GS Storm, Hyper 7 or Inferno Sport
07-08-2003, 04:55 PM
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Hi
I'm about to get into 1/8 scale IC car racing and I've got a short list of cars: GS Storm, Hyper 7 or the Inferno Sport. My budget's approx. £400. I've read good reviews about the Infernon Sport and it's upgradability to a higher spec. as money allows. Can anybody give me any good/bad things about the others choices.
Many Thanks
I'm about to get into 1/8 scale IC car racing and I've got a short list of cars: GS Storm, Hyper 7 or the Inferno Sport. My budget's approx. £400. I've read good reviews about the Infernon Sport and it's upgradability to a higher spec. as money allows. Can anybody give me any good/bad things about the others choices.
Many Thanks
07-08-2003, 06:52 PM
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i own a storm so this is my opion of it.
#1 it takes a beating.
#2 it it still agile enough to negotiate any turns and has good handling at all speeds.
#3 getting parts for it sucks
#4 shock towers are weak.
i dont know any one with a kyosho, but they are considered top of the class.
i know someone with a hyper 7 (i drive with him every weekend) and he had to spend a lot of money to keep up with the rest of the pack. he buggy is badass now, but at almost $1,000 he could have a better buggy of a different brand.
ofna parts are easy to get.
he states if he was buying a new buggy it wouldnt be an ofna.
thats all i can help you with.joo
#1 it takes a beating.
#2 it it still agile enough to negotiate any turns and has good handling at all speeds.
#3 getting parts for it sucks
#4 shock towers are weak.
i dont know any one with a kyosho, but they are considered top of the class.
i know someone with a hyper 7 (i drive with him every weekend) and he had to spend a lot of money to keep up with the rest of the pack. he buggy is badass now, but at almost $1,000 he could have a better buggy of a different brand.
ofna parts are easy to get.
he states if he was buying a new buggy it wouldnt be an ofna.
thats all i can help you with.joo
07-08-2003, 07:19 PM
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Well I have a GS Storm and would not buy another one:
1. You will immediately have to replace the shock towers with £40 of upgraded parts because they bend immediately.
2. The engine is poor. You will see that mine won't run right on other threads but there is no argument that the hyper engines are better.
3. There is no rear pivot brace so the rear wishbones move about all over the place unless you buy more upgrade parts.
4. It handles pretty well but if you are looking to race then you will want a Kyosho, Mugen or pro spec. Storm or Hyper.
5. Many people bend chassis.
Personally, I would recommend a Hyper 7 if you are going bashing as it is very strong, parts are easy and cheap, the standard engine is good. If you want to race the Kyosho Kanai II is probably the best closely followed by the Mugen.
You can get a Hyper 7 PBS for good money (by all accounts the starter box and controller it comes with are very poor) otherwise the new Mugen MBX 5 is available for low £400 if you look around then a controller, uprated steering servo (you will need this for any buggy), starter box, engine and pipe. If you have the money get the Kyosho which is known to be the quickest and strongest buggy but at £600+ for the car alone is quite expensive.
As you are in the UK I would speak to three five models, One Stop Models in Crawley, Horace fuller but also go on the maxxbashers forum and there is a guy called Russ who runs a shop who knows what he is talking about (far more than me) and is very competitive price wise.
Just a question of money......
1. You will immediately have to replace the shock towers with £40 of upgraded parts because they bend immediately.
2. The engine is poor. You will see that mine won't run right on other threads but there is no argument that the hyper engines are better.
3. There is no rear pivot brace so the rear wishbones move about all over the place unless you buy more upgrade parts.
4. It handles pretty well but if you are looking to race then you will want a Kyosho, Mugen or pro spec. Storm or Hyper.
5. Many people bend chassis.
Personally, I would recommend a Hyper 7 if you are going bashing as it is very strong, parts are easy and cheap, the standard engine is good. If you want to race the Kyosho Kanai II is probably the best closely followed by the Mugen.
You can get a Hyper 7 PBS for good money (by all accounts the starter box and controller it comes with are very poor) otherwise the new Mugen MBX 5 is available for low £400 if you look around then a controller, uprated steering servo (you will need this for any buggy), starter box, engine and pipe. If you have the money get the Kyosho which is known to be the quickest and strongest buggy but at £600+ for the car alone is quite expensive.
As you are in the UK I would speak to three five models, One Stop Models in Crawley, Horace fuller but also go on the maxxbashers forum and there is a guy called Russ who runs a shop who knows what he is talking about (far more than me) and is very competitive price wise.
Just a question of money......
07-09-2003, 01:06 AM
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I have a Hyper 7 PBS and love this thing. It takes everything I can give. Even hit a metal pole at 3/4 throttle and nothing broke. 
I am not saying it is best. But it is a good buggy. As with anything that comes as RTR - I did not like the radio but I already had a JR XS3.
The starter box that comes with it is a POS - Get the kit and then buy the OFNA starter box with Metal top. That is the one I use.
I am not saying it is best. But it is a good buggy. As with anything that comes as RTR - I did not like the radio but I already had a JR XS3.The starter box that comes with it is a POS - Get the kit and then buy the OFNA starter box with Metal top. That is the one I use.
07-09-2003, 06:15 AM
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Yeah it's tough, if not impossible, to find a "perfect" buggy in that price range. Looking at the 3 you mentioned...
The radios are all your standard rtr fair. Nothing stands out.
Ive read that the Hyper 7 comes with the OFNA 8 port now. If thats the case it has the best engine of the bunch. If not I'd rank the hyper 4 port and Kyosho pretty similarly. I dont have much experiance with GS engines. The GS run at my track has a OS engine...
The chassis/suspension on the Kyosho and OFNA are both good out of the box. Although the test I read on the Kyosho did say that the shock shafts were weak. Sounds like the Storm has problems with it's towers (prolly a cheap upgrade but...) and I dont think they handle quite as well but I know people who would argue that.
The Kyosho has a bit better steering servo out of the box. But, I think even then if youre gonna race you'll still need to replace em. So the Kyosho has a advantage but not a big one. The other 2 are your standard servos.
Overall, I'd rank the Kyosho and Hyper 7 pretty close. The 7 sells for 400 and I think the Kyosho around 450. The Kyosho's biggest weakness is the shocks and the 7 has a bit worse steering servo... The Storm seems a bit outclassed by the other 2. Not that it couldnt be made competitive.
This comparison comes from personal experiance and what I've read in the mag's. It's not perfect but I think it's accurate.
I would also recomend the PBS. They sell for 450 and have a upgraded center diff, Hyper 8 port pull start, and the Pillow Ball suspension, which I prefer over the C-hub design. The starter box isnt great but it can do the job if youre patient.
Of course theyre all good so I dont think you could make a bad choice.
The radios are all your standard rtr fair. Nothing stands out.
Ive read that the Hyper 7 comes with the OFNA 8 port now. If thats the case it has the best engine of the bunch. If not I'd rank the hyper 4 port and Kyosho pretty similarly. I dont have much experiance with GS engines. The GS run at my track has a OS engine...
The chassis/suspension on the Kyosho and OFNA are both good out of the box. Although the test I read on the Kyosho did say that the shock shafts were weak. Sounds like the Storm has problems with it's towers (prolly a cheap upgrade but...) and I dont think they handle quite as well but I know people who would argue that.
The Kyosho has a bit better steering servo out of the box. But, I think even then if youre gonna race you'll still need to replace em. So the Kyosho has a advantage but not a big one. The other 2 are your standard servos.
Overall, I'd rank the Kyosho and Hyper 7 pretty close. The 7 sells for 400 and I think the Kyosho around 450. The Kyosho's biggest weakness is the shocks and the 7 has a bit worse steering servo... The Storm seems a bit outclassed by the other 2. Not that it couldnt be made competitive.
This comparison comes from personal experiance and what I've read in the mag's. It's not perfect but I think it's accurate.
I would also recomend the PBS. They sell for 450 and have a upgraded center diff, Hyper 8 port pull start, and the Pillow Ball suspension, which I prefer over the C-hub design. The starter box isnt great but it can do the job if youre patient.
Of course theyre all good so I dont think you could make a bad choice.
07-09-2003, 08:59 AM
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the radios are standard/ the JR xr3i is a very goo radio....and it comes with a rtr kit
ofna is a step above traxxas in my opion.
if you can afford it get kyosho or mugen for a buggy.
ofna is a step above traxxas in my opion.
if you can afford it get kyosho or mugen for a buggy.
07-09-2003, 01:03 PM
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I recommend the OFNA LX Pro for $299 US. My friend has the GS Storm and has broken many parts. I have the OFNA LX Pro. I have done cartwheels so many times and landed badly on big stupid jumps at a local track, and the only thing that broke on it was a rear axle. Didn't break, but it had become bent. Causing my right rear wheel to wobble. I have added a stronger steering servo (130/oz), Added some Kyosho rims and tires, and kyosho red super soft springs front and back. Comes with a .25 engine that I keep at 250F . Runs pretty good. Although I admit I ain't no superstar when it comes to off road.
07-09-2003, 07:08 PM
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OFNA and Traxxas are so far apart it's not even close. OFNA builds kits that rival Mugen and Kyosho's best for less than either of them. The problem they do have is people consistantly go out and buy a 299 LX Pro (which kicks tail for the money) and complain when they cant beat a 550$ Mugen kit which will cost close to a grand outfitted. Compare a Hyper 7 Pro or a 9.5 MBX pro and they stack up very well.
Traxxas builds their RC cars out of as much plastic as possible. They have some of the best engineers in the bussiness to be able to make their machines as durable as they are from the cheap components they use.
Traxxas builds their RC cars out of as much plastic as possible. They have some of the best engineers in the bussiness to be able to make their machines as durable as they are from the cheap components they use.
07-12-2003, 04:13 PM
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Pack and fluffly. You guys either got a F**KED up kit or mine is really good. The only complaint i have a about the storm is........the plactic lower suspension mounts but 20 bux fixes that. THe front shock tower is weak too. But thats all. I get parts easly my stock engine is great for MY track. My rtr is now a Storm pro except the chassie and engine!
But get what your lhs stocks parts for.
kyoshokiller, ofna does not have any high class buggies. They have the 9.5 pro, which is just horrible for racing, i dont know about the hyper 7, but the wheels look cool. HA HA!
And pack do you regret having a storm?
But get what your lhs stocks parts for.
kyoshokiller, ofna does not have any high class buggies. They have the 9.5 pro, which is just horrible for racing, i dont know about the hyper 7, but the wheels look cool. HA HA!
And pack do you regret having a storm?
07-12-2003, 09:26 PM
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They dont? I've watched Hyper 7 Pro's whip Kyosho's and Mugen's at the track so I'm a bit confused. Not to mention that Hyper 7's are one of the top, if not the top, nitro buggies in Europe. Of course they dont sell for $550-750 for a kit only so maybe that's what you mean.
The only problem I've heard with OFNA buggies might be the differentials and the new spider diff. was designed to fix that.
I'm not saying theyre inherantly better than either a Kyosho or a Mugen but theyre certainly not worse. The problem is, after years of Kyosho being on top almost nothing could unseat it regardless of how good it is.
I still say Degani could waste all of us driving a Duratrax !
The only problem I've heard with OFNA buggies might be the differentials and the new spider diff. was designed to fix that.
I'm not saying theyre inherantly better than either a Kyosho or a Mugen but theyre certainly not worse. The problem is, after years of Kyosho being on top almost nothing could unseat it regardless of how good it is.
I still say Degani could waste all of us driving a Duratrax !
07-12-2003, 10:53 PM
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That is funny - the comment about the OFNA Buggies anyway. I never claim they are the best, but I like them and that is all that matters. But they are very race worthy. Very durable. And I love my Hyper 7 PBS.
The top dog I always see in the magazines is always Kyosho. I am not a big Kyosho fan though.
It does not matter what kind of buggy or how fast or anything. All that truely matters is how good the driver is.
The top dog I always see in the magazines is always Kyosho. I am not a big Kyosho fan though.
It does not matter what kind of buggy or how fast or anything. All that truely matters is how good the driver is.
07-13-2003, 02:02 AM
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the thing with all cars/trucks/buggies is that they as so close in all aspects that it really comes down to factors other than "this ones better because.." or "look at what X brand has done"
i mean if you take the exact same driver and let him drive a kyosho,mugen,storm,ofna,etc in those championship races that guy can prolly win with anything.
people liek to blame kyosho for having the best driver and thats why they win all the time, but who really cares. storm doesnt pay me to talk nice about their buggy so why should you care what people say about yours.
in our world its all about opions, cause not many of us own/have owned all of the manufactures buggies.
i talked badly about ofna from watching my friend who i hang out with and drive with every week go through problems. his opion on ofna (after owning a hyper 7, 9.5,lx pro, dominator and the 1/8th scale on road what ever its called) is that he wont buy another ofna.
why did he buy so many ofna cars? that what my local hobby store has the most parts support for.
why did i buy a gs storm? i got a good deal on ebay. would i buy a new storm if the come out with a second generation storm? not unless they fix the parts support online. my lhs wont carry them cause me and one other guy owna storm and thats it.
do i regret having a storm? not at all....i think it is a great buggy for a great price.....you can get a nib on ebay for like $450 including a $150 radio.
harry how did i get a f'd up kit whe you listed the exact parts i said were weak in my reasons for nto getting or parts that need upgrading on the storm rtr?
these are my new factors when buy any kind of rc car.
#1 popularity....why?...if its very popular parts will be abundent and hop-ups...if not around will be around soon.
#2 genral parts availability. if i cant find it online then its not around.
#3 price. sure certain brands are considered top of the line, but i dont need top of the line. im not entering the worlds or anything im driving on the weekends with my friends.
#4 the manufacturer. certain brands i like certain ones i dont. all the big boys like...t/a,gs,ofna,mugen,kyosho,traxxas,hpi are fine by me....things like cen,duratrax,magic wheel,megatech, will never be in my garage.
base your choice on thinsg like this and you will never go wrong. whats the purpose of having a $2,000 if i have just as much fun with my $400 car?
actually i have a car worht near $2,000...a tc3....i cant drive in a circle to win a love fest with pam anderson so it does me no good.
get what you want and have fun with it.
i mean if you take the exact same driver and let him drive a kyosho,mugen,storm,ofna,etc in those championship races that guy can prolly win with anything.
people liek to blame kyosho for having the best driver and thats why they win all the time, but who really cares. storm doesnt pay me to talk nice about their buggy so why should you care what people say about yours.
in our world its all about opions, cause not many of us own/have owned all of the manufactures buggies.
i talked badly about ofna from watching my friend who i hang out with and drive with every week go through problems. his opion on ofna (after owning a hyper 7, 9.5,lx pro, dominator and the 1/8th scale on road what ever its called) is that he wont buy another ofna.
why did he buy so many ofna cars? that what my local hobby store has the most parts support for.
why did i buy a gs storm? i got a good deal on ebay. would i buy a new storm if the come out with a second generation storm? not unless they fix the parts support online. my lhs wont carry them cause me and one other guy owna storm and thats it.
do i regret having a storm? not at all....i think it is a great buggy for a great price.....you can get a nib on ebay for like $450 including a $150 radio.
harry how did i get a f'd up kit whe you listed the exact parts i said were weak in my reasons for nto getting or parts that need upgrading on the storm rtr?
these are my new factors when buy any kind of rc car.
#1 popularity....why?...if its very popular parts will be abundent and hop-ups...if not around will be around soon.
#2 genral parts availability. if i cant find it online then its not around.
#3 price. sure certain brands are considered top of the line, but i dont need top of the line. im not entering the worlds or anything im driving on the weekends with my friends.
#4 the manufacturer. certain brands i like certain ones i dont. all the big boys like...t/a,gs,ofna,mugen,kyosho,traxxas,hpi are fine by me....things like cen,duratrax,magic wheel,megatech, will never be in my garage.
base your choice on thinsg like this and you will never go wrong. whats the purpose of having a $2,000 if i have just as much fun with my $400 car?
actually i have a car worht near $2,000...a tc3....i cant drive in a circle to win a love fest with pam anderson so it does me no good.
get what you want and have fun with it.
07-13-2003, 03:38 AM
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It's funny. I agree with 90% of what you say. I've also found that experiance with different brands is a fickle thing. You could put 10 Tmaxx owners in a room and have 10 different opinions on durability, value and raceworthiness.
I've owned 3 OFNA's along with a Traxxass a Mugen and an older Kyosho and of them all OFNA was the most durable by far. The only problem's Ive had were with things like a differential and some wear related stuff. 2 of the 3 were RTR's and aside from normal RTR stuff (radio, servos etc...) I loved them.
Youre right when you say the buggy doesnt matter. And, if you looked at my first post, that was pretty much my conclusion in the end. Other than that I just tried to give my experiance and opinion. *shrug*
p.s. on a side note...Where did you see the Storm RTR with the JR radio nib for 450? I looked around and theyre all 550$ or so. Not arguing just curious. That would be a good buy....
I've owned 3 OFNA's along with a Traxxass a Mugen and an older Kyosho and of them all OFNA was the most durable by far. The only problem's Ive had were with things like a differential and some wear related stuff. 2 of the 3 were RTR's and aside from normal RTR stuff (radio, servos etc...) I loved them.
Youre right when you say the buggy doesnt matter. And, if you looked at my first post, that was pretty much my conclusion in the end. Other than that I just tried to give my experiance and opinion. *shrug*
p.s. on a side note...Where did you see the Storm RTR with the JR radio nib for 450? I looked around and theyre all 550$ or so. Not arguing just curious. That would be a good buy....
07-13-2003, 10:44 AM
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ebay ofcourse....brand new in the box....righ tnow there is one buy it now for like $475, but ive bought 2 kits since i got my storm used....ones was buy it now $400 + shipping
the second was after i contacted a seller on ebay and i got it for $425 + shipping to make it $432
heres the #3131244276 for the one i got for $400 total.
its been a while so it wont be around much longer before ebay purges the items.
both were brand new never seen fuel. here is one....copy an dpaste the #3138460831
god deals are around you just gotta be patient
the second was after i contacted a seller on ebay and i got it for $425 + shipping to make it $432
heres the #3131244276 for the one i got for $400 total.
its been a while so it wont be around much longer before ebay purges the items.
both were brand new never seen fuel. here is one....copy an dpaste the #3138460831
god deals are around you just gotta be patient
07-13-2003, 07:05 PM
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Everyone does have different opinions. It's also the experience.
Anyone of us can have the same car and one falls a part all the time and other holds together better.
I read another post where a guy claims to have a Hyper 7. I called tech support and they say there is no 2 spd option for the Hyper 7. I am curious with what this guy did to his as far as hop-ups. He claims it was clocked at 55MPh.
Mine is fast. But it does not go that fast. OFNA claims the Hyper 7 out of box can do mid to high 30's. For a dirt or off road track, for me that is fast enough.
Anyone of us can have the same car and one falls a part all the time and other holds together better.
I read another post where a guy claims to have a Hyper 7. I called tech support and they say there is no 2 spd option for the Hyper 7. I am curious with what this guy did to his as far as hop-ups. He claims it was clocked at 55MPh.
Mine is fast. But it does not go that fast. OFNA claims the Hyper 7 out of box can do mid to high 30's. For a dirt or off road track, for me that is fast enough.
07-14-2003, 04:02 AM
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Top speed claims are hilarious. But I think the Hyper does do better than mid 30's. I know mine with just a one tooth differance in the clutch bell and a good engine was clocked at 47 by police radar.
07-14-2003, 09:28 PM
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Man - I am always amazed at the speed claims. I wish I had a radar gun. My wife said once we get into our new house and settled, she will be ok with me buying one. But she asked me to wait until we get into the new house first.
07-14-2003, 11:06 PM
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the speed gun is very accurate. it has a calibration thingy with it so you can always check that it is the right speed.
i am very busy atm with work and stuff so i will get to the 2nd video when i have the chance.
i am very busy atm with work and stuff so i will get to the 2nd video when i have the chance.
I have been looking at different speed guns. Any of those sport guns worth it?