MRP Highroller(lets see who remembers this one)

[kartrun]

Oh my gosh...i was sitting here(at 4 in the morning)just minding my business searching these boards when all of the sudden my dream truck as a child came to mind.Don't ask what made it pop up in my mind but i started thinking about the MRP Highroller.This monster of a truck was incredible in its day and had to be the one r/c vehicle(besides the Tamiya avante)that no matter how many times i looked at it i always drooled at the mouth.So,i said to myself "Self,lets see if anyone remembers this one".So guys,anyone have any stories or thoughts they would like to add?Post away and enjoy!!!:D

[RichieRich]

I remember that one. Also, I remember people saying it was a bit fragile. There was an article in a R/C magazine (may have been RCCA) where someone was able to drive their Highroller in the pool!!! I guess the tires were both paddles and floatation devices. Pretty cool! :D

[r.c.dealer]

I remember the MRP High Roller.

What about the Varicom Bug Grizzly?

:cool:

[Matt Stepanian]

Or, how about the notably fragile Royal Crusher? I had one, but it stayed running for me. It was built on Royal's Ripper chassis.

[coolmicski]

Look at my website @
http://www.geocities.com/coolmicski

[Burnout]

Oh yeah. Sweet looking monster truck! In fact my very first RCCA mag I bought they tested out the High Roller. It was in the December 1989 issue. They sealed everything up and went driving it in the water. The bathtub chassis kept it afloat! If only I still had that magazine. 8(

[enemy_spike]

that would be a fun expeiriment to try with a new car, like an evader:D

[Possumbot]

i think its possible with the nitro quake.

[casper975]

I had one of them back in the day I use to drive it in my pool and my local hobby shop has a used one for sale but he wants like $250 for it

[Jammin Jay]

I remember that truck from an old RCCA article. I believe it was the "Monster Truck Shootout" back in 88 or 89. The trucks were (lets see if I can remember them all).
-Tamyia Clod Buster
-MRP HighRoller
-Kyosho Double Dare
-Kyosho Big Brute
-Tamyia Black Foot
-Tamyia Vanessa's Lunch Box
-Tamyia Midnight Pumpkin
-Mauri Big Bear

I think thats all of them. Does anyone remember this article or still have it?

[SteveK]

Man, I wish RCCA would release yearly boxed sets of all their mags going back to the first ones. They must still have the stuff on file someplace. I started in April 89, and that issue had a preview of the Kyosho Double Dare and Clod Buster (Winner of that 1988 shootout).

The conclusion to the shootout came a few months later as the stock (But for bearings and ESCs) trucks went head-to-head in events like the drag race, truck pull, hill-climb, agility (Turning circle), track test, and car crushing. The Clod won 4 to 3 (With one tie, I think acceleration), but they said had the trucks been given only 1 or 2 chances to try each event, the Clod might have won 6-2 or 7-1: It was much more consistant than the lighter, narrower Double Dare.

[Jammin Jay]

Originally posted by SteveK
[B]Man, I wish RCCA would release yearly boxed sets of all their mags going back to the first ones.

That would be awsome. I would buy them.

[SteveK]

My mistake: The Clod finished 6th out of the 9 trucks entered, but it WON the 5 performance events and it's high overall price hurt it. It's the only one of the 9 still around to this day.

[Maxxkilla]

coolmicski, are those all yours???!!!! you have a lot of old r/cs. do they all work?

[jcole1976]

Originally posted by SteveK
My mistake: The Clod finished 6th out of the 9 trucks entered, but it WON the 5 performance events and it's high overall price hurt it. It's the only one of the 9 still around to this day. i would never give up my clod, it's tricked out and a lot of fun to drive even though it's a 15 year old model. mine's only about 7 years old though.

[jwrape]

Yea I had one of those High Roller. It was a POS. It never ran good., The Dog bones always fell out, the gear box TOTALLY stripped out and you couldn't get spare parts for it. It was such a waste of money. I still have the headers that stick out from under the hood, but that's all I have. I think, if I remember, I traded it to a friend for something of his. It was worthless by that time.

I kinda wish I still had it just for old time sake, BUT it was crap.
I am a little bitter, I spend my teenage money on that thing.:mad:

[GT Freak]

that royal ripper is what a TRUE 4x4 is: 4wdx4ws

[mo-motor]

iam interested in buying or doing some trading for a mrp high roller.email me if you can help at sgoddar@columbus.rr.com thanks chad

[StevePond]

I remember that truck from an old RCCA article. I believe it was the "Monster Truck Shootout" back in 88 or 89. The trucks were (lets see if I can remember them all).
-Tamyia Clod Buster
-MRP HighRoller
-Kyosho Double Dare
-Kyosho Big Brute
-Tamyia Black Foot
-Tamyia Vanessa's Lunch Box
-Tamyia Midnight Pumpkin
-Mauri Big Bear

I think thats all of them. Does anyone remember this article or still have it?

I did the shootout. :eek: (feelin' a little old... ;) ) I still have the old issues of course. That was a great article, but what a pain in the ass! There's a good story behind that one...

We gathered and built all the trucks, which took a great deal of time in itself, then spent some time shooting the trucks in the studio. Our staff photographer at the time was named Jamil, and he didn't live in the best part of town, but felt safe taking all the trucks home two days before I was supposed to fly to Florida to do the testing for the whole shootout.

As it turned out, a fella with a nick of Skeeter liberated all the trucks from the back of Jamil's Bronco II. We were basically hosed because all these trucks were supposed to be on a plane the following day as I recall, and we were resigned to the fact that we'd never see them again. There was so much freakin work that had gone into building all those trucks and there wasn't a damn thing we could do about it.

Then we get a call from the police department telling us that they just caught Skeeter (this is how we came to know his "street" name) with ALL the trucks still intact. We weren't out of the woods yet however, because they were supposed to remain in the evidence lock-up until all the trucks could be photographed and documented as evidence. We pleaded with the police department and they eventually let us take the trucks with barely a moment to spare.

That has to be one of the wildest twists of fate ever related to an article we put in the magazine (assuming I have all the details right).

P.S. When I got to Florida, the crew from the local track bailed for an out-of-town race, so I had to do almost all the testing myself. That was special. :o

[LOWGEAR80]

Here is mine http://monstermadness.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=305 you have to sign up to see it ;) Its molded in the super rare white plastic. Most of them were black plastic.

[badtodabone]

hey low gear the linky don't work

[tweakedbronco]

I have a highroller that I bought off ebay, then restored, I spent like 3 days restoring the truck, I polished everything, Added blue aluminum screws, cleaned all the cat hair and everything off of it, and added a new motion graphics painted body to the truck, I think it has to be one of the nicest looking Vintage monsters I have ever built, A guy offered me $1000. for it, but I couldnt part with it, I looked for one for soo long, I couldnt bare to sell it.
Dan~

[Saito]

Unbelievable. The legendary Steve Pond from Car Action! You were by far my favorite writer of the group. Fred Murphy, Mike Lee and Chris (interesting hair) were good but you remain my favorite. I remember the old High Roller as being quite big (and slow for that matter) It eclipsed even the Varicom Big Grizzly of the day. Still MRP's giant never seemed to get out from the shadow of the mother of all trucks...the Clod Buster.

[WIKIDJESTER]

I remember them, Always thought it was a way kool truck. I think I still have the issue with the test in it. Always wanted one but now after having my TXT-1 it would be a huge dissapointment. Wow Steve Pond... I remember reading ALL of your articles growing up, I still have the 1st issue of rcca and alot more of them as well. This is too weird...I actually just had the old issues out a few weeks back and re read that article.