I totally agree with Serum. I doubt there is anything wrong with the truck. Those great planes junk no-name cells have too much resistance and can't handle the current demand. Tell your friend he needs to invest in good packs. Ener-g 4600mah cells are the best right now in nimh. I got two sets of 7-cells from boomboombatteries.com. I couldn't be happier with them.