Hi guys,

Imran here from Mumbai, have been in the hobby for quite some time,
Own a Mugen MBX6 Nitro buggy and just recently had a custom Tekno V4 E-Mugen MBX6 made from Tritech Hobbies.
Have always been in the buggy category and now intend to jump into the already crowded Short Course Category...
Need help and input from fellow hobbyists on finalising my next car, below mentioned is all the research i have done:

The two cars i am considering are:
1) Hong Nor SCRT 10
2) Traxxas Slash 4 X 4

My research and information gathered on both models are listed below:
1) Hong Nor SCRT 10:
A very good built car, not too many around, actually can count only 4.
Price being offered for the Roller Chassis by my dear friend Murali from Joy Rising Hobbies is 18000 +Shipping.
If i do intend to buy it with the Motor/ESC/Servo it lands at 23000 +Shipping, but am weary of this option as all the 4 owners of the SCRT10 i know in the country had issues with the stock chinese motor/esc and had to upgrade to a Castle Mamba Max. At 23000 +Shipping (Radio is not included. Does not come with Battery or Charger.)
The car is built solid and have read a good amount of reviews internationally but dont have many local reviews as per how it performs on our track surfaces as there ain't many around.
After checking prices online, i managed to get a deal for the Rolling Chassis at 9800/- plus shipping and customs. I am sure from my earlier experiences that shipping and customs wont be more than another 7000/-. So incase i plan to go ahead with the scrt10 IT WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE IMPORTING IT and saving around 1000 bucks.

2) Traxxas Slash 4 X 4:
Am not a real fan of Traxxas, but the price and stuff I am being offered is making me think otherwise.
Siddharth from Tritech International, has offered me the Traxxas Slash 4 X 4 at 25,000/- RTR all inclusive.
It includes a 3s lipo compatible brushless motor/esc, waterproof digital high torque servos, 2.4ghz link radio. A 8.4v 3000mah battery pack and a charger.
Did a similar online research and found that if i import the slash directly it costs me 25k with shipping, + would have to bear duty which would be around 4000/- which would make it 29k and in this case would make more sense purchasing it locally.

So finally i can either now buy the scrt10 from the net and import it on my own or get the slash 4X4 in ready delivery locally.

Please help me take a final call.

Thanks

Imran

If you have the $$ and need, buy the sc8e Rockstar Makita From associated, might land around 35k.
Other wise think of Slash Platinum or The sc10e.

Just my 2 paisa

The SCRT will be more expensive.(roller+castle system).The Chinese power systems are a hit and miss situation.Most are hits but some can be misses.Castle has legendary reliability.

The slash can be made competitive with a few upgrades.I would not suggest a 3s lipo for racing.Too much power.But after upgrading,its good for our tracks.The SCRT has a lower CG.Not sure if it will b e happy with our tracks.

It depends on how you want it.The slash will be quite good.So will the SCRT but it will cost more on the whole.But the slash upgrades will cost you too.You will need sway bars,tires for sure.You shocks would require an upgrade also.Just get the aluminium shock caps and TiN shafts.That is my upgrade plan as well.But it will be expensive.I would say you go with the tried and tested method and get the slash which will cost quite a lot.

But either way,you won't be disappointed.IF you get the SCRT,get a castle setup or a hobbywing setup.(Xerun 120A would be a beast)

Hobbywing is Crap, its the eZrun only.
Turngy Trackstar is 1000 times better, and acc, to some enthusiast, its almost the same level as Mamba Monster, but 1/4th the price.
Plus its a 150A sys.

I have seen bone stock Slash's runnin wid only upgraded tyres do some amazing things on the track at panvel, mumbai. So am not sure if the slash will need a whole lot of upgrades.
Lets just decide in the above options as stock which will b better.
Also would like to stick to these two options as these are the only two that will help me avail spares and support locally.

Entirely depends on what's being done with the truck..
SCRT 10 looks to be a built racer which can take a little bashing.. Probably not as much as the Slash.. But, SCRT10 will most probably beat the Slash at a track..

On the other hand, Slash has higher COG.. As Gandhar mentioned, few upgrades like tires, sway bars etc. it can be made to race..

IMO, racing and LITTLE bashing - SCRT 10
Equal amounts of both - Slash

Interesting discussion.

I would like to know if any of you guys have actually driven a SCRT10 on a track or bashed with it to know if its good or bad, or is it what you read on the internet?

Since we do race regularly i can tell you that I have seen a stock Slash 4x4 clean out a full lineup of modified slash as well as SCRT10's. In other words the driver will decide the outcome despite the implied advantages.

Racing: There is not too much between both these cars. It will come down to the driver and track conditions considering both are running same tyres and batteries. The stock esc/motor on the Jammin needs to be replaced. (all scrt owners have had theirs fail). So you will have to factor in a mamba cost.

Bashing: Never bashed a scrt so i cannot comment, but the slash can take a beating like u cant imagaine.

So i guess it comes down to personal preference. Imran: but what you like, they both are good cars.

All SCRT based on internet reading.. Slash - Personla opinion.

Easiest solution - Get Both!

I would say,go with the slash because its better out of the box.

Guys this is creating more confusion!!!
I just wanna know what will be more value for money. I am not a pro racer. And for that matter the rc racing scene in India hasn't matured to international standards. Also I will be doing street bashing as i generally run all ma cars most of the time in the bylanes near my house. Considering the track conditions, all our indian tracks are way different than international ones, all the the international competition tracks are hard packed, we have totally loose ones.

Thanks for all the input, hop[ing to finalise by the weekend.

Slash 4x4 all the way.

Not saying that the SCRT is not good,just that it doesn't fit your criteria.It will need more effort to get up and running whereas the slash will be up in a jiffy.

I would say Slash all the way. With all things similar, I'm sure you will have easier access to the spare parts bin given the fact that Traxxas has a bigger market presence in India. As you said yourself, you know of only four SCRT10s.. Not to mention the price.

Imran: Scrt cost 22k + tax. The rolling chassis is 16k +tax. No one can evade tax..

BTW SCRT has the most no. of wins.. I list out all the results if necessary... Recently I posted a video on SCRT being bashed around, for those who have not seen it please take a look at it...
Jammin SCRT has not been available in market, hence their absence in racing.

Within 3 months of buying SCRT from me, if these RTR ESC motors fail - I will give free replacement. So far, no complaints.. Im running the stock motors on my Nexx8... So far it is the fastest and reliable for me..

I don't know what motor and ECS, BRC hobby was giving when they were dealing with it.. The current motor & ESC that comes on the SCRT is from a new supplier from Taiwan and they have been tested in depth..

I'm confused here.. Aren't the motor and esc covered under warranty? What kind of failing are we talking about here?

Well,it sounds ok then.Is it an EZrun system?Could you tell me how many turns the motor is rated at?

What Imran said about our tracks is true.I don't remember seeing any hard packed tracks here.


Tassem:The electronics are added to the car on order by Murli(I think so).So they are covered by a warranty Murli gives.Its for 3 months.

The failing can be anything.Most of the times,failing means the ESC goes up in smoke,the magnets come off and stuff like that.But most failures in any electric power system are usually at the ESC.

Gandhar- Very true - The motors are added by the factory upon request. Since we can get good lipos from Hobby king i skipped the Nimh battery from factory..

Well that makes sense. In that case why fight doubts when you can just install a more trusted kit? Is it the cost that's the primary deterrent or do companies specify what to install? I mean Murli would have other kits as well right?

I'm just asking cause I have no idea how this works.

Tassem: All Jammin Electric cars come as kits.. Even the nexx8 buggy.. The motor that the factory offers are cheap to start of with.. India is 90% rtr market.. Very few prefer kits..

I know what you mean.. Perhaps you should stock a few mid level esc+motor kits. That way buyers will not be deterred by stories of the stock motor/esc failing. Do they have restrictions on what you can stock since you're the official distributor for their range?

From what I read online the SCRT10 is a great car but I think these stock motor stories will put off a lot of people..

No restriction what so ever on what i can stock. In order to prove its reliability, I will drive the SCRT along with my team in the next short course truck race. Till then we can only argue about what Mr.X said and what Mr.Y saw etc..

The SCRT RTR costs Rs.25k inclusive of Tax.. Batteries are not included..

Please keep in mind that SCRT10 rtr comes with Center differential, CNC chassis & CNC suspension, CNC dog bone, CNC sway bars etc..

Upon request, 17mm hex conversion can be delivered to the customer..

I think that's a praiseworthy thing to do. And its good to see your trust in their quality. This is the best part about RC lovers being distributors as well

Thanks Tassem, I'm a Jammin fan before i became their distributor.. Only when the market sees it, they will believe and i respect that..

If it is Value for money and just street bashing your using it for, i would say Slash 4 X4. Traxxas models are truly RTR i even got so many tools with my Revo which with other companies had to be purchased separately at an additional cost

Shashank -Hongnor Jammin also provides all the necessary tools with their cars.. ..

I'm hoping you'd be getting their pipes as well. If you already have, please PM me some details..

@JRH: Thanks for letting me know   my comparison was more with MT's from another brand for which i was told i had to spend an additional 5k whereas it all came with the package in traxxas.

Most of the well reputed brand will offer tools as part of the package..

Tassem:I have a slight idea why Murli can't stock the bigger brands(in motors and ESCs).The thing is,it won't sell very well.As Murli has rightly said,our market likes RTR stuff.Thats why I believe Murli has the motors installed on request.

It will be fun to race you Murli.I will be  starting  out soon.But I have 2 more very good drivers to race.The SC class will be more interesting.

I would suggest the slash again but whichever one you do end up with,I'm sure you won't be disappointed with it Imran.

Tassem: PM cannot be sent- Its says that your inbox is full..

Gandhar: Love to race with you buddy.. Coimbatore race in June will feature short course race if there is more than 5nos..

I can't make it to Coimbatore .College will have started.Either way,I need WAY more practice than I have.

@Murli - Lol I just got the same error message trying to ping you. I think the forum messaging has gone kaput or maybe routine maintenance. Could you put your number here if that's ok?

+918939902767

Gandhar: Don't worry, any race in Bangalore, local or national..Me and my team will try and be there..

Great! Would love to race you guys!

@ JRH: It is a reputed brand, i dont know why they were not offering it as an RTR. However the 2010 model is fully RTR  Do you race in Monster truck category ?

Do we have races in Monster Truck category??

Yup.. Most of the people run Savages and TT Sledgehammers..

That's good to know.. I'd want to get my hands dirty on one of those races

I dont race monster trucks even though they are fun to race with.. My hands a full already with SCRT10, NEXX8, Jammin X2 CR buggy, Jammin X2 crt Truggy & 4WD FG baja.. I never expected to own so many cars, guess i have to since represent Hongnor Jammin..

Guys we have all the categories.. Electric open, Nitro buggy, Nitro Truggy, Nitro Monster truck & the Bajasss.. All timed with AMB Pro RC4..

Really looking forward to race with all you guys. If not winning, it'll be a great learning experience 

My humble comments:

1. Imran, all depends what you are looking to do with the truck. SCRT as per all reviews I have seen are more suited to racing. Not heard of many people monkeying around on the SCRT although it can be done since its has lots of metal parts. It will certainly handle better than a Slash out of the box due to the presense of a center diff just going by the specs. I havent driven either, just commenting based on box specs. But slash has diff upgrade, so no problem. But I dont think any roadside driving will harm the SCRT or the Slash. I have tried the Slash 2WD which was fun.

2. Why havent you not considered the AE SC10? Its the 2010 ROAR SC champion. If you are serious about racing, you must consider this one also. If you are looking at importing yourself you can look at this. From what I saw at an indoor track in Vegas, SC10 ruled the roost both in the spec and mod classes. Slash have have created the class, but have been overtaken by the others. Wait till the SC10 4x4 gets to the market. All ready tested by Maifield and commented that its out of this world. Slash stands only a decent chance against a grand daddy platform which has bagged the highest amount of world championships till date.

3. If you are looking at only, I repeat ONLY,  VALUE FOR MONEY, dont look beyond Slash, you can get anything better than that. Traxxas has redefined RTR.

4. I am not sure where you got the 10K deal, but it looks very low compared to Amain and Tower. Expect a 90$ approx shipping and customs at 25% approx on total value.

5. Dont base your motor/ESC feedback on what Moiz gave. I think he was selling some stand alone units and not from the factory. Check out some reviews. I would anyways suggest a better combo like mamba/tekin. So roller only makes sense for you. Since you use high end stuff now, using a low end one is like going back to the fiat/amby days.

6. Importing Slash is a waste, dont do it. Cheaper here. I have done my home work. Ultimate/Platinum version is a diff story.

So it all boils down to personal choice and brand loyalty. Having the best car doesnt really help racing in India. You can drive the world champion car and still come last. When we all come to a stage when we are neck to neck in driving skill, then car, fuel, motor, battery, tyres etc will make a difference. For now, we all need a car that will not stall and run perfect till the race last.

^^^^^

COMPLETELY agree with Ajo on this.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for your feedback.
As i had mentioned earlier i was looking for value for money and had already mentioned my use. bashing + some track time.
@AJO:
1) I am not considering other brands as for the short course category i want somethin for which i can get spares support locally. Traxxas and Jammin are only available here.

2) Pricing on the SCRT10 is quite transparent. Considering the AMAINHOBBIES.COM prices and i hope all my fellow hobbyists are aware of the discount coupons offered by amain and tower, the scrt10 without shipping and customs costs me:
Rs. 9900 for the kit
Rs. 10780 for the rtr.
With all my experience importing my earlier cars, my shipping and customs wont cross more than another 7 Grands.
Do consider this is the amain price, towerhobbies offer far higher discounts. Also note in this deal in amain, i am not undervaluing anything nor am i evading any sort of tax.

3)The SCRT10 is a tough built car and i am considering it, but to make more sense of my rupee i will most probably import it.

4)Bombay RC hobbies, My dear friend Moiz never put in his own spec motors and esc's, it was was what the company supplied. His orders werent great enough that the company would customise cars for him. And i have received feedback from users, two of whom i personally called to review the car and help me.

Finally it does boil down to personally choice, at the moment am stuck between traxxas and hongnor. Traxxas most definately has more reach as the spares will be available locally in my own city. For hongnor i will need murali to ship out from chennai. I am inclined towards the scrt10 cos of the reviews online and will take my final decision by the weekend.

Best of luck with your decision!
Pics and vids once it comes!

Good luck with the Purchase Imran.. Hoping to see you join the Hongnor Jammin club.. Fingers crossed..

Correction to my information. I just got news that Hongnor has a dealer in Mumbai.
In that regard spares for both Traxxas and Hongnor wud be locally available to me in my own city.

All the best with your decision!