Losi DB Pro?..

[wadsy]

A friend has suggested that we get into RC so we can go "out to play" ....sounds a funny thing to say at 52; especially according to my wife! 😀

 

After quite a bit of research, I like the look of the DB Pro. It seems reasonably versatile for a bit of hooning on the beach or woods etc, whilst also allowing me to grow into it with mods, maintenance etc. I was initially drawn to the Lasernut, as I thought it looked more off-road capable, but a couple of chaps I've spoken to steerer me away!

 

So, firstly, is the DB Pro a good choice?... and if so, I'd be looking for battery and charger recommendations and does the car need any initial mods, or is it good to go?

 

From what I've read, an initial check over would be advisable, and a lot of folk replace the servo, and then other common additions appear to be...

 

A box for the receiver

RPM skid plates

Tekno driveshafts

Bearing upgrade

Wheels/tyres - I like the look of the Pro-line Badlands

Motor fan

 

Also, would it be recommended to buy spares in advance, and if so, what?... and any suggestions please for a UK stockist of spares/mods?... AT Models aren't too far from me and appear to stock a decent range of stuff!

 

Many thanks in advance for any help/guidance/advice.

 

Cheers

[m4inbrain]

I had one until recently, it's a lovely piece of kit with a few flaws. First and foremost, good to steer away from the Lasernut, it's more headaches than anything else. Especially as the first RC, something that has the potential to be constantly broken isn't really a good choice. Second: every man is a child, so "going out to play" is very much the correct description when we're talking RCs. 🙂

 

Now, the DB Pro. As mentioned, lovely piece of  kit, but as you seem to have already figured out, it is substantially expensive for what it is, because out of the box the experience is.. lets say, very dependant on what you're doing with it. It's a 1/10 buggy with race genes, so as a basher, they're not that great out of the box, and you already seem to have gotten the correct upgrades figured out (especially the driveshafts - the stock ones are  as strong as wet noodles). 

 

The car is good out of the box if you run maximum 2s, and don't do anything rough with it. As mentioned, it's basically a slightly toned down race buggy. Race rigs aren't particularly tough when hooning, at least not out of the box. It also doesn't really like the beach, due to the scale - mine got stuck quite a lot. You can rectify that with a different set of wheels (another upgrade i'd urgently suggest is an M2C 17mm hex conversion, so you open up wheel choice - it comes with 12mm out of the box, much harder to find good wheels/tyres for). Also, goes without saying, running at the beach requires after-run maintenance (cleaning right after the run, including spraying it down with GT85 to prevent rust). 

 

I also had a significant issue with the motor pinion, which stripped straight away - so i had to grind the original pinion off to change it to the "big battery pinion". The DB Pro is 3s "capable", but i've bent the driveshafts straight away in the first run, it really isn't made for that. 

 

The biggest issue is simply, while it's a decent rig for bashing after you fired the parts cannon at it: it's stupendously expensive for what you get. For that kind of money, there are better choices of all sorts, especially if you intend to run it purely as a basher. If you give us a few pointers in regards to what you want exactly (i understand bashing in forest and beach - but does it need to be a buggy, does it need to be 1/10, does it need to be 2s/3s etc), we might be able to make a few suggestions that are potentially better suited for what you intend to do. This also becomes important when asking for battery suggestions - do you want to run 2s, or 3s? Maybe 4s, or even 6s (4s and 6s of course not in the DB Pro)?

 

Lastly, the usual go-to shops are modelsport.co.uk, wheelspinmodels.co.uk, makeitbuildit.co.uk amongst a few others that you stumble across when googling for particular parts. 

 

edit: forgot to make the point i originally wanted to make. The DB Pro is awesome once you get stuff figured out, and know you're stuck with the hobby for good. You're looking at £600-£700 to get the DB Pro to a level where you can bash it reliably - that's an awful lot of money for a 1/10 "entry into the hobby" rig. I'd personally go for something much simpler - assuming that "buggy" is a requirement (i personally wouldn't actually go for a buggy as a beach/forest basher as the first RC), the Typhon 3s is a much better choice. It's tougher (don't get fooled by shiny metal bits - metal quite often just means "breaks faster"), it's half the price, and in that environment is as, if not more capable as a DB Pro. The strengths of the DB Pro (tuneability, precision etc) don't come into play when fooling around in the mud. 

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by m4inbrain

[wadsy]

Great reply - many thanks 👍🙂

 

I was drawn to the Lasernut and the DB Pro as I like the look/design - quite a few others I've seen look a bit "cartoon-ish" to me!... with over-wide tyres and track, but I suppose that's for stability etc. So, I'm not sure of other styles/types, but I know I like the DB Pro look.... I'm assuming that's a buggy?! 😁

 

I was initially looking at the Axial Ryft, but realised it's handling wouldn't be much fun as it's more of a crawler-type-thing?!

 

As you noted, my main use I believe would be general 'fun' in the woods, trails, beach, possibly gravel.

 

I had thought that 2s would be fine for me initially as a 'noob'!... and that going bigger than 1/10 might be a bit too big?

 

I've just looked at the Typhon; a different look, more in a 'fantasy' style?... anything similar to the DB Pro that would be more suitable?

 

Someone had suggested an Armma Senton, but again, I'm not keen on the look!... and, for me, I'd like a different body on it!

 

Thanks again

 

Cheers

[m4inbrain]

I see, so you'd prefer something scale-looking. That makes things harder 😄

 

Not that i can't relate, i had my DB Pro for the same reason, as well as my DBXL-E 2.0 - i like desert buggies. But, they generally are weaker than actual "basher buggies". The Ryft, well.. I'm not quite sure what that is, my neighbour has one and only drove it once, couldn't figure it out. I'd class it as a "rock bouncer", but it really sucks at that. It's not a great crawler, it's not a great basher.. He bought it because he thought it looked cool, but yeah.. odd RC, that. It's just not fun in any of the niches it's supposed to be in (crawling, beach bashing etc). 

 

Size in regards to "being a 'noob'" doesn't really matter much, it depends more on the kind of battery you're running in it. The DB Pro on 3s (3 cell battery) is faster than a 1/8th scale rig on a 4 cell battery - but with the 1/8th you also have the option to go bananas with a 6 cell pack. It's speed that does the damage, not particularly size. 

 

The "issue", as mentioned, now becomes the fact that you want something "realistic looking". That's the part that makes these kind of buggies fragile in the first place (the comic-style dimensions of the Typhon etc are in part due to the fact that it's built stronger/more stable). To get "scale looks", you have to trade off for example beefy axles, because that wouldn't look scale (scale = realistic). There's only so much you can do at that size in terms of strength - so in general, i'd argue that just by going up a notch on the scale, you get an easier life. Let me see, for 1/10th, if i had to go for a scale buggy-ish kinda rig, i mean yeah.. There's not much. There was a contender a while back that i'd probably (in hindsight) take over a DB Pro, that's the LOSI Rock Rey. I don't think they make them anymore, just the Super Rock Rey, which is the 1/6th variant of it (still awesome, but way too much RC for a first rig). The issue of realism = weak gets compounded by the scale you chose. 

 

Now, there really aren't many "desert buggies" out there, but if i were you, i'd have a long hard look at the FTX DR8. It's not as delicately made as the DB Pro, but it's way cheaper, and it'll handle light bashing much better than the DB Pro because a small root won't just break a suspension arm. It's bigger, so while looking reasonably realistic, just physically all the components are bigger = stronger. It's not the toughest 1/8th out there, far from it - but it'll be tougher than the DB Pro for bashing. There's another one, a "Hobbytech DB8", but i don't know anything about them, so i can't comment on that. The DR8 is very tame to drive on a 4s battery, and gives you the option later down the line to upgrade to a 6s battery for bonkers performance (and breakage because of it, lol). 

 

In the end.. I'm not going to talk you out of the DB Pro, if that's what you want, then that's what you want. But i'd just suggest looking at it realistically: are you willing to put the time and effort in to make that particularly rig work, because it will break where other rigs wouldn't. They're also a pain in the neck to work on, just as a warning - you can't take the shell off (well you can, but that requires a few extra steps - it's hinged), parts are small (issue with all 1/10) etc. If that's all a "yes", then we can look at batteries. Are you capable/willing to solder? That impacts the battery choice, because there's a few different connector-types out there, and they're not intercompatible. 

 

edit: for some reference (including my journey with it), we have a small owners thread here in the forum. 

 

https://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/forums/topic/245649-losi-tenacity-db-pro-owners/#comments

Edited April 14, 2023 by m4inbrain

[Grogg]

As somebody very new to the hobby myself, I'm still finishing building the first RC I've ever owned - theTamiya Rock Socker 1/10 scale, but I was also given a HaBoa Hyper Cage Truggy - 1/8 scale which just requires an engine, esc, servo, receiver and transmitter to make it run which I have running, and am getting ready to build a second kit - another Tamiya 1/10 scale.  If you're not married to the 1/10 scale, I'd suggest you look at 1/8th scale, it's about double the size of 1/10 scale, some manufacturers release the same model in 1/10 and 1/8 scale if not more so you can get a  better idea of size difference.

 

I say this for a few reasons,

 

1/8 scale tend to be tougher, if you're buying a ready to run out the box RC car the parts are going to last longer before they need to be replaced, or you're wanting to upgrade them.

 

Because they're tougher than 1/10 scale they need less maintenance beyond a wipe down after running

 

The parts are easier to come by, by that I mean you have more options the manufacturer will more than likely use the most replaced parts across several of their other models, like HaBoa and others do.

 

If I had no interest in the building, maintenance side, I would not have bought any 1/10 scale RCs, they where bought with a purpose in mind that married me to the 1/10 scale - and also Tamiya.  My 1/8 scale is the one that gets the most the most run time by far - the Rock Socker runs and is nearly finished I just need to paint the body , and I can honestly already see shelving, putting or giving away my 1/10 scales once my goals I have for them are met, and getting myself another 1/8 scale to have as a change from the HaBoa Hyper Cage Truggy.

 

As for chargers, I have the SkyRC T100, which I'm very happy with and would recommend for somebody new to the hobby.

 

Edit to add:

 

I'd pay more attention to durability, especially if you're going to be running it off road, aftermarket support from both the manufacturer and 3rd parties before looks, indeed I'm considering buying a HPI Savage X and I hate the looks of it, because of certain features, and getting a different body shell for it.  Body shells are relatively cheap, you're going to be replacing the original at some point sooner than you think too, and there is no reason that you have to buy the same one, or indeed one from the manufacturer of your RC car, just one that will fit and you like the look of.

Edited April 14, 2023 by Grogg

[wadsy]

Yes, I thought I'd like something 'scale-ish' but I don't want something that's liable to be flipping over too easily so I'm always having to put it back on its wheels! 😁

It doesn't have to be like an accurate "scale model", just not look too cartoon-ish. 😀 ....and I reckon that both toughness and reliability (as @Grogg says) would trump that, as well as good handling and off-road ability and waterproof-ness.

 

What you both say makes a lot of sense, and putting a lot of money into a DB Pro may not be advisable as a first RC. I don't mind a bit of tinkering, and, I think I'd enjoy that aspect. I'm an eng product designer by profession and currently tinker with/restore old mtb's.

 

Size-wise, I thought 1/10 might be easier to transport eg. I could probably put it in a rucksack.

 

I've started to look at the FTX DR8, and even at 1/8, from what I can see, it's a similar size to the DB Pro?... I did wonder about the Arrma Fireteam if you're suggesting 1/8, but they're a bit more expensive 🤔

 

If I'm more flexible on looks ie. I'm not tied to 'scale' I presume that may open up options for my given requirements???

 

Cheers

[totlxtc]

Hey Wadsy,

 

Ok first things first. 1/10 'size' can vary wildly according to what vehicle the model is trying to imitate.

 

1/10 buddies are FAR smaller than 1/10 Truggies/Monster Trucks etc.

 

For example 1/10 buggy next to a 1/10 stadium truck.

 

The Losi DB Pro [1/10] comes in at a length of 536mm

 

 FTX DR8 [1/8] length of 540mm

The Arrma Fireteam [1/7] is 615mm

The Senton [1/10] above comes in the middle (as reference) at 558mm

No idea if this is any help! 😄

Edited April 14, 2023 by totlxtc

[m4inbrain]

3 hours ago, wadsy said:

Yes, I thought I'd like something 'scale-ish' but I don't want something that's liable to be flipping over too easily so I'm always having to put it back on its wheels! 😁

It doesn't have to be like an accurate "scale model", just not look too cartoon-ish. 😀 ....and I reckon that both toughness and reliability (as @Grogg says) would trump that, as well as good handling and off-road ability and waterproof-ness.

 

What you both say makes a lot of sense, and putting a lot of money into a DB Pro may not be advisable as a first RC. I don't mind a bit of tinkering, and, I think I'd enjoy that aspect. I'm an eng product designer by profession and currently tinker with/restore old mtb's.

 

Size-wise, I thought 1/10 might be easier to transport eg. I could probably put it in a rucksack.

 

I've started to look at the FTX DR8, and even at 1/8, from what I can see, it's a similar size to the DB Pro?... I did wonder about the Arrma Fireteam if you're suggesting 1/8, but they're a bit more expensive 🤔

 

If I'm more flexible on looks ie. I'm not tied to 'scale' I presume that may open up options for my given requirements???

 

Cheers

 

The DB Pro will not fit in a rucksack comfortably, so at the very least you'd be looking at taking the wheels off every time. Personally, that would annoy me. RCs don't weigh that much though, they're pretty easy to carry - and you're not 84 just yet. 😛

 

I'll not say anything about the Fireteam - i have no idea how good it is, i personally think it's kind of a cringy design with those "SPESHUL FORCES" carrying weapons inside, not quite my cup of tea. But certainly, it will be much more capable than the DB Pro, not even comparable. Also not that much more than the DB Pro if you take all the "required" upgrades into account, the DB just isn't made for bashing.

 

Size is a bit of a funny thing, while yes, length is similar, you've got to look at the wheelbase, as well as wheel size. A lot of the length on the DB Pro is just the scaffolding at the back that holds the long wing. Also, everything is still 1/10 scale (including electrics) - the DR8 has 1/8 scale electrics. I'm trying to figure out what to suggest, could you elaborate on "cartoonish"? What makes the Typhon 3 cartoonish - and would it not be cartoonish with a flat black body? I thought by cartoonish you meant the overall exterior of the car, rather than just paint. Did i misunderstand that? Because if that's the case, there's plenty of options. 

 

I understand that you appear to be more interested in narrower RCs, but have a look at the Big Rock 3s V3, or Outcast 4x4 4s V2. I'm pretty sure you'll find them cartoonish, but these  kind of vehicles are made for what you want to do, so technically, that's more the direction that you would want to lean in. I just singled out two Arrmas for ease of access to spares and upgrades, Arrma is pretty widespread and available. There's other options for these kind of rigs, but they're usually in screamier colours than black or bronze.

Edited April 14, 2023 by m4inbrain

[wadsy]

 @totlxtc - thanks very much for the size comparisons 👍 

 

I'm with you on the Fireteam - the "SPESHUL FORCES" would need to go!

 

"Cartoonish" - where the the tyres are disproportionate to the body. I've seen quite a few cars with a very wide track, and tyres that are as high or higher than what is sometimes a very low body.

 

[img]https://i.imgur.com/k8E1adQ.jpg[/img]

[wadsy]

[m4inbrain]

1 minute ago, wadsy said:

"Cartoonish" - where the the tyres are disproportionate to the body. I've seen quite a few cars with a very wide track, and tyres that are as high or higher than what is sometimes a very low body.

 

 

Aw chucks. Well, part of the reason is that these are monster trucks. Monster trucks in real life do have big wheels too. 😉

 

The main problem here is that the RC you linked there (Kraton) would probably be one of the best options for you, for the "style" of driving you intend to do. I did edit my previous post, have a look at the Big Rock 3s V3 or Outcast 4x4 4s V2 - these are the kind of rigs designed to do what you want to do. That's what i mean by "scale" looks - i understand that these look rather unrealistic, but in the end.. For me personally, a rig that does what it's supposed to well is preferable over one that does it "meh", including rolling over. The DB Pro (and to an extend the DR8) have issues with rolling - be it traction rolling, or from bumps. That's down to the narrow track and tyres, though the DR8 in that regard is slightly better (funny enough, it's better because its tyres are worse - less grip = less traction rolling). 

 

The Kraton, if you run it on 4S, is probably nigh on indestructible. Yeah if you run flat out into a tree you probably break an A-Arm or so, but that's it. These kind of rigs (the jury is split on the Kraton, some consider it a monster truck, some consider it what we call a truggy - mix of truck and buggy, usually refers to low slung monster trucks) are by far the most fun bashing offroad, because they're stable you don't need to constantly walk to put it back on the wheels, they jump really well, have oodles of ground clearance (something that's entirely absent comparatively from the DB Pro) etc. I'll add that there's plenty of good options, i'm singling Arrma out here but there's other, equally as good (sometimes better) choices. But every shop carries Arrma, hence ease of access to spares etc, big used market, big aftermarket. 

 

Have a heart to heart with yourself and wrestle a little bit, see if you can get yourself to like monster trucks/truggies. In terms of fun/capability/general toughness, they're not to beat for what you want to do with them.

[Grogg]

15 hours ago, wadsy said:

 @totlxtc - thanks very much for the size comparisons 👍 

 

I'm with you on the Fireteam - the "SPESHUL FORCES" would need to go!

 

"Cartoonish" - where the the tyres are disproportionate to the body. I've seen quite a few cars with a very wide track, and tyres that are as high or higher than what is sometimes a very low body.

 

[img]https://i.imgur.com/k8E1adQ.jpg[/img]

 

I understand what you mean by cartoonish, but even on the ''best'' scale RC models, as in most accurate, the tires and wheels are way out of scale to cartoonish proportions, it's just easier to hide/blend in.  If you look at 1/8 scale on road RC cars, you'll see there are a lot more to scale models available, and again compare their wheel and tire dimensions to their real world counterparts, just like on the 1/10 scales, you'll find that they are way out of proportion to cartoonish degrees. 

 

The oversized and cartoonish wide wheels and tires, are both an easy and cheap way to vastly improve stability

Edited April 15, 2023 by Grogg

[wadsy]

 Thanks very much for the continued input chaps; much appreciated 👍

 

@Grogg - yep, totally get what you're saying; it's just varying degrees! 😁

 

I will, as you suggest, broaden my outlook and have a look at the type of vehicle you're recommending 🙂

 

I know,  that you've suggested Arrma due to popularity, spares etc, but, you also intimated there may be other 'better' options; what might those be?

 

Cheers

[Stormbringer]

Theres Hobao and Team Corally as well 

[m4inbrain]

2 hours ago, wadsy said:

I know,  that you've suggested Arrma due to popularity, spares etc, but, you also intimated there may be other 'better' options; what might those be?

 

 

As Stormbringer already mentioned, it's a bit.. tribal. I personally think that there's not much between them, but some will argue that Arrma is top of the line, others argue that Team Corally is, someone else would argue for a Traxxas, etc. 

 

You'll not go wrong with any of these, for me personally it comes down to parts availability, then looks. Generally, Corally is the best value for money (cheapest comparable rigs, like for example the Arrma Outcast vs. the Corally Dementor), but personally i think they look a bit arse, and they have worse (not bad, just worse than Arrma) part availability - but you save money on purchase. Traxxas is overpriced, but they do some of the best rigs available (X-Maxx, TRX-4 etc), also have the best parts support - but, as mentioned, they come usually more expensive than a Corally or even Arrma. Arrma is "middle of the line" for the most part. 

 

I had rigs by all of them (a Corally Dementor, Kraton EXB, Typhon 3s, Typhon 6s, Maxx, X-Maxx etc), in terms of build quality there's not much between a Corally and Arrma, Traxxas is (arguably) above that due to their chassis design (flat plate vs. designed/integrated composite chassis).

 

Then there's Hobao, which also do some well loved rigs, but parts aren't as readily available as for the others. In terms of quality, they're not worse, i'd argue. There's HPI too (resurrected from the dead) - but i didn't have a great experience with the one HPI i had, not to mention that they're as, if not worse, overpriced as Traxxas. 

 

For the kind of playing you want to do, the trucks instantly springing to mind for me are: Outcast 6s, Outcast 4s, Kraton 6s, Kraton 4s (differing in size and power output, as well as price obviously), Big Rock 3s or Vorteks 3s by Arrma - the Kronos, Dementor, Jambo or Punisher (maybe the Sketer, but no experience with that one - looks decent though on first glance) by Corally, Traxxas would offer the Maxx (i think they call it WideMaxx now), Rustler 4x4 VXL, E-Revo 2.0 VXL. 

 

One of the most recommended entry-level rigs for what you want to do would be the Associated Rival MT10, recently came out as a V2. The V1 is well loved, and while not 100% bulletproof, parts are cheap. Personally, that one would probably be my favourite to recommend, mainly because it's a good rig for a reasonable price. You don't know whether or not you stick with the hobby, so no point in throwing £600+ at a rig that you use three times and then are fed up with it. That's how i see it anyway. Spend a reasonable amount of money, if you enjoy it, you'll be spending way more very soon after, if you go down the route we all went down. Starting with one RC, blink, and they somehow turned into six with a few at a price point north of £1000 lol. The MT10 also is able to grow a bit with you (running it on 7.4V/2s in the beginning, then "graduating" to 11V/3s for more go fast). Of course, you'll probably think it's a bit cartoonish (i suppose it is) - but in terms of headaches and capabilities, this one fits the bill best imho, all things considered.

Edited April 15, 2023 by m4inbrain

[wadsy]

Great info, many thanks, again 👍🙂

 

Lots to go and check out reviews for.....and looks 😉😀

 

Cheers

[m4inbrain]

No worries. 👍

[dp400]

Hi All
After a little while away from RC, im looking to get a 2nd car for occasional bashing and tinkering with. (Ive currently got a Senton Mega upgraded with a Max 10 Ezrun motor and ESC along with half a dozen Tamiya shelf queens)
Ive seen a 2nd hand Tenacity DB pro advertised local to me for sale thats apparently only been lightly used and Im thinking about getting it. Knowing very little about these buggys can you guys tell me if it makes a good truck for light bashing on grass / loose gravel etc, and how reliable and tough they are, and whats the availabilty of parts in the UK. Lastly is there anything in particular I need to look out for if and when I go to see it.
Many thanks in advance to anyone who can offer any advice.