marder for racing?

[aaean]

Hey all.

a strange randomish question but how do marders compare to the likes of the hpi baja's and other 1/5th cars? my local r/c club run an off road track every wekend and its filled with baja's , a few of those mcd rallys 4x4 and the FG baja.

Track looks reasonably smooth (no huge pot holes but a fair few large ramps)

i was looking at a marder as the chassis seem to be very cheap on Ebay.co.uk (i think i can get a near complete one with an engine for #150 odd) then jsut fork out on decent servos and radio gear and a few sets of wheels/tyres.

I would love to do a 4x4 conversion on one shortly after, on this note how similar are the FG baja and marder chassis? is the baja the same chassis with the 4wd belt kit as standard and different wheels? looking at the youtube videos between the standard rwd and the 4x4 the car looks so much more stable and controlable

i really cant afford the #1000gbp a hpi naja costs and i don't want to spend as much as #800 on a baja/mdc rally etc (plus i like pulling things apart)

any info will be geatly appriciated. also if anyone here in the uk has an old rolling chassis/marder they are willing to let go for a good price drop me a message, its payday tommorow and i get my christmas bonus

cheers!

 

[dwarfy]

I got my marder off ebay for £450. Completely standard but in top condition. I would recommend 1 :cool2: They a great starter for the money compared to say a new xrc or shengqi for example. I have found build to be rock solid with parts readily available. Where are you based aaean?

 

[drbelleville]

In europe the FG Platform is still doing very well, and is strongly supported. I used to race my Marder in the late 90's in germany, and it was great, its easy to maintain, easy to get parts for (In Europe) and reliable. Also you still have many tire choices as most other chassis beside the HPI use the same square drive hub. Overall its a great investment, and it does not require much wrenching to be competitive. Just focus on Good radio gear, brakes, get different compound tires, and just maintain it well, and when you are ready to go full on 4wd you will be ready.

And as Dwarfy mentioned they are a bit better built than the clones (Carson, Duratrax, Smartech etc.) I have had mine since mid 90.

Good luck, and hope this helps a bit