$700+ Splurge day

[rwordenjr 1890]

Just added two more to my collection today! I bought the 58577 nova fox and the 57796 super levant rtr   The plan is to keep the super levant in the sealed box for awhile as the value on them have gone up in recent times and to build the nova fox. Anyone had experience with either of these ? How did you like them ? 

[Jonathon Gillham 4605]

The Novafox is great.  Its a pain in the $%@! to work on though with the sealed chassis.  Understeers too, but if you don't expect too much from it (ie, don't expect it to handle like a modern race kit) it is a great car to run.  And looks great too.  Get a Boomerang, while not related they look good together

[rwordenjr 1890]

2 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

The Novafox is great.  Its a pain in the $%@! to work on though with the sealed chassis.  Understeers too, but if you don't expect too much from it (ie, don't expect it to handle like a modern race kit) it is a great car to run.  And looks great too.  Get a Boomerang, while not related they look good together

Thanks for the tips! I wasn’t really a fan of the nova fox look but when I saw it for $205 brand new including shipping, I had to jump on it. The super levant was the big purchase, it’s was $400+ for that one. That’s a lot more than they were going for only a year ago but got to think that will only go up in value if keep it new in box (8t brushless motor with oil filled shocks and ball bearings all stock). 

[Jonathon Gillham 4605]

52 minutes ago, rwordenjr said:

Thanks for the tips! I wasn’t really a fan of the nova fox look but when I saw it for $205 brand new including shipping, I had to jump on it. The super levant was the big purchase, it’s was $400+ for that one. That’s a lot more than they were going for only a year ago but got to think that will only go up in value if keep it new in box (8t brushless motor with oil filled shocks and ball bearings all stock). 

I didn't actually order mine, I ordered 2 Boomerangs and they got the order wrong and sent a Fox and Boomerang, but since it came from Japan it was too hard to change.

I know nothing about the Levant but loads on here will.

Its always fun when you order that much stuff eh. Did you buy electronics for them too?

[rwordenjr 1890]

7 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

I didn't actually order mine, I ordered 2 Boomerangs and they got the order wrong and sent a Fox and Boomerang, but since it came from Japan it was too hard to change.

I know nothing about the Levant but loads on here will.

Its always fun when you order that much stuff eh. Did you buy electronics for them too?

The super levant is rtr so it already includes the motor, esc, servo and radio/receiver. I just had to get a deans battery pack because the esc installed has deans. The nova fox as you know comes with the esc and motor already so I just need receiver and servo for that one. 

[rwordenjr 1890]

15 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

I didn't actually order mine, I ordered 2 Boomerangs and they got the order wrong and sent a Fox and Boomerang, but since it came from Japan it was too hard to change.

I know nothing about the Levant but loads on here will.

Its always fun when you order that much stuff eh. Did you buy electronics for them too?

The super levant is basically a tamiya version of the Traxxas rustler. 40+ mph stock 😍

[TwistedxSlayer 1290]

Had a Levant for quite a while. Loved mine before I sold it.

[rwordenjr 1890]

On 3/22/2020 at 8:22 PM, Jonathon Gillham said:

I didn't actually order mine, I ordered 2 Boomerangs and they got the order wrong and sent a Fox and Boomerang, but since it came from Japan it was too hard to change.

I know nothing about the Levant but loads on here will.

Its always fun when you order that much stuff eh. Did you buy electronics for them too?

With the novafox, do you have to solder all new motor connections if you install a new motor? The stock 540 looks like the wires are a lot longer than I've seen them on any other motor. And you have any experience with the futaba s3004? Thinking of trying that out in the fox. I like my savox servos but it might be overkill for the fox

[Jonathon Gillham 4605]

1 hour ago, rwordenjr said:

With the novafox, do you have to solder all new motor connections if you install a new motor? The stock 540 looks like the wires are a lot longer than I've seen them on any other motor. And you have any experience with the futaba s3004? Thinking of trying that out in the fox. I like my savox servos but it might be overkill for the fox

You will need to solder longer wires, the kit motor comes with extra long leads attached.  I've only run the kit motor in mine, its one of the quicker cars in stock form around.

I haven't used the S3004 but have got a few S3003.  They work fine, they are basically the standard basic servos and those specs .2sec / 3kg were the standard for a long time.  I had one in a Monster Beetle and it worked fine even with the big wheels.  I went away from them because they are expensive for the specs.  For the same money you can get other brands with much better specs.  I don't know about the reliability of the other brands whereas those Futaba servos will still be working in 20 years time.  I would use the S3003 in boats or planes where reliability is more important than specs, but for a car reliability doesn't matter so much as the car won't fly or sail off into the sunset.

In saying that, the Fox is the worst car to work on, so a Futaba servo is probably a good bet since you don't want to be taking it apart very often.

Check out the Trackstar TS-D99X for a cheaper alternative to the Savox 1251MG.  I've got the Trackstar servos in my onroad racers and they work well.  Or the JX PDI 4409MG for an even cheaper (but not as good even though the specs are the same, they're not, but they work fine for bashers) alternative.  Basically the same specs and about half the price.  There isn't a 1258TG alternative that I know of though, Trackstar/Hobbyking stopped making theirs.  Since I went to better servos I do notice when I'm running a car with a basic S3003 type servo in it, they don't turn as fast or as well.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/trackstar-ts-d99x-digital-1-10-scale-touring-drift-buggy-steering-servo-10kg-0-08sec-45g.html?___store=en_us 

https://www.banggood.com/JX-Servo-PDI-4409MG-9kg-Large-Torque-180-Degree-Digital-Servo-p-1069744.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

[rwordenjr 1890]

19 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

You will need to solder longer wires, the kit motor comes with extra long leads attached.  I've only run the kit motor in mine, its one of the quicker cars in stock form around.

I haven't used the S3004 but have got a few S3003.  They work fine, they are basically the standard basic servos and those specs .2sec / 3kg were the standard for a long time.  I had one in a Monster Beetle and it worked fine even with the big wheels.  I went away from them because they are expensive for the specs.  For the same money you can get other brands with much better specs.  I don't know about the reliability of the other brands whereas those Futaba servos will still be working in 20 years time.  I would use the S3003 in boats or planes where reliability is more important than specs, but for a car reliability doesn't matter so much as the car won't fly or sail off into the sunset.

In saying that, the Fox is the worst car to work on, so a Futaba servo is probably a good bet since you don't want to be taking it apart very often.

Check out the Trackstar TS-D99X for a cheaper alternative to the Savox 1251MG.  I've got the Trackstar servos in my onroad racers and they work well.  Or the JX PDI 4409MG for an even cheaper (but not as good even though the specs are the same, they're not, but they work fine for bashers) alternative.  Basically the same specs and about half the price.  There isn't a 1258TG alternative that I know of though, Trackstar/Hobbyking stopped making theirs.  Since I went to better servos I do notice when I'm running a car with a basic S3003 type servo in it, they don't turn as fast or as well.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/trackstar-ts-d99x-digital-1-10-scale-touring-drift-buggy-steering-servo-10kg-0-08sec-45g.html?___store=en_us 

https://www.banggood.com/JX-Servo-PDI-4409MG-9kg-Large-Torque-180-Degree-Digital-Servo-p-1069744.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

Thanks for the helpful info! I’ve never had an analog servo so that may be a big surprise compared to the savox’s I’ve been using. I know the futaba brand and the s3004 has great reviews so only way to know is to try it. It’s $15 compared to the overkill savox for $60+. I’ve heard of those other brands you linked me to but at this time, I want to stick with savox or a cheaper futaba. I’m weird lol 

[Biz73 603]

The Futaba S3004 will work fine. I personally like metal gears for my servos. The Savox SC-0252MG is around $30, so it's in between your other options as far as cost. Just another suggestion to add to the confusion, lol.

[Nicadraus 6198]

With $700 I would have gotten some better kits and quality electronics to be honest. Like a Super Astute or better yet, a TRF201XM and still have enough for a nice 4wd kit.

When it comes to cheap but quality servo, I'd honestly go with PowerHD than Trackstar or JX.

[rwordenjr 1890]

41 minutes ago, Biz73 said:

The Futaba S3004 will work fine. I personally like metal gears for my servos. The Savox SC-0252MG is around $30, so it's in between your other options as far as cost. Just another suggestion to add to the confusion, lol.

I will look at that savox, thanks! what kind do you run?

[Killajb 1546]

I went with a brushless motor on my NovaFox (14T sensorless) and used 12 gauge wire..  a bit much but I was able to rout things nice enough to sort of blend in with the colors of the stripes on the body.  A bonus is wheelies-on-throttle blips when traction is good.  It's a hoot to drive!

[rwordenjr 1890]

13 minutes ago, Nicadraus said:

With $700 I would have gotten some better kits and quality electronics to be honest. Like a Super Astute or better yet, a TRF201XM and still have enough for a nice 4wd kit.

When it comes to cheap but quality servo, I'd honestly go with PowerHD than Trackstar or JX.

I agree with you. The kits I bought certainly aren't even in the same stratosphere as the Super Astute or TRF201XM performance wise. I bought the Super Levant more as a collector item because the value has skyrocketed and it's the last RTR brushless that Tamiya has made. As for the Novafox, those are getting hard to come by these days as well for a decent price so when I saw it for a reasonable price on Tamico, I just jumped on it. My luck, I would of waited a day and the kits would of been gone the next so I didn't want to take that chance.  

[rwordenjr 1890]

2 minutes ago, Killajb said:

I went with a brushless motor on my NovaFox (14T sensorless) and used 12 gauge wire..  a bit much but I was able to rout things nice enough to sort of blend in with the colors of the stripes on the body.  A bonus is wheelies-on-throttle blips when traction is good.  It's a hoot to drive!

That looks awesome! How is the sway bar? Pretty durable?

[Killajb 1546]

So far no issues with the sway bar but admittedly I don't run this car very hard.  The mounting setup is very "low-tech" and has a bit of play but.. again, no issues with it.

[rwordenjr 1890]

21 minutes ago, Killajb said:

So far no issues with the sway bar but admittedly I don't run this car very hard.  The mounting setup is very "low-tech" and has a bit of play but.. again, no issues with it.

I see. What's your electronics set up?

[Biz73 603]

4 hours ago, rwordenjr said:

I will look at that savox, thanks! what kind do you run?

Actually, check out the SC-0254MG. It's a little bit faster and still has more than enough torque. I have a few different brands of servos in my cars. A couple Savox, a couple Futaba, and a couple others.

[Killajb 1546]

I use a cheap chinese 2.4g radio and standard Futaba servo.  I will defer to others about upgrades here, as the basic reliable stuff does enough for my liking.

[rwordenjr 1890]

6 hours ago, Killajb said:

I use a cheap chinese 2.4g radio and standard Futaba servo.  I will defer to others about upgrades here, as the basic reliable stuff does enough for my liking.

standard as in the s3003 servo? works just fine for the fox ehh?

[rwordenjr 1890]

Just ordered the accessories for the novafox and it's a mouth full!

-Futaba r203 receiver

-Futaba s3004 servo

-Tamiya Metallic Orange Spray

-Tamiya Black Spray

-Tamiya  brush set

-Tamiya flesh color 

-Tamiya white color

-Tamiya black color

-Tamiya brown color

-Tamiya Masking tape

[Killajb 1546]

Yes, standard as in s3003 servo.  Think about it..  the motor is hanging off the back end, the battery is sitting across the rear of the chassis just in front of the rear wheels..   what's left?  esc (modern versions are very compact and light weight), servo? and..  mono-shock front suspension.

 

All of the heavy components are towards the rear of the chassis, so there is a tendency to under steer a bit.  With that.. I find that the s3003 servo can handle things just fine.

[rwordenjr 1890]

3 hours ago, Killajb said:

Yes, standard as in s3003 servo.  Think about it..  the motor is hanging off the back end, the battery is sitting across the rear of the chassis just in front of the rear wheels..   what's left?  esc (modern versions are very compact and light weight), servo? and..  mono-shock front suspension.

 

All of the heavy components are towards the rear of the chassis, so there is a tendency to under steer a bit.  With that.. I find that the s3003 servo can handle things just fine.

Good point, I went with the s3004 which is the same weight as the 3003 just with a ball bearing. Excited to see how it works considering the price 

[Biz73 603]

It will work just fine. I used S3003's and S3004's in all of my cars before I started replacing them with metal geared servos. In that 3-4 years I never had an issue. I just started upgrading for the same reason people put bling on their cars, because it's fun. The S3004 is a good servo that should last for years.