and it's still more than I need in the living room. Everything works as expected... shocks all seem full and very functional, wheels spin freely (but do start to bind with the tiniest bit of tightening) and the fit and finish is very good. I consider it an excellent value for the $80 I paid. Time will tell if that holds true.

The only tweaking necessary was to stick down the Velcro patch on the inside of the body. It pulled free and stuck to the Velcro on the chassis the first time I removed the body. After pressing the body piece firmly in place, it has stayed in position. I need to make or purchase a charge adapter for the battery so I don't have to use the little USB-powered unit that came with the buggy.

 

[Ritz413]

It arrived this morning. This little thing rips! I'm really impressed with the design and apparent quality of the Speck-B. I have the throttle dual-rate down to about 50% and it's still more than I need in the living room. Everything works as expected... shocks all seem full and very functional, wheels spin freely (but do start to bind with the tiniest bit of tightening) and the fit and finish is very good. I consider it an excellent value for the $80 I paid. Time will tell if that holds true.

The only tweaking necessary was to stick down the Velcro patch on the inside of the body. It pulled free and stuck to the Velcro on the chassis the first time I removed the body. After pressing the body piece firmly in place, it has stayed in position. I need to make or purchase a charge adapter for the battery so I don't have to use the little USB-powered unit that came with the buggy.

I always enjoy a post like this. When someone buys and is excited about something, and it holds up on arrival! Glad to hear it going well. They have these instock at my lhs. Maybe local parts will be available

 

[Ritz413]

Thanks to you I have been checking out some of the hobbyplus offerings. That cr18p Evo rock van is pretty cool. I want a van at some point. Not so sure I want it to be a crawler.

I think the buggy in the same size I was thinking of with the suspension issues is the serpent offering.

 

[desmobob]

Thanks to you I have been checking out some of the hobbyplus offerings. That cr18p Evo rock van is pretty cool. I want a van at some point. Not so sure I want it to be a crawler.

I think the buggy in the same size I was thinking of with the suspension issues is the serpent offering.

My Hobby Plus Terranaut and T-Hunter V3 have been excellent values. And though I haven't had to order any spare or replacement parts, they are very reasonably priced and readily available (via mail order, at least). I have added some of the Hobby Plus brand upgrade products to the T-Hunter --brass portal covers, aluminum beadlocks with brass rings, and a stronger servo-- and they were a perfect fit and priced right.

One thing I forgot to mention as a slight negative with the Speck-B... the rear tires are pretty poor performers on anything smooth. The thing stays totally locked in on the rug but it's difficult to throttle up on hardwood or tile/linoleum floors... the rear end cuts loose on anything but the most gentle acceleration. Maybe someone with a more educated and experienced throttle finger could make it work for them. Otherwise, if you have smooth floors, a tire change is probably in order. Losi's Micro-B wheels/tires are compatible.

 

[Ritz413]

The value is certainly there from what you describe. The carisma prairie wolf van is my current favorite for looks, with 2nd place for the kyosho mad van .. both are 1/10 and significantly more $$

 

[Seeker81]

...HeliDirect put the Hobby Plus Speck-B on sale for $79.99. I couldn't resist. I currently have two Hobby Plus vehicles, the T-Hunter V3 and the Terranaut, and I've been very pleased and really impressed with them.

The only negatives I've seen mentioned about the Speck-B are the steep angle of the steering rod causing the link to pop off too easily and the slight lack of top speed. I'll just be bombing around the living room so the lack to top speed doesn't bother me. As for the steering issue, it seems that a spacer to reduce the angle of the rod might be the easy cure. Time will tell...

I had a tiny WLToys indoor 4wd buggy at one time but I ended up giving it to a friend's son. The boy was very young and the buggy didn't last long. I've been playing around with the little crawlers this winter but it would be fun to have something made to go fast on floor. I'm hoping the Speck-B will fill the bill.

They are the exact same car the spek b is a micro b.

 

[desmobob]

They are the exact same car the spek b is a micro b.

That's not true... watch a comparison video.