What is the best off road and on road kit as far as all around performance?

[Maddevildog]

New release kits, what is the best overall off road kit out there for racing and bashing, the best overall kit. As well as a on roader. Im looking at the Dark Impact and the Ferrari F430. What do you guys think? Thanks, DJ 

[HunterZero]

Question is - does it have to be a Tamiya?

When you say the Ferrari F-430, do you mean the TA05 version, or the TT-01? Of these, the TA05 is the better track car, but less robust unless you're on a cleaned surface as the belt drive setup is inclined to eat stones. Which makes the lower spec TT-01 probably a better car for bashing, unless you're prepared to get creative to protect the belt and pulleys on a TA05.

Best Tamiya on-road cars are the TB Evo 5 and the TRF-415 series, but again these have exposed drivetrains and are intended for prepared track racing.

I haven't seen a Dark Impact in the plastic, but I've heard they're not a competitive car for racing out of the box, and would require too many mods to make them worth the trouble. They do look like a decent car for bashing though, depending on how robust they are. There's a TRF type buggy apparently due out later this year.

- James

[Mad Ax]

Wouldn't know about on-road stuff as I'm only just getting involved,

but my experience of the Dark Impact is that it's a great off-road

basher.  I regularly take mine to the woods near my place and run

it on gravel, among fallen leaves, up and down some seriously steep and

rough slopes - it handles everything with ease.

Had a few big flips and rolls but haven't damaged anything yet - not

even marked the shell.  Still completely stock at the mo, but

seems to work just fine for what I want to do with it.

Obviously being a buggy it doesn't have the ground clearance of a

truck, which is why at some point I'd like a Double Blaze or similar so

I can experiment with some of the rougher areas in my local woods where

the DI gets stuck...