Sportwerks Mayhem Buggy

[Diver6127]

Ok, I have been known as an "on-road enthusiast." I have decided to bite the bullet and make my way into the off-road scene.

I remember the Mayhem buggy was posted in the "news" section of the forum a while ago. I was wondering if anyone has first hand experience with it? I wish it came as a kit but unfortunately only in 2 versions of ARR and one RTR. With a twist, the RTR version is an upgraded version with the .26 sportwerks race engine. I will be getting the RTR version. A big plus is that my LHS is a Horizon distributer so parts are very easy to come by.

I know, there's the Kanai and the 777 special one as well as the XB8 that have seem to taken ver everyone's "wish list." I would like to have one as well but am leaning away from those choices for now.

My reasoning for leaning away from those choices is simply because this would be a "kicks and giggles" buggy. I will not be getting into competative off-road and really don't see myself doing it any time soon. I just feel that anything made for competition should be used in some sort of organized racing every once in a while. It's the only place where you can really appreciate the design of the buggy and justify any new innovations and design. Can't really do that at the park since there is no "technical section" where divers skill and buggy design come into play.

It's hard enough to be competative with the on-roads. I just want to concentrate on 1 area of competition.

Being an on-road guy, I love the speed so with this being a requirement (speed), I need a buggy instead of an MT.

 

[CorradoPsi]

sounds like your looking in the right direction. i would mention the Hyper 7 lineup as something to look at. but if speed is your thing, the sportworks .26 will deliver it. a guy at our track runs one and it seems to be reasonably fast, when he can keep it in a straight line anyway.

i got into buggys the same way your looking at it, just something to play with. that was when i got my swift. since then the buggies have grabbed hold and i later got an XB8. have fun, and do yourself a favor and take it to a club race or 2.

 

[olds97_lss]

Xtreme Rc Magazine did a review on it. I remember reading it a couple times just because I love looking at how buggies are designed and how they work so well. The only thing that I can remember from the article is that you should make sure to go over the hole buggy with threadlock. Thiers rattled apart during break-in. After they did that, I don't remember anything else that was bad.

 

[Diver6127]

That's how I got into competative on-road, club races. There are a few off-road tracks within driving distance of me (1 hour drive). I love the competition and I will probably do it sooner or later. I just want to make the right purchase since I am a beginner in off-road. I don't want to get too overwhelmed. Learning the dynamics of off-road is different from the dynamics of on-road so there will be a big learning curve, ie: hit the bump instead of driving around it

There's so many choices out there so my research is going to be pretty intensive. I just know that I don't want to get over my head and get so frustrated that I give up and the full potential of the buggy is never reached.

I will look into the Hyper7 line and other popular brands such as the Swift (my lhs is a retailer for them as well).

 

[CorradoPsi]

i may have one, but I'm going to have to say steer clear of the swift. at least for now anyway. there are still too many things that need to be worked out. a GS storm should be another buggy you take a close look at.

maybe even the new GS avenger.

 

[Ericke1]

You should not buy the Mayhem until you have resolved all lingering problems with Ericke1's buggies. Its not good to start one job until you have finished another

I hear the new Xterminator 1/7 scale is the buggy to buy.

 

[olds97_lss]

I posted a big long thread about that thing and it got deleted!

XTM XLB 1/7 buggy: http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/145617.asp

 

[Diver6127]

The exterminator looks nice as well but only thing is parts availability without having to resort to the internet. I can pretty much get anything from my LHS off their wall, except for a few, but if they don't have it, I can get it within 3 days. I just like being able to go there and pick the part I need off the wall instead of ordering from the internet.

 

[husky24tn]

if your looking for a good hyper 7 i have one here.....

http://www.rctech.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=54922

i haven't listed it on the rcnitrotalk trade forums because i wanna do one forum at a time and rctech is where all of the locals here hang out.....if its not sold soon it will goto ebay with no reserve i'm sure......

let me know if your interested and i'll shoot some pics of it all

 

[Diver6127]

Thanks for the offer Husky but I'm going to pass. It's not that it's a bad offer, I just prefer to get my r/c's brand new. I enjoy breaing in the engine and most of all, knowing the history of the car from day one. Basically, I want a "virgin"

 

[husky24tn]

no problem bud....i do the same thing....lol

if ya know anyone lookingfor a buggy feel free to pass the deal along....i could use some help getting this gone before the xray shows up and my ole lady throws a fit....lol

 

[Diver6127]

I'll pass the info around. What I suggest is build the xray but when you have it out, use the old lid from your hyper. With the lid on, she won't know the difference. That's how I hid my cars for a while. She couldn't tell the difference with the cover on but got busted when she saw all of them sitting in one spot when she came into the workshop. SHe only thought I had 2, now there's 4 nitro's and a 1/12 scale electric so that's a total of 5 with a buggy and 1/10 touring on the way. Now I gotta find more hiding places ... DAMN, good thing I replied to this thread. I just reminded myself!

 

[CorradoPsi]

try keeping some of your chassis in your pit bags diver. i know it looks like i have a lot less cars when leave some in the bags. i dont have anyone to "report to" but that doesn't mean i dont know how to hide em either.

 

[Diver6127]

Actually, she knows of my purchases. It's just "the look" I try to avoid. She knows that this is how I let out the stresses and frustrations of work. It's better than me spending money on the other more expensive hobbies. It keeps me out of trouble. She just wishes my hobbies weren't so expensive.

 

[CorradoPsi]

next time she gets on you about your hobbies, tell here what I've spent. in less than 2 years I've put over $20,000 into my VW, and i still dont consider it "done". i play with RC's to save money. or next time you want a new rc car, ask her if you can take a diving trip. when she says no, tell her you would take a new car instead to try to save some money. after that a new car shouldnt look too expensive.

 

[psunitro]

HMM, I can say my Storm RTR is a nice buggy,not the fastest around,but a durable buggy. It's been around for awhile,so its a little of an "older" design,but all the bugs are worked out if it. Does your LHS carry this stuff? From everything i've read the Mayhem is a really nice buggy as well. Since your getting a RTR, I would go with one that has a FM radio,it will have some more of the features and adjustments your used to in on-road. If thats not a big deal to ya', the hyper 7 is a nice, upgradeable buggy too. If you do want to go to a race or two,and you will, do any of the tracks have a problem with running a mill bigger than .21?

I had the choice of the Mayhem and the Storm from my LHS,and I chose the Storm b/c of this. At their track it dosent matter but at others it would,so I picked the buggy with the FM radio and a .21.(my wife HAD to buy me a buggy THAT day,so those were my choices,and I dont regret it at all)

I would also say look to ebay if your looking at the Storm,they sell new for a LOT less than the LHS,thats the only regret I have. That and it comes only RTR. You can always upgrade to PRO later on. Not sure of the prices on the Mayhem.

 

[Diver6127]

HMM, I can say my Storm RTR is a nice buggy,not the fastest around,but a durable buggy. It's been around for awhile,so its a little of an "older" design,but all the bugs are worked out if it. Does your LHS carry this stuff? From everything i've read the Mayhem is a really nice buggy as well. Since your getting a RTR, I would go with one that has a FM radio,it will have some more of the features and adjustments your used to in on-road. If thats not a big deal to ya', the hyper 7 is a nice, upgradeable buggy too. If you do want to go to a race or two,and you will, do any of the tracks have a problem with running a mill bigger than .21?

I had the choice of the Mayhem and the Storm from my LHS,and I chose the Storm b/c of this. At their track it dosent matter but at others it would,so I picked the buggy with the FM radio and a .21.(my wife HAD to buy me a buggy THAT day,so those were my choices,and I dont regret it at all)

I would also say look to ebay if your looking at the Storm,they sell new for a LOT less than the LHS,thats the only regret I have. That and it comes only RTR. You can always upgrade to PRO later on. Not sure of the prices on the Mayhem.

As I said in one fo my earlier posts, this is mostly for kicks and giggles. The tracks I have around me, don't get strict unless it's a sanctioned race. Regular club races are "bring whatcha got."

The Mayhem also comes with an FM radio (JR XR3i). That's not important to me though. I will most probably ge another synthesized rx unit for the buggy. As far as the storm, yeah I know the reputation of the storm but as I said, I want the parts in my hand when I buy them, not off the computer screne. My LHS doesn't carry storm parts. Them being retailers of Horizon parts and products makes the Mayhem a strong choice for me.

next time she gets on you about your hobbies, tell here what I've spent. in less than 2 years I've put over $20,000 into my VW, and i still dont consider it "done". i play with RC's to save money. or next time you want a new rc car, ask her if you can take a diving trip. when she says no, tell her you would take a new car instead to try to save some money. after that a new car shouldnt look too expensive.

Hmmm, lets see, to go play and get backinto my SCUBA diving, it will cost me upwards of $1400 ... minimum. To go fishing and carry the latest reels and rds costs about $1000/rig and even more to go charter a boat if we don't use our own. Photography equipment, well that's expensive too (35mm, not digital. Gotta get the darkroom supplied). Things for my 1:1 cars ... won' even go there!

Yeah, she knows this is the lesser of all evils but women still find something to nag about when it comes to r/c's.

Thanks for the imput guys, I'm going to take my research and make a choice. I'll post and let you guys know once I get the buggy in my hands.