J.K

Nice! You've jumped the hardest hurdle IMO, at least she runs! Factory settings are easy on the G3.0 - just set everything flush and you're there. For starters you want to set the idle gap to about 0.7-1mm to stop her screaming. How old is the fuel you're using? Opened nitro goes off over time. If it were me i'd also replace the glow plug and even the fuel tubing as all these can degrade if left a while.

I'll drive up to 2 hours for a solid day's bashing. With disposable BBQ in tow!

Can your throttle go lower than that? Looks like it should go lower

Replace it. Nitro and poor range don't mix well - you're asking for a runaway

This one has me stumped to be honest. The only part I recognise is the wing - looks like it's off of the Hobao Hyper VS but it defnintley isn't one of those. I've never seen the tank mounted at the rear like that on any buggy before. It looks pretty old and fairly low quality - if you're thinking about purchasing it as a project then spare parts are likely to be extremely difficult to find or maybe even non-existent.

They do look good. JC stuff is usually fairly reasonably priced

The COPSE "system" is an absolute abomination of an idea - switching to a traditional pulstart will be life changing for you!

Nice, you'll do well with the 8ight, its a good platform! They can hold their own on a track too - which one is your local?

Welcome! I agree with the above - could be a throttle calibration issue. There should be instructions on how to calibrate the radio in the manual. Theres also a handy owners thread:

Have you checked your connections in the receiver? Try swapping the throttle and steering servos around - does the servo work? Is the receiver battery fully charged? All the above should be checked before you firing it up again.

No worries at all, we all have to start somewhere! Hopefully the resident nitro expert @Nitroholicwill be along soon - he'll prob have more of an idea than me

Definitely deserves it's own thread?!

I don't think so, according to Wikipedia (dangerous, I know!) they were only ever rivals.

Now that's an interesting one! I've had a fair few G3.0's but I've never seen something like that. Can you remember if you used after run oil before you stored it? It's almost imperative since nitro fuel tends to attract moisture into the engine and can lead to rust - often between the piston and the liner. That orange residue at the bottom of the con rod looks like congealed fuel to me which can also get stuck in the bearings. There are two bearings - one at the front (behind the flywheel) and one at the rear of the crank - that's the one you can see in your photos. The top of the piston and the liner looks relatively clean to me so i'd maybe suspect one (or both) of the bearings could be at fault. As you said, engines usually seize at TDC as that's where the pinch is (the sleeve gets narrower at the top). I'd be tempted to get a heat gun and gently heat up the bearings and the piston. WD40 won't do any harm so that's a good shout. A bit of gentle persuasion with the flywheel in a vice or similar may get things moving

Managed to get the RS4 running. She idles sweet for a 16 year old RC! 😄

Today I received 2 glow plugs. Anybody here remember those? 😉

That's certainly what I would do if I wanted to replace like for like - keep you going for at least the next couple of years!

I feel you - after 15 years in the hobby the X is the only car I ever regret selling!

Is this the same engine? https://www.dms-racing.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=1720&virtuemart_category_id=585 On offer with DMS if it is

Sounds like LVC could be cutting in - is your lipo fully charged?

Can't go far wrong with a Typhon. A Slash or Rustler 4x4 would also be on my list

Looking good - like the RS4's! Just bought an RS4 3 Evo which I can't wait to get up and running!

That'll be fine - you may blow one during break in but after that they tend to last a while

If the engine's brand new it'll be super tight and need breaking in. This can make them difficult to start at first. A couple of things to try: Pre-heat the engine as best you can with a hairdryer - this loosens the engine a touch and should make it easier to turn over and keep running. Loosen the glow plug a little - reduces the compression again making it easier to start. Nip it back up again once it's running. Glow plugs often break when trying to start a new engine so take it out and make sure it'll still glow. Is it priming correctly? You should be able to see the fuel travelling up the tube to the carb. What fuel are you using? Is it fresh fuel? Opened fuel tends to go off over time.

That's fair enough. It's all down to personal experiences I guess. Most will never have an issue. The GT3b I had years ago was glitchy as hell. Seeing your nitro buggy continue on at full throttle for 3-4 seconds after you let off the throttle is frankly terrifying and just killed my confidence in the radio. This was about 6yrs or so ago so they may have upped their game since!