I'd rather buy a used and beaten hpi 5b over any clone 5b.

The clones have more brittle plastic, weaker cheaper aluminum, thinner less durable rubber, cheaper bearings (some spots completely omit a bearing), ghetto electronics and NO customer support.

The weight may be a turn off to some, but with the size and weight of my fully modded 30.5 5b I have put more power to the ground than any r/c I've owned.

The trenches it digs on burnouts and the grass chunks it throws whipping shitties is just unmatchable.

The power and realism are truly on another level.

I can't wait to build an electric 5b! (in the works, coming soon)

If the patent system operated as intended the above statement would be true but sadly that isn't the case.

I'm telling you paralyzed,they really are 90% as good as a real b,mine doesnt have much original left on it.but I have had VERY little problems besides shocks with it and to be honest,the bearings that were in it were just as good as TFE's bearings and I'm still running my original fronts. The plastic is crappy,but who doesn't replace those with billet or rpm immediatley anyway? The only reason I got this used is because it was uber cheap with some hopups already,and If I had a chance I would have taken a real B over the clone too,but I'm telling you dude,the quality is still pretty good. For a conversion or alot of hopups I can't justify 1000+ on a real B.--Josh

And p.s even the motors in these are clones of cy's,LOL

I don't want to defend the clones at all (even if it isn't HPI that designed them or HPI don't have exclusive rights to the design like some suggest) but have a look at an original HPI 5B that someone has owned for more than a year. I bet you that there wouldn't be less than 80% of the parts upgraded. I hear it on heaps of forums that the clones are crap quality but these comments come from guys that have changed just about every part on their original HPI to after market hop ups.

So if someone can't afford the original and can spend a little bit of money at a time for a few hop ups then I think that these clones are a good choice. But then while HPI might not have exclusive right to the Baja design I doubt that the manufacturers have paid for their right to use the design. :angel::neutral::diablo:

Anyway I am thinking of buying a genuine 5B ss kit and then sell the engine and all it's ancillaries to to pay for some of the Castle conversion kit.

So if I buy one will I be banned?

Seriously though Hpi is making money off these things in some ways. I imagine if I were to buy one it would be a clone, since it is within my price range, and I would pack it full of HPI parts or hopups of that degree as I progress.

I understand there are a lot here that believe in doing the right thing especially since the RCMonster splipperential has been cloned, but these guys have an advantage. That is price.

I do not own a RCM Slipperential or a copy of it, and I would buy Mikes over the copy to support him and this site since I enjoy his products as well as this community.

This fake Baja on the other hand may make its way into my possession some day. I will most likely be ridiculed for it, but you never know maybe I will just tell you all that it is a used Baja and avoid the criticism. If I never told you would you be able to tell?

Sorry for the slight trolling, but I really bummed out over all the arguments we have regarding laws that are set in place for the rich to stay rich.

Patent laws aren't used today for the same reasons they were created.

very good point- nobody here leaves anything stock, so why not start with a clone.

I've learned over the years that anything I build turns into 90% aftermarket products anyway, so my e5b build is starting from the ground up. No base car, clone or real.

Whenever I start a build with a base vehicle it all gets replaced except maybe the fasteners.

You guys will LOVE:love: my e5b!

Like i said before....HPI makes plenty of money on the clones...as they break and are replaced with HPI parts. As we all know, r/c vehicles, as well as 1:1 vehicles are worth more as parts anyway. Honestly I would not be more surprised if HPI made MORE money from the clones if they eventually are replced with HPI parts. Think about the money they spend on paying people to put them together, the money it costs for them to make/buy the parts that they assemble the car with.....just so they can turn around and sell the whole shebang for pennies on the dollar what it would be worth as parts. When someone buys a clone they dont have to worry about the little money they make on a RTR, but instead rake in the dough when those parts break and are replaced with genuine HPI stuff

Hey guys, I thought you might get a kick out of this:

http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?...oduct_en&fsb=y

Sweet Moses....

Isnt Alibaba a scam site?

Not that Im aware of- its basically a hub to locate the factories and warehouses that can churn out high numbers of products for companies to then rebrand and sell on for $$$$. There are 1900-odd different bajas listed, something for everyone ( some factories even do single purchases vs large minimum orders ) :lol: