SMARTECH R/C offroad buggy gas **SPORT**

[richard318183]

hi i am about to buy a SMARTECH R/C offroad buggy gas **SPORT** and want to know what it is like can any1 and every1 please posr there opinions

 

[tbsleeper]

i heard that it is really hard to buy parts for smartech. check out the ofna ultra lx pro. its cheap and really fast!

 

[Maxx Trooper]

i heard its a a real piece of :censored: i wouldnt get it, thats for sure. a good OFNA buggy would be good. u get what u paid for.

later

 

[CJ-FOREVER]

You can get parts @ excel-hobby.com. I have a smartech and love it!

 

[TheSweeney]

Hello Richard,
I bought the Winner sport about a 6wks ago, on sort of an impulse. Its my first rc/nitro and I just bought the thing without doing any research (It was cheap as chips though).
Like an idiot I started reading about nitro cars/buggys AFTER placing my order. 75%of the user reviews I found on this buggy were bad. And as stated above, spares were supposed to be a biatch to get hold of.
Oh crap, thought I.

But I stuck by my purchase and waited for the buggy to arrive...................

...........Its A1
It runs like crap off a stick and seems pretty reliable. I havnt had a single (serious) problem yet. Plus its already had its 1st big crash and it came out of it without so much as a loose screw.
There are some parts which do appear very cheap (ALL of the radio gear for a start, But the servos/Rx have held up to a good soaking and a crash!) but you get what you pay for. This thing seems like a total bargain to me, perfect for a first car IMHO!

As for spare parts.......
My clutch bell is the only part to show signs of wear up to now, so I thought I'd test www.smartechracing.co.uk out and order a new one. The thing arrived 2 days later. I'm a happy chappy knowing that I've got a reliable source for ALL my spare parts.
The parts may be slightly 'cheap and nasty' but theyre cheap!!! If I have to replace my clutch and maybe my spur gears every month or two its not gonna break the bank.
Plus, the smartech cars are supposed to be compatable with parts from a whole load of other cars from bigger/better brands.

All in all I'm very satisfied with my purchase.
That being said, dont blame me if you buy one and it falls apart in a day

One thing I will say is (and I'm sure this applies to all new RTR's) double check and tighten every screw, bolt etc before use. Some of the horror stories I read about smartech cars involved loose clutch bells and flywheels coming off at high RPMs and causing all sorts of damage to the car. I'm not sure if thats even feasable but it scared me into checking my car all over.

Hope thats of some help.

Good luck,
Let us know how u get on.


Cheers,
TheSweeney.

 

[CJ-FOREVER]

perfectly said TheSweeney!

 

[motofrk]

The only thing id like to add (given I have one) is that my diff's, spur gear and main gear have all gone already. As for the spur/main it couldve been just a poor mesh, however the diffs, no excuse. The one thing about smartech that I hate is they have no hopups. Just the standard plastic parts. The engine is pretty weak but everything else seems to be okay. If you can find a way to upgrade all the parts where friction matters, the car would be perfectly fine for home style bashin.

As for me... I'm thinking of selling it and buying a xxx-nt or somthing. I tell you, the fact that there are no hopups is killer.

 

[ZANDOR]

crap:spam

 

[Nitro_Keebler]

Smartech's are identical to the Swift in the states.

If you are interested in either, just take a look at the chassis and components. My buddy posted a thread on rcuniverse showing the comparisons and apparently they buggies are identical.

Same manufacturer, just a different name depending on where its marketed.

I have a local racer friend here in Belgium who has one, and he is happy as a pig in poop over it... Dont know em till you try them.

 

[TheSweeney]

NK, What 'Swift' do you mean?
I've been looking around the net and the only swift buggies I've found are 1/8 scale while the smartechs are 1/10.

Got any links?

Cheers.

 

[Nitro_Keebler]

Originally posted by TheSweeney
NK, What 'Swift' do you mean?
I've been looking around the net and the only swift buggies I've found are 1/8 scale while the smartechs are 1/10.

Got any links?

Cheers.

I was mistaken, I meant Pro-Tech's

Wrong conversation too early in the morning

 

[TheSweeney]

Ahhh, ok, no probs.

After looking around, it seems like the winner sport is a lot like the protech nitro star. Is that the one you mean?

I dont suppose you've got a link to your friends thread have ya? I can't seem to find anything on the nitro star over at RCU.

Thanks,

TheSweeney.

 

[FastEddy]

My thoughts,

They are at the bottom of the heap as far as RCs go. If you haven had anything to compare them to they will most likely seem good to you. I would compare them to a Ugo car. They are better than nothing.

The designs are purchased and or copied from other companies and manufactured with parts that are made as cheaply as possible to keep the cost down. You can compare the parts from the original manufacturer and they may look the same. When you look deeper into the parts you will see that the many of the metals are cast rather than machined and the plastics are made of a softer material. I haven't had a chance to look at an engine in hand to make any comments.

All in all, again they "may" be better than nothing but IMO save a few more dollars and get an RC from a quality manufacturer.

 

[CJ-FOREVER]

Originally posted by FastEddy
The designs are purchased and or copied from other companies and manufactured with parts that are made as cheaply as possible to keep the cost down. You can compare the parts from the original manufacturer and they may look the same. When you look deeper into the parts you will see that the many of the metals are cast rather than machined and the plastics are made of a softer material.

IMO, Wouldn't be a little smarter to buy the car that has the same component as the other (copied car) and get the same hop-up there you would with the more costly car? $200 plus hop-up or 375 plus hop-ups? Nothing against your advice (I follow or read everyones advice and take it to consideration) but what really is the difference? besides $175? Motor wise, Pretty much everyone changes the stock one anyway. True I can not compare it to another (1st RC). I just can't see putting down a car because it was copied or bought. mazda does it and Izusu does it. And a couple of other big name automotive do it!

 

[motofrk]

there are no hop-ups for smartech... at least none that I've found yet. If I'm wrong pleaseeee let me know cause I've been looking.

 

[CJ-FOREVER]

No smartech does not make hop-up. But the car it copies have hop-up and if it is copied then they shall fit!

 

[FastEddy]

Originally posted by CJ-FOREVER
No smartech does not make hop-up. But the car it copies have hop-up and if it is copied then they shall fit!

Correct.
For instance, They have a knock off of a T-Maxx The parts from the ORIGINAL T-Maxx (not the 2.5) are a direct fit.

Performance is where you will notice a difference. I have first hand knowledge of the T-Maxx knock off. The suspension parts are noticeably softer. Because of this they twist and bend under a load causing difficulties in tracking in a strait line under acceleration. It also causes issues when landing from a jump and most noticeably controllability on rough terrain.

Again as I said its most likely better then not owning any RC.
If thats whats you budget can afford and your not sure if this hobby is for you, it may fit the bill. If you know you are going to stick with it and plan on doing serious bashing or racing you may want to reconsider before getting one.