Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
mr haggis

Monster Truck Or Touring Car?

Recommended Posts

Ok guys, here's where I stand,

I have a df03 Keen Hawk at present and am looking for a new toy.

Do I go for a monster truck or a touring car for my next project?

I only bash my dfo3 and would be the same with the monster truck but, I'd love to race the tourer but live in Edinburgh and not sure of any such clubs??? Help needed.

Always fancied a truck though......................

cheers guys,

Mr Haggis

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

just say its "buy 1 get 1 free"

have the shop charge u price of 2 on 1st car and 0 price on the 2nd car

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I say go with your gut. If you always wanted a truck, do it :(

However, racing a tourer is great fun too!

hard choice :D t................r...............................u....................c.............................k

G

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

well...I own all 3 and I must say the beetle would be my choice hands down - just too frickin' cool in the looks department. However, the lunch box is quite a robust piece of rc and a lot of fun to boot/bash

check out Reservoir Bugs on you tube for some cool beetle fun :(

G

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Thinking truck guys, which one? clod, moster beetle, lunchbox?? aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!!!

Midnight Pumpkin??

There's a original (has FORD on the tailgate) almost ready to run one in the for sale section :D:(

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Lunchbox is hard to beat. Or the Pumpkin if it suits you better for body style.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have all three of your choices too (like TOTB) a clod, a bullhead, a lunchbox a pumpkin and a blackfoot (I wouldn't mind a Monster beetle or mud blaster next) and I would probably pick the lunchbox out of all three chassis. It's the most robust as somebody else said, the gearboxes are near bulletproof if you decide to go wild, its still available if you need parts, it's the cheapest (so you could probably squeeze in a tourer on that order), it has more smile factor and character (debatable I guess), and does wheelies.

The lunchbox doesn't jump anywhere near as cleanly as the blackfoot/beetle though, and everybody has a lunchbox ( there's a reason for that though).

I think the re-re midnight pumpkin parts are still available, so if you smash off the rollbar lights you can still buy them, and the re-re decals if it get's marked.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A truck can run on both on and offroad... a touring car is nice too, but you need a piece of preferably smooth tarmac to run it with not too much traffic.

I'd go for a truck if you have the feeling you like them, it can be driven on more surfaces :(

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you don't have access to smooth tarmac or a good racing club then don't get a tourer - they look great and are nice to run on the right terrain, but even a little bit of gravel upsets them.

As for monster trucks, the world is full of choice right now.

If you want Tamiya then there's not a great amount of choice. The Clod is a superb kit, massive and very imposing. In stock trim it's not actually hugely capable but still good fun - but if you wanted to splash out on a custom chassis and build your own 4-link suspension then you can have a great performer that can crawl over rocks or race along at high speed, depending on how you build it.

The TXT-1 is still available if you hunt around. It looks fantastic and is a great build. In stock trim it's a bit unstable, but it can be tuned with stiffer shocks and link re-arrangements for better handling.

Blackfoots and Monster Beetles are fun if you can find them, but the shells are brittle and a monster truck WILL go upside down. 2WD handling is a bit more lively and better in smaller areas where the Clods and TXTs can be too cumbersome. The MB comes with oil shocks which improves handling; oil shocks can be added to the Blackfoot for similar performance. The King Blackfoot is probably the best of the bunch with redesigned suspension and a tough gearbox. Add oil shocks and you've got a great 2WD truck. You can still pick up KBF rolling chassis from Ebay. My advice, if you go for a vintage Tamiya, is to get a lexan truck shell - the lighter weight will help prevent it rolling over, and it won't get smashed up so easily. You'll be sick if you smash up an original and immaculate Blackfoot shell!

The Lunchbox / Midnight Pumpkin are another good choice, depending on what you want. The chassis and gaerbox are almost indestructible, but they are very basic. Rigid rear axles and pogo-stick shocks don't make for a good handler. With heavy plastic shells, they spend most of their time upside down. That said, they have a huge following here on TC - stick in a hot motor and run 'em on gravel or tarmac, and you'll have an absolute blast. Donuts, wheelies, bouncy bouncy fun fun! Handling can be improved with the famous 5-Shock Mod (see Monster Trucks forum or look thru the How Tos for details) - but you'll still always have a top-heavy truck. Lexan shells are available from Parma if you want to protect your delicate plastic shell, these also help lower the COG.

Lunchies and Pumpkins aren't really much good on grass or mud as they are too bouncy. The primitive suspension also makes them a bit poor over jumps compared to the Monster Beetles and KBFs.

If you wanted to shop outside of Tamiya then there's a host of good stadium trucks to choose from. Traxxas make some awesome trucks. The E-Maxx, while not cheap, will out-perform anything from Tamiya over just about any terrain you care to mention. They're very well made, too. I don't know about overseas, but UK parts support and customer service is also known to be pretty good, too.

All the best - hope you find something that suits you! :blink:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'd say go for something that combines the merits of both.. say a CC-01 (Paj, Touareg, Jeep) or TL01-B (or just get a TL01 car and convert it). Get your self an extra set of wheels with road going tyres, and Robert's your fathers brother!

TL01-B with a set of buggy wheels and a touring car body on it, looks the mutts wossnames too :blink:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I'd love to race the tourer but live in Edinburgh and not sure of any such clubs???
Firstly you should have a look at the BRCA club list to see if there are any clubs near you and to go down to them and see whether you fancy racing. Then make the decision whether to buy a race car (whichever class they race) or a truck for bashing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I really like the LB or Midnight Pumpkin with oil shocks and other upgrades, but I wanted to put in a vote for a Blitzer Beetle/Stadium Thunder/Stadium Blitzer chassis-based monster. By replacing the stock tires with some newer Pro-Line 2.2 monster truck tires, you'll have a very capable, strong and fun monster truck. I've found the gearbox on these to be tough.

I'm sure the Clod is a lot of fun, but I have no experience with it. If I had the cash, I'd definitely go with a Traxxas E-Maxx or an HPI Savage.

Steve

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well guys,

Thanks for the advice, lots of thinking to do..........

Mad Ax, cheers for your time too, think i'm gonna have to try and get my hands on the old classic MB.

Been following a few on the bay, funny prices for a completed one.......

What sort of price would you get a chassis for? I'd rather do it my way as old Frank used to always tell me.

It's the building it part I enjoy the most. :lol:

What others have the same chassis as the MB?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Blackfoot, Mud Blaster, Super Blackfoot, King Blackfoot and Monster Beetle all share a similar chassis layout. Each has subtle differences. Generally speaking, the newer ones are the toughest - the original Blackfoot had a few weak points that were gradually addressed as the series evolved. The King Blackfoot is the best and most different, and is arguably the easiest to find - rolling chassis with battered or no shells turn up quite often on Ebay. Add a set of oil shocks and you've got a fantastic truck. I sold mine about a year ago and I still see it regularly, I want it back!

Sadly NIB ones will fetch a premium because they haven't been in production for a long time. Especially the Monster Beetle, which was a very popular truck in its day and still has a huge following now, due to its VW shell.

The Frog and Brat have the same space-frame chassis rails underneath but the suspension components are very different, you have to buy quite a lot of bits to build up a working monster truck from a Brat base.

If you want to build something new and don't want to pay a premium then you're best looking for something in the current line-up. The Blackfoot Extreme isn't particularly fast in stock trim but it's quite cheap. If you budget for 100mm oil shocks, aluminium shock towers (to fit the bigger shocks), Super Stock BZ motor, 20T pinion, rear CVDs and chunky tyres, then you've got a fast and stable 2WD monster. I think they're a little longer and lower than the old Blackfoot style trucks, so they're more like a stadium truck, but they're not bad over bumps and jump very well.

The Dualhunter is a 4WD version of the same truck. It has two motors instead of one, so upgrading it is nearly twice the cost. You also need to think before you buy tuned motors for the Dualhunter, as the front motor turns backwards - you either need a motor with adjustable or fixed timing at 0 degrees, or you will have to modify the motor to reverse-time it. There are threads about this in the Monster Truck forum.

Terry's advice about checking for a local club is worth taking - racing is great fun and is a great way to increase your competence and confidence. Depending on the classes available, it needn't be expensive - my club runs 27T stock motors, which are cheap :lol:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...