1/5th scale buggey.. 4WD or RWD?

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J

jweaver

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Other than small cars as a kid, I started out with RC cars back in 1988, when I spent my first wage packet on a Grasshopper Super-G (didn't we all :) )..

22 years on, I still have it and it still works (they don't make them like they used too)..

I grew out of it and never progressed, until decided to look into Nitro about 5 years ago, where I bought an HPI Savage... I loved it, but I missed the RWD fun (doughnuts) that I had with the grasshopper.

So I decide to buy an HPI Rush and to be honest, I enjoyed it more than the Savage. After this I went a bit mad, and bought an MT-2 and RS4 and spent a fortune 'upgrading' them.

In the end, every car had its own container, each one containing everything (tools, glow starter, rotostart, fuel, batteries, etc) to get it going.. And this lead to the downfall of my interest.

Because I had so many cars, I could never decide what to take out to play.. So I used to take them all.. But to get them running I had to charge 24 AAs (yes.. I know.. I could have just had one TX).. Racing packs (for the rotostart). 4 x hump packs.. And some glow starters).. Needless to say that I got bored and rarely used them. They were just too much hassle.

Last year, I went to a country fair, where they had a demonstration of 1/5th buggys (I think they were HPI Bajas) and was blown away. But I vowed that I wouldn't get another car.

Then this week, 2 of my colleagues announced that they wanted to get into Electric RC, so I took them to the model shop to let them see what was about.. Whilst they were talking, I had a look at the models and fell in love with a 1/5th scale buggy they had which is made by FTX and called "Punisher".

It wasn't very expensive, and it didn't take me long to realise that I WANT ONE... And I came up with a cunning plan.. I am going to sell HPI cars so that I can start all over again.. i can get rid of everything associated with Nitro, buy a Punsiher and start from scratch.. Hopefully if I don't get the bug again, I will keep just ONE car and hopefully this time around, us it.

But before I decided on the Punisher, I looked at the HPI Bajas and was surprised to learn that they are RWD.. NOw this really appeals as a "loose back end" is what appeals to me in off road motor sports.. As I said above, I had more fun flicking the back end out on my Grasshopper and Rush than driving the 4WD cars...

I am not going to race this.. Its just a boys toy and I just want to rag it about.

So would I be better off getting a Baja and having some RWD fun.. Or will the 4WD Punisher hit the spot?

Jon
 
id get a 2wd if i was you im the same rwd rocks its so much fun sliding them around plus i think they make you a better driver in the long run as you have to feed the power to them instead of just planting it and letting the 4wd take over i run a 2wd fg marder bettle and love every momment im out with it plus theres less to go wrong ie only one diff two drive shafts were 4wd has three diffs more drive shafts its all extra money when things break and they do nothing is bombproof and off roading takes its toll but saying that i haven't had that many problems in nearly 2 years but id never go back to nitro ever it sucks 2 stroke is the key to fun you wont look back
 
renbar said:
id get a 2wd if i was you im the same rwd rocks its so much fun sliding them around plus i think they make you a better driver in the long run as you have to feed the power to them instead of just planting it and letting the 4wd take over i run a 2wd fg marder bettle and love every momment im out with it plus theres less to go wrong ie only one diff two drive shafts were 4wd has three diffs more drive shafts its all extra money when things break and they do nothing is bombproof and off roading takes its toll but saying that i haven't had that many problems in nearly 2 years but id never go back to nitro ever it sucks 2 stroke is the key to fun you wont look back
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But are 2WDs drivable? Whilst I loved driving my Rush, it did get frustrating. On tarmac and gravel it was OK, but on slippery stuff it was almost impossible to keep in a straight line.

I worry that something this big, with so much power whilst may be fun because they are loose, they may also be frustrating as you can't get the power down.

But I do agree with you about the maintenance.. Every car I have owned, has always had problems with the Drive system, and something so simple obviously has its benifts.


Jon
 
jweaver said:
But are 2WDs drivable? Whilst I loved driving my Rush, it did get frustrating. On tarmac and gravel it was OK, but on slippery stuff it was almost impossible to keep in a straight line.
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it's all about what upgrades you go for, tyres etc. because of the power of thease, most people who take their offroad car on tarmac use slicks to stop the tyres being killed. I've never had a problem controlling mine. I personaly find that because of the slower spool up of the big engine it is much esier to controll the traction of a large scale than a Nitro.

out of the box very few large scale cards will pop a wheelie (with the exception of the moster trucks), but they will all wheelspin if you let it rip. I've clocked my FG Baja doing 40mph stock, which is prety rapid for something so big, and I assume that most other large scales will do a similar speed, so it isn't like performance is an issue.

if you want silly levels of hard to handle power, you can allways get a head hit and put a big tuned pipe on it. Although this gives loads of power, most people then change the gearing to use the power for more speed instead of wheelies (can't steer with wheels in the air!)



The main advice I think that anyone on the forum will give you is to pick a brand that spares are easy to get hold of in your area. In europe (and some parts of the USA) FG is easy to get hold of, in the USA (and most of europe) HPI is readily avaliable. Other brands tend to vary more depending on what your LHS carries.
 
jweaver said:
But are 2WDs drivable? Whilst I loved driving my Rush, it did get frustrating. On tarmac and gravel it was OK, but on slippery stuff it was almost impossible to keep in a straight line.

I worry that something this big, with so much power whilst may be fun because they are loose, they may also be frustrating as you can't get the power down.

But I do agree with you about the maintenance.. Every car I have owned, has always had problems with the Drive system, and something so simple obviously has its benifts.


Jon
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fair point but these are heavy cars so they do handle better if you look through some of my old posts theres a vid of mine but that was running the 29cc ddm engine now its running a oddified 6+hp 23cc engine which is a bit lively some days you just cant put the power down full stop then on a different day its flat out everywere one of my mates has a 4wd mcd baja 1000 theres not a great deal init but im 100% sure it will teach you to drive better
 
RWD is easy enough to get the hang of & these things are very durable. There is a punisher with a few nice mods for sale on here - check out the sale section. I bought a used FG marder rather than a new punisher or carson as I was advised by my mates that FG's and HPI's are the best VFM. I can say it hasnt let me down so far :cool: The punisher is a good piece of kit by all accounts tho.......you could always take the drive shafts out when you want 2wd fun ;)
 
4wd is so easy. don't know mcd or etc but 4wd marder seems to understeer pretty much. If you want to race I believe 4wd is superior. But for me beast taming is best part. 4wd migth be my next truck (maybe cen) but more parts means more hard earned money more gears, more diffs, more driveshafts. driving 5b and fg are so different. 5b from zero speed tends to oversteer hugely (when there isnt much weight transfer) after that twichy behavior continues if you don't have guts to hit throttle hard. 5b still tends to oversteer at high speed (again less weight transfer). fg tips over very easily... and tipping is annoying. 5b suspension is so much better than fg type cars so in rough terrain there isnt competition. Marder type cars has lot of grip on back after 0--> speed twitching, that means lot of understeer (at loose surface) and you have to teas it with throttle to make it turn. Remember 5b is bigger and needs bigger driving area and fg is A lot easier and faster maintain. well that was so offtopic but my point was that rwd cars can be very different to drive.... And buy 5b
 
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Its what you get used to I suppose mate. Tipping in corners can be down to all sorts of things. For 1 HPI's don't have the spiked tyres that FG's have. These really dig in when they are new especially on grass but my mates have worn down & his slides round the corners for fun :D I love my marder :drool: :lol::lol:
 
dwarfy said:
https://www.largescaleforums.com/showthread.php?t=9656

This was the one. don't think its been sold yet.
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My local model shop has the Punisher for £550, which I would rather go for over 2nd hand, just because its nice to have something new.

That said, I have been offered a Baja which has only run for 20 mins for £600 which is obviously tempting.

Still not sure whether to go for a new Punisher or 2nd hand Baja, as I am going to limit my budget this time around!

Jon
 
jweaver said:
My local model shop has the Punisher for £550, which I would rather go for over 2nd hand, just because its nice to have something new.

That said, I have been offered a Baja which has only run for 20 mins for £600 which is obviously tempting.

Still not sure whether to go for a new Punisher or 2nd hand Baja, as I am going to limit my budget this time around!

Jon
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If its the HPI baja I would go for that. It will cost you less in the long run. Its a well sorted buggy & all parts are top quality. Also if/when it comes to selling on a HPI will get snapped up in no time. The same would apply if its an FG baja.
 
dwarfy said:
If its the HPI baja I would go for that. It will cost you less in the long run. Its a well sorted buggy & all parts are top quality. Also if/when it comes to selling on a HPI will get snapped up in no time. The same would apply if its an FG baja.
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Yes.. Its an HPI.. Its a shame that I have never seen one to compare it to the FTX.. If the Punisher impresses me, based on standard spec, components and build quality, will the HPI too?
 
jweaver said:
Yes.. Its an HPI.. Its a shame that I have never seen one to compare it to the FTX.. If the Punisher impresses me, based on standard spec, components and build quality, will the HPI too?
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FTX is same car that nutech (if I am right) and nutech is known to be very durable car.
 
id go for the hpi its probaly got the biggest following if you break somthing ebay or a good model shop can you geyt spares easy for the ftx where you live either online or shop you will be gutted having to wait for a part knowing that you can get the same part easy for the other car my mate has a km baja clone and its a realy nice handleing car he just hammers it take the bumps much better than my fg and hasnt realy broken anything other than a wishbone he got one from ebay for a couple of quid plus like dwafy said they sell like hot cakes so you will alway get some money back on it have a look on youtube at both cars being bashed and see whos having the most fun as that all that matters anyway
 
I have mixed feelings. I have both 2wd and 4wd cars. I have a nutech and off road the 4wd is a blast. they don't get stuck as often. on road I prefer the 2wd as it is more of a challenge... unless it's drifting time... can't drift a 2wd the same
 
pipeous said:
I have mixed feelings. I have both 2wd and 4wd cars. I have a nutech and off road the 4wd is a blast. they don't get stuck as often. on road I prefer the 2wd as it is more of a challenge... unless it's drifting time... can't drift a 2wd the same
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Drifting 2wd is all about balancing the throttle & steering. I cant do it either :(
 
there is a way i had a nitro car for drifting and used a esky gyro meant for a heli i put it in line on the steering servo and stuck it on top of the servo it work very well every time the back end steps out it will counter steer for you but you still have total control via handset it was only cheap im going to get another one and try on my bug it only cost about a tenner hpi do make somthing called driftbox or dbox but its nearly a hundred quid and does the same thing if you want to drift in a 2wd then it worth a tenner of ebay just type in esky gyro and take you pick mine came from hong kong
 
ps its not a cure you still need to play with the throttle and steering it wont do it all but its a helping hand and if you hide it on the car just blag it and everybody will think youre the dogs
 
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