Looking into 4wd MCD

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i don't own any 4wd, but to what ive read & followed the fg 4wd design is prob the best at the moment, they spent years (literally....years!) developing it so it wasnt rushed out & was thoroughly tested before release & so far heard nothing but good comments on it. If i was to go 4wd (which i doubt it as i love 2wd) id defo get the 4wd kit for my mb pro :)
 
Fg is just as hard to get parts here in the States. I can only get
parts from a couple place's and they don't carry all the real good
little part's, or it takes a whike to get them.
I was hoping that a really good project would bring out some U.S
LSRC parts manufacture's. I was surprised at the guy's who passed
at the offer. At the same time I was surprized by the one's that
stepped forward.
I have been sick for a while so thing's are a little behind. I will get
soem pic's of the B1000 up real soon.
 
i just want to pull the trigger for v4 racerunner. but I saw those pictures of the broken item of v3 that stop me . I want to hear the comment on racerunner from v4 owners .

Does the v4 have the same problem like v3's ? apart from the wing problem , v4 also have Shock forks ,Turnbuckles, Diffs problem ? :rolleyes::cool:

Thank you for your input
 
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I think that the picture you saw isn't unique....
I own a 5T to, this is a hell of a car...but I can show you the same even more scarier pictures of a 5T. :oops:
But you can always replace a weak part for a aloy one...on MCD, FG and HPI
so this is not realy an issue.

I have sevaral HPI Savages, had 2 5T's (sold one) and this MCD EVO III Comp. from 2009 and 2 FG Marders.
So I can make an honest compare to the 5T and the FG marder family.
Wishbones and many other pars of the 5T and Marder are not of the same quality as the MCD parts.
They ar good, realy good, they handle the job very good.

But MCD's parts are....well..... mean and BIG.
The plastic MCD uses is very very strong, I not only experienced this...but I can see and feel it.

Why is it always so hard to show in a picture how BIG something is hahahaha

There are places where I broke things on my 5T and Marder but the MCD kept on going..and the other way around.
Demage is often due to a mix of various unfortunate events that only become visible in a slow motion playback.
Sometimes the strongest of cars get demaged during a situation that looks almost like nothing strange happened...and sometimes you hit a tree, flip over 20 times, landing 2 meters deper in a ditch and the car is fine.

The only weak point of this EVO III is the tooth gear.
But I've changed the 2 that became hot into steel ones.
And now the problem is over.
Maybe I'll change the other two and use a gear cover.
But that's not realy a must.

The other (optical) weak point......the wheels.
MCD can't seem to make nice rims and tire combinations.
So an FG ore HPI set will give this car killer looks.

I don't know the v4 but this one is absolutely as good and at some points even better than FG or HPI.
But that's my opinion ;)
 
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I got a smartech traveller...piece of pooh.

Redcat rampage MT.....Baja's and other 1:5 buggies, have T-boned it and bouncing off with snapped front arms....The tires are massive which absorb damage but very sluggish and heavy.

Baja 5B all rounder fun car......can't really land jumps as well as MTs....Bogs in the sand which requires a lot of running and recover...Spins out way too much around corners.

MCD race runner gen 1....Tough but very expensive when it breaks....I replaced both front and rear diffs, worth half a baja...Now I'm scared to fully have fun with it....I have turned this into a stadium truck with FG ST wheels and tires.

Which do I like best???......The Rampage....I only got stock 23cc so it's under powered for now, but for the price....I have not replaced anything except the gears to metal, which was a fraction of the cost as my MCD.....The price for stock parts are cheap....So I drive this thing over anything....bajas, fgs, and mcds.

MCD is major cash for upgrades man...Just price the metal gears, (only if you break)diffs, gear carrier and servo plates....Which I think are mandatory components upgrades on MCDs....

I will be keeping all four 1:5 they have different purposes for me.........I want a petrol 1:5 with the AGILITY of a HPI savage and all wheel drive....I got all four HPI savage versions.
 
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exactly, as you say..... "you heard many negative things about MCD".
But you did not experienced it yourself.
Based on that, I think it's a bit strange to give the advise "to stay away from it"... :cool:

I own a Baja 5T, 2 FG Marders and this MCD Baja.
The MCD is by far the best.

This truck is build superb yet simple and the parts...well you got to see them and feel them to understand that this is one of the strongest rc's around.
Put them next to a 5T and you see the difference.

The 5T is one of my favorites...and it's also very strong.
But strong in another way.
The 5T is build more high tech, one part supports the other and everything together makes it strong, a perfect basher.
MCD is build like a tank, nothing fancy....just very simple strong building blocks.

Here's mine after a clean up.
I lifted the MCD to a maximum.
IMG_5970.webp
I'm going to put the alloy servo tray end Gear carrier back on and replace the other 2 plastic gears by steel ones so the drive train will be all steel....
I have the FG monster wheels they will give it the last few cm's of lift.

So my advise is, try MCD :)
 
Did you hear that too ;)

I think this diff is oke but what do you expect from a standard diff?
What engine are you running, what gear ratio, who's driving the thing etc etc...
There are to many factors that could trigger problems to the diff.

Most RC cars have weak points comming out of the box...
FG, HPI Baja, Carson etc, that's no different to MCD.

I think that's not a reason why someone wouldn't try MCD
 
Don't get my post wrong guys... I love my MCD....I just don't want to bust a set of diffs again. The later version diffs are of better material they say so I am hoping.
 
;)

I have an MCD baja from februari 2009.
And still run the same diff sinds.
I have a baja 5T also from 2009 and I blew the rear diff during the 3th run.
There was no grease in the diff so that could have done the trick.

Although diff's or other parts can be relatively weak compared to the rest of the car..in most cases it's a user mistake I think

I wanted to sell my MCD baja recently...but then I desided not to.
After a few runs with my 5T I knew the MCD was a whole different ball game.
I love the 5T but it can not do what the MCD does :cup-1:

Now the MCD is lifted to the same hight as my 5T, the FG monster tires will give it an extra few cm's more...
Now I can jump as high as a 5T without hitting the chassis to the ground and even have a much more balanced flight due to the engine that's placed in the center of the car.
 
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We all damage our cars...That's half of the fun....It gets damaged because we use it...Therefore 99 percent of damage, is users fault.

Here is the fact: I damaged my diffs because I used it.....It cost me $199.00AUD for 2008 (less for older but weaker diffs) from power slide....x2 (front and rear) equals to $398.00AUD.....That is near half the price of a second hand HPI baja 5B........ For one pair of 2008 MCD differentials.

2008 MCD DIFFERENTIALS PRICE

I am in NO WAY, saying not to get an MCD, as I have one and since the diff thing, I had only busted rose joints at the front.....I am just saying to be aware of the difference in price.
 
I bought 2 complete spare diff's on Ebay for 25 euro's per pice.
Oke, they are second hand, but never the less very oke.
30 euro's for a complete rear suspension and 35 for the complete front suspension of a Baja Evo III comp.

I agree, some parts are WAY WAY to expensive and MCD should do someting about that.
When a diff is 180 euro's I want it to be bullet proof...and it's not.
But for now I never blew one but when I do...I have 2 spares.

Are there people who tried their MCD baja as a 2WD?
It gives you a spare diff and the fun of the 5T roosters ;-)
 
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Trying MCD as 2WD...? That is how I busted the second diff...Aparently the diffs prior to 2008 was of weaker material and that is why they made second versions. The same specs. Probably different steel formula or tempering.....That is probably what your spare ones are, because somebody upgraded before they blew.

How I wish there were second hand parts on ebay for MCD's everyday, unfortunately, they don't come by too often as there are not as many users like the HPI stuff....Another consideration, that you should take....There are second hand HPI bajas on the market and parts everyday, every where......MCDs....ummm...maybe not.
 
They should be 2009...
But yeah, there's a risk they are not. :rolleyes:
Never the less, these are nice things to have as a spare though ;-)

I agree HPI parts are very easy to come by and even new, they are fairly priced.
That's the downside of MCD.
I hope there will be more companies in the future that will manufactor spare parts for MCD.
Maybe when HPI goes 4WD with their Baja 5T, MCD will finally drop their prices to a more accaptable level.

I do some heavy bashing with my 5T but I have to say...when I start my MCD, after a few minutes.... I'm not holding back and I give it the same ass kick'n as my 5T.
Untill now it holds up better then the 5T.

For example...
1 upper and lower wishbone of my MCD = 35/40 euro's I thinks.

1 upper and one lower HPI wishbone = 18 euro's
That makes MCD 2 times more expensive.

On the other hand...the 5T parts break more often and so the price I've payed all together last year for fixing up my 5T exceed the cousts of keeping my MCD running.
So what's more expensive at the end...I wonder?
When a diff breaks....oke, this wil set you back 180 euro's.
a HPI diff will coust half of that...maybe a little more.
But I broke a 5T diff before...but never broke a MCD diff.


I think the most fun to drive is the 5T...not becourse it's cheap to fix it when things break... it is more fun due to the 2WD.
But when there would be a contest of endurance...I would defenitely run my MCD Evo III ;)
 
The above post I cannot disagree....If you read my previous posts above, it is what I have said from the START...."The MCD is tough but expensive when it breaks".....We are just going in circles.

HPI has just a smarter marketing strategy.....Without after market parts on a baja, especially front A arms, I run nylons.....Thicker shocks shafts, drive shafts, alloy diff case and the list goes on as you upgrade the engine....The baja will not last on the field of fun.
 
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