Noob here: deciding what to buy. PLEASE HELP!

[George Costanza]

Hi-

I am a Noob ( obviously ) looking for comments and ratings of the following Trucks. Please rate and offer suggestions as to which is the best way to go based on your experiences. They all look good but I want to get the best combination of value, reliability and performance.

Thank-you all so much for your help!

1) T-Maxx Stadium Truck RTR
2) Traxxas Rustler RTR
3) T-Maxx 2.5 RTR
4) RC10GT RTR
5) Evader ST RTR

Thanks again for your help.

George

 

[vbgagnon]

What do you plan on doing with this race or bash? If bash where are you going to spend most of your time on grass, gravel? HOw much do you plan on spending?

 

[RatzoRC]

George.
I would only pick the RC10GT out of that bunch.
Traxxas has a lot of breakage issues. (I had a T maxx and Rustler). Both broke often.
Duratrax Evader, also not a good track record.

Iv'e owned the RC10 for over a year, and broke minor things.
It's a tough stadium truck, thats good for playing around and racing.
Also look at the Losi XXX-NT for racing.
Good luck.

 

[CorradoPsi]

ratzo I'm gonna dissagree with you slightly. the rc10gt is a great truck, but id also recommend the nitro rustler. my buddy bought one as a complete newb, and it couldnt have treated him better. the truck is tough, he's only broken rear hub carriers. and the starting system makes it real easy for someone new to nitro. if george only ever plans to run in his backyard and never race, get the rustler. if racing is in the future go with the rc10gt. the losi xxx-nt is also a great truck, the rtr version is not quite as durable as the drake that i have or even the original xxx-NT since they use different plastics for it, but its another truck to consider if racing is in the future.

 

[NITRO 21]

If you are just gonna be bashing I would go with the Rustler it has been a great truck for me.It is very fast out of the box and can take some abuse it is not the best off-road truck out there but for bashing purpose's has done great for me. If however you plan on doing any racing at all go with the RC10GT or the XXX-NT as Ratzo said.

 

[4u2nv]

Id suggest the Rc10Gt and the Tmaxx 2.5, Everyone seems hard on here about them, but damn near everyone owns one... Go figure.. Theres alsoa reason why its the the Top selling MT. Its a good all around truck for the buck. I agree it does break but just as easy as any other MT besides a Savage. But Id go for them both. Check out the For Sale thread in here. Theres some nice truck listed.

 

[Loser]

heres what i would say... rc10gt if your going to be racing this is an awsome truck incredibley durably,easy to find parts for,fast,and just great all around.if you just want something to kind of bash around your street,backyard,fairley smooth surfaces go for the rustler,although if you want to get into bashing hardcore cheack out the savage it is the best of all bashers from what I've heard it may be a bit expensive at first but one you replace 1/2 of a tmaxx bashing you'll be happy you got the savage. o the xxx-nt is good also I'm just an AE guy so I'm not a big fan of losi.

 

[olds97_lss]

Yeah, I'm with a few of the others. I'd like to know what you intend on doing. It would help us help you (jerry mcquire sux).

The xxx-nt isn't on your list, but it makes for a good ST racer, the RC10 can be made to be a good racer, but from what I've read, it holds up better for day to day bashing. I've only seen a few rustlers and with a 2.5 that runs well, it flys. But it is nicknamed "the brick" for a reason.

Again, depending on if your racing or bashing, the maxx makes for a good racer, but it tends to break more often for a hardcore basher. You can find a savage for the same price as a maxx. If your a power hungry idiot like most of us, and you intend on bashing only, the savage is a much better route.

ST's don't have much ground clearance, so driving in grass doesn't work to well. They run hot and kind of sluggish. They only sit an inch or so off the ground. A MT however, has larger everything and sits higher off the ground, so they get around a lot better for off roading.

BTW, I've had the xxx-nt, 2 maxx's and a savage. Started with the xxx-nt first and quickly realized that it's not made for where I play. The losi is actually kind of a pain to work on due to it's center chassis brace that "holds" everything in and gives the chassis some support. The RC-10 looks a lot easier to work on.

 

[jon2]

Saw the S-Maxx. One Word....LAME. Its the freaking tmaxx in different clothes and 2 WD. I would look into getting the RC10GT. Ratzo has one and the guy is honest and a stand up member. The XXX-NT is a sweet ride. I got to play with one and found it to be very user freindly.Easy to work on. I have Team Losi tools. I would get one but I need cash first. Lol Doesn't everybody. If you really want to bash then I would get a MT. Look around the forum as there are plenty of threads that discuss most of them. Try and get through the BS and Bias.

Jon

 

[windy city maniac]

i would go with the T-MAXX 2.5 RTR. my 1st truck ever was the t-maxx, had it 4 about 5 months broke some stuff. and did a complete rebuild on it with a .21 conversion. never broke any thing again and ran it harder than b4.when ur ready step up with the big boys and get the CEN GENISISE 46 and come bash with me! lol lol

 

[George Costanza]

Yo, Olds 97, don't you mean Jerry Seinfeld?

Anyway, thank-you all for your input. To answer a few questions, what do I plan on doing? Bashing most likely. I guess I would plan to run on hard pack dirt as opposed to grass. Racing is a possiblility down the road but for now I just want to bash with a friend or two. As for the amount of cash I am looking to spend? Anywhere between $ 200 and $ 350, which pretty much covers all the choices I have outlined. I think my interest would be in finding a good, fast all-round basher that is not hideously expensive.

A buddy of mine ( also a Noob ) just got and RC10 and seems to really like it. From what I gather, the consensus is that Traxxas stuff is on the flimsy side. This is consistent with what I have seen of their RC boats, of which a friend of mine has a Villan. Pretty much a POS.

Question: Where can I find a Losi XXX-NT? Everyone seems to talk about it but I haven't found one on any of the RC vendor sites that I have been to yet. Any suggestions where to go?

Thanks Again!

George

 

[windy city maniac]

i believe u can find it at http://www.teamlosi.com/newprod/index.htm . this should b the one ur talking about

 

[RatzoRC]

This is the stormer hobbies site.
Iv'e never shopped here, just giving you a link.
Click here

 

[George Costanza]

Any thoughts on the HPI stuff? The Nitro MT 2 looks like it could be pretty bash worthy.

GC

 

[werks21]

although they call it a nitro MT its realy a nitro ST. its a 4wd stadium truck that takes to the air well and can be yours for $300 rtr. it comes with a shaft start wich is nice if you have a stick pack and a charger but will just be one more thing to buy if you dont. all in all i think its nice truck for the $. that or a savage will probably be my next move. keep in mind this is MY opinion.

 

[psunitro]

Well,Traxxas stuff is NOT flimisy. Mine has been through hell and back with VERY little broken. As a bashing truck it really is one of the best.Very fast. Very fun,you can do wheelies all day long if you want. Almost everyone carries Traxxas bits,and there is a pretty good aftermarket for them. Not as big as Losi or AE,but decent. The ez start is great as well,no yanking on a cord. They are not a big racing truck,but I run mine and its not competitive only b/c I can't drive! This was my1st nitro,as well as my 1st RC car,could not have asked for a better one. The Hpi stuff is very good as well the MT is a great truck. If racing it you my not be able to b/c of 4wd.

 

[George Costanza]

Yeah, I think I have narrowed my choices down to the HPI MT 2 or the AE RC 10 GT. Unfortunately it's not an apples to apples comparison with the AE being 2WD and the HPI being 4WD. The AE sounds like a can't miss based on the feedback I have read here and elsewhere. The MT looks much better IMO though and I like that Roto-start feature and the shaft drive concept.

Any comments or thoughts on the +/- of 4 vs 2WD for backyard bashing?

Thanks again!

George

 

[jon2]

I like both the HPI mt2 that you are referring to as the first doesn't come with the rotostart. The engine that it comes with is decent to run with but upgradeing would be the best choice after a while. The RC10 GT would be my first choice. Lots of great things from this one.

 

[olds97_lss]

For bashing you probably would want 4wd vs 2wd just to get around better. Especially if your not going with an actual moster truck of some sort. 2wd ST gets old when you spend your time in grass. A lot of the speed and power is ate up by the dragging in the grass. 4wd will help you get around but it's more maintainence, although, the diff design will probably be different.

I'm pretty sure the GT is like the losi I had, they run a ball diff as opposed to a bevel gear diff. The ball diff is nice, but my xxx-nt chewed up diff gears a lot and it was a pain to work on.

I think the MT2 runs 2 bevel gear diffs, which is a lot like a buggy or maxx/savage.

As for the rotostart, from what I've read they are really hard on one-way bearings. I prefer pull starts. With an engine that's tuned well, a pull start will last you a long time. It also gives you a better feel for if the engine is flooded or loosing it's pinch. But like Jon2 said, I don't think the MT2 comes with a roto start.

 

[Nitro_Freak]

4wd is much more fun if you're only bashing, you get more control and you can climb up gnarlier stuff than you can with 2wd. the trade-off is that you can't race down the road if you ever wanted to.