HPI Line of Baja

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William E Burrows Jr

Well-Known Member
Messages
331
Location
Florida
A friend of mind purchased a 5th scale Rovan Baja for under $500.00.
It was a 29cc 4 bolt motor be failed to describe the make. CY, Zenoah or a BANGGood special?
He claims he install a kill switch. After breaking it in he went on his maiden bash.
It did not last long , he had a runaway, the kill switch failed and he crashed into a wall damaging most of the front end.
Most of the replacement parts are Hpi, from what I was told.
I was curious and called my friend Dave at DDM knowing that 5th scale Baja's are well over a $1000.00. He told me Hpi has changed hands 3 times and cannot stock any new Hpi Baja's.
He if ready to give up on the company.
Anyone on the forum know if this is true?
Sincerely,
William E. Burrows Jr.
 
As far as I know HPI bajas are no longer made. I would assume that includes parts as well. I have a feeling the availability of much cheaper options made the buisnesses model unsustainable.
 
Good luck. I purchased a used HPI Baja 5R on-road and finding parts is not easy. eBay has some, but most others are limited. You'll have to look at other brands that might fit, read a lot on the forums.

I contacted HPI and they are no where close to coming back. I cannot recommend buying any of their stuff at this point, too hard to get parts and the company is a very lame status
 
I'm not sure where my local hobby shop is getting his HPI parts, but whenever I need an original HPI part ordered in, he gets me anything I need without any issues. I feel like a lot of suppliers out there still have a fully stocked inventory of HPI Baja parts. I've ordered original pinions, steering rods, brake cam bearings, throttle linkages, fuel caps, front arm braces and hinge braces, roll cages, body mounts, wheels, dog bones, output shaft cups, shock shafts, etc. All within a couple years? There's also enough aftermarket performance stuff out there that's better than stock HPI where you can purchase the upgrades to replace your broken parts without going for the Rovan/KM stuff. If you need small misc bits, Rovan/KM will do just fine.

BTW, I thought Traxxas had a big hand in HPI's downfall. They sued them over patent infringement. I didn't even notice Rovan/King Motor stuff until HPI started to disappear. If anything, I think they kept the Baja going. If HPI still made parts for the Baja, Rovan/KM would actually increase HPI's business from selling parts. RC companies make way more money from markup of their replacement parts than entire car sales. Most people I know who have owned Rovan/KM bajas, end up replacing broken or upgraded parts with original HPI (me included). I used to own a KM Baja, and compared to my original HPI Baja I own now, I can honestly tell you there wasn't much of a quality difference. I was never really impressed by HPI's build quality anyways. Both brands suffered the same issues.
 
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