New Buddy RC Monster Buggy

[BA0701]

I had literally not heard of Buddy RC until just this past week, when I stumbled across them while searching for charger power supplies. Really glad I did find them, as they were very helpful when I called them, and customer service these days seems a dying art. However, after I found them, suddenly they seem to be popping up all over the place, and now I find they have created their own trucks, and with them introducing some of their own innovations, like those body clips and the soft pack battery cover.

I have seen a couple of videos of their trucks being bashed, with some pretty tough landings, and from what I have seen they are pretty tough, solid tucks. Not to mention they are 1:9 scale, and 4S capable, all for $329. I don't know everything about their trucks, as I don't own one, but I can tell you that price is going to be really tough to beat at any level.

 

[Doom!]

Looks like it has some nice features.

 

[BA0701]

Looks like it has some nice features.

For sure, and at that price it is really crazy. If you're looking for a entry basher, as long as parts availability isn't an issue, which they claim it isn't, then this seems like one you might consider.

 

[Tunedfrog]

Looks like a strong built truck but lack of parts because it's new scares me.

 

[BA0701]

Looks like a strong built truck but lack of parts because it's new scares me.

I hear you, believe me, after my experience with Furitek, and the Cayman Pro RTR, it almost drove me to quit the hobby, and I still have a 1/24 rig that I have nearly $600 invested in, that I am afraid to take off of the shelf, for fear of breaking something. I have never once felt that in all my years in the hobby. I am several weeks into speaking with them, and just got notified that my new axle now has a tracking number, hasn't actually shipped, but it is progress nonetheless. So, I haven't given up on it yet.

But, like you said, that experience has made me incredibly gun shy when it comes to buying newly released rigs. It seems to really be affecting the industry as a whole, as we recently saw how Redcat made sure everyone knew just how much aftermarket support their was for the Ascent 18, at launch, and my next mini rig might well be one of those because of it. Toss up between the Ascent and the Mini-LMT, but in some recent videos the Ascent seems to take more abuse out of the box. It was to the point on that Ascent, that in all of the video released by influencers, it seemed they spent more time talking about parts availability than they did the actual rig.

 

[WickedFog]

I hear you, believe me, after my experience with Furitek, and the Cayman Pro RTR, it almost drove me to quit the hobby, and I still have a 1/24 rig that I have nearly $600 invested in, that I am afraid to take off of the shelf, for fear of breaking something. I have never once felt that in all my years in the hobby. I am several weeks into speaking with them, and just got notified that my new axle now has a tracking number, hasn't actually shipped, but it is progress nonetheless. So, I haven't given up on it yet.

But, like you said, that experience has made me incredibly gun shy when it comes to buying newly released rigs. It seems to really be affecting the industry as a whole, as we recently saw how Redcat made sure everyone knew just how much aftermarket support their was for the Ascent 18, at launch, and my next mini rig might well be one of those because of it. Toss up between the Ascent and the Mini-LMT, but in some recent videos the Ascent seems to take more abuse out of the box. It was to the point on that Ascent, that in all of the video released by influencers, it seemed they spent more time talking about parts availability than they did the actual rig.

As I said in another thread, the whole axle thing wasn't really Furitek's fault. That is an FMS axle, and nobody knew how those FMS trucks were going to sell. The demand exceeded the supply and they are just now starting to sell the stock axles again. I don't think the middle axle for the 6x6 is available yet even. Had Furitek designed their own axle housings and internals before releasing the Cayman, I am sure you would have had your problem resolved a lot sooner.

Curious - were you dealing with Furitek USA or Furitek directly in China?

 

[BA0701]

As I said in another thread, the whole axle thing wasn't reallu Furitek's fault. That is an FMS axle, and nobody knew how those FMS trucks were going to sell. The demand exceeded the supply and they are just now starting to sell the stock axles again. I don't think the middle axle for the 6x6 is available yet even. Had Furitek designed their own axle housings and internals before releasing the Cayman, I am sure you would have had your problem resolved a lot sooner.

Curious - were you dealing with Furitek USA or Furitek directly in China?

I bought the truck from Amain, along with both Furitek USA and China direct. China direct is finally the ones who have recently decided to send me the replacement axle, but only after I posted a negative review of the truck on their website. Amain was initially going to make it right, but then I withdrew the RMA, when I found out the diff had been destroyed when my grandson drove the truck over the our dog's tail, hair got wrapped around the portal and stripped out everything in the diff, so I said we'd fix it ourselves. That was when the problems started, about 10 months ago, and continue to this day. Took me almost three months to get a complete axle assembly, since diff gears remain unavailable anywhere, then the driveshaft snapped seconds after installing the new axle, and another two month wait for that replacement.

While I don't hold them accountable for parts breaking, I certainly hold the manufacturers of these trucks responsible for making sure parts are available.

 

[WickedFog]

While I don't hold them accountable for parts breaking, I certainly hold the manufacturers of these trucks responsible for making sure parts are available.

At the time the Cayman was released, the axles were plentiful. You could buy them anywhere.

 

[BA0701]

At the time the Cayman was released, the axles were plentiful. You could buy them anywhere.

The Cayman, or the Pro RTR?

 

[Tunedfrog]

I bought the truck from Amain, along with both Furitek USA and China direct. China direct is finally the ones who have recently decided to send me the replacement axle, but only after I posted a negative review of the truck on their website. Amain was initially going to make it right, but then I withdrew the RMA, when I found out the diff had been destroyed when my grandson drove the truck over the our dog's tail, hair got wrapped around the portal and stripped out everything in the diff, so I said we'd fix it ourselves. That was when the problems started, about 10 months ago, and continue to this day. Took me almost three months to get a complete axle assembly, since diff gears remain unavailable anywhere, then the driveshaft snapped seconds after installing the new axle, and another two month wait for that replacement.

While I don't hold them accountable for parts breaking, I certainly hold the manufacturers of these trucks responsible for making sure parts are available.

I would imagine no manufacturer is going to mass produce parts for a rig until they know the rig is popular and sells.
The SCX24s were a huge succuss right out of the gate so there is a unlimited supply of parts including aftermarket parts available.
I agree with @WickedFog , I don't think it's Furitek's fault.
Hang in the there. .

 

[WickedFog]

The Cayman, or the Pro RTR?

Both used the same axles.

 

[BA0701]

Both used the same axles.

I only ask as, given the Cayman kits released about a year before the RTR, those axles may have been readily available at that time, but I bought the RTR just a couple of months after release, and they were nowhere to be found. Amain literally could not even find any, the day after it arrived at my home, from Furitek or FMS (the RTR came with FMS branded axles, as you mentioned, they are the exact same thing). I mentioned at that time, to a guy from Furitek, that I would just grab some FMS axles if I could find them, and he claimed to me that the diff gears in the Cayman Pro RTR were different from a stock FCX24. I ended up just installing a stock FCX axle, when I found one for order, and the rotation of the front and rear tires is exactly the same. Unless they were running an un-advertised overdrive, then the gears are not any different.

 

[WickedFog]

I only ask as, given the Cayman kits released about a year before the RTR, those axles may have been readily available at that time, but I bought the RTR just a couple of months after release, and they were nowhere to be found. Amain literally could not even find any, the day after it arrived at my home, from Furitek or FMS (the RTR came with FMS branded axles, as you mentioned, they are the exact same thing). I mentioned at that time, to a guy from Furitek, that I would just grab some FMS axles if I could find them, and he claimed to me that the diff gears in the Cayman Pro RTR were different from a stock FCX24. I ended up just installing a stock FCX axle, when I found one for order, and the rotation of the front and rear tires is exactly the same. Unless they were running an un-advertised overdrive, then the gears are not any different.

You gotta figure... FMS likely had a supply of axles. Then Furitek comes along and builds an RC using them. So Furitek said "Hey FMS - We'll buy 10,000 axle assemblies". FMS is like "Hell yeah!". Then later FMS realized how badly they shot themselves in the foot and said "OUCH!"

 

[thatcraig]

Great video