I regretfully retract my previous, more positive statements about the Sportwerks Chaos 1:16 Nitro 4WD RTR Buggy. Originally, I gave it a big thumbs up saying it was worth the money I paid for it. I've since come to the realization after continued use (and proper care, I might add) that it may indeed be that I wasted my money. I've certainly spent far more time and money on repairs than any other RC I own.
After having my Chaos RC for a few months I started to notice the degradation of both the external and internal parts of the drivetrain and other parts of the RC. Initially I felt the problems with the drivetrain were easily fixed and no big deal. But that was just the beginning.
The drive shaft couplers to which the drive shafts connect are made of a cheap plastic and they strip out easily. Not only is the screw joining them to the differential too short, they simply aren't strong enough. Initially I did have some difficulty getting the engine tuned but what turned out to be a bigger pain was keeping it tuned. One of the most annoying problems I had with motor was the fact that it sucked up nitro fuel like no tomorrow. Yes, it has a small tank but even then it went much too fast. I ended up doing some makeshift mods to get a decent airflow. What I did was run down to my local pet store and get a airflow valve that is used in aquariums to control airflow. I figured out how to incorporate that into the engine setup. It ran through less fuel and stayed better tuned -- for a bit.
After a short spin the nitro RC started acting like an electric RC, stripping its gear. A closer look reveailed that the differential had come apart. After yet another closer look I noticed that the cheaply made braking system had also come apart. The only thing that manage to hold together was the chassis and the Lexan body that came with it.
I think that with a little more research by the manufacturers that this RC could have been a good idea. Some of the things I originally liked about the Chaos are still true:
- Tough and durable chassis
- Space needed to run isn't a great issue
- Nitro
But the small size doesn't make up for its other shortcomings. As it stands, I feel the Chaos was a rush job done to get something on the shelves to compete with the X-Ray. Other cons that I'd noted previously still stand as well:
- Comes with a pull start (bummer for me, others might consider that a pro)
- Requires lots of initial tightening and tuning before running (not exactly RTR)
- Small fuel tank means shorter runtime
- Drivetrain breaks easily, needing repair
- Has a hard time idling right out of the box
Bottomline: The nitro Chaos been continued but if you find it for sale somewhere such as on eBay, save your money.
Agree or disagree? Post your own review of the nitro Chaos. See the link, below.
