Team Associated Monster GT

[RCRACER2471]

Does anyone know where I could find a replacement shock shaft for the Integy shocks? Maybe even a substitute. Do you think tower would carry some kind of 100mm replacement shaft?

[MikeWz]

You got the T-maxx shocks from Integy right? If so I'm pretty sure MIP makes those golden shock shafts for the T-maxx shocks. You could check those out.

[RCRACER2471]

Thats actually not a bad idea but mip's stuff tend to be pricy at times. The ones for the Tmaxx are titanium nitride coated just the ones on the Drake edition of the Losi. Id rather save myself some money and buy a cheap replacement that will fit correctly. I think my lhs has one that will work with it. I just have to bring it in and compare the two to make sure there the same....

[MikeWz]

You could do that. You could also call/E-mail MIP and find out. Those Titanium Nitride shafts seem to last a bit longer and also make the action a bit more smooth. I'm a fan

[Breakin2]

Hi, I was really wanting to get one of these trucks before the new Losi truck was announced. How do you think the GT will keep up with the Losi on the track? I hope to do some racing whenever I get the MT I choose.

[MikeWz]

Well IMO, from what I've seen (and done) this truck is the best racer in it's class (1/8th scale MT racing). I don't think anybody can be really sure how it will compare to the new Losi truck. I'm believe that it will be quite a close race. The only thing that stopped me from getting the Losi is the $600+ price tag.

[RCRACER2471]

Hi, I was really wanting to get one of these trucks before the new Losi truck was announced. How do you think the GT will keep up with the Losi on the track? I hope to do some racing whenever I get the MT I choose.

All I can say is that the MGT is a TRUE Monster Truck handler. It handles like no other truck Ive ever seen. Ive driven other trucks and they have no comparison. Losi stuff is just a good as well and there's always a competition between the two in the racing market. We'll just have to wait till the racing season begins.....

[RDucky02]

Hey,

I havent posted in awhile but I was posting way back in the first few pages. Anyway, I was looking at dropping in the Ofna Picoo Outlaw .26 motor. It runs around 195 and puts out 2.8hp i believe. 2.7-2.9, think its 2.8 though. anyway just wondering if uve seen it run with this engine in it. at the track and the LHS said that when people drop it in there that the far is physotic, that it just screams. I have upgraded my monster gt considerably already but am looking now at the engine. wondering what you guys think.

the ofna picco .26 is also the .26 orion wasp and the picco trinity .26. all are the same, just different names on the cases. have a good night

[fuzzy2133]

dropping in a .26 is cosmic. you are sitting there going o.k. ... a truck this size should not be taking off and going this fast, right? I did put in 18/46 gears, right? then the world catches up to you as you realize the end of radio range is comming up. :eek:

[MikeWz]

Aw com'on fuzzy you're not fun :p


Ducky-Drop RCRACER a PM or something. He runs the Wasp .26 in his. He's having problems with the clutch shoes so if you're gonna drop in the wasp be sure to get Al shoes or you'll be eating them up like crazy

[RCRACER2471]

Drop RCRACER a PM or something. He runs the Wasp .26 in his. He's having problems with the clutch shoes so if you're gonna drop in the wasp be sure to get Al shoes or you'll be eating them up like crazy

Stock clutch shoes will work just fine but with a .26 engine but Id recommend getting aluminum clutch shoes instead becuase the amount of wear that goes the shoes from all the power. Its not a requirement but its definatly a plus in my book....

[BCat125]

Well i put in the 18/52 gear ratio in it and tested the foreward only kit in mine and all i can say is wow. Big difference. It had so much more acceleration it got twice as much air. I did break a turnbuckle so that took me out but when it ran it was awesome.

[RDucky02]

This is going to seem kind of stupid but i can not find the answer anywhere in the last few posts. When you say ur running the 18/52 gear ratio... are you running that with the stock or the .26 engine. you rave about how much better it is but im not sure if ur talkinga bout the .26 or the .21... from the change u are telling about im assuming the .26. Also, anyone running a really good set of tires? i had big joes but the MGT with them on seemed out of place so i just cept them on my maxx. I was looking at the hot bodies RTU tires they offer with rims for about 50 bucks a pair for the savage. but htey will also fit the mgt. have a good day thanks

[RCRACER2471]

Im running the 40 Series wheels and tires with no problems. Honestly I wouldnt get the Hot Bodies wheels. They are a pretty good deal for there size but will also hurt the performance the truck. I once weighed the wheels at my hobby shop and they weighed something rediculous like 3lbs or so....Now to me that will cause the truck to go slower and affect its handling and to others it doesnt really matter. Id personally stick with the 40 series size of rims and tires. They fit and work best for the truck to receive optimum performance....

[RDucky02]

I like the 40 series tires and rims, especially sinec they came out wiht the new velocity tires. I forgot about hte weight of the tires. I might go pick up some 40 series mashers with white dyable velocity rims... maybe dye em black or dark blue. have a good night. i might look into the hot bodies and see how much of a weight difference there is. take care

[RDucky02]

Just one more thing.


RCRACER- Did you have to do anything, any kind of machining to get the stock clutch bells to fit on the .26 engine? Also what kind of AL clutch shoes did you get, from where, what kind, and how much? thanks again. prolly upgrade to the .26 this coming weekend. gotta get something for all the hours i work. are you running a dual tank? if u are, im running t lines for the fuel and preasure lines, or did u lead the tanks in series instead of parralel with one continous line?

[MikeWz]

Ducky-The .26 is a drop in engine. Everything from the MGT fits stock. You can get some Ofna al clutch shoes. They're really good and will last you a long time. These are the ones I'll be getting

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34063&item=3187221317&rd=1

[RCRACER2471]

Just one more thing.


RCRACER- Did you have to do anything, any kind of machining to get the stock clutch bells to fit on the .26 engine? Also what kind of AL clutch shoes did you get, from where, what kind, and how much? thanks again. prolly upgrade to the .26 this coming weekend. gotta get something for all the hours i work. are you running a dual tank? if u are, im running t lines for the fuel and preasure lines, or did u lead the tanks in series instead of parralel with one continous line?

There was no matching involved in order for the stock clutchbell to fit on the .26 engine. I dont actaully have any aluminum clutch shoes but I would recommend these: http://www.novarcproducts.com/3ShoeClutchShoes.html

Heres the info on the dual tanks: http://www.monstergtforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=365&whichpage=1&SearchTerms=dual,tanks

[MikeWz]

Are you running the dual tanks and if so are you using a T-connector or are you running the pressure line from one tank to another?

[RDucky02]

I heard that the stock screw is too small to screw into the pilot shaft on the .26... is this true?

also im running dual tank with t-connectors and it runs okay... I might go with one continous line though. make it a litle cleaner and might get better response because of the abundanec of preasure line with t connnectors.

[RCRACER2471]

Rducky02- I beleive that you will need a new screw for the new engine...

[RDucky02]

Anyone find a killer pipe for the stock engine or the .26? After I drop in the .26 I think I am going to swithc the pipe too... Let the .26 breathe, which I am suspecting most of you .26 drivers have opted to some other pipe.

Dave

[MikeWz]

There are quite a few pipes that are good. The HPI ribbed pipe isn't too bad. My personal fav (here we go again RCRACER :cool: ) would be the Fantom Steel pipes. They have a dual and single chamber pipe depending on if you want a smoother powerband/more top-end or more torque (respectively). I find they also give me a much better run time. The steel pipes get much hotter and that helps a lot with efficiency and power. They're a bit expensive but they're totally worth it

[fuzzy2133]

MikeWz are you talking about the pipe for the MGT or the .21 pipes? stormer has them both in stock wondering what one I wanna try.

[MikeWz]

The Fantom .21, according to Fantom, are designed to give maximum performance for engines up to .28. As far as which to get (dual or single chamber) it depends on what you're looking for. On my xxx-nt I run their .12 Dual pipe as I want to smooth out the power band. For my MGT I will shortly be running their single chamber pipe as I'm looking for a pipe with a bit more torque. The choice is yours. I recommend either one as I know you'll be happy with the performance of either one

[RDucky02]

I read on the last page the heated debate about gearing for the .247 and the .26 engines... I actually wanted to know, thats why i went back to look, what kind of gearing you reccommend or what your finding that works the best? I dont race I just beat mostly on my truck... So thats my application.

[RCRACER2471]

I personally think that the 18/46 gearing offers the best performance with the larger engines such as the XTM .247, Wasp .26, Picco .26, Sirio .27. Other people may want more torque than speed so the gearing may change. Its all a matter of preference of what you like better......

[RDucky02]

I have been looking around for the cheapest store with the Ofna Picco in stock... I found www.thercshack.com located in IL, and I live in IL, its about an hour away. Anyway, they have them for 154.99.... Wow. They had 11 in stock and sold all 11 in one day. So they are now out of tsock till 4.24 Isnt that bad. I went on ebay and last night I see RCBoyz put anothe engine out there. 164.99 I bought the engine and an 18T clutchbell form them. This was before I got the suggestion from RCRACER. So I will have to tell you how I like hte engine once it gets here. Have a good day and thanks for all the suggestions.

[MikeWz]

Anybody here know of any Red stuff for the truck other than what RC-Solutions makes? I will be buying their roll cage and shock towers but I'd like to have an all red truck rather than a red and silver truck.

[RCRACER2471]

Gpm maybe....They have about 10 assorted colors for that truck.....

[MikeWz]

Hmmmm, I check their website and I only see blue and silver.....actually I checked www.asiatees.com which is GPM's ebay dealer which I'm sure doesn't carry all the stuff, just the more popular stuff like blue and silver. Do you have their actual website?

[fuzzy2133]

if dynomite makes parts they will have red stuff.

[MikeWz]

:cool: RCRACER pointed out the GPM site and they have pretty much every part available in aluminum and in mutliple colors. Thanks for the help

[RDucky02]

Is anyone getting there trucks to do back flips? I about about 3/4 of the way around on a curved ramp with a completly stock truck before it nailed the ground and ate dirt. I will be running the Ofna Picco .26 after I get it this friday. Wondering what people are running and how close or if they are flipping, forward or backward. If you are doing it, what kind of ramp? relatively easily? and do you have a roll cage?

I though i might get the rc solutions cage but im worried it might not back flip with the extra weight, it only weighs 6 onces and if i get the factory chassis it shaves 1.6 onces. anyway, if you hvae the rc solutions cage, is it still pretty easy to wrench? and worth the money?

[fuzzy2133]

Wondering what people are running and how close or if they are flipping, forward or backward. If you are doing it, what kind of ramp? relatively easily? and do you have a roll cage?

get some of those hot bodies tires that are larger than stock to help produce some extra gyroscopic action. my ramp curves up to 45 degrees and there is not enough hight to make it more than 1/2 a flip. so a ramp that curves to say 60-70 degrees should get you closer to, or more than what you will need to do flips. oh yea, a landing ramp would be a good idea so the suspention is not over streesed on landing.

[MikeWz]

Damn it, took the MGT out for a major bash session today. I found these massive dirt hills. One of them had a semi flat spot (had a few ruts) on top that was about 20 feet across and like 50 feet long. I had a rut that looked like a tire mark that ran lenth wise. The entire truck fit in the rut. It had the PERFECT ramp at the end of the rut and allowed me to clear a whole nother dirt mount and land about 15-20 feet down. Sooooo sick. There was a bunch of water/mud there too and I was drifting all around a doing burn-outs and stuff. Soooo sick. Now I just gotta find a way to clean it. All I gots is $4 so I can't buy any nitro cleaner :rolleyes: Oh well. Need my tax return so I can pick up a Fantom .27 motor. Cancelled the Sirio order when it came out. I don't need to spend the extra cash. The fantom won't be quite as good, but it's a heluvan engine so I'll be satisfied with it. :D

[MBX4RR]

denatured alcohol is good for cleaning then hit with the compressor

[MikeWz]

Don't have a compressor. And besides, that doesn't really get all the little cracks and crevices. I need to get me a toothrbush and some nitro burst. I only have $4 though :(

[BCat125]

I dont really know if this is good for the truck but i sometimes ise nitro fuel to clean tires but havent tried it on the actuall trucks. It makes the tires look brand new.

[vtl1180ny]

For those of you who have changed the engine did the Wasp/Picco, XTM or other make that big of a power increase??? I just added a MGT to my ever growing collection and I was expecting some front wheel pulling power... I'm definitely not to thrilled with ehe TTR engine but I have never really liked their engines.... I don't care about racing, I race TC's and ST's not MT's... I just want killer torque... I've been contemplating the WASP, good choice???

[MikeWz]

I've been thinking about trying Fantom's new .27 engine. I'm sure the wasp is an excellent engine but I've always liked Fantom for off-road engines and hey....gotta love the extra .01 :p

[fuzzy2133]

the wasp and picco engine are good choices.

[RDucky02]

I just dropped the Ofna Picco .26 in today and did 3 tanks of break in so far. I plan on doing more. Its the same engine as the Wasp but with ofna on the case and a purple head, all them leave the same plant in italy. Anyway, I got wheelies just about on demand out of my monster gt with the stock TT engine. You really gotta know your tuning though to do it. It aso coulda been the cooler air but regardless I was rather happy with the TT engine. It was reliable and had enoough punch, especially for a 12 pound truck.

HOWEVER, even with the enigne no fully broken in yet and still running very very rich I know that this engine is just gonna breathe fire. SO go ahead and drop in an ofna picco or wasp .26... as some of the other engines out there. remember, fantom=china, and picco means italy where the grade of materials is gonna kick butt. so you may be getting more displacement but that doesnt mean better HP, reliability, craftsmanship, or ball blowin wheelies.

Just my .02

[MikeWz]

Ducky-Obviously from somebody who's never owned a Fantom engine in his life. Consequently, OS engines are from China as well. The most reliable engine in the market without question. Although their power isn't the best you can't touch them for reliability.
I'm not saying that Picco doesn't make good engines (although I've had bad experiences with their carbs) just because they come from Italy doesn't automatically make them better.

[vtl1180ny]

Maybe it;s the TTR engine I got but it just royally sucks... It had more power during break-in than it has after a gallon of fuel... Yes I know how to tune, I'm not a kid on his first truck I've been doing this since the 70's... Ive done all my usual checks, tuned it and the thing still has no power... I've never been a fan of TTR engine's, I almost put one in an airplane once but thought again... Oh well... Wasp here I come...

[RCSavage]

O.S. Engines = Japan not China

and yes O.S. makes very reliable engines.

Get the RB Concepts .28 !! It's sure to rule the HP wars!! Just in case your wondering RB is french but the engines are made to RB specs by Novarossi.

[fuzzy2133]

This is how it looks in full scale automotive repair:

europe = OK percision, great quality materials
USA & Canada = Good percision, good quailty materials
Asia = Great percision, sub-standard materials

if this holds true with this industry then what are you looking for? gotta give something up somewhere.

[MikeWz]

Europe = okay precision??? I always thought they were freak nasty. I mean...BMW and Porsche are pretty freakin nasty if you ask me, but then again I'm not auto major.
And as far as Japan goes...they have the skyline and that's about it. But their cars last forver. I know a guy that has a Toyota with over 400K miles on the same engine and tranny. Pretty damn amazing

Back on topic...Fantom engines are made in the same factory as Epic and a few others. They make really good sport engines. The Epic .18 is probably the best bang for the buck in the area (along with the Fantom .18 because it's pretty much the same thing). Fantom just adds their own touches like the black block (helps with cooling) and the nice looking red stuff. You're absolutely right about the RB concepts .28....only problem is I could buy another freaking MGT for the price of that engine (just going by how much the Sirio .27 costs and RB and sirio are pretty similar in price).


Freakin A man. I broke a front lower A-arm today. First major piece I broke on the truck...and no joke it was from like 15 feet at least. The a really high dirt mound (the same one as yesterday) has a really high mound on the opposite end of the jump I was using last time. I decided to get in that little rut and launch it off the top. Well I landed perfectly the first two times. The third time I kinda went off the edge of the hill so I went off at an angle kinda like this ( / ). The front right tire landed first and kinda hit a rock. So going down from like 15ft and landing on a rock lopsided I'd say that's not too shabby. Gonna pick up some RPM A-arms now. Might as well while I have an excuse :cool:

[vtl1180ny]

Speaking of arms, has anyone noticed that Tower lists the replacement arms as Discontinued? What's up with that?

[MikeWz]

Yeah I was literally just thinking the same thing. I'm going to drop them an e-mail today and find out. I'm just goint to buy the RPM arms untill the rest of the truck is AL then get AL arms too

[cbr74]

AE changed the lower a-arm design... adding some reinforcing webbing to the shock mount area. That's why the existing amrs have been dc'ed.

[RDucky02]

It is true that I have never owned a Fantom engine nor seen one run. I havent heard much about them. Ive only heard on story and they person wasnt happy with them. I didnt look into Fantom so maybe I was a little arogant of the market out there. :o

However, for the bang for the buck you just cant beat 155 dollars for nearly 3 HP in a picco engine, be it the wasp or the ofna. I am much happier with this engine and it runs around the same as a traxxas 2.5 or a stock ae ttr engine.

I drive an explorer, with over 200K miles on it and my friend at work, his son, owns an explorer also with over 400K miles on it.

Although you cant just say, as I did, that because an engine is made in europe that its simply better. Bottom line however is that your going to buy the enigne you like and Ill buy the engine I like. And yes, OS does make killer engines.

Did AE also change the shock towers? And was there really that many problems out there with the A-arms? Anyone using a roll cage or landed very hard on the lid yet? Want to try some flips when im done breaking the picco in.

[MikeWz]

Cbr-that would explain it. Really find no reason for reinforcing but hey...not complaining as long as they don't cost much more. That's what me $4 is going towards :cool:

Ducky-Fantom was doing some experimenting with ABSC in their engines not too long ago which was causing some problems. If they weren't broken in at JUST the right temp they got shot. Kinda sucks...but she's all fixed now ;) . We'll see. I'll wait for a review on it. I'd like to get an OS carb for the picco/wasp because I hate picco carbs, but I don't think there's anything that'll fit it.

Any word on the release date for that RB concepts engine? not that I can afford it or anything I'm just wondering

[vtl1180ny]

Well, I was going to get the Wasp except fot the fact that they are backordered... So... I ended up getting a Sirio .27... Hell of a price difference but with all the money I have invested in my 25 or so years in this hobby it won't kill me... I have about 3 tanks through it, due to the fact that it's raining, I did it while it was clamped to a saw horse... Supposed to be nice tomorrow, I'll finnish breaking it in tomorrow... The break in instructions are real vague for the motor... You're supposed to run a quart through at basically 2 turns rich, it's so damn rich that you can't get any real momentum without bogging... I'm going to start leaning it through the next few tanks tomorrow morning...

[MikeWz]

Let me know how that turns out. According to Acehardware hobbies it's about the same price as the racer version of the Sirio. If that's still the case when it comes out I may just hold off on getting anything and buy that one. I dunno though...gonna have to work on the trigger finger so I can keep the front wheels on the ground...and mess around with gearing

[vtl1180ny]

The Pro and Race are the same engine, the racer has no pullstart though... I'm going to finnish breaking in the engine in a few hours, I want to wait for all my neighbors to leave for work... They must have some talks about the "grown up" playing with cars in the street... Hahahahaha... It's wonderful being retired....

If I have any trigger finger problems I'm just going to play with the exponential on my 3Pk... I never used the radio that came with it, I sold it to one of the neighborhood kids...

[MikeWz]

Sorry about my last post. Misread your previous one I read Wasp as RB for whatever reason.
I didn't know you were talking about Sirio pro. I guess I just assumed the standard version. The Standard is a 3-port and the Pro/racer are 7port. Apparantly the standard has more low-end grunt then the racer does....rightfully so as the racer is ported to allow for a higher RPM which in turn takes away a bit from the torque

[fuzzy2133]

the first and currently only fantom engine I own is a .15 ABSC I had to read the break in direction 3 time to make certian I under stood it correctly. I have only got 1/2 gallon through it and no trouble yet. I thought that the ABSC setup was going to be here to stay and the new thing. are they using ABC now or another "different" setup?

[MikeWz]

There was one problem with the ABSC construction....and that was the n00bs that tried to use it. ABSC ran cooler and lasted just long as ABC (when broken in properly) and allowed you to run a slightly leaner mixture due to slightly lower temps. Unfortunately you have to follow the break-in procedures to the letter. Make sure your temp is between 190-200 degrees. Not any higher and not any lower or the P/S won't expand at the right rate and will cause excessive wear. If it's done properly you'll LOVE the engine. It's just as reliable as OS engines and has a bit more power. I recommend you trading in your '02 carb (must be '02 if it's ABSC construction) for the new '03 carbs

[fuzzy2133]

I got the fantom .21 2 chamber pipe just working on getting it on the truck. I can't decide what way I like it better, side exhaust or out the back. is there any advantages using the side exhaust?

[RCRACER2471]

Not really....I put side exhaust on mine just becuase I think it looks better with my HPI polished pipe. Actually now that I think of it you can put longer pipes on such the ofna buggy pipe on the side exhaust where with the rear exhaust you might run into some problems with mounting it. Thats all I can think of....

[RDucky02]

I moved to the picco .26 motor and I wanted to run the ribbed HPI pipe. But suspensions problems would have occured if I used the out the back method with the standard manifold. The pipe was too long and interered with suspension travel and almost touched the tire and did with the suspension compressed. so i moved to the side method, plus it looks cleanerand give better access to the rear for wrenching. performance wise i am unsure

[MikeWz]

Fuzzy-You're gonna love that pipe. I'll be mounting mine in the back just because it keeps the exhaust oils off the side of the car. That just gets annoying. All the dirt and crap sticks to that even more so. I like the rear exhaust and the exhaust deflector combo thing AE's got going. Seems to keep it all out of the way

[vtl1180ny]

Has anyone had any problems with the tank yet??? I spent 2 days trying to diagnose a problem and I ended up swapping the tank from my Tmaxx and now the truck runs fine... I'm going to gather that the flapper valve is not working correctly and it's sucking more air than fuel, there were a lot of air bubbles in the line... Yes, I changed the fuel line first and even got rid of the primer... I'm pretty PO'd right now, no one local has the tank and I really don't want to have to adapt a smaller T-Maxx tank to fit...

[fuzzy2133]

what about the fuel line in the MGT's tank? I had small bubbles comming out of my tank so I replaced that with some fuel tubing that has a thicker wall. when I run this weekend I could tell you if it fixed it.

[fuzzy2133]

here are some pics

suspention relaxed

[fuzzy2133]

suspention compressed

[MikeWz]

I see you got the Fantom on that bad boy...and you mounted it rear exhaust :cool: Good man!
Lemme know what yout think of that. Bet you love it

Unforunately (or not so unforunately) I can't get too many hop-ups for my truck because I'm getting a Kanai III :rolleyes: (haha racer :p ) and it's gonna take up pretty much all me cash. I was looking forward to an all red and silver truck too :o

[fehlj]

New member here,

I have a new MGT and here about wheelies. Do I have to change the factory tuning?

Thanks

[MikeWz]

Uhhhhh, yeah after break in you're gonna want to change the needle settings. Make sure you follow the instructions included with the truck for break in to the letter. If you don't break it in properly your engine won't really ever run good again and won't last as long either. And the engine is the last part you want to replace. It's a bit expensive.

[RDucky02]

-fuzzy

did you cut the stock manifold back to fit that pipe in there? or do some other kind of mod to get it to fit since its such a big pipe?

[RCRACER2471]

Unforunately (or not so unforunately) I can't get too many hop-ups for my truck because I'm getting a Kanai III :rolleyes: (haha racer :p ) and it's gonna take up pretty much all me cash. I was looking forward to an all red and silver truck too :o

Your pushing it buddy.....you really are.... :)

Im willing to give up my MGT for that buggy...... :eek:

[MikeWz]

Naw dude it's not really worth it. There's only a few small differences. For the price difference you could add some Firioni parts which would make it just as good, if not better. I was thinking about doing that myself actually. Not sure yet though. I mean, that's like $300 worth of Fironi gear. Could put the Torson diffs in there :cool:

[RCRACER2471]

Im slowly fading away from the monster truck scence. I have done every type of vechicle except 1/8 scale buggy. I would like to race my MGT but my local track is just too small and tight. Either I need to find a bigger track or get a buggy that has plenty of handling to make its way through those tight corners. Im still thinking about it.....

[MikeWz]

Hold onto the truck and use it for a winter basher. Use the Buggy to race all throughout the summer then put it away after the track closes. Whip out the MGT in the winter and find some construction sites or something. Trust me, you'll want to hang onto it

[fuzzy2133]

-fuzzy

did you cut the stock manifold back to fit that pipe in there? or do some other kind of mod to get it to fit since its such a big pipe?

yea I had to cut the stock header, the first cut was to get rid of the last straight part where the stock coupler would fit too. after that I cut about 1/8 more at a time.

I have one more pic up on my site on the link below.

www.alongi.net/rcdivision

[RDucky02]

Hey, I posted this last night in another thread and thought I would bring it in here to see your thoughts. I posted it in the revo thread. also any else not understand why the revo is supposed to be all "race" but its still not a kit like the Savage SS?


I remember my first R/C car from when I was still in middle school. It was a RC10T and it came RTR with everything I needed. I bought it used for 150. 150.... I have an MGT, kyosho mp 7.5, txt1, ntc3, and a eletric heli now. I just dropped 180 to put the picco .26 into my MGT.

With the prices that the MGT, the LST, the savage, and the REVO are going for is getting kinda out of control. The LST marked at roughly 600 on tower, lower else where, but still 600 roughly. Thats really getting up there. Like I said I paid 150 for my first truck RTR. Although it was used it was only used a few times and was like new. Additionally MT are more expensive but even beginners are looking at the MT's. And for some kid to come up to me and talk with me about my car and to tell him how much money i got rolling in my cars just is a huge turn off. Yea I mention you can get started for alot less with something like a stadium truck but for most newbies racing isnt the first thing they do, they drive in the yard and in the street and what better than an MT to do that with?

But as you can see the price of MT's is going up and it is getting kinda high. And there are people getting scared off from the hobby because they walk into the hobby store with their parents or thems for the first time. Then they see the prices. This is becuse more and more MT are on the shelf with prices around 500 that the RTR TC3's and less expensive models from tamiya and other RTR.

note: in retrospect, if my son was older and we had another child or if i was young and i wanted a truck, i'ld buy two T-Maxxs for me and my buddy for roughly the same price as 1 LST...

[MikeWz]

Ducky-You're right in saying the prices are getting out of control. However, when it comes to the LST just remember it already comes with a .26 and the XS3. You can get an MGT for about $425 now, then drop in the $180 for the .26 and bam, you're at $600 already.

However, just because the ReVO is only in RTR form doesn't mean it's not nice. Check out the Lightning PRO 2. Just won a few major events and it's pre-built. You'll also note that the savage SS kit winds up being more expensive (as do most kits) because you have to drop your own engine and radio in there. Figure $300 for the kit, roughly $120 for the radio (MX-3) and about $150 for the engine. You're now at $570. That runs just about the same as the rest.

Stadium trucks are less expensive because they aren't as big. The parts don't need to be quite as strong and you don't need a massive engine. Buggies are the most expensive becaues they are so much more complicated. I hope that pretty much answers your questions. :o

[RDucky02]

-Mike

Actually I didnt have any questoins just commenting on prices.

It is true that you get more when you pay more and you dont have to pay the prices to upgrade. I was more commenting on MT's taking over shelves in the hobby store (not that im complaining about that) so when newbies comes in all the prices they see is the most expensive models. Also how you can get 2 tmaxxs for the price of one of the massive models. dont get me wrong, ild take an LST over 2 tmaxxs anyday though. but if i was 12 ild get the maxxs so my buddy and i could drive em till they died.

[fuzzy2133]

RDucky - you made a good point that with MT's you can pretty much drive them where ever you want. One of the things I notices happening over the last 2 years at Sheldons on their nitro shelfs it is 1/4 stadiun, 1/4 TC's and 1/2 assorted MT's. the RTR package for a MT is cheaper than a kit stadium truck or kit TC. it has turned into how muck can be in the box for the cheapest possible price.

as for the Revo it would not suprise me if it replaces the T-maxx.

[vtl1180ny]

I'm still waiting to see what the Revo looks like in person, my son'e going to be 5 in a few months and it's time he gets a gas truck... Yes I'm going to get a 5 year old a nitro truck....

If anyone's interested, I'm now running 2 T-maxx tanks on the MGT... They are a perfect fit and it you run 1 forward and 1 backwards the cut outs for the ez start give the linkages more than enough clearance...

I was going to get a new MGT tank or 2 but no one local has the tanks and I really don't want to go through the headache I did with the top pickup sucking air again...

Also... The primer works perfectly mounted on the exhaust side. Instead of pumping fule it's pressurizing the tank...

[MikeWz]

Haha, I wish my 'rents started me when I was 5. I started off at 10 with an E-pede that I traded for a Nitro Hawk....man that was A LONG time ago.

Just make sure you use ATV so he can't go full throttle. That should help him learn how to control it a bit better.

The REVO looks like it's going to be a fairly decent truck, I don't think it'll replace the T-maxx in anyway though. You may be better off getting him a T-maxx. It'll be just as good for somebody his age and is quite a bit lighter on the wallet

[cbr74]

My little boy is 17 months. He doesn't care for the noise of the nitros, but he'll watch from the bay window when I'm running. He adores the mini electrics though and acts as my own personal corner marshall. LOL

He likes to turn the steering wheel back and forth but he's not quite ready for actual driving yet. Key word: YET.

[vtl1180ny]

He already has a Micro RS4, E-maxx, my old RC10T and a Nitro 4tec... He has to keep up with Dad... Haha...

[MikeWz]

Took the MGT out for a hardcore bash today. Got a friend (whom I recruited to R/C :cool: )to take some pics with his Digi-cam. Thought you may like to check 'em out.

Won't let me upload because they're too big, so check 'em out here

Http://photos.yahoo.com/cessnaskyhawk123

It'll be worth the time ;)

[fehlj]

Those pics are great. How do I post pics and post new questions.

Thanks

[MikeWz]

Thanks, I hope to have some videos soon too. That area is SO much fun to bash in. I need a camera first though :(

To post a picture you:
1.) Click post new reply
2.) Click manage Attachments
3.) Find the file on yer compy and click attach
Done.

As far as new questions, I'm not really sure what you're talking about. Can't you just post them normaly?

[fehlj]

Here a pic from this week end. Have to get better quality in a small file size. 70kb

[RDucky02]

Took out the MGT today and have a few problems... mostly because of my inexpierence with huge engines. the .26 makes godly amounts of compression and starting it is a pain (for lack of a better word that wont get *** out), HOWEVER the LHS taught me a trick and its like wow. Loosening the glow plug makes starting so much easier plus i ripped out the restrictor today in the carb. this thing just keeps blowing my mind. just when im like, wow, this is awesome, its hits the notch up another notch with getting rid of the restrictor. plus i put in the robo disk, wow, stops it on a dime, worth the 20 bucks. however allow 30 mins to drop it in, its tedious. anyway..... Ill have to get some actions pics of the truck in action. i love seeing your guys pics.

most of you guys running 40 series or beadlock or what? im looking for new rims and tires, just seeing what you guys think of what you have

[RDucky02]

forgot to mention my 14 month old son loves wrenching on my car too... mostly holding onto my leg as i drive it. but when its inside or outside and not running he likes imitading me with my carb tuning screwdrive but touching the truck with it and turning his wrist, then goes to the other side and does it again. he liked the miniT i had but he likes playing with my txt1. i let him play with the controller when its in the yard and see what he can get it to do... mostly he just hit buttons and makes it gives burst of throttle irattically. cant for till hes old enough to get it completly. maybe when hes 2 or 3... or 5 take care and have fun with your sons/daughters

[vtl1180ny]

My son absolutely hated the sound of my nitro cars/trucks until he learned how to drive them... I started my son at 3, I put a neck strap on the controller to help him with the weight, gave him a big empty field, my ancient rc10t and let him rip... He'll be 5 soon but still needs to use his left thumb to brake/reverse... Start them as early as you can... I've got my second child on the way and I can't wait till their old enough...


I'm running the Imex Jumbo Swampers, they're supposed to look like regular Super Swampers... They are absolutely awesome for the loose stuff and make this great sound skidding on the street... Don't bother with dusty dry pack with these, they go nowhere fast... The diameter is smaller than stock but they're over an inch wider...

[fehlj]

What rims do you run with the swampers? I am thinking about changing tires, but I love how the originals go through the rough stuff.

[vtl1180ny]

Imex rims, only ones that the tires will fit on... Don't know which model they are called...

[RDucky02]

anyone running aluminum rims or maybe tires from the savage or LST?

[MikeWz]

LST isn't out yet, but I will be running some Savage Aluminum rims shortly. If I can get them before I leave for home I'll post up and let you know how they are. They're supposed to be the same size as the MGT anyway so I'm sure there's no problem

[RDucky02]

Sorry for the confusion, i was actually talking about hte Losi Zombie Maxx tires... The pattern looks wicked awesome for all around off road use. But it will probably get eaten quickly up on ashault, however this may not be the case. check them out at

http://www.teamlosi.com/newprod/2003prods/zombie.htm

let me know what you guys think and if any of you are running them.

[MikeWz]

Hah, Lol. Yeah man those are just the ones offered on the LST. I'd actually like to pick up a pair of those. I'm not too terribly worried about eating them up on pavement, as I can just slap on the stock tires if I wanna bash on-road. Those look super grippy for off-road and worth going for. Infact, I think I'll pick myself up a set :cool:

[RCRACER2471]

Hey guys I have made a decision to sell my MGT in order to support 1/8 scale buggy racing. I know some day that I will regret selling it but I dont have much of a choice if I want to get a $1000 buggy. Ive done every form of cars and trucks except buggies and I think this might be the one. So Im just saying good bye and If anyone is interested in buying a limited edition mgt roller send me an email. Sorry Mike but I gotta do it..... :(

[MikeWz]

I'm dissapointed in you man. You don't gotta have a nasty set-up the first season you race. Chances are you're not gonna win anyway. Why don't you just get a nice buggy and a decent engine/pipe for the first season, and then next season (when you'll have saved up more) get a hella nice engine and pipe? The only reason I'm getting a nice set-up is because I can afford it.

If you set on selling, do you still have that Hella nice flag body?

[vtl1180ny]

Has anyone had any problems with the tranny staying in second after putting in a more powerful engine???

[Monsterbrad]

Have any of you guys raced a GS sut????
Just curious
I raced one and got my butt kicked

[MikeWz]

Of couse, the SUT is a truggy, it's meant to race. The MGT is a real Monster truck meant to tackle anything you put in front of it. It's no designed specifically for racing

[fuzzy2133]

Has anyone had any problems with the tranny staying in second after putting in a more powerful engine???

I have and it was causing the clutch shoes to slip and almost overheating the engine. the solution is to set the second gear up shift to a later setting and/or change to a different clutch shoe material.

[vtl1180ny]

Well... I blew the tranny... Sheared the 2 speed shaft, it took the one way, gears and clutch with it...

[fuzzy2133]

how did you manage that?

[vtl1180ny]

how did you manage that?

Sirio 27.... It sheared the 2 speed shaft right behind the clutch...


Rebuilt the dam thing and it refuses to shift into second... That and I can't seem to get the engine to stop moving...

Anyone making a metal spur and different slipper setup for the truck yet???

[MikeWz]

I wouldn't recommend a metal spur. If your stripping plastic ones than there's something wrong any way. A .27 wouldn't just strip a spur out of shear power. The plastic spur is meant to break to save more expensive parts such as Clutch Bells or Tranny gears.

How loose is the little nut that changes the shift time?

[fuzzy2133]

what gear combo are you running as well?

the cb and spur gear ratio will also affect the 2 speed shift.

[MikeWz]

Actually come to think of it, so does the mixture you're running on the engine. Is it a fairly new engine? If you're running rich robinson racing says that sometimes trucks have trouble shifting into second

[vtl1180ny]

I was screwing with it today, finally got it shifting... I'm not a huge fan of the "T-Maxx" slipper... I went back to the stock wheels, the weight of the Imex jumbo's was too much of the hex's... Made myself a wheelie bar and was riding up and down the block doing wheel stands...

[MikeWz]

Glad to hear you got her running

I lost my effin set-screw today for my front diff :( Mad suck when your little TT .21 is trying to push your 10lb truck around with rear wheel drive. Anybody know where I can get a set-screw that'll fit?

[fuzzy2133]

if it is the set screw for a CVA just go get one from the hardware store. at OSH in CA you get 3 set screws for $0.40. if it is the pin with threads then it is a hobby shop.

[vtl1180ny]

The problem with most manufacturers and those Pin with the threads is you need to buy the whole assembly usually to get the pin... I have a cut down allen key as a drive pin on one of my wheels currently...

I really feel for these newbies who want to get into the hobby and go straight for Nitro... My first Nitro car was a Cox .049 powered thing and without my father to help me I wasn't even able to start the thing when I was a kid... But in the 70's you couldn't get anything close to what there is today... I've been doing this for a long time and there are days when I can't figure out what is wrong with an engine for the life of me... It has to suck when your a kid, this is your brand new toy and your only RC and you don't have the experience to figure out what's wrong... I have 4 Nitro trucks, only 1 1/2 currently run... I say 1/2 because my old pro 15 maxx is in serious need of a rebuild or replace on the engine... I always bring 2 vehicles with me when I go out somewhere racing or bashing... You aren't always in the mood to fix something so just switch cars, I did that the other night when my Ntc3 got hopes it could be an airplane... Ever see an nitro on road go 5' in the air, somewhere between 70-80mph? Only broke a steering knuckle when it landed...

[MikeWz]

naw it's just the set screw for the CVA in the front. Stupid me. I shoulda listened to everybody and just taken the time to take them out, thread lock them and put them back in. STUPID ME.

Vt-how the hell did you get your NTC3 to run 70mph!?!?

[Jeff Cain]

I did that the other night when my Ntc3 got hopes it could be an airplane... Ever see an nitro on road go 5' in the air, somewhere between 70-80mph? Only broke a steering knuckle when it landed...

NICE! :D

[vtl1180ny]

Vt-how the hell did you get your NTC3 to run 70mph!?!?

JP Racing Novarossi.... I don't even true my foams down with it anymore, it eats tires like crazy... I wish I could run rubber but it just does donuts... I also have a Nitro 4-Tec, makes it look like it's standing still... I need to use a better body with more front downforce than the mustang I've been using... I have a stratus but I'm not racing it so why use the dodge????

naw it's just the set screw for the CVA in the front. Stupid me. I shoulda listened to everybody and just taken the time to take them out, thread lock them and put them back in. STUPID ME.

I just did that the other day... Is it just me but does everyone's universal joints seem to have a lot of play???

[MikeWz]

VT- Good plan. Threadlocking them saves time and trouble. I'm going to use Red Threadlock on mine. If I need to get them out I'll just put a lighter to them to loosen up the bond. My CVAs don't have play in them at all. Hey VT, drop me a PM with your phone number or something. I'll be back on the island on the 27th. We'll have to bash

[vtl1180ny]

I think my fascination with wheelies is just breaking things... I guess the fact that I'm 34 and permanently disabled for life now has done it... I have 4 sportbikes and I really can't ride much anymore, it hurts too much, so I miss riding wheelies myself... No, you'd never realize I was unless you notice the fact that I tend to turn my body, not my neck... Got hit by a snowplow at work in 2000 and I have developed severe arthritis in my neck...

[MikeWz]

Oh man, sorry to hear that.
What bikes you got? I was looking at the Yamaha YZF-R1. Wish I had the cash....and a lisence. I don't think it'll happen.

Apparantly AE has a new set of pins/set screws for the CVAs. Apparantly the pins have slots in them now so the set screws hold better.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFUB7&P=7

hopefully my LHS has them in stock or I'll have to wait a while

[RDucky02]

i havent yet thread locked them and i should but i dont... i will.... maybe... ill learn all to well like most of you and say, yep, shoulda done it. anyone look at the site beatyourtruck.com? i love it. its insane what some people do to there cars. i think some of them are idiots and give the hobby a bad name. but some of it is pretty cool. cant wait for tmorrow. got monday off, hvae to take out the truck and see what more i can do to it. anyone total there mgt yet? or had a really insanw accident yet?

[vtl1180ny]

I have an R1 in my collection with a bit of work done to it... I'd seriously stay away from Liter class sportbikes unless you have a alot of experience... I've never opened the bike up fully, just nowhere to do it...


I wish I had taken pictures of my front suspension ripped off the truck, screws and all... That was my worst...

[RDucky02]

anyone running any mod that they would recommend. looking to upgrade a lil more. seeing hwat you guys think was relaly worth it.

[MikeWz]

I would highly recommend the forward only conversion. I just dropped it in yesterday and without even running the car, I can feel the weight difference just by lifiting it up, that's how much weight comes. I haven't actually run the car yet, because I took it out right after and forgot to put a short spacer on the two speed shaft so the one gear was moving down the shaft and not engaging. The steering servo also moves much faster because you don't have a thrid servo sucking up extra energy.

[RDucky02]

ive been thinking about doing that. I heard it saves about 8-10 ounces... i might miss reverse but i dont think i use it that often. so ill have to see if the LHS has it in.

[fuzzy2133]

landing 6ft+ jumps or real bad crashes seem to be the only way to break the lower hinge pin mount. several after market companies have said that the diff case design is too complex to machine at a reasonable price. that is too bad cause it would make the MGT look sweet.