LST or MGT

[bill61]

Couldn't put this in either thread as the opinions are too biased. So I'll ask these questions here. The LST and MGT have been out for a while so people have had a chance to form some strong feelings about them and I want to know how you feel about the following:

1. What are the shortcomings of each of these trucks?

2. What are the highlights of each of these trucks?

3. What are your opinions of each of these trucks, such as engine reliability, handling, and suspension reliability?
:shrug:

 

[Tarant]

I like the LST more, 4 big shocks, its tranny has high, low gears, big block. Plus it is a Losi

 

[bill61]

I have to agree about the tranny having all the different choices. It seems to be a great idea to have a high and low and then two speed tranny too. I have never had a Losi, I have had an Associated RC10 years ago that is still running fine. I am not too loyal to one over the other, but am interested in both their trucks. I finally saw the LST in person at the Reedy Race this past weekend and the shocks are definately large. Do they work well?

 

[savagefan04]

the shock are amazing. the short comings i've heard about but not experienced yet are: weak arms on the LST, a poor shiming job with the engine, and weak diff cases. the diff case issue and weak arms is easily solved with maybe 75 bucks. just buy some losi alums diff cases and problem solved. should cost u 20 bucks for 2. RPM just released arms that are guaranteed tuff so that solves that problem. the shiming issues was mostly on the early run models so i thinks its solved now.

the pro: the shocks. they are just silky smooth for me. the mach 26 has tons of power thru the whole rpm range. u will love the engine. next the tranny. 2 gear selections and 2 speeds...nothing more to say about that. now the radio. if u buy the LST new, u get a synth radio that u can run all your other trucks with. no more x-tal issues.

if u are looking for a good solid bash truck the lst is your bet.

 

[ApriliaRacer]

I have both. IMO, the MGT is the best "out-of-the-box" MT.

I don't think anyone who does not own both or has owned both can make a fair comparison. How can you compare something like the LST to the MGT if they have no experience with the MGT? And I'm talking about living with it as an owner, not just "I drove my buddies and MGT and it sucked".

It needs absolutely nothing done to it, starts every time, and has been durable as all get out. If there is a short-coming to the MGT is that there is nothing special about it. It is more like the "evolution" of the original MTs such as the T-Maxx and the Savage. The suspension is top-notch on the MGT as well. Very smooth. Stock its more suited for handling "irregularities as a opposed to jumps. Its not slow but isn't exceptionally fast either. Maintenance has been very minimal on this truck. I can always count on it to run and not break anything.

The LST is like the next generation MT if you will. But it has problems out of the box. On earlier models you had to remove the washer inside the engine or chance "grenading" the engine. The diff cases were prone to breaking quite easily. Arms are a bit on the brittle side as well.

But after a few mods; after-market arms, polished diff cases, its a very competent and FAST MT.

The MGT is a good choice if you just want to run and not worry or hassle with necessary mods or upgrades.

The LST is a good choice if you don't mind doing a few worthwhile mods for durability.....

 

[bill61]

ApriliaRacer,
Thank you for the honest and informative letter. It contains exactly what I was looking for. I like the fact that the MGT is very dependable, but I also like the radio that comes with the LST. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

 

[Tarant]

one other thing RPM has LST arms. So no more brittle arms.

 

[redhatman]

bill61, One of my RC Neighbors that I drive with, has 2 LST's. He bought one and decided that wasn't enough so he bought one for his son also. I have never seen an MGT but I do think the LST is very good. It is made by Losi, it also has HUGE shocks that work well. Last summer was the first year my neighbor got his LST and we would jump them off plywood. The shocks of course, were re-built by him, but they worked excellent.

 

[RatzoRC]

Hey Bill.
I hate saying this line, but it will help my point.
I have friends with hobby shops. I help with the repairs.
In my opinion ApriliaRacer has hit the nail on the head!
LST is more popular then the MGT, and maybe thats why so many come in for repairs. (because there's more of them out there).
The most common repairs needed are transmission, and diff problems, gears and arms.
Mind you, 90% of the drive train problems were due to bigger engines installed.
Yes they can be upgraded to handle what you throw at it, but It might be cheaper to get an MGT and better radio, then to upgrade the LST.
I've had a chance or two to get the LST very cheap (frustrated customers), but passed on the opportunity.
I test drive them all the time for break in after repairs.
MGT is a better choice in book. Thats just from my experiences.

 

[bill61]

Good stuff guys. Thank you for the good responses. I have only owned a Nitro Crusher as far as monster trucks go (very old, but still fun) (been into 1/8 scale buggies for about 16 years). I am considering a new truck and one of these two will be the new truck for me. I already have 2 M8's (one with a synthesized module and receiver), so I actually have nice radios to work with. Or should I say play with?

 

[NitroROCKS]

I've owned a ton of nitro trucks ...with the exception of the MGT (oddly enough) My favorite has got to be an LST! I don't know about brittle arms...i've jumped mine 15ft in the air...cartwheeled it doing 40+....and never broke an arm. Only things i've broke are the rear bumper from wheelies....and the cvd's as some of the early production models had week cvd's. That's it! The radio gear is killer, the stock setup is awsome...even the mach .26 is awsome for an rtr motor! True...i've not owned the MGT and not to say I wouldn't...but the LST has remained my favorite of all the nitro's
I've owned: Terra Crusher, tmaxx, revo, rustler, schumacher menace, savage, ek4, truggy, 9.5 buggy, x1, mbx pro, lx, emaxx, xxxnt, mt, stamp...and more..can't rember...

 

[redhatman]

Terra Crusher, tmaxx, revo, rustler, schumacher menace, savage, ek4, truggy, 9.5 buggy, x1, mbx pro, lx, emaxx, xxxnt, mt, stamp...and more..can't rember...

WOW NitroROCKS, thats a lot of cars/trucks. How many years have you been in this hobby?

 

[NitroROCKS]

Actually I'm nothing compared to some of the old-timers around here...I'm only a few years into (seriously)...then back about 18yrs ago I had some elecs but nothing like today's stuff! I trade/buy/sell alot cause I wanna see for myself what I like. Kinda like pizza...you never know what you'll like till u try it....so I try about everything I can. The crowd I run with has a similiar attitude...I've been able to drive twin titans, the genesis, the SUT, truckzilla and a few others cause my buds have them. Only got a few more high on my list and that's the XLB and some of the new Truggy's!

 

[redhatman]

sounds sweet...I hope I can do that some day.

 

[bill61]

Yeah, I have to agree that is a pretty cool way to find a truck or buggy that you like.

 

[ApriliaRacer]

Its actually an expensive way to find out that there really isn't much difference between many of the trucks or Nitro buggies. (meaning specific purpose MTs and buggies. As an example all the buggies I've owned are really similar, they all handled worked pretty much the same).

This is just my own experience as I'm the same way too.

I've owned a boatload of MTs and buggies; Cen Genesis .46, Savage, T-maxx, Ofna 9.6, Hyper 7, Mugen MBX, Ofna Pirate 10, Trinity Spyder....

Right now, my stable consists of 2 LSTs, GS Storm SUT Pro, Hot Bodies Ligtning Stadium Pro, Sportwerks Mayhem Pro, and the MGT. I'm trying to find the best racing MT for me. Right now I like the LST for racing, but the "truggies" are actually pretty decent, much faster "off the line", but somewhat more "squirrely" and require a bit more tuning/fiddling with to get them to handle really nice.....

Yeah, I have to agree that is a pretty cool way to find a truck or buggy that you like.

 

[badboy2]

i just traded my lst for a buggy before i break the hell out of it...i just used it for like 3 runs..but before it becomes a money pit i traded it ..unless u dont have too much money in ur pocket u dont want the lst..one guy at the track the other week kept breakin his lst ..my mgt holds up better imo..anyway goodluck shopping... u want to check out www.ultimatehobbies.com for prices they have good price and shipping is free..

 

[NitroROCKS]

apriliaracer is right....it is an expensive way to find a truck but it is a great way! I would have to disagree about them not having to many differences. Truggies (which I'd like more of) drive completely diffrent from the standard MT. Never would have known otherwise! In fact, I've been on a truggy-wagon ever since I converted my old ofna blazer into a monster truggy....As for buggyies...there's many similarities...but if u drive enough you'll find some are better put togeather...some are more balanced during jumping...some are indestructable...and some are CRAP. Same w/ motors. Either way...I find one I like I keep it ... the rest I trade around or sell to get something else. Just sold some electrics that I decided i'm not into and picking up a raptor/wolverine to mess with. We'll see!

 

[ApriliaRacer]

I didn't make my point very clear. I was trying to point out that once you get into a category of MTs or buggies, there really isn't much difference. I didn't mean that an MT with a "center" tranny is the same as a "truggy" with a "center diff".

But rather, I've found that no matter if I had an Ofna 9.6, Hyper 7, MBX, or my current Mayhem Pro, there really isn't much difference. I've found with these, the difference seems to be durability and ease of working on them. Otherwise performance is the same.

The "Truggies" I have, GS SUT PRO and the HB LSP, while slightly different, really aren't that different. They drive very similar to each other.

I've come to believe its down to preference.....

apriliaracer is right....it is an expensive way to find a truck but it is a great way! I would have to disagree about them not having to many differences. Truggies (which I'd like more of) drive completely diffrent from the standard MT. Never would have known otherwise! In fact, I've been on a truggy-wagon ever since I converted my old ofna blazer into a monster truggy....As for buggyies...there's many similarities...but if u drive enough you'll find some are better put togeather...some are more balanced during jumping...some are indestructable...and some are CRAP. Same w/ motors. Either way...I find one I like I keep it ... the rest I trade around or sell to get something else. Just sold some electrics that I decided i'm not into and picking up a raptor/wolverine to mess with. We'll see!

 

[NitroROCKS]

Agreed...there's more difference in Monster trucks within the class...mainly cause everybody does something different w/ suspension, diffs, gearing, wheelsize, balance.......truggies are built on the buggy platform...and for the most part they have a very similiar layout and suspension setup. Some are better balanced or have more solid parts...or lighter...but the differences are not as drastic.