coffeecup

Can I ask a stupid question related to MTs? Are Monster Jam a company who own all the trucks? Are they the same underneath? I just thought it was a tv show (although I have never watched it). I just always sort of assumed they just ran the competition and that the teams were kind of 'home grown'.

A bonus is you can change the wheels to a smaller, rally style and pop the shell a bit lower or add any on road shell and you've got yourself a rally car that drives really well!

Not a problem. If you got on the Tamiya site you can find the manuals and then compare parts numbers. Generally the easiest way of doing it, or go on any parts site and put in TT-02t and see if there are any specific parts.

The TT-02T is the same chassis but with a few different parts to make it more off-road, from what I can work out it's a slightly different springs, bumpers, wheels and tyres. The shock tower is a different colour but I can't find another part number listed. The chassis, gear box, arms and shafts are all exactly the same part numbers. I hope that helps.

Provided you are familiar with RC it should be easy. Tamiya kits are great. Make sure you have good quality tools and grease and go slow. Read the instructions through first to get familiar before you start the build. I find it helps to have some tubs around to put small parts it. Tamiya parts are all numbered so they are a breeze! Just great up what it says, if in doubt use a bit more than you think you need, you can always take some off later. As regards the shell get yourself some Tamiya masking tape (it's yellow and comes in various widths, usually a thin one and a thick on will do). Make sure you clean the body first and let it dry before you start painting. Don't spray in long bursts, if the can get's cold in your hand give it a moment and then start again, otherwise you can get an inconsistent paint job. Short, controlled bursts work best and keep moving your hand, never spray if your hand is still as you can get patches really easily and then this leads to running paint! You have to paint things in reverse order and you will want to start with your lightest colour. Once you've sprayed it all back it with some white to make the colours really pop and if you want to aid that scale look do a layer of a dark grey or black on top of that white so then if you see the underside of the shell it doesn't look so much like a thin bit of plastic.

Can we get the pictures of the spurs when they arrive? it's like the droppings of the illusive X-Maxx, a few pictures of them in the wild but nothing tangible.

Horizon also distribute for Tamiya America (I believe it is stocked on their site) as well, chances are it could be the same deal. I would guess it is to help distribution availability and clubbed together in a group I would imagine it is cheaper. If you order from Tamiya America the ouster shipping box (if it's a single unit box) is covered in Horizon logos. From a distributors stand point it's a good deal as it will make more shops want to deal with you and it makes it easier for your customers as well as keeping costs lower.

Hmmmmm. I have a DX6i for my Helis. I've never thought about using for a car. Is the mod easy to reverse?

...I wonder if he has been using the self righting...

I ordered this one: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/core-rc-code-2.4ghz-3-channel-fhss-lcd-stick-combo/rc-car-products/38217 as I am not into these wheel radios. One came with my RC and I just can't get the hang of it. It's very sensitive and I find my left hand sometimes moves around and then this changes my steering, I also think they are pretty uncomfortable with me constantly wanting to rest it against my body. I guess it's just what you are used to. Anyway. I am fairly happy with it. For the price you get an extra channel which is useful for lights or just other odds and ends. The sticks feel pretty good and have metal tips which was a big draw for me. Not as nice as my old MHz Futaba but for the price I am happy. The only draw back I would say is there is no build in failsafe. It's worth remembering even with all the extra settings you don't have to use them, but if you buy a radio without you will not have the option to in the future without laying out again. I also a big believer in the more options you have more excuses you can use for your bad driving...oh my EPO is set wrong...oh my throttle curve is set wrong...oh my [insert], works every time

Scale is a weird one. In my head I just use scale to work out wheel size and height. A 1/10 buggy has a lower ride height and smaller wheels than 1/8. Scale represents nothing anymore. A good example would be the new Traxxas XMaxx where the call is just 'Maxx'. As far I am aware the only areas of RC close to being scale are high end/self build planes and boats. Typically the kind you see at model shows and exhibitions that have hundreds of hours of work in them. Personally I think the scale issue for cars is a simple one. Boats and planes can be made scale and still perform well (although they do need some creative problem solving, scale sail boats of a historic nature often have a hidden electric motors because when the sails are scaled down they don't work too effectively) but with a car what you see is what you get. If you built an exact 1/10 road car it's going to have quite a narrow track and a surprisingly high centre of gravity with some wheels that aren't exactly massive. Fact is it wouldn't drive all that fast and it wouldn't handle any surface other than a scale surface. No more bumpy car park runs. The visual aspect of scale does get to me. Cars could be made to look a bit more scale. If you take a short course truck it does often look like a full size scaled down, it's just not actually proportionally in scale. Swings and roundabouts. Scale is always worse with cars and I find trucks to be the worst culprits. If a 1/10 on road can't be easily driven over by a 1/10 MT then one of them isn't in scale....It will annoy me for the rest of my life.

Thank you

Every rc has some weak parts. I think something like a consumable part like a slipper is ok. The one on my Slash 4x4 is hard to get just right. It could be that just due to the large rotating mass of those large wheels combined with the possible excited of running it without checking everything first..we've all done it. Does anyone have any information about the 'creative' shock design?

It's seems quite a strange way to roll out a product like this from such a big company. I wonder if they aren't as big as their marketing would make them seem.

I hopefully will have a second one on the way so then when friends pop round we can have a play. I am really trying to seek out the on road NT18 version but they were made first and in the fewest numbers so they are just impossible to find, it just would be nice to have a tiny, almost toy sized RC that screams haha. I am really impressed with the quality of it. I filled the shocks last night when I couldn't sleep and I was amazed how plush the suspension felt for such tiny shocks. I have noticed there isn't enough clearance to have the shocks laid out on the inner most tower mounting and the outer most arm housing as the bottom of the shock rubs. The plastic feels nice but I am concerned about the plastic shock mounting balls on the lower arms as I can see them snapping if I catch the arm. If so I have got a set of mounts so I could in theory screw it into the lower arm. Other than that and the stock diffs being set up completely awfully I am really really impressed with the quality for the size of it. I have some aluminium shock towers coming for it and some adjustable toe links for the rear. I also have ordered some fuel but no glow starter and such yet as I am trying to see if I can find one with a decent battery. HK have one that runs off a USB power bank which kind of intrigues me. I am also waiting for a NiMh pack for the starter box which should be here by the end of the week along with an engine heater. I am really looking forward to all the tinkering and tuning

I can vouch for the Stampede. It was my first RC when I was young. It's been around since the late 80s and it's still sold because it's just a great RC. Buckets of fun. 2wd means on a good surface it will wheelie which is great fun and it slides around fantastically well. Being an MT it can get over more terrain than lower slung buggy style cars and it jumps very well. They do have a tendency to tip over it you turn at speed but that is part of learning how to drive any RC. You can also get a lot of parts to fit it and lots of really cool looking wheels and shells which can help to reignite interest if he doesn't take to it straight away. it is worth noting the caster blocks do break under a hard impact of tumble but there are a myriad of upgrade parts that will help with this, parts are cheap and it's easy to work on.

I have sourced some spares and I am buying pretty much any I see. Glow plugs are actually a bit of an issue. I have 5 XRAY ones but after that I have no idea what will work for this engine. I sort of just figured that if I can get it broken in over winter then it will be good to run in summer.

My first ever Nitro - XRAY NT18T. I started a thread if you are interested: http://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/forums/topic/212774-my-first-nitro-nt18t/

Hello, After some searching, poking, prodding, badgering and question asking I managed to get my hands on a brand new NT18T from XRAY. I had taken some time away from the hobby but I remembered seeing these advertised a fair few years ago and was sad to see that mini Nitros apparently weren't a 'thing' anymore. I really wanted one when they came out and now, as my first ever nitro, I have one. I just wondered if anyone had any tips for a brand new nitro owner. I still need to order a nitro starter set with a glow plug heater. I also need to get a stick pack for the starter box as it says not to use a LiPo. Fuel, oh and some after run oil. If all goes well I should be able to get those ordered in the next week or so and then be ready to start break in after I get back from my holiday over Christmas. I have started an album if anyone wants to see some unboxing images and such. I will keep updating it with my progress and hopefully some running images very soon. http://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/gallery/album/4014-nt18t/ In the box I got a bunch of paperwork along with the truck and radio with the starter box being a separate item. That paperwork contains some shell stickers (that I am sure I will stick on wonky) a startup guide, an engine guide, a manual, a catalogue as well as two things that I have never come across in a car before (although this is my first new RC in 8 years and my first ever RTR) a lovely glossy general guide which contains breakdowns of how to dissasemble shocks, diffs and more, as well as an adjustment guide on what set up options there are and how they change the truck, it even includes a few examples and starting points. The second thing is an A3 fold out exploded view of the entire chassis, with part numbers, on the reverse of which is a list of the part numbers, with the name and the quantity of that component on the car. There is also a certificate of authenticity which I will obviously frame. It might be worth nothing one of the zip ties holding the car down in the box had snapped in transit. My first impressions of the truck are it's very heavy. It seems that none of the turn buckles are adjustable. The shocks are completely empty. It does have a battery pack for the RX already onboard and zipped tied down. It has a rear wing to be attached to the shell but no glue or tape to attach it with, the servo also needs to be adjusted. The shell is very very thin with a small crack it in already by one of the body post holes. The fuel tank is too small to hold an espresso but that is somewhat unavoidable being this small. The tyres are really nice and soft with a good block centre tread and medium pins to the edges. 27mhz radio feels very cheap plastic but it is comfy and weighty, the antenna cannot be unscrewed or replaced. I imagine I will replace this with a 2.4ghz stick radio but that is down to personal preference of sticks over a wheel. There is some play in the gear mesh where the clutch bell meets the driveline, so much so that if I rotate it by hand or rock it back and forth it makes a clicking sound or a sound similar to a bearing missing a ball and something just rolling around in a house so I must check that out before running. Plastic drive shafts all round with a metal one in the middle which will be fine, there just seems to be a lot of play in the diffs. Sadly there are phillips heads screws all round, but with the list of parts on the back of the A3 sheet it has all the dimensions so I shouldn't have a hard time ordering up some hex heads. It's quite possibly the cutest car I have ever seen, short and fat. I can't wait to hear it screaming along. I would imagine at this size it will feel pretty fast even when going quite slow. I am very excited for my first foray into nitro. I will update this thread with my progress, along with questions I may have as well as updating the gallery.

Wow, I remember my dad having the Renault 5 turbo. I think at the time he had a Golf (I could be wrong) and got the Renault body for his racing class as everyone else ran the golf so it made it easier to spot with his bad eyesight. Haha, I think I was maybe 5 or 6 at the time. He used to save the low batteries from his race sessions and let me drive using those so I couldn't go too fast, that and taping a stopper behind the stick. Good times. That sand scorcher is nice as well.

It looks like the suspension needs some work, looks a bit soft and boaty. It would make sense if we perhaps saw it doing a big jump but so far I have just seem footage of the body roll causing side traction and it rolling over. It reminds me of the old Tamiya MTs with friction shocks, at tad floppy...however that was a recipe for fun at a 1/10 scale with a brushed motor, I just wonder if it's size, combined with it's power might mean it needs some work straight away out of the box.

Thank you for the info Are you having fun with it? Is there anything I need to watch out for while building mine up?

I am interested to see what people think of driving it. The stability management option sounds pretty interesting, I wonder how much it will interfere with your driving, although they say it's adjustable. I believe it is on some other trucks, has anyone tried it? According to their site it can increase tyre and diff wear... From what I can see on the Traxxas website the body clip system they use grips onto the rear shock tower and there are some internal plastic posts at the front with hook with the front tower. You can just see it on the 'clipless body' video. I would guess the body clip system is removable from the shell or that they will sell them separately. Given the fact that the front of the body is mounted with posted glued under the front of the shell (which I assume is done after painting for obvious reasons) I can't see it being too far fetched that they offer them separately, I mean, even just for the fact you might break them. It would be rather bizarre if the body snapped off and then was completely useless because of the mountain system. It's a pretty good truck, nice and large. I've never owned any form of MT but it has sparked my interest. Part of me feels it might be a bit too big for me. That is a lot of truck to be driving round, it drastically scales down your driving space and environment. All of a sudden that tree root that made a really good jump becomes a speed bump. I get that it means you can utilise a much wider variety of terrain but I can't strap it to my backpack, go for a walk and find a nice spot. I also wonder at that size how much replacement parts will cost. I have been looking at parts for my slash and things like CVDs, shocks and diffs cost a fortune, let alone the body shell that is the larger than the E-Maxx!

Well after some emailing back and forth I have managed to find a NT18T RTR Luxury package, brand new, factory sealed from 2007, with a possible lead on another, again, factory sealed from 2006. I paid a bit more than I wanted and it's coming a fair distance but I really wanted one, I see it as a christmas present to myself. It should be here in about 2 weeks, if I can track down the second one I will pick it up. I am very very excited. I am going to put my Slash 4x4 up as a roller I think, use the funds to help cover the cost of this and work on my E-Maxx over the winter months. If I can get my hands on the other NT18T I will convert it to the NT18MT as I have found some parts online which I have managed to pick up...or maybe if you are nice to me Nitroholic I can work something out with you My main problem is glow plugs. I have no idea what plugs it will need :/