foxycub

As I mentioned a few pages back, I contacted HPi after having two rear axles both bend whilst driving on tarmac. They were excellent and sent out free replacements under warranty. Might be worth contacting them if you haven't done so already.

Yes - the XT has slightly lower suspension settings than the MT. Parts are all the same though. If you wanted to convert an XT to an MT you just need to change the tyres and body. Slightly more expensive to change an MT to an XT as you also need to buy the wing mount and wing.

Lost a pin when one of my rear axles snapped. Bought some replacement Tamiya 5mm wheel hexes only to discover when they arrived that the stock pins are 1.5mm thick whereas the Tamiya pins are 2mm thick. Can't use the Tamiya ones as the pins don't fit through the hole in the axle. Lesson learnt. I should have just bought a bag of replacement pins. You can buy 100 for 5 quid on ebay!

Yes - think you are right about that. Hope the improved arms will solve this. I also saw in a video somewhere online that some Fluxes have been shipping with the HD axles as standard. Don't know if that's true or not and don't remember where I saw it.

Agree with this. In terms of spares I'd get the upgraded shafts (or at the very least some spare axles), a set of arms (or two, just to be on the safe side), some replacement oil and a set of replacement shock rods (as they bend when the arms break and can't always be bent back). I'd also get a spare wheel hex set and spare lock nuts for the wheels. If you run the stock axles and one breaks you can easily lose the wheel hex and lock nut when it flies off. You can buy cnc-machined HD suspension arms from Metsafil (made in Portugal). I haven't had any issues since fitting them but haven't really tested them properly either. You also might want to get a spare servo arm saver in case it hits a rock/tree bunny at full speed! Think that's it.

Can't agree with you on this James. You've obviously been very lucky if you've been driving rough and haven't broken an arm yet, but that's not my experience (having broken three) and it's not the experience of many other people out there who've had suspension arms that break easily. Great that you haven't had this problem but I think it's unfair to say that all the people who are complaining don't own one. The photos they've posted to this forum suggest otherwise. Even Maverick themselves clearly acknowledged that there was a design issue with the original arms - that's why they've released a modified design. Just to be clear though, just because there are some weaknesses here and there doesn't make it a bad truck to own. I still love it and would definitely buy one again. Just something to bear in mind when planning what spares to buy... that's all.

Regarding your first question (concerning what you need to run the Quantum Flux), yes, apart from the truck and transmitter you only need to add a battery and charger (plus batteries for the transmitter of course). I would suggest also buying a decent collection of spares though, as even in an open field you'll inevitably break something. Regarding whether a Quantum Flux is suitable for a 9 year old I'm sure everyone will have a different perspective on this. Personally I think it's fine. I have a 10 and an 8 year old and both have had fun with it (albeit with some breakages along the way). With a 2S Lipo they are fast, but you can always dial down the top speed using the servo end point dial on the transmitter and dial down the acceleration by changing the ESC settings. With those changes it is really easy to drive and less likely to break if it hits a rock/tree/bunny. I personally think that the Flux offers better value for money than other brushless trucks (excluding cheap offerings from Banggood and Amazon of course). I decided to go with the Flux because it's much cheaper than buying a brushed car and upgrading it in the future with a new ESC and brushless motor. It's also worth remembering that the Flux comes with universal drive shafts for the front wheels and aluminium hub sets that you don't get with the standard Quantum. Regarding brushless versus brushed.... there are pros and cons. Brushless lasts longer and is marginally quicker, but the difference in speed is only 10-15% I think. Having a sealed motor is definitely a bonus if you will be driving on gravel or in the wet. For a 9 year old brushless might be overkill if anyway you are dialing back the speed, but if you plan on taking it out yourself I'd say it's worth it. That being said there are plenty of folks out there using brushed motors and still having a great time! Anyway, those are my thoughts. Look forward to hearing other opinions.

Thanks. Not as expensive to print as I thought.

It's really easy to remove. There is a small round hole that you stick a hex key through to unscrew the pillow ball from the suspension arm. Hope this helps.

Absolutely right Jens!

Thanks for the update. Surprised that it's still so brittle in ABS. Still curious to know how much it would cost to print something like that using 70% infill. I'm wondering about the economics of 3d printed parts versus buying the official versions.

Many stock transmitters have an option to dial down top speed via the throttle end point dial. It's supposed to be used for adjusting the servo range for nitro engines but also makes a handy way of limiting the maximum speed on electric-powered cars. Certainly Maverick transmitters like the MTX-244 have this feature and I've used it for my kids. Along similar lines, there is often a setting for the ESC that will reduce the maximum acceleration rate when you pull the trigger. Coupled with limiting the maximum speed these tweaks can make an RC car much more manageable for a child and less prone to self destruct when it inevitably hits something. Personally, if you don't think they'll really get into the hobby then I'd stick with a cheap offering from Banggood. On the other hand, if you think they'll still be playing with the car in five years or you fancy taking it out for a spin yourself it might pay to get a decent car and just dial down the performance when kids are using it.

Thanks Paul. Appreciate you sharing these via dropbox given that the direct links aren't working. Sure they'll come in handy for those with a 3D printer.

Interesting that both of your arms broke in a similar way. Same here, but in my case both arms split on the opposite side to you... i.e. on the chassis side of the hinge pin rather than the wheel side). Still haven't managed to break the HD arms from Metsafil... but I haven't really 'tested' them properly yet with some rough driving.

That new body is looking great! Maybe this is a stupid question, but are the mounts for new shells, wings etc... universal or do you have to modify them to fit onto different models? When I lost the pin from one of my wheel hexes I bought some replacement Tamiya hexes only to then discover that the pins on the stock hexes have a different diameter.