hey guys...i am planning to get the hpi trophy 3.5cc buggy......any idea about the model??and do you recommend any other car in the same range??i.e.according to the indian market??

How much are you getting it for?

As a beginner like you, I went through the following brands (in no particular order). These are the ones i found available in India (there may be more).

Traxxas - http://www.traxxas.in/products.htm
HPI - http://www.rcracinghobbies.com/
Losi -  http://www.dogboneracing.com/products.html
Jammin - http://www.joyrisinghobby.com/
Thunder Tiger - http://rotor.co.in
LRP - http://www.throttlerc.in/

I am sure the veterans here can give you more specifics.

PS: I finally took the plunge with Losi Truggy . The above mentioned websites are the sources i used to do my selection.

Look, main thing is your budget, other than that, almost all major brands are now available at the best prices, and that too with ease...
So just decide how much you are willing to spend,then decide what you really want (buggy/truggy/truck) short list some models, and then post up something like what should i get 'X' or 'Y'. Thats just my advice, rest on you bro.

And FYI, trophy 3.5 is not that successful, rather i suggest to get a 4.6 cc buggy which is more popular and is also a standard category for racing. if you are really a die hard hpi fan go for a pulse, other wise you can look for ofna hyper 9 or maybe a jammin.

Tip- A really really cheap 1/8th buggy 4.6cc well known buggy is soon to be released and is a super best buy.
Wait for it for just a little more. You wont be unsatisfied with that car. (I am sorry guys i cant tell you more)

What is your application, budget?

i am getting it for about 23k including shipping....

well which brand is it??

my budget is about 24k max.....and application is general racing....planning to design something new later on and use its parts for the designed one if possible....

Not seen many reviews on the Trophy. Seems to be a crossbranded HB lightening ST. At that price, I can also suggest EB4 S3----Hongnor Ultra Lx1-----Hong Nor X1------Hyper series-----LRP series (no idea at all) etc.

Spend more and get something more durable. Trophy looks very basic. I see lots of star screws on it. I hate them.

Way too expensive for what  you will get. There are a lot cheaper cars offering a lot more.


Sorry... Its a real nice surprise but be assured its not an hpi and its a buggy (4.6cc).

I agree, for that price (actually 3k lower) TT EB4 S3 is a true value for money car. Comes out of the box with race ready setup and an excellent 4.6cc engine. Ofna hyper 7 is around 20k but thats a little too old for now so take a look at hyper 9.
Also Hong nor has some real good kits meant for pure racing. You can peek there also.

Here is my take on the trophy. It was my first "pro" buggy that I ever owned. My fascination for buggies started the moment i started driving it. There was a race 2.5 years ago at the BRC track (shut down now) where there were kyoshos, thunder tigers, nanda, losi etc. There were about 3 trophy 3.5 running in that race, my friend who was scheduled to drive didnt show up in time, so i drove his car for the race.

Long story short the trophy handles really well, it is very balanced and is very controllable in the air. The 3.5cc mill could use some more top end power, but it makes up with its tremendous bottom end response. The servos are extremely reliable now, it also has 2.4 ghz and the radio box is waterproof. The differential is virtually bulletproof.

The downside is that HPI still sells it with star screws which sucks, but we have changed all the car to hex so its fine. Otherwise its a fine car and i would rate it much higher than the TTS3, ofna 7.5 (since i have driven these 2 extensively). I have no idea about the jammin rtr, but heard good things about them.

Do youre research, pick what you like. best of luck. Cheers!!

You can get the pulse 4.6 right? I've seen it being deadly in the right hands

I have been racing with Jammin X1 for the past 2yrs. Hongnor Jammin is the only company which offer the pro conversion for less than 10k. I just upgraded to X2.. See this thread of my X1 to X2 conversion.. Mine was X1X RTR now is a X2pro.. All the upgrades are available locally if required..
 
http://www.rcindia.org/cars/jammin-x1x-rtr-converted-to-x2-cr-pro/

Thats great..!
But what about the stock kits, How are they compared to other brands at stock level. I am really interested about the buggies now. How much does it really takes to convert a stock entry level Hong nor to a pro racing buggy?

Rs.8000 plus tax.. Same price as amain.. All spares for Jammin is on par with Amainhobbies..