Big_Mr_V

The Virus is ok, but the Vapor is the one to go for. It's very similar to the Losi 8 and drives very well indeed... The kit version is well worth the money, and to be fair the engine and radio gear with the RTR version are pretty good. It does come with a .28 engine though so isn't strictly race legal so check with your club if you're thinking about racing it

Not sure how buying something other than a Hyper 7 makes you a dumb ass. Personally I'd say buying a Hyper 7 just because everyone else has one when there are lots of better buggies around would make you a dumb ass.

Those tyres are pretty soft and will wear quickly. I'd look for something else if I were you

How long the battery lasts depends on how you use it. If you're racing then you're probably looking at 15minutes or so. For bashing maybe an hour or just over. I think the charger is an overnight job

In terms of Ansmann electric models that is not correct - theirs are: Kit = unbuilt with motor, no ESC/Radio/Servo/battery/charger RTR = everythign ready to go except battery/charger ARTR = As kit, but pre-built

It is called a BEC connector - You can get rx packs with BEC plugs here I'm not sure if you can get a BEC-Futaba adapter lead - your best bet is probably to buy a futaba power switch

Before you put any fuel in just turn everything on and make sure: The steering is straight The Carb is closed The brakes are not on If any of the above are not correct then you will need to adjust the linkages

The Caster is a new design and the parts quality is excellent. It also handles better than the X1 CRT. The Terrier is good value, but the Caster is slightly stronger and overall a better model. The X1 CRT is showing it's age and can't keep up with the recent kits. It's not bad, but not as good as the Caster. The Schumacher Menace is very very fast, but not suited to heavy offroading. For a bit of light offroad use and drag races it is a good shout though...

Can I just point out the Firestorm isn't a Truggy. So, out of the other 3 I'd have the Caster. The Caster, Terrier and X1 will all run rings round the Firestorm on anything rougher than a bowling green. The choice of on-road tyres for truggies isn't massive though.

The ARTR and kit versions are exactly the same, apart from the colour of the bodyshell and the fact one of them comes in lots of little plastic bags.

For buggies a .21 is the preferred option (and the only race legal one) - you can get some absolute screamers however if you are after a pullstart engine your choices will be limited. Bigger doesn't necessarily mean faster, and in fact most .28's don't rev as high as .21's although because of the extra torque you can gear them higher to compensate. They will however drink your fuel faster so runtimes won't be great. Most 1/8 buggies will take most .21 - .32 size engine without any problems, so you will need to find the best compromise between top end revs and low down grunt to suit your budget and where you'll be running it. What kind of surface do you run on and how much you looking to spend?

Road Rage are good tyres. Get a set of them and then some buggy wheels to suit your taste. Don't forget the CA glue to stick 'em on with though!

The X1 CRT is outclassed by all the newer stuff The X2 CRT is a very good choice, and very competitive. The Hyper ST PRO is also really good, and handles the most like a buggy The Losi 8-T is also really good but I found it a bit twitchy Which one you go for really depends on your driving style. If you keep it nice and smooth the Losi is the one to go for. If you like to chuck it around then go for the ST. IMO the X2 is somewhere between the two of them in terms of handling...... to be honset you won't go far wrong with any of them There are of course other choices (XRAY, Mugen, etc) but I haven't seen enough of them to justify the price tags.

Yes, 7,000wt - 10,000wt - 3,000wt will do you just fine on the ST

If you're running on tarmac get proper tarmac tyres - worn down (slicked) offroad tyres give no grip at all, and pin/block-style tread patterns wear really quickly. These are good if you can find them in stock anywhere

If you go above 1600mah it's probably made with normal AA cells, which will make it too big for a lot of battery boxes. 'normal' rx packs are made with 2/3A cells. rx packs for 1/5 scale are made with sub-C cells. You can get capacities up to around 4500mah but they are waaaaay too big for 1/8 and 1/10 scale

Your symptoms sound like you're running rich to me... Your LSN setting in particular sounds very rich

Try 7-10-3 for starters...... That's what I used in my ST Pro If you go much heavier in the middle you will start getting a lot of wheelie action, which looks great but hampers the steering somewhat

Most .21 - .32 engines will bolt straight in. I'm assuming you want pullstart? If so, I'd have the Nosram RS.28. Nicely within budget and a very good engine

Receivers are prone to water damage - next time stick it in a balloon

Perhaps if you said which parts of the car you're looking at you might get a bit more help. Are you after looks or performance?

It depends what charger you have, and specifically what the output is (It should say somewhere on the label) If for instance it's 300Mah, then to fully charge a 3000mah pack you will need to charge for 10 hours (3000/300 = 10) If the output is 1A (1000mah) then you will need to charge for 3 hours. Save yourself the hassle and get a peak detect charger......... EDIT: The above is a rough guide only - you should allow an extra 10% or so, but like I said you should just get a peak detect charger

To remove the engine you need to undo the 4 screws in the bottom of the chassis, disconnect the throttle linkage, and disconnect the fuel line. If you want to leave the exhaust attached to the engine you need to undo the grub screw that holds it on the support at the front, and remove the pressure line. It's not a tough job. To remove the brakes, etc undo the 4 screws in the bottom of the chassis to remove the whole centre diff assembly. Once you have it off the chassis you can play with it until your heart's content. Get a couple of little pots and write on them where the bits come from - that way you can be sure to put everything back in the right place. Once you've had it in bits a couple of time you'll be an expert at putting it back together, and if you get stuck you can alsways look at the manual!

The little posts that screw to the shock tower and the shocks clip on to...... Otherwise the shock bodies will rub against the shock tower

For a Hyper 7 you're better off with a stick pack. Just check the connectors are the same as I believe they have changed them on new Hyper's 1.0 Amp is the best setting of those.... 2.5A may fry it, or at least shorten the life of the batteries