Has HPI products gone downhill since 2011? What’s best brand now to buy to replace my old collection.

[karlo888]

Hi all and sorry if this has been said.

 

i have recently returned to radio cars and since 2011 Hpi savage was one of the cars to purchase and cause of that I stuck with Hpi products mainly.

 

i am in the middle of sorting/ checking my old cars but thinking is it worth just buying new current vehicles to replace them if lots of parts need replacing due to hard to source parts, limited stock and back orders etc?

 

Not seeing a lot if any Hpi products recently with good reviews or maybe they are bias?
 

would like input from current active bashers/ drifters as that was what I was interested in back then.

 

i will also look at other model types which may interest me due to age (poor eyesight slow response times etc 😜)

 

thanks. 

Edited February 21 by karlo888

[JonnyUK]

Had no issues with any recent hpi RCs I've had. They all have quirks no matter who the manufacturer is.  Bit like Traxxas, everyone seems to love to slate them.  Personally they are some of the best RCs I've owned 

I'd avoid the modern 'Maverick' hpi low budget ones.

If you want fast, try the hpi wr8 flux, loads of rally sliding fun even on 2s lipos.  

If you want slower, get into crawlers/trailing.  Lots of enjoyment when you find a nice rocky area. Plus not much breaks on them due to the slower speeds.  I've rolled some Traxxas Trx4's down cliffs and nothing snapped.

My only issue with crawlers is when people stick high powered motors and 3s or 4s lipos in them and race bash jump. Backwards engineering really seen as they are designed to do things slower. 

[karlo888]

Thanks for reply.

I maybe thinking too much into this.

 

just got myself 4 new 2s so need to check my savage and bullet quickly see what is needed.

 

hate working graveyard shift ☹️☹️

 

[Alex97]

Sadly the HPI 2010ish is no more 😞

 

They've released a few new budget models and one or two on road/ rally cars over the last few years but nothing like what they use to sell. It's a massive shame as their old stuff was pretty good. 

 

I've got no idea why they declined. 

 

 

[karlo888]

Thanks.

 

Maybe I need to look at traxxas models for the future?

[markymarky]

Just don't think they have come up with anything that interesting in a very long time.

Had a Super Nitro Rally once upon a time but wouldn't buy anything of theirs now except maybe a Baja but even that is long in the tooth now.

Edited February 21 by markymarky

[Kpowell911]

1 hour ago, Alex97 said:

Sadly the HPI 2010ish is no more 😞

 

They've released a few new budget models and one or two on road/ rally cars over the last few years but nothing like what they use to sell. It's a massive shame as their old stuff was pretty good. 

 

I've got no idea why they declined. 

 

 

Wasn't it massive financial difficulty, resulting in them being brought out several times, thus making them very unstable? Uncertainty with who was distributing their parts made customers lose confidence in them. I can't imagine the cloning of the Baja helped them.

 

HPI genuinely were my favourite RC Manufacturer. I started with their touring cars, going from a Tamiya TL-01 to a HPI RS4 Sport was like going forward 20 years. I then had every Pro 1-4. I jumped at the original Savage .21 when it came out, despite not being into nitro, and Ive lost count how many Savage Flux's I've owned. But unfortunately, that company has now gone. It doesnt exist. The one you see today is a shell of them unfortuantely.

Edited February 21 by Kpowell911

[Lone-wolf]

4 minutes ago, Kpowell911 said:

Wasn't it massive financial difficulty, resulting in them being brought out several times, thus making them very unstable? Uncertainty with who was distributing their parts made customers lose confidence in them. I can't imagine the cloning of the Baja helped them.

 

HPI genuinely were my favourite RC Manufacturer. I started with their touring cars, going from a Tamiya TL-01 to a HPI RS4 Sport was like going forward 20 years. I then had every Pro 1-4. I jumped at the original Savage .21 when it came out, despite not being into nitro, and Ive lost count how many Savage Flux's I've owned. But unfortunately, that company has now gone. It doesnt exist. The one you see today is a shell of them unfortuantely.

Yes it was Financial hardship that struck them but sorry to say this was caused by Traxxas legal action, this is fact, not just me having a pop at Traxxas 

[wolfie1]

I used to have a lot of hpi cars, but parts arent so readily available anymore and can take near 2 weeks  to arrive now, amongst a few others i still have the savage xl and a maverick blackout which are still some of  my favourites and dont think i would ever sell them, i do have a few traxxas models now and they are good thats for sure, its just a shame hpi wasn’t around still like they used to be thats for sure

[karlo888]

Thank you for all the replys.

 

yes, was concerned as mentioned above and wondering if I should just use if can until I break something unattainable or keep as memories 

 

if I do keep as, then will be looking for a decent basher to replace both…something I can take to the park, use on the local streets if possible…

Edited February 21 by karlo888

[Kpowell911]

2 hours ago, Lone-wolf said:

Yes it was Financial hardship that struck them but sorry to say this was caused by Traxxas legal action, this is fact, not just me having a pop at Traxxas 

I did think Traxxas were involved somewhere but wasnt sure it was HPI they sued. Turned it was over the waterproof RX box

 

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3067295-Boycott-Traxxas

Edited February 21 by Kpowell911

[karlo888]

That was an interesting read…..🫣

[supersavage]

I briefly had the "new" Savage X and it honestly has to be one of the worst RCs I've ever bought, had all sorts of things wrong with it from them not assembling the 2 speed gearbox correctly to mix matched hardware between metric and imperial. I ended up sending it back to the shop I bought it from and they told me I wasn't the only one having issues so they refunded me immediately. Unfortunately it put me off of buying anymore HPI products which is a shame as I've had several in the past that were great.

[Yrkoon]

dad and i had a fair share of hpi cars years ago but after their financial difficuiltys and cheaper cars on the market like hobao hypers etc we kinda stopped buying them as hpi still seem to think they can get away with very high prices in todays market after their comeback 😞

 

we had brilliant fun with the mt2 trucks and savage and trophy truggy all nitro back in the day, edit : even had a hpi brama b but sold it and the guy some how managed to snap the chassis in half....... 🙂

Edited March 10 by Yrkoon