Overview on All Monster Trucks

[Rc-Kamikaze]

I thought it would be intresting if people would post about there monster trucks in this thread "Mainly about the ups and downs of your monster truck or trucks & If it's stock or what you have on it." Im looking for a diversity of different kind of Rc Monster trucks not just T-maxx's or Clods. Some people are swayed into getting a T-maxx or Savage or so on. SO GO ON, POST IN THIS THREAD ABOUT YOUR MONSTER TRUCK.

[lerningdriver]

ok, i'll start. I own an almost all aluminum emaxx that I spent about 900 into.

I would say the pros are that it's fast & powerfull! (no upgrade needed here) and has a good suspension setup right from the box. cons are that it's not very durable and the steering servo sucks.

[PLKMONSTER2]

I'm next! lol
I have a Monster Pirate/Maxx Conversion. It uses the proline bulks, and arms. I've got nova shock towers, lexan bumpers, still the hyper 4 port, put a slipper in it. It was 330 for the MP, and the conversion set me back about 300. That is about 630. Minus 100 for the parts for the original MP that were no longer used. The shock towers were another 50, I got an extended chassis, 60, the bumpers were 20. Then I have a few more things on it. (NIMH battery, failsafe, MIP temp guage etc.)

PROS:
Fast, very very fast lol, about 40 with the single speed, and accelerates faster than most stock MT's
Strong, and almost indistructible. No breakage yet
Cheap compared to other truggies, such as the JT and Mugen.
Handles great, since it is lower than the maxx, and has an 1/8th scale tranny.
Ability to put a 21 in it with no mods! lol sorry Maxxes!
Jumps as good as a maxx
large buggy fuel tank, and a roomier reciever box. Not to mention a better layout overall.
You can bump start it.

CONS:
More expensive than a Maxx, or stock Savage.
No reverse availible.
It requires a lot of time to assemble, not to mention a lot of money to buy the truck, and conversion.
Hard to find good looking extended bodies, except the F350!lol

**Edit: The 100 for the parts that were no longer used was because I sold them. If you wanted to do the plain truck, just the Dominator and conversion, and sell the extra stuff, you could do it for 530-550.

[danthi]

Associated Monster GT

In January I purchased my first nitro RC vechicle. I did a ton of research and went to the local tracks and watched many races before finally making my decission to purchased a 1/8 scale Associated Monster GT that has a Thunder Tiger .21 with a pullstart and rotostart system similar to the Savage.

I race my truck and from my experience it performs better than stock Savage 21/25/SS and T-Maxxes up on the LHS track. Its not that fast (32 MPH) but it handles and jumps very good.

Purchase price was $459. I added about $100 in upgrades for Factory Team steering upgrade, forward only tranny mod, and $80 for new ProL-ine Bow Tie tires and Velocity rims.

When the stock TT .21 engine starts to go I'll most likely replace it with a Pico or Wasp .26 just to give it a little more power.

Pros:
* CVDs
* Engine mount was designed to hold up to a .50 engine
* User friendly engine that is very easy to tune
* Easy access to engine/electronics/tranny
* Decent AM radio included
* Forward and reverse
* Two speed tranmission
* Very durable
* Pull start and rotostart

Cons:
* Parts are not readily available at most hobby shops
* Aftermarket parts are not as plentify as T-Maxx and Savage
* No replacement bodies other that stock truck, Pro-Line Hummer
* Plastic shocks (I must say they work great though)
* Plastic tranny gears (I haven't stripped 'em yet!!!!)

[atm92484_3]

I currently own the Savage 21 RTR and I had a T-Maxx I ran for about a gallon last summer. I have also had a good deal of experience driving and wrenching on Dominators/MPs and GS Storm SUTs through working at the LHS.

Savage:

Pros
-Its a tank; I've seen people jump their trucks 10-15 feet in the air and land on pavement and only inexpensive parts broke
-Very rigid chassis design and very beefy parts all around
-Parts are relatively inexpensive
-Truck needs very few hop-ups (I've only added HD dogbones in the rear, a rechargable rx pack, heavy Integy springs, a Top aluminum brake hex, a 645mg steering servo, some Proline tires/wheels/body for looks, and a Picco 26/XTM pipe to push it to almost being uncontrollably fast). I don't see too much more being added to the truck.
-Very easy to tune and almost indestructable stock engine (I've seen Force .25s tempted at 450 degrees start up a few hours later on a new plug and run for another year).

Cons
-The stock shocks seem prone to bending (I've yet to bend one, but I've seen some customers with pretty nasty looking stock shocks)
-Its a pain to get to the diffs and removing the tranny means tearing the chassis down (I guess this is the price to pay though but kiss a good 10+ minutes good-bye while you're just getting to parts on the truck)
-I wish HPI would have used a servo saver equal to the quality of the rest of the truck instead of the servo-horn style one included (Ofna does have you covered here though through the 9.5 servo-saver mod)
-The stock tank has a reputation of leaning out. I haven't experienced this personally yet, but I'm guessing people have their needles set right on the fence between being a little rich and a little lean and low fuel in the tank causes everything to go lean.

T-Maxx:

Pros
-If something breaks, it can be upgraded and RPM has the truck fully backed up
-I do have to admit they are excellent starter trucks; especially since the starter system is pretty much idiot proof and young new comer proof (assuming the blue wire doesn't give out and your 7.2v pack is charged)
-Every truck body on the market fits the Maxxes
-With the right hop-ups (IE a Sirio .18 and NOT all aluminum, the Maxxes have a ton of racing potential)

Cons
-Somewhat of a 'noob-target' with a ton of poorly modded Maxxes (who ever thought a 15+ pound truck was a good idea was abusing something, and no I am not referring to their bank account or credit line either...), not to mention some of the most pointless hop-ups on the market (IE: copper tube dual/quad exhausts, cold air intakes, nitrous kits...I'll stop now, but they're all aimed at new comers to this hobby who own Maxxes)
-The 2.5s have gotten better but they can be very picky to tune (it seems to be a hit or miss kind of deal..might also have to do with the user and how the engine was broken in/tuned)
-I'll keep it short; bulkheads suck to change period. For being something rather common to break, that kind of turned me away from the truck. Those, chassis braces, and skid plates need to be the few things changed to aluminum IMO
-This is just a personal thing, but I feel everything that can be done with the truck has been done at this point. There are still new products coming out, but nothing really "wows" me any more. Don't get me wrong, this won't limit the fun factor, but there isn't anything original to do anymore.

Dom/MP:

Pros
-Fast, buggy-like, pretty good handlers
-VERY strong
-VERY simple, no BS designs
-VERY easy to work on
-Maxx tires and bodies still fit the trucks
-A lot of racing potential due to the low CG designs (the MP just needs Dom tires/wheels for less rotating mass)
-Ofna parts are dirt cheap in price
-Accepts non-pullstart engines; no more Rotostarts or pullstarters (huge plus)

Cons
-Sometimes Ofna likes to skimp on threadlock (but as with any RTR, you should be willing to spend the time to tear the truck down and make sure everything is tight anyways)
-I don't think Hong Nor could have tried any harder to use more parts while building the drivetrain on these trucks. For crying out loud, EVERYTHING that spins has setscrews holding it together and nothing was machined as a single part. It seems like red threadlock is the only thing that securely holds outdrives and gears to shafts in the long run; everyone I know who has tried blue has screws come loose.
-The king-pin suspension in the front is susceptable to popping out in a bad crash or a board clip and it seems as if the truck has a problem breaking front unis on the track.

Storm SUT:

Pros
-Its a true truggy built off of a relatively modern buggy design
-Good package deal; the XR3i is a great radio
-See handling and durability characteristics of the Dominator/MP
-Also uses Maxx bodies, tires, and wheels
-A lot of Storm hop-ups work

Cons
-Parts can be somewhat difficult to find and some replacement parts are either out of stock or NYA
-I still don't dig the cast arm mounts, but they do a good job of keeping the truck in one piece in crashes
-Its seems a hair on the overgeared side

For racing though, nothing will ever touch a JT Racing Kyosho or Mugen truggy; hands down, those are the ultimate monster trucks for racing.

[bobo]

Savage 25 RTR upgraded pipe HSMG645 servo and painted wheels black:p

Pros: Engine pulls hard, power at any speed,reliable,easy to tune
2 speed tranny,optional reverse,rotostart, very strong,jumps very well,radio cover seals well,off road handling amazing,TVP chassis plates look sick and lower CG

Cons: the radio cover is hard to put on however seals water out very well, stock steering servo weak,stock break weak, if an A-arm or anything on the front or rear assemble it basically means taking te whole front end apart,the TVPs make it hard to work on.

All in all i love this truck the cons are very minor upgrades and dont cost much at all to fix/replace

[TXTRCR]

i have two brutal monsters.

Tamiya TXT-1

cons.

1. painfully slow in stock form
2. four links are really weak
3. steering set up is all wrong for this truck
4. some of the plastic parts are brittle

pros.

1. one heck of a good crawler
2. looks and drives like the full scale monsters on T.V.
3. plenty of aftermarket parts available
4. easy to work on

Traxxas Sportmaxx

cons.

1. suspension mainly shocks are weak
2. electric start can be a pain at times
3. hard to resist buying all the aluminum parts they have for this truck

pros.

1. perfectly set up for racing
2. strong engine right out of the box
3. every where you look there is a new part that you can put on the truck to make it better.

[Viperrgh2]

T-maxx orion .18 / couple other mods
Pros-
Very quick and agile for a monster truck of the line
Good top speeds for a monster truck
Uses less fuel the "Big Boys"
Goes higher in the air then bigger trucks ;)
decently easy to work on def. more then savage..
Many many options
Cons
Old design
Many parts to break like most mts
not as macho tuff and powerfull as big trucks but i would say almost as durbale as big ones if uses correctly*
Expensive then again what isnt lol

[shadowghost1]

X Factor..... This truck is killer, I have not seen a truck yet that will take you for a wilder ride. The truck is well built and has mad articulation in stock form and if you add the 8 shock set up you can rotate the axles 90 degrees. The truck is big and doesnt like to go very fast( bounces alot), the suspension is set up for crawling and climbing and not for the 35 mph speed that the 2 speed tranny and XTM 24.7 produces.

Pros: Wild ride, wicked fast for its size.
Looks cool, best looking stock body out there.
Solid axles
XTM 24.7 ( very easy to tune)
Easy to work on.
Runs forever on a tank of fuel.
Does killer wheelies
XTM provides a great hop up selection.

Cons: Top heavy (wants to roll over alot)
The factor sends you an upgrade kit with your RTR ( So its not really RTR, you need to shim your axles and diffs or they will cause problems)
Funky axle hubs and the tires suck (not Tmaxx capatiable)
Bad exhaust location ( purchase a wheelie bar first thing or you will destroy your exhaust stingers)
The truck simply has too much power for its set up.

Overall this is the best truck I have owned but I feel its more of a center piece than a real die hard performer (kinda like the Jugg). It cant take alot of abuse but when you take it to the hobby shops and tracks you will draw a crowd because of the trucks appearance and overall size, it is the King of the Monster trucks.X Factor

[Farwar]

I don't have a MT yet but a savage ss is on it's way. I just wanted to say that this would have to be the smartest thread I've seen. There is no flames going back and forth and people are just expressing their opinions. Awesome idea!:D

[Rc-Kamikaze]

Pics would be nice to if you can do that ;)

[Rc-Kamikaze]

Thanks, I was trying to think of a way where you could express your ride without the arguing. Also to teach new people about the options.

[cummins driver]

I have a mainly stock, Traxxas electric stampede. All it has done to it is a duratrax intellispeed auto-sport ESC, and full bearings on the wheels, and a P2K motor. I can think of absolutley NOTHING bad to say about this truck, except you need a metal geared steering servo to keep from breaking servo gears. I have not broken a single part, except steering servo gears. I have had this truck for about 1 year now, and i bought it in kit form for $77 from tower hobbies.

Pros:
1) VERY, VERY, durable. Ive never broken a part
2)very fun truck to drive, and has awesome ground clearence,and articulation for its size.
3)Stock motor is fairly powerful
4) Practically unlimited gearing possibilities
5)Cheap, and plenty of aftermarket support
6)Climbs, and goes good for a 2wd due to great ground clearence, and decent stock tires
7)jumps awesome!
Cons:
1)Shock caps seem to want to blow off
2)4wd would be nice sometimes
3)Could always use more power(and what couldnt:D )
4)Not many adjustments like camber, and things

Overall, its the best, cheap electric monster you can buy in my opinion. It simply cant be beat for the money

[PLKMONSTER2]

BTW, Ho Bao makes the Dom, MP, and Hyper series of buggies. Hong Nor makes the Ultra Buggies, 9.5 series, and the Titan. Not sure who makes the LD3. Here's a pic of my truck. http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/2/web/518000-518999/518320_10_full.jpg

[poncho fisher]

My MGT
1. Picco/Ofna 26
2. Ofna alumunim clutch shoes
3. Ofna Titan 25 tuned pipe
4. Asso. side header
5. 1100ma nmh battery
6. Jr. 135 fm receiver
7. Hitec 5925 mg steering
8. dynamite fail safe unit
9. Asso. alumunim shocks (8)
10. (4) red firm (4) blue springs 40wt. oil
11. Lungsford titanium hing pins
12. Big joes bow ties
13. Hummer H2 body

I race without bumpers so they were removed to save some weight. I removed the battery and receiver boxes.

[MikeB]

Here's one for all you Duratrax haters out there

Duratrax Thunder Quake: completely stock, my first nitro rc car, good beginner vehicle, runs great imho.

Pros:
Cheap at only $300
Aluminum shocks and shock towers
Fully adjustable camber and caster
Easy to tune engine
All metal gears
Forward/reverse and 2-speed tranny
Futaba-made 3 channel radio
Most all plastic parts warranted for a full year

Cons:
Engine is weak (only about 1.7 hp)
Upgrade engine requires a Reg shaft, SG shaft will require modification
Top speed is only 32 mph
Not truely RTR (all metal-to-metal screws need to be lock-tited, servo linkages need adjustment)
Steering servo is weak, only about 70 oz/in of torque
Front bumper is useless
Not much aftermarket support, although there is some

[E-MaxxDestroyer]

E-Maxx / C-50 Brushless

The E-Maxx is modded with full CVD's, RPM arms and hubs, Hitec servo, Big Joe tires on Velocity 40's, as well as some little stuff like skids and such. Running stock tranny and diffs with a rear spool. Hacker C-50 16 motor and Schulze 18.97 controller.
Pros:
Fast
Durable
Light (er than alu :) )
Stable
great jumper
tons of aftermarket support

Cons:
stock servo is way too weak as well as stock servo saver
plastic sliders don't last long with spool
stock EVX gave me MANY problems

Clodbuster / Rockcrawler

I made my own chassis for mine out of simple materials and hand tools. This truck can be made to do almost anything.

Pros:
Lots of aftermarket chassis available
very simple
durable
easy to make your own parts for
floats :)

Cons:
In stock form about the only thing it is good for is looks and mild terrain
motors require an adapter plate to change pinions

You can check out pics of my Clod crawler in the
Project Creep (http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=134206) thread.

Tamiya Bruiser-an oldie but goodie

I bought one off e-bay a while ago and it is an awesome truck. Good looks and capable truck-just not something you want to break.

Pros:
great scale looks
Full metal chassis
3 speed tranny with 2 or 4 wheel drive
strong driveline
750 motor
virtually waterproof

Cons:
rare
expensive
limited suspension travel
prone to rusting


Well thats all that I have actually owned.
'Destroyer

[hpikidd4]

Here's my new Savage!!!!!:) I just got it last Thursday its only been ran once (besides breakin) and runs great! Its completely stock except for the purple fuel line. It will have a CVEC pipe (purple) on it pretty soon. I'll update you when it does.

Pros: Hella fun and fast
Durable
Aluminum all over
Comes with so many extra parts
Jumps like crazy

Cons: Depleted my cash for a while
Not as fast as my brothers Mammoth (yet).

http://MVC-012L http://MVC-014L http://MVC-013L

[RespiratoryRC]

Well since everyone esle spoke I'll say this:
THE T-MAXX TRX .15 RULES
I own one and so doesn't everyone else, the best thing about everyone owning one is that they want the 2.5engine or better.

Why is this great? Because everyone is dumping their TRX .15 engines for about $15-20 dollars on ebay.

Confused? Let me explain:

The TRX .15 Pro (the original t-maxx engine) is definetly under powered but with an easy todo porting job (very easy todo porting job) their is power tobe gained. HUGE amounts of power!!!!!!!!!! Also when I blow or wear out and engine I just pick up another one for $15-20. Who cares if the carb is no good but maybe ther bearings are or something else on there that you can use!!! WHY BUY A NEW PISTON/SLEEVE for $27 when you can buy the entire engine for less?

My T-maxx is stock minus the engine thats' been ported and updated to a 2.5 lower and upper arm setup. I cut the chassis to shave off unwanted weight and added an 11fin cooling head to chill things out. Because I don't care about the life of this particular engine I run 40% nitromethane; I get even MORE power and EVEN cooler temps due to the higher percentage of nitromethane.

Cons
I spend a lot of time outside
People that break bulkheads are obviously driving poorly!!

Pros
Cheap and powerful engine
parts aplenty

NUFF SAID

:D

[TXTRCR]

is this the head you use http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXEMN8&P=7

[RespiratoryRC]

I don't have 2.5 engine I have a TRX Pro .15 engine with a cooling head O'Donnel

[TXTRCR]

oh my bad, but you still have a large cooling head though does the head throw the temp reading off any, cause the fins on my head reach 250 but the block of the engine is only 200. im still in the break in stages

[RespiratoryRC]

The temp readings are better than they had been. Before my engine would get up to 330+ degrees and wouldn't run for more than a few minutes; now my engine runs from tank to tank never failing and with temps around 270 degrees. This sounds high but with the old TRX engine it was common for the engine to run extremely hot.

[BCat125]

Monster gt

PROS:
stock acceleration is very good
Handles better than any other monster ive driven
has enough power so if a savage or t maxx is stuck in front of me i can drive over them instead of shifting into reverse
loud and gains a lot of attention
dual starting system works awesome

CONS:
reverse is kind of pointless and adds weight
heavy which leads to broken bumpers
stock rollbar is really weak
only has a .21

Savage SS

PROS:
Very fast
IMO the most durable truck out there
accelerates fast
stock suspension keeps it from bottoming out

CONS:
Radio lid is hard to get on and off
chassis screws loosen up easily
stock wheels are weak

[Rc-Kamikaze]

I have a E-maxx (stock)
Pro's Emaxx:
Very Durable Stock.
Goes fast.
2 speed forward.
2 speed reverse.
Many Cool Parts Available.
New parts come out all the time.

Cons Emaxx:
Breaks if lands on back end hard.
Does not do jumps to well kind of an un-even land.
Stock suspension is a little bit stiff.

[3115ultima]

Heres my Aftermarket Parts, If it isnt listed then its stock

XTM .21 Conversion
MIP Front CVDs
OS RG-X (P) Engine
Nova Race Pro Cooling head
Unlimited Engineering (UE) 1/8 Clutch
UE Aluminum Clutch Shoes
2 Savage Clutch Bells
Strobe Slipper
Ofna Ultra Pro Steel Spur gear
Traxxas Titanium Turnbuckles
RPM Shock Towers
RPM Bulkhead Supports
Associated Aluminum Shocks
Associated Aluminum Shock Caps
Trinity Springs
Forward Only Conversion
RRP Aluminum Primary Forward gear
Airtronics MX-3 Radio
Tower hobbies MG hi-torque Servos
Team Blue Star Bearing Kit
Pro-Line Velocity 6 Chrome wheels
Pro-Line Road Rage Tires
Pro-line Brake disk Simulators
Pro-Line Chevy Silverado body (AWSOME)
Pro-Line Cadilac Escalade EXT body (NOT YET PAINTED)
Traxxas Rear Spool
Dur-bro Fuel Filter
Headlights, Taillights, Brake lights
New Era Models Body Fixup kit (ON CHEVY BODY)
Homemade Stuff
Front Skid
Rear Skid
Center Skid
Steering Servo Skid
Front Bumper
Rear Bumper


Pros
No Truck can keep up with it that ive raced
No buggy can keep up with it that ive raced
Will still hold a wheelie when I want
Will pop a wheelie when I hit 2nd
Very Durable
Never have a Problem with breaking
could Kill a savage any day

Cons
Still need to Upgrade those POS bulkheads
Keeps Burning up glow plugs

Thats all I have to say

[smily]

im getting a nitro monster and my friends are got t-maxxes so i want to get a truck that will completly destroy thier trucks


PS:im looking at the savage ss or the monster gt

[shadowghost1]

No specs yet, but the new X Factor 2 is coming soon. The new RC Driver has a little mention in it about it. Longer wheel base, Y spoke wheels and a softer suspension ect.... should be cool.

[Popop]

Just to ATM92...
Hong Nor never worked on the Dom/MP
It's an Hobao product

As a Dom's owner, I think pretty the same for all other concerning it / The Dom is also very low priced and very pleasant to modify

[lerningdriver]

Originally posted by Rc-Kamikaze
Thanks, I was trying to think of a way where you could express your ride without the arguing. Also to teach new people about the options.

yea, i think this thread will be a really good reference for alot of people.

i'll post the link to my pics once ******.net gets their servers fixed.

[grego9198]

I almost have a T-Maxx with many aluminum parts and an OS 15CV-RXS.

pros
-over 13pounds and still running very fast
-very easy to work on
-most stock parts are only about $10 CND
-not that hard to find houps for dirt cheap -since there are so many

cons
-stock bulkhead do break easily and most aluminum ones are very expensive but i found a place that sells them for dirt cheap
http://www.2coolrc.com/bulks.html
w w w . 2. c o o l r c . c o m
-rear body posts break EVERYtime i roll the truck in the winter
-stock parts break easily ie. a-arms, bulkheads, skid plates, chasis braces

[rcwheeling]

i think this was a great thread idea so we should keep this one going :p

[Skagen]

Tamiya Terra Crusher. I've had the truck for a year and a half and I think it's a very good truck. In the process of puting in a Fantom FR18. Should be done this week.

Pros:
Strong & durable truck
Very stable on turns
Jumps nicely
Can accept T-maxx/Savage wheel & tires

Cons:
Very, very underpowered
Transmission slipage (FOC highly recommended)
Local hobby store doesn't carry stock parts
Your buddy's T-Maxx will kill it (stock) but the TC can catch up on turns.

[Maxx_A_Million]

Terra Crusher upgraded w/ TX 2.5 and now an XTM 24.7

pros:
durable as hell
lots of replacement parts included
decent customer service
enough room to custom fit a .21+
genius reverse mechanism runs on only 2 channels
drive axles are reverse threaded on left side to prevent wheels coming loose under acceleration

cons:
reverse doesnt always work
stock engine sucks and air filter sucks more than the engine
the wheels become brittle after a few months but maxx wheels fit in place
lateral chassy braces break (but if you zip tie em you cna still run normally!)
1-way in stock starter sucks almost as much as the engine

thats all i got offhand...
in the stock engiens defense, it was easy as hell to tune and was really good at holding a decent temp of around 250 even with 10% nitro...
as far as the replacement parts, tamiya includes extra body posts, elec starter gears, output shafts from the diff-2 per side

ive torn this truck to peices, reassembled, broke, fixed, cursed, praised, etc. and its still holdin strong after almost 2 years of abuse, neglect, fun times, bad times, 2 engines, and even ahving the chassy chopped up to mount the .21...
i hope the TNX is just as cool...

[maxxamillion]

I'm the 'other' maxxamillion (My apologies to you, original one).
T-Maxx here. Bought in Jan. or Feb. of '03.
Four gallons run thru original motor which still works fine.
I now have a P2 motor(see info on nitro page).
No aluminum.
Robinson clutch/plastic spur.
Traxxas big bore aluminum shocks.
Hi-Tec steel gear steering servo.
Kimbrough 1/8 servo saver
RPM bulkhead braces.
Spool
Latest additions:
Maximizer posi ultra diff w/RRP.
MIP cvd's(rear only for now-we'll see what breaks next-have'em all).
Dynamite aluminum diff housing(rear only)
HPI Bronco body
Pros:
Quick
Always runs
Now quicker with P2
Slides & comes out of corners awesome
Stock looking sleeper
Cons:
Sliders twist & break w/ stock motor & spool
Getting expensive
Stock looking sleeper
Dime a dozen
Nickel & dimes me to no end

[kodiak kid]

Savage 25 RTR (x2) Storm SUT...

Savage25 #1
Pros:
Always starts very easily
have jumped me car on pavement (t-bird) from nose to trunk and landed flawlessly
the above = DURABLE!!! 8 ft high, 20 ft long jump = no broken parts!
Handles a MX track very well, can even clear the doubles :)
With a new pipe, she screams, both low and Up high!
brakes are awesome (If you make a few tweaks)
most T-craps...uhhh, T-maxx parts fit (sorry, HAD to do it :P)
Losts of after market parts avail.
Easy to tune and keep tuned
Handles Alaska conditions pretty d@mn good too (Broke it in around 40 degrees outside temp, and run it in the same temp range)

Cons: Spur gear is crap (have gone through 3 in 3 weeks (1.5 gallons) Primarily my fault with alignment, but hey, I just got into nitro 3 weeks ago!
weak stearing servo
Factory 2 speed adjustment was shifting a little too early

Savage 25 #2
Pros: Should be here in a few days
coming with a new Picco .26 P3 and a nice pipe!
cons:
Its not here yet!

Storm SUT
Pros:
Easy break in, easy to tune
FAST, but a little tall geared
aluminum shocks/shock towers
race ready from the box!

Cons:
no durable enough for my type of environment
gas guzzler
after 2 tanks through it, Dog bone broke on a little 2-3 ft of air
Body moun pin broke on first rollover
parts are hard to come by...at least in alaska they are

Just my .02, I ended up getting rid of my storm after week 2, just not tough enough for me!

[surfer]

[QUOTE=danthi]Associated Monster GT



Cons:
* Parts are not readily available at most hobby shops
QUOTE]


youve got to be serious....associated parts are in every hobby shop in the world basically...especially the mgt, they over stock on all associated models

[zeldafreak1434]

ok, here's mine
Savage 21
broke the 21, got the 25, got sick of the 25, bought a picco p3 26
hitec 645mg steering servo
hpi 3 shoe clutch
upgraded to the siffer springs from the 25
motor saver air filter
and hoping to get more hop ups soon enough

[zeldafreak1434]

forgot the pros and cons
PROS:fast, powerful. and cool IMO
CONS:can be a pain sometimes, and brakes, but that is always my fault, but anyways...

[cretin]

ok, here's my savage 25's specs and mods:

xtm .247
hpi ribbed pipe
hpi hd dogbones all around
hpi dual ss brakes
hitec 945 steering servo
hitec mini reverse servo
ofna 9.5 rtr front tank mod
tank area mounted throttle/brake servo
4 spider mod
monster pirate servo saver
stock steering servo used for throttle
receiver pack mounted to front bulkhead
motor saver air filter
all electrical sealed with rtv
deans conenctors for servos and battery
imex romulin buggy rims
pro line mulchers
parma 97 f150 lwb mt body

pro:

fast
durable
fun
loud

con:

expensive ($1200 and counting)
loud
needs support equimpent (it's my first nitro)

[Spoon37]

oh dear....where do i begin.. :rolleyes:

I have lots of trucks, so listing mods on all of them will take a loooong time. first they are all electric - so far most of this list has been nitro so there needs to be some electric info too.....

equally pix of all will be difficult, without either lots o pics or a huge groupshot(difficult owing to various states of repair/paint)

anyhoo(leaving out smaller vehicles) I have:
Tamiya:
4x Wild daggers(all heavily modified)
3x Juggernaut 2's(1 stock, 1 mild mod, 1 wild mod tuber project/work in progress)
1xTXT-1
2x Clodbusters(1 mod, 1 stock)

Traxxas:
1x E-maxx

an overveiw of pros/cons based on my collective experience of these trucks:

Wild dagger(AKA twin detenator): small lightweight twin motor 4wd MT, great fun truck outta the box and a really fast MT with a few mods a good motors, a mod dagger can suprise and even embarras many of its bigger rivals both electric and nitro due to its killer combo of lightweight twin motor power and a low CG.

pros:
-light/fast - its the smallest/lightest twin motor MT available
-easy to work on, easy to modify
-makes for a very fast truck with a low CG when using good motors(ideal hill climber)
-cheap to buy, cheap to mod
-very strong and durable generally

cons
-weak driveshafts, this really is its achiles heel....
-small/underrated truck, doesnt look as impressive as a big truck like a clod or savage
-little to no Tamiya hop-up support
-needs basic mods like BB's, good shocks etc before any other considerations about modding
-limited aftermarket support(needs custom work to make great)
-hard to sell on, cant ask too much as people would rather buy a bigger truck, even if yours is the most ludicrously maxxed out dagger ever....

Juggernaut2 - more up to date MT, realistic centre trans, powerful twin motor setup and a great looking Ford f350 single cab pickup shell, and leaf springs gave it a kind of charm unmatched by any other MT, die hard performanc efans found it needed almost as many mods as the clod to make it perform tho....

pros
-best looking MT ever(stock), that f350 hard body could not be better looking
-can be made to really perform, stock chassis needs few mods
-scale accuracy, albeit not of an up to date MT(leaf springs are a bit rare on monster jam eh?:p)
-collectible and increasingly rare, a good investment if thats your thing.

cons
-crappy stock steering/suspenmsion arrangement - needs a few mods to come to life
-painfully slow on stock cans
-very heavy as stock(largely due to the heavy hard body not a a light lexan one)
-needs mods to make great
-expensive, to buy to run, and to upgrade to a spec similar to the TXT
-discontinued so sellers can almost name their price.
-an embarrasment to Tamiya, as the juggernaut was so weak in the driveline it had to be discontinued, owners of the truck had to buy a "care package" for $100+ to upgrade it to juggernaut 2 spec

TXT, like a performance juggernaut, only subtle mods to most somponents but it used proper steering and 4 link suspension geometry(like most mod juggies at the time)

Pros:
-great suspension/handling staright outta the box
-only needs small pinions (and sway bar removal) to crawl superbly
-can be made to run and handle very very fast indeed, also there is a E-maxx 2 speed conversion for it if you need more.
-6mm outputs mean traxxas Maxx sliders can be used as these are cheaper/easier to replace(also allow better artic)
-lighter than the juggy
-easier/faster route to a realistic performance than the juggernaut

Cons:
-too expensive considering it needs ball bearings, an ESC and a really good servo straight away
-weak stock motors, very slow as per stock(10mph?)
-crappy looking pre-painted non branded bodyshell, from Tamiya the masters of scale, you really expect better...

Clod - old skool, but still able to kick butt with a good chassis and motors.

pros:
-cheap
-low CG
-massive aftermarket support
-easy to work on, even easir to make homebrew parts for(an alu chassis is EZ)
-detailed 1987 chevy stepside shortbed truck hard body
-grandaddy of all big 4wd MT's
-great handling, and can be very fast when modified

Cons
-poor stock performance although it is fun a good chassis improves performance by about 5000%!!
-slow in stock form, slow standard motors
-rubbish stock 4ws arrangement using 1 servo for all 4 huge meats its really slow/weak
-lots of unsprung weight, technically the suspension is very inefficient, but it does handle well....
-its arguable as to wether a clod still represents good value when it needs a new chassis, motors(unless crawling), shocks, ESC, BB's and a strong servo to catch up with a truck like the TXT or Emaxx
-non realistic drivetrain

E-maxx: all E-maxxes are created equal? right?? :confused:

Pros:
-Great spec for a $320 RTR (BB's, Novak ESC, 550 motors, a 2 speed, 3 channel radio, 8 shocks etc)
-best performing electric MT straight outta the box
-best value MT staright outta the box
-can be made silly fast with the use of one or two good BL systems(this is NOT cheap tho....)
-rediculous amounts of aftermarket support and even some fine 7075 alu hop ups from Traxxas....
-needs few upgrades

Cons:
-weak stock parts(plastic and metal), albeit this does not show up so bad as it does on the faster T-maxx.
-crappy stock steering - needs BB's a stronger servo saver and ideally a proper high torque servo(like 110oz/in+ not the rubbish 80oz/in from the trx 2055, and I doubt its that much to be honest)
-crappy stock radio transmitter
-EVX had early problems with reliability
-alu parts make it too heavy and can be bent....
-certain upgrades dont work on the E-maxx even if they are advertised fro both, diff cases are common, the E's diffs are flipped over compared to the T's, meaning some T maxx alu diff cases force it to flip back making the truck run backwards....

;)

[badtodabone]

E-Maxx / C-50 Brushless

The E-Maxx is modded with full CVD's, RPM arms and hubs, Hitec servo, Big Joe tires on Velocity 40's, as well as some little stuff like skids and such. Running stock tranny and diffs with a rear spool. Hacker C-50 16 motor and Schulze 18.97 controller.
Pros:
Fast
Durable
Light (er than alu :) )
Stable
great jumper
tons of aftermarket support

Cons:
stock servo is way too weak as well as stock servo saver
plastic sliders don't last long with spool
stock EVX gave me MANY problems

Clodbuster / Rockcrawler

I made my own chassis for mine out of simple materials and hand tools. This truck can be made to do almost anything.

Pros:
Lots of aftermarket chassis available
very simple
durable
easy to make your own parts for
floats :)

Cons:
In stock form about the only thing it is good for is looks and mild terrain
motors require an adapter plate to change pinions

You can check out pics of my Clod crawler in the
Project Creep (http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=134206) thread.

Tamiya Bruiser-an oldie but goodie

I bought one off e-bay a while ago and it is an awesome truck. Good looks and capable truck-just not something you want to break.

Pros:
great scale looks
Full metal chassis
3 speed tranny with 2 or 4 wheel drive
strong driveline
750 motor
virtually waterproof

Cons:
rare
expensive
limited suspension travel
prone to rusting


Well thats all that I have actually owned.
'Destroyer
Your a member of clod talk right? I am building my second crawler called creepers jeepers. check it out http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169242

[cretin]

please don't quote a person's entire page-long post. that's really annoying

[Spoon37]

oh yeah I have a bruiser too....I didnt count that, as most of ya'll werent born when it was released....lol plus its on the small side to count as an MT.

but E-maxx destroyer, your bruiser shouldnt rust, all the steel parst were supposed to be zinc coated to prevent rusting, its only if they are abused that this wears and rust sets in, you can either get it re-zinced, have it poweder coated, or if you dont want to shell out, buy some hammerite and paint it...lol

;)

[cretin]

you can get coating kits from eastwood, in several flavors. zinc and black oxide that i know of

[that_one_guy]

my turn,

savage 25
xtm 247
JR throttle servo

pros
faster than crap
faster than crap
durable as hell
oh did i mention it is fast

cons
none except the neighbors arent too thrilled about nitro


duratrax max mt pro
os 12 cxv
tuned exaust
futaba servos
hitec radio
proline wheels
mashers

pros
light
dosnt break
quiet for nitro

cons
overpowers the tires really easy= hard to drive


mini-t(ya i kno)
baja
custom 9.6 v pack
losi oil shocks
smasher rear tires

pros
fast, around 25mph
electric

cons
1/18 scale
nickles me to death

[tadium54]

E-Maxx
Pros:
Got mine free(work thing, lol)
Front and back are relativly the same
Can be a very good truck
2 spd shift on the fly
14 cells is fun

Cons:
Weak bulkheads and skids
screws strip easily

For their next emaxx version, id like to see alum. bulks, skids, ti hingepins, stronger steering servo, a roomier chassis for batteries

or even a full option version!

[jimbow]

What up Doc? I have a t-maxx that has been outfitted with ALL the red aluminum dynamite parts, a wasp .18, proline black dish wheels and bowties, a proline crowd pleaser body, (also an escalade body that i just use for bashing), and MIP CVD's.
PROS
looks trick :rolleyes:
huge power from da wasp
good acceleration
did i mention looks trick
Kicks savage buttock at the track

CONS
all that aluminum makes the truck fairly heavy
expen$ive
all that aluminum is just too tempting to be careless and smack the truck full speed into a tree in second gear... but i dont know who would do that :D


I also have a nitro stampede but i converted it to a stadium truck so that doesnt count anymore........

Jimbow

[tnxfan]

my turn



tamiya terra crusher
pros
unbreakable: drivetrain/plastic parts
awsome track handeling
wide (mine is 18in to be exact)
a fair amount of afteramrket support
jumps awsome

cons
stock engine
tranny needs a little work

[TJNMT]

For an MT I have the mammoth. Out of the box, it sucks. put a couple bucks into and it's a awesome truck.
Upgrades and mods:
tower supports
front and rear chassis braces
145cc tank
Nova head
063 pipe
RPM reciever box
upgraded electronics, ditch the RTR stff.

Future mods are wasp .28, lower gearing when XTM gets off there but and starts putting out.
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v280/tjnmt/rc%20pics/Picture_004.jpg
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v280/tjnmt/rc%20pics/Picture_006.jpg
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v280/tjnmt/rc%20pics/Picture_007.jpg

[swampdemon]

My wife bought me a mammoth about a month ago. I put a few mods on it but nothing too much yet (lots in the works). I changed the radio system first of all, the second time I ran the truck. I made some braces for the shock towers. As always, I painted a body for it. It's my first mt, but my 3rd nitro( xxxnt, rc10gt).

[NitroDad]

Great now I can't make up my mind.
My buddy has a T-MAXX, has had it for about 6mos and has broke just about everything breakable, well ok I helped. I hit a big rock that blended in with the gravel, stopped dead from about 3/4 throtle, broke engine mounts, cracked the case, exploded fuel tank, well important stuff! But still he's spent a sh*t load on it.
So Monster GT? Or Savage SS .25? I can't decide.

Or? I went to a different hobby shop and seen a new truck thats out that is bigger that both the of the others, biggeset I've seen yet, but I can't remember the name, Mommoth? Yea the Mammoth thats it! Its bad lookin, but I haven't heard anything on it, does any of you have one? I would like to hear about it.

[CrankrodsKid]

You should read the whole thread bro...

[NitroDad]

Yea I seen it right after I posted it.

[NitroDad]

But still if I'm ging to spend this kind of cash I want the strongest truck to start with.

[TJNMT]

Strongest truck to start off with is the savage, I think but you will get many different answers. I can speak for the mammoth, and what I said about it, I recommend that the mammoth is not for a first timer, reason being there are alot of problems that need to be address before you can start having fun. But for around $20 bucks extra you can make and build your braces to support the whole truck.

[tnxfan]

But still if I'm ging to spend this kind of cash I want the strongest truck to start with.

if you get the tamiya tnx then all you need to do is upgrade the sterring servo. the plastic parts on the truck are almost unbreakable :eek:

[BPPSupermaxx]

C50, 12 cells. Supermaxx ends, prototype carbon Fiber race bomb. Only stock part is tranny case.

Pros-
-Never Broken
-45+ MPH
-Incredible hard to roll over
-Handles better than my touring car
-handles the rogh stuff, and jumps way better than a stock E-maxx

Cons-
-Very Expensive
-Heavy(But you dont know when you drive)
-People are always hovering over you at the track trying to get a peek at it.

Jumping-
-Responds well to throttle input
-Flys flat
-Stable in air

On-Road-
-Impossible to flip
-Handles very well
-Corners fast

Track-
-Impossible to flip
-Very good in the twisties
-Gets down the strait very fast
-Can go faster thhrough the rough stuff, and on the jumps.

Bashing-
-Very Durable, has never broken
-Just keeps on going how you want it to

[Popop]

Supermaxx, what's your esc ?

[badboy2]

too much to type but i have 2 savages ,1mgt ,1 maxx21 and dominator all are good ...and ilove them all

[4DMNYC]

I have two T-Maxxes, one has a ridiculus amount of hop-ups, and one is stock, I also have a Savage25 basicly stock aside from an Ofna failsafe an RR steel spur, and exaust deflector & body, if I had to pick only one, stock, it would be the Savage25, hands down, better engine and stronger out of the box. My 1/8 buggies are the bomb digity though. :cool:

[tmaxxamt]

T-MAXX pro 15

Alum. parts- f/r shock towers, f/m/r skidplates, chassis braces, f body mount, roll cage
Plastic upgrades- rpm a-arms
Motor components- .18 wasp, rear stinger pipe, roto start, high air grabbing air filter
wheels, rims- mamba wheels, big joe tires

Im pretty positive there are more hop ups but i cant think of them all right now.

Pros- Looks cool. Handles well. Jumps well.

Cons- Acceleration is kinda iffy, although it is much better than stock. On my track which has narrow turns it does not turn the greatest. And does not keep up with the two buggies that i race against. When parts break it sucks. :mad:

Buying new aluminum body posts after landing upside down on a jump that launched you about 10 feet in the air- $30 for each
Buying new rpm a-arms for jumping into a street sign - 15$ for 2 lower
Watching your T-maxx taking off down the street who knows where- Priceless