Well, a couple of months ago I took the gamble and brought the long awaited HPI crawler.
This was mainly try and keep up with my mates (ADH66) Scx10ii kit.
Firstly, I think the HPI looks great so I was excited during the unboxing to see that the model was put together pretty well. The most impressive being the dual spring shocks and the general damping quality and feel.
I have made a few mods these being stickers, spot lights and white bead locks with mudslingers on them.
Ok ok let's get to the nitty gritty of how it runs. The majority of run time has been along side an scx10ii. I had a feeling the hpi would get munched and let's start with the bad things first. Ground clearance, I have found it to be the biggest hurdle with this truck. So much as I think my outback was almost the same if not a bit better. The scx absolutely trounces it in this respect.
The sterring servo isn't great. It often tends to freeze right in the middle of a tricky section when your stationary. This will be upgraded.
The good bits. It's a good weight 2.4kg and feels sturdy. It climbs real well and monsters up slopes with ease. It tends to deal with sideways slopes really well and really has to be pushed before it rolls. I have really gone to town putting this thing through it's paces. Big inclines, rocks, sand, clay, mud, very deep puddles.
I have actually been very surprised at how good it is for a ready run and it most cases I cannot fault it.
Vs the sxc10ii I would say most of the time the scx is a slightly more capable sturdy rig but not by much. There have been instances where the very heavily modified and heavy scx10ii 3.1kg at last weigh in hasn't been able to match the hpi and in general they both have different strengths and weaknesses. This makes for a great crawling companion because most of the time you have to use completely different skills to get both trucks over the same terrain.
My other gripe is that there appears to me no upgrades for the hpi yet but here's hopping.
Would I recommend this model. Definitely. It is seriously capable and a very good ready to run.
Here are some
pics.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/158396815@N04/shares/726b7K