1/5 Scale Baja

[limestang]

Has anyone purchased one of the HPI 1/5 Baja's or one of their clones (ie King Motor). Looks like it would be allot of fun, and you could run for a long time on a gallon of 2 cycle gas. Post a photo or two if you've got em and let us know about the durability and overall fun factor.

Thanks Limestang

[GoMachV]

I'm dating myself here but I've had a Raco and a traxxas monster buggy almost had a kyosho ARC too but (luckily) changed my mind

Large scale isn't the fastest but it is soooo impressive

[RC10resto]

I drove one for about 2 minutes and it was a blast. You need a big area to have fun

Romulus-10 has some huge 1/5 Gas Losi 4X4 SC truck that really looked good

[mustang dave]

baja is simply awesome 45 minutes to a tank, i have 2 bajas and a redcat rampage. sold all nitros as soon as i got these. a bit expensive for parts and mods but well worth it.

[mustang dave]

also they are very durable will take a serious beating

[Chris K]

Big vehicles; big fun!

I am lucky enough to have a Baja 5B converted to 5SC and a Losi 5ive T

First the Baja...

The HPI Baja is a durable, evolved and fun vehicle right out of the box. A whole industry has grown up around this vehicle creating 'hop ups', some of which actually work and contribute to the overall enjoyment of the vehicle. Great fun with minimal upgrades BUT remember that it's 2 WD and therefore suffers from lack of rear traction when raced; find rear grip GO FAST!

The clones have traditionally been problem prone in just about every area - durability being the primary. BUT, not a lot has been written about them lately and it's hard to know if this has improved or not but be extremely careful when purchasing one of these vehicles if RELIABLE enjoyment is what you are looking for. The consensus is that even though the clones look like the 5B they are made from inferior materials which translates into broken parts that NEVER broke on an HPI....

In the case of the Losi 5ive T - the only thing that most have expressed as a NEED for these vehicles is 'mo power'!!! The CY 26cc is a good, reliable engine but just not quite enough for the 30# and up Losi. Mine uses a 29.5 DogPile racing Zenoa 'Immortal Child' which is a stroked 26cc Zenoa with some modifications for long life. The addition of horsepower brings the Losi to LIFE and there are many who have added 'full mod' engines and further increased displacement - and without a LOT of durability issues for the most part.

Each of these vehicles has a list of 'must do' things when they are purchased including a fail safe (recommended for both) - all of which are well documented in a number of forums.

FUN vehicles that are for the most part durable; but (as stated above) a big area is necessary for BIG fun!

Here's my Baja 5SC:





and the Losi





Fun vehicles and MORE fun to race!!!! Suprisingly graceful on big 1/8th scale tracks - but a bit hard on pipe!

Enjoy!

[limestang]

Excellent feedback , very helpful - Thanks!!!!

[kaiser]

my local track built 2 1/5 tracks last year, a big dirt tri oval and an offroad track.

i think i could get into 1/5 oval, that looks like a ton of fun. but watching them run offroad is almost painfull.
they seemed so damn slow. i'm still not sold on 1/5 offroad but sooner or later i'll build up an oval racer for sure.

[mustang dave]

i dont see how you would think a baja is slow , i have a cheap 30.5 cc engine and a ddm pipe, clutch mods and the thing rips . ive spent alot of cash on it but worth every cent. everything else seems like toys after ya run a baja or any 5th scale for that matter. i also have a redcat rampage 4wd buggy but i wouldnt recomend that lol

[kaiser]

compared to a racing 1/8 electric buggy/truggy they are very slow. or mod 1/10, especially mod 4wd buggy.
just for giggles i tossed my rc8be on the track during practice and the 1/5's weren't even close.
i was probably doing 2 laps to every one of theirs.

alot of guys i race with agree. lets face it if you've been into rc for 20 years you've seen the evolution of speed.
with 1/5 and even short course it's like a step back. sure it can be fun but these big vehicles aren't as evolved as their smaller counterparts. it's more novelty to me. but everyone has an opinion, this happens to be mine.

[flipwils11]

compared to a racing 1/8 electric buggy/truggy they are very slow. or mod 1/10, especially mod 4wd buggy.
just for giggles i tossed my rc8be on the track during practice and the 1/5's weren't even close.
i was probably doing 2 laps to every one of theirs.

alot of guys i race with agree. lets face it if you've been into rc for 20 years you've seen the evolution of speed.
with 1/5 and even short course it's like a step back. sure it can be fun but these big vehicles aren't as evolved as their smaller counterparts. it's more novelty to me. but everyone has an opinion, this happens to be mine.

Bumped this thread and re-read it especially Kaiser's perspective which was excellent and gives me pause about buying one of these. On a whim I did some google searches on electric hpi baja and sure enough (should I have been surprised with the amazing number of mods and conversion kits?) there is a setup! The castle 1/5 conversion seems to be the hot setup and you can run a pair of 4 or 5s lipos in there for apparently some ludicrous speed and power compared to nitro. That is what had me tempted because 1/8th scale brushless is so much damn fun.

There are a slew of vids of these hpi buggy conversions running as high as 12s!

[youtube]oC6-V3izvD8[/youtube]

[kaiser]

another thing to be aware of with these big heavy bricks is wear.

a buddy of mine has replaced the outdrives on his losi 5t 3 times in june and is ready for another set already.
other things like slop is also accelerated. but i was shocked at what a week old pair of outdrives looked like.

the dog bone end is not optimal on a vehicle this size that's for sure.

[limestang]

FYI - Tower Hobbies is having a big sale on the HPI 1/5 Brushless Baja ($799 before coupon). A recent RC Car Action review was very positive on the benefits of this vehicle in electric.

- Limestang

[flipwils11]

Yep I saw the sale, trying to resist!

[Momo5]

I know this isn't a Baja, but I have a Redcat Rampage MT and I love it! I bought it last October for a dirt cheap price. I had to replace a bunch of broken parts, and bought a new body. I ran it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and WOW! It was a blast. I would like to get a brushless Baja one of these days...