[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by R.P.M

My replacements parts have finally come in. Thankfully no customs duty.

How does this custom duty thing work? There should be some limit on the shipment value, right?

Lot of RC dealers in India cite the high cost due to customs duty (some 33%). How come some shipments gets charged and some dont? Just curious to know.

[mura]

RC cars and parts are 12.5% , Dealers are ripping you off saying 33%.

See Chapter 95 of Tariff structure on any of the customs web sites.

Some shipments via Airmail get through but almost all via courier like Fedex, UPS get charged duty.

[R.P.M]

My shipment came thru USPS. It was marked as "toy car parts" and was under invoiced.

Mura is right, 99% of all courier companies get charged duty but only about 5-10% of items coming thru post/airmail are charged.(depending on the item).

[mail4ajo]

Any websites that offer a side by side comparision of models? RC universe comparision is incomplete, a lot of features are left out. A lot of other websites provide good, but partial info. I am essentially looking at a shootout type of comparision between the Traxxas Slash, Losi desert truck and HPI E-Firestorm.

[R.P.M]

I would go in for the firestorm flux if i had the choice. Madmonkey has just picked up one and trust that thing flies, the acceleration is brutal and it handles very well. It is also good enough for bashing. The motor/esc combo is real good. If u use lipos it will be even faster.

I havent used the losi but the slash is just too slow and the handling is average.

You can get this officially from HPI india, it might be slightly expensive but it gives you peace of mind, warranty, support etc.

[kapiljolly79]

Well, all the three mentioned are different in their own terms. The simplest way to go is to see the build of the trucks. What kind of differentials, shock setup, drive axles are plastic or metal dogbones, or whether they are cvd's. Then you must see the ease of maintainance.

The Slash and Losi Desert trucks are short course trucks and the E-firestorm is a stadium truck. The Losi and HPI are better offroaders compared to the Slash. And in my opinion you should consider either the Losi Desert truck or the HPI E-firestorm. Both rugged, both support very powerful motors, reliable ESC's, metal dogbones, and are also priced closer to each other. The slash is a little delicate comapared to these two.

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Any websites that offer a side by side comparision of models? RC universe comparision is incomplete, a lot of features are left out. A lot of other websites provide good, but partial info. I am essentially looking at a shootout type of comparision between the Traxxas Slash, Losi desert truck and HPI E-Firestorm.

[mura]

Get the Traxxas Slash, good price, massive aftermarket parts, huge sales sucess in the US, cheap and simple to maintain and Brushless ready. I have driven both the Slash and E-Firestrom.

@R.P.M Have you driven the Slash to say handling is average?

[KSM-Vtec]

HI GUYS !!! you are going to enjoy this

a video of a small rc meet we had here in mumbai on sunday

YouTube - 3 RC Trucks on a Mud track in Mumbai

[KSM-Vtec]

And guys dont miss the part after 3min 30sec and still importantly the 4min 30sec and later part...

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by mura

Get the Traxxas Slash, good price, massive aftermarket parts, huge sales sucess in the US, cheap and simple to maintain and Brushless ready. I have driven both the Slash and E-Firestrom.
@R.P.M Have you driven the Slash to say handling is average?

Yes Mura. I am looking at the Slash due to the following reasons. I am a begginer, so if my undertanding is wrong, please correct me. I have all this information after hours of reading and speaking with US colleagues who are Pro RC racers.

I feel Slash is better for my needs as a newbie because:
Pros:
1. Truely scale looking compared to others like Losi DT, E-Firestorm. Looks excatly like the CORR trucks.
2. Affordable at $200, Battery and charger, based on my budget
3. Water resistant. Company claims water proof
4. Brushless ready. Useful, when I grow up and want to upgrade for more power
5. Metal gears for lot of abuse and newbie driving
6. Training mode which reduces motor power to 50% for newbie like me to focus on control first rather than ripping right away.
7. Good bumpers upfront and back, so will help in accidental front hits
8. Think it has gear differential like other Traxxas trucks, so may last longer

Cons:
As per my colleagues:
1. Radio is not all that great. They said, must upgrade soon. Losi has 2.4GHz which they say is better. I think a newbie can live with it. These guys are Pros and expect too much.
2. No Aluminium shocks like Losi. Not as durable
3. Cant jump as good as other trucks as Slash bottoms quickly compared to others. Not worried about it now as I am more focused on running it properly first.
4. No dealer back in India like HPI, so no warranty. That worries me.

Please let me know if I have missed out on anything.

[iceman91]

Guys one thing, warranty only covers the engine or any manufacturing defect out of the box. The servos, electricals etc. are not covered by warranty.

[mura]

In your Cons:

Point No 1 , same as you say, can be managed.

Point no 2 , Aluminium Bends and stays Bent - Expensive to replace , Plastic Bends and bounces back- Cheaper to replace in case of brakage.

Point no 3 can easily rectified by filling 45 weight Shock oil.

Point no 4 Again at the stage the HPI guys are now with their operations i wouldn't be bothered. It is a fun hobby, stop worrying and just buy the Car you like. Any part can be got online , Yes it does take a week to get to you but not a big problem.

IMHO the time when you can go to a local hobby store and pick up spares for your RC is atleast 2-3 years away.

[iceman91]

you never know Murarie, it could be sooner than that would say under a year not more

[mura]

Originally Posted by iceman91

you never know Murarie, it could be sooner than that would say under a year not more

If you could do that then cheers:.

[iceman91]

Trying my best Customs is killing me.
Stuck with them for 15 days.