ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted a nitro r/c car, and I've decided to go with a 1/8 scale monster truck. I've narrowed my choices down to the HPI Racing Savage X 4.6 RTR, Team Associated's MGT 4.60 SE, and the Duratrax Warhead EVO. I'm leaning towards the Savage X because I've heard good things about it and it seams to have a descent aftermarket following. I also like the fact that the diff's are all steel, even the diff housings. The Warhead really appeals to me because of the low price and the features you get, but I figure they've gotta be cutting costs somewhere. I like the looks of the MGT and the fact that the diffs and tranny's use all steel gears, but I'm not to sure whats out there for them in the aftermarket. My main concerns are durability (this is my first one, so it'll take a beating) and aftermarket support.

 

A few years ago i had a 1/8 scale 4x4 nitro bugy my budie talked me into buying. It was a lot of fun but also a lot of work to keep it going . He had a couple bugies and a monster truck. His truck was a Team Losi Super Truck (LST). That this was a riot. It was abought twise the size of other Monster trucks and was every bit as fast as most. It ran buitfly all the time with minimal problems. There are a few weak points but overall it took a good beating.

 

I have a savage 4.6 and that thing rules!! Takes a beating and then some. I've jumped this thing 10 feet and landed it directly on its back front head even the wheels a couple times! Motor runs really well wheelies good.

Buddy has the new traxxis and that thing is weak compared to the savage...

 

Stay away from the duratrax stuff, I bought a duratrax 1/18 scale buggy, great little car, but there is almost no aftermarket support for their products and most hobby shops don't stock many of the OEM parts. Leaving you with having to order most replacement parts online. you can't go wrong with HPI, they have a good following in the aftermarket world and it seems to be easy to find parts for them. As for the MGT i haven't seen much in the way of aftermarket parts for them. Also you might look at the Traxxas T-Max and Revo, tons of aftermarket stuff available and the best dealer support network out there. I am into electrics and I absolutely love my traxxas stuff, it's well built and if i break something i just have to drive to the local hobby shop and they almost always have what i need.

 

I had a Traxxis T-maxx a few years back. It was a great truck. Only thing is it gets expensive when fuel is $20 a gallon. I was spending a lot in Fuel and parts because i was hard on it. Only thing i don't like about the nitro's is constantly messing with the carbs to get it running just right because everytime the weather changes like even 5 degrees you got to readjust the carb, got to be a pain. I'd spend about 10-15 minutes adjusting the carb to get it running good and then i had already burned through a tank of fuel. By the time i got rid of it there wasn't hardly anything still OEM on it. Everything was replaced with either aluminum or stronger designed plastic aftermarket parts. I had close to $3,000+ in a short two years in aftermarket parts and fuel costs. Then the motor finally went sour and i didn't have the money for a new motor nor the time to play with it anymore so i finally sold it back to the hobby shop i bought it from stock because the owners wanted some models for show as to what you can do to a truck with aftermarket parts, i think she sold it to somebody about a month later for like $1,000 after a brand new motor, which i sold it back to them for $800. It one of those things, you not get the money back that you put into it. I'd say if you really want one though, deffinitely go with the Savage, by far the best of the three IMO.

 

Nother vote for a Savage, TONS of upgrades/mods for it. Mine is going on 3yrs old. Super beefy, I had no probs till I put a ported .29 in it (the diffs `n` axles did`nt like the added power tho), sorta like bombing a Cummins tho, it`s a steep slope.

 

Another vote for the Savage....I have the SS4.6, and it's taken a beating. Easy to start, hard to break, and replacement parts are cheap. If I run it slightly hot, it'll wheelie off the line. Running conservatively, it still hauls butt. Only problem I've had is getting the 2 speed trans to shift right.....

Definitely spend the money for the reverse module, and a $35 IR heat gun will help you tune the motor and keep from frying it.

I also have an HPI MT2-18SS, great little 1/10 scale truck. Quiet, reliable, fast, and handles great. Nice little truck for small areas. If it wasn't for the exhaust, I could run it in the house. None of the suspension parts cost more than $5 to replace...(been through a few arms and knuckles)

 

Savage is cool truck. Thing is, how is the parts availability? On reason is, you may break a thing or two.

I have a REVO, it has taken some ridiculous bashing sessions with ease. No joke.Traxxas support is pretty much second to none, you won't find too many people that will disagree there. Obviously, they are not big block machines though, so I can understand your desire for more power. The after market world for these things is amazing, you can get just about anything you can imagine for them.

I have some video of launching my REVO, it contains expletives though (got hung up in a clothes line 6' up 20 feet away from the ramp).

Here is a still:

 

man I woul dhave a blast with one of these toyz, got a big ole golfcourse to run it on right by my house with some crazy sandtraps and other stunt areas........... but dang, it would be one of these or a tranny upgrade on a real truck . sigh, toyz or go fast goodies ???????

 

Yeah, thats my problem too, sink more money into the cummins, or get a new toy I looked into the traxxas stuff as well, but I couldn't see paying just as much for a 1/10 as I would for a 1/8th scale truck. I guess I'd still consider one. I don't think I'm gonna do anything till summer, so I've got sometime to decide yet. Thanks for the input guys. I'd still appreciate others opinions yet.

 

Savage aftermarket is huge.....probably bigger than the REVO at this point. There's actually a bigger aftermarket for the T-Maxx/S-Maxx than there is for the REVO....

I liked the REVO myself, pretty trick suspension with the F1 style shock setup with cantilevers and pushrods.....but in the end, power and simplicity won out for me.

 

I have an old T-maxx, but picking between the 3 you mentioned, I would go with the Savage! I have always liked the savage. They are tough trucks, and easy to tune from what i have heard. The Duratrax would be my last choice. Although they might make some good stuff, parts availability isnt good at all, and not many aftermarket options for stuff. You can normally get HPI and Traxxas stuff about everywhere. I used to have a tower hobbies brand stadium truck. It was junk AND you couldnt get parts for it. It doesent get any worse than that. I have never had much luck tuning Nitro trucks, but I have never had a good motor to start with, and never wanted to spend much on them either. The $20 a gallon fuel sucked too. So the new plan for me is to get a weedeater motor, build a frame out of steel, lock my T-Maxx axles so that they are solid axles, and build a 4 link setup. Mod the tranny to get rid of the internal clutches, and have one bad Mochine that is cheap on fuel

Eric

 

hi
is not monstertruck but great buggy:
i have xray xb8r with ninja engines mr21 b01a.
great stuff!¨




chris