Electric MT

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TyBreaker - 13 Jan 2006 06:03 GMT

Well I've been monitoring RC for a while and am disappointed in the lack
of activity in electric monster trucks. Actually as I think about it,
it's the high end EP models I'm particularly interested in such as the
E-Maxx, TXT-1 and Twin Force.

For instance the TXT-1 has been around for ages without change. Tamiya
could have compared it's truck to it's rivals and thought about
upgrading bushings to bearings, supplying the 4WS in the kit,
engineering a multi-speed tranny etc. Kyosho could do an upgraded
tranny too. Traxxas could release the E-Maxx as a kit and without the
radio etc to bring the price down.

And I would LOVE it if a bit of realism crept back into the actual look
of these trucks eg anyone remember the impressive realism of the Tamiya
Toyota Hilux/Bruiser? Something that looks that good nowadays would be
awesome.

And how about an improvement on the polycarbonate bodies? I mean I
understand the need for flex but when it comes to display, I'd love to
choose bodies with high detail, chrome, metal etc etc - getting back to
realism I guess.

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MacPhreak - 13 Jan 2006 06:21 GMT

> And I would LOVE it if a bit of realism crept back into the actual look
> of these trucks eg anyone remember the impressive realism of the Tamiya
> Toyota Hilux/Bruiser? Something that looks that good nowadays would be
> awesome.

I totaly agree with everything you say, however the realism of the
bruiser kind of was it's downfall(not to mention it's sticker price of
$600 in the 80's). It greatly hindered it's performance. Because it was
so realistic it even acted the part. It was not very nimble, somewhat
slow and flipped over quite easily (hmmmm, just like a real modifed
truck). But this being said....it is still one of my favorites.

Long live the Clod Buster.
By the way, Tamiya did not or does not have to make them better. They
leave that to the others like JPS and Inet(love the Bat chassis). Tamiya
mostly makes them fun and afforable. Sure they try to make Race cars but
I think we all know that is not thier strong suit.

this is my 2 cents

MacPhreak

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Techpriest - 13 Jan 2006 18:02 GMT

"Tamiya could have compared it's truck to it's rivals and thought about
upgrading..."

If they compared realism they are so far ahead of every other truck,
what's the point of improving? If they compared performance they are
so far behind, that no amount of upgrades will help. The TXT-1 really
has no competition in it's niche.

I had a Brusier and think back fondly of building it and looking at it.
Driving it, that sucked. It was not as fast, agile or as durable as
my Blackfoot and had less runtime to boot.

I think the high point for electric monsters is a year or two away yet.
We need reliable LiPo batteries with 6000mah for about $50 each and
brushless needs to come down a little in price and when that happens
you will have the speed and runtime needed to compete with the gas guys.

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TyBreaker - 13 Jan 2006 19:54 GMT

> I think the high point for electric monsters is a year or two away yet.
> We need reliable LiPo batteries with 6000mah for about $50 each and
> brushless needs to come down a little in price and when that happens
> you will have the speed and runtime needed to compete with the gas guys.

I can't wait for brushless to become cheaper too. At the moment, a
brushless motor costs as much as a kit! Run times has been the main
down side of EP trucks. I remember my Frog would run 5 mins if I was
lucky and then I had to trickle charge it for 15 hours! I can't even
remember what the rating was on those batteries but it was back in the
80s so maybe 1200mAh? I saw someone recently introduced a 4300mAh cell
so things are looking up.

Not sure you could ever compare EP to GP though. I read a review from
one of the rc mags a while ago where they put an EP up against a GP and
for tracks with lots of long straight runs, the GP won because it had
the highest top speed but for tracks with lots of turns, the EP won
because it had instant acceleration whereas the GP took time to accelerate.

I like EP personally because they're simpler to own and operate and I
want to be able to play with it in and around the house with my kiddies.

Signature

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/ / / // / _ / __/ -_) _ `/ '_/ -_) __/
/_/ \_, /____/_/ \__/\_,_/_/\_\\__/_/
/___/

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ephedralover@hotmail.com - 13 Jan 2006 23:55 GMT

> > I think the high point for electric monsters is a year or two away yet.
> > We need reliable LiPo batteries with 6000mah for about $50 each and
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With my Traxxas Stampede with a Novak ss5800 and 7 cell 3300mah battery
I can get about 18-22minutes of 35mph fun. I also like nitro, but when
you just want to turn two switches and run, electric works nice.

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Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Land Models / January 2006

Electric MT