I converted an evader into a dirt oval street stock about 12yrs ago. I cut custom shock towers out of 2.5mm carbon fiber and used tc3 adjustable shocks and I shortened the front and rear arms to make the wheel width to fit a McAllister Monte Carlo body and I won two points championships with it on the dirt oval and sold it to a friend of mine who still races it on the carpet oval in the street stock division and still wins with it.
I owned a Losi Xxcr, It was in fact my first RC car. I got it in October 1996. It was the first in a long list of Losi, Associated, Kyosho and Tamiya kits that I have built, owned and raced. 1998 I started working at my local HobbyTown USA and I sold the Duratrax Evader B and T, several of them. As a racer I appreciated the Evader content. As I remember it was just an amazing value for it’s content. Bearings, ball diff, adjustable camber and toe links it was what every racer wanted in their racing buggy. Unfortunately no self respecting racer would buy one, as it was not an Associated, Losi, Schumaker or Kyosho. So who bought them? Well most of my customer who bought them where first timers who wanted to “maybe” race them. They got a terrible reputation because the diffs would melt. That was because they were first time RC car buyers who did not read the instructions. Had they read the instructions they would know they should tighten the adjustable ball diff after 5 to 10 minutes of running the buggy or truck. I made it a practice to implore my customers to read the instructions. They were told about the benefits and dangers of the ball-diff. I still sold a lot of diff gears to them as I reminded them of my warnings. They were a great first buggy or truck for would-be racers. But the bashers bad-mouthed them so bad that within a few years no one would buy them, They changed to a gear diff to fix the problem but is was too late. Was it a Losi clone? Well the front end was a Losi XX without the troublesome front bulkhead. And the tranny looked just like the Associated stealth. I think you will agree for the price it was a very good racer and a terrific bargain that just missed it’s market.
I had an Evader BX myself fairly recently cool buggy and it’s a shame they had the rep they did and it wasn’t really deserved. Phil has a lovely example, thanks for showing and sharing :)
I just picked up two of the Evader St trucks and I am getting ready to tear them down and get them cleaned up and ready for some track runs! From what I know of them is Losi sold them the rights too the XX chassis and they redid it with the chassis and suspension design but used a cheaper gearbox assembly for them. But then again that is all through ramblings on the internet as well, nothing 100%. Either way clone or partial reproduction I think they look cool and should drive really well out on the track!
Seen to be a few “clones” of cars from around that time, they may have paid to use the design’s but it means you had a great handling buggy for little outlay 😁
The only RC car that I can remember that had a 1 year warranty. Watched a friend snap a control arm 10 seconds after the first run and it was covered! Try that with a new Losi.
Yeah that baja Bug looked awesome. Also loved the evader dt with the pickup prerunner body. Even to this Day I sometimes watch ultimate rc's review of both cars 😅
I had one of these years ago. It was pretty gash. The slipper clutch didn't work properly. Gearbox blew out, suspension components were made of cheese and parts were impossible to get. Overall the quality felt poor compared to something like a Tamiya. It did handle well though.
I have an Evader BX with a cracked transmission case. Any idea what transmission may share the same mounting hole location? Thanks for sharing this one!
So a bit of info to fill in the blanks on this. Duratrax had a goal of hitting an entry price point on these while adding their stress tech warranty. The plastic on duratrax is very forgiving, however the problem is that they used this same soft plastic in their early rear diffs/transmissions. This was especially problematic on the nitro evader (I recall rebuilding the diff between each run on race nights) but also the electrics. The reason for the downgraded parts in the EXB/EXT was because they used that 'savings' to put in the rear diff. This was the era of brushless coming on the scene and the previous transmission couldn't take it. The EXB transmission could, to some extent, but still not 'bulletproof'. But definitely a huge improvement from what they had before. The final evader in the series before it was discontinued was the evader brushless. By and large the best evader duratrax made with a truly stout drivetrain. Sadly the Duratrax brand got out of RTR's shortly after its released, focusing only on accessories. The Evader brushless I believe was only available in stadium truck format, but could easily be converted to buggy. Worth noting, there was also a second iteration of the EXB/EXT.. the EXB2/EXT2. This line-up came out between the first EXT and Brushless models. The nitro evader only ever had 1 iteration, and its weak transmission remained a flaw to the end. But the rest of the parts were solid, and many could be moved to the electric as an upgrade. The Evader had many sub-models along its long journey. Dune buggy, atv's, etc. But the ST and BX models remained constant (primarily the ST) Lastly, as a tip to anyone still running these, especially the heavier nitro version, you can replace the rear shock tower with one from an original t-maxx. It's a hole-for-hole perfect match, but about twice as thick. The only mod you need to make it work is to add your own body mount posts on the top.
eBay or perhaps Facebook groups. I don't think there is a specific Facebook group dedicated to just this RC. But if there is a Facebook group for Duratrax than maybe someone has spares and would be willing to sell....
I converted an evader into a dirt oval street stock about 12yrs ago. I cut custom shock towers out of 2.5mm carbon fiber and used tc3 adjustable shocks and I shortened the front and rear arms to make the wheel width to fit a McAllister Monte Carlo body and I won two points championships with it on the dirt oval and sold it to a friend of mine who still races it on the carpet oval in the street stock division and still wins with it.
Great looking buggy and they were known to handle great.
I owned a Losi Xxcr, It was in fact my first RC car. I got it in October 1996. It was the first in a long list of Losi, Associated, Kyosho and Tamiya kits that I have built, owned and raced. 1998 I started working at my local HobbyTown USA and I sold the Duratrax Evader B and T, several of them.
As a racer I appreciated the Evader content. As I remember it was just an amazing value for it’s content. Bearings, ball diff, adjustable camber and toe links it was what every racer wanted in their racing buggy. Unfortunately no self respecting racer would buy one, as it was not an Associated, Losi, Schumaker or Kyosho.
So who bought them? Well most of my customer who bought them where first timers who wanted to “maybe” race them. They got a terrible reputation because the diffs would melt. That was because they were first time RC car buyers who did not read the instructions. Had they read the instructions they would know they should tighten the adjustable ball diff after 5 to 10 minutes of running the buggy or truck.
I made it a practice to implore my customers to read the instructions. They were told about the benefits and dangers of the ball-diff. I still sold a lot of diff gears to them as I reminded them of my warnings.
They were a great first buggy or truck for would-be racers. But the bashers bad-mouthed them so bad that within a few years no one would buy them, They changed to a gear diff to fix the problem but is was too late.
Was it a Losi clone? Well the front end was a Losi XX without the troublesome front bulkhead. And the tranny looked just like the Associated stealth. I think you will agree for the price it was a very good racer and a terrific bargain that just missed it’s market.
Awesome comment!
I agree, awesome comment
I remember the Duratrax line up. They were good vehicles.
I had an Evader BX myself fairly recently cool buggy and it’s a shame they had the rep they did and it wasn’t really deserved. Phil has a lovely example, thanks for showing and sharing :)
Awesome video man you blooper real really had me laughing 😃 love car very cool and old school I remember seeing 👀
oh man i had an Evader ST as my second RC! I got a lot of use outta it and had a blast!
I just picked up two of the Evader St trucks and I am getting ready to tear them down and get them cleaned up and ready for some track runs! From what I know of them is Losi sold them the rights too the XX chassis and they redid it with the chassis and suspension design but used a cheaper gearbox assembly for them. But then again that is all through ramblings on the internet as well, nothing 100%. Either way clone or partial reproduction I think they look cool and should drive really well out on the track!
I bought one a few years ago for $40 and its in really good condition
I remember that buggy from RC Car Action magazine.
Seen to be a few “clones” of cars from around that time, they may have paid to use the design’s but it means you had a great handling buggy for little outlay 😁
The only RC car that I can remember that had a 1 year warranty. Watched a friend snap a control arm 10 seconds after the first run and it was covered! Try that with a new Losi.
I still have mine! So much fun. Plug and play. It was a no brainer from day one. That radio is so old school. haha
You always get me looking for new and different cars! Wife is not a fan of this...haha! Great video bud.
The duratrax stuff is fun. I started with a nitro evader st. Friend of mine has a couple duratrax that he just got including the Delphi indy car
I have one of these! Other than the Kyosho Ultima Rb6.6 I have, it's the best handling buggy I own!
Holy moly Duratrax Evader is such a nostalgic name plate. I remember really wanting the one with the Baja Bug body
Yeah that baja Bug looked awesome. Also loved the evader dt with the pickup prerunner body.
Even to this Day I sometimes watch ultimate rc's review of both cars 😅
Super cool
I had one of these. Was a good little buggy to get into 1/10 off road racing.
watch the skys we have alien invaders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had one of these years ago. It was pretty gash. The slipper clutch didn't work properly. Gearbox blew out, suspension components were made of cheese and parts were impossible to get. Overall the quality felt poor compared to something like a Tamiya. It did handle well though.
I have 1 Evader BX 1 EXB" and ! VW Buggy EXB.
I have an Evader BX with a cracked transmission case. Any idea what transmission may share the same mounting hole location? Thanks for sharing this one!
I still have 2 evaders nitro stadium trucks LOL
So a bit of info to fill in the blanks on this. Duratrax had a goal of hitting an entry price point on these while adding their stress tech warranty. The plastic on duratrax is very forgiving, however the problem is that they used this same soft plastic in their early rear diffs/transmissions. This was especially problematic on the nitro evader (I recall rebuilding the diff between each run on race nights) but also the electrics.
The reason for the downgraded parts in the EXB/EXT was because they used that 'savings' to put in the rear diff. This was the era of brushless coming on the scene and the previous transmission couldn't take it. The EXB transmission could, to some extent, but still not 'bulletproof'. But definitely a huge improvement from what they had before.
The final evader in the series before it was discontinued was the evader brushless. By and large the best evader duratrax made with a truly stout drivetrain. Sadly the Duratrax brand got out of RTR's shortly after its released, focusing only on accessories. The Evader brushless I believe was only available in stadium truck format, but could easily be converted to buggy. Worth noting, there was also a second iteration of the EXB/EXT.. the EXB2/EXT2. This line-up came out between the first EXT and Brushless models.
The nitro evader only ever had 1 iteration, and its weak transmission remained a flaw to the end. But the rest of the parts were solid, and many could be moved to the electric as an upgrade.
The Evader had many sub-models along its long journey. Dune buggy, atv's, etc. But the ST and BX models remained constant (primarily the ST)
Lastly, as a tip to anyone still running these, especially the heavier nitro version, you can replace the rear shock tower with one from an original t-maxx. It's a hole-for-hole perfect match, but about twice as thick. The only mod you need to make it work is to add your own body mount posts on the top.
Wow... thanks for the history and the tips.. Did you work for Duratrax...or worked in the industry?
I have one of these, do you have a sight to get parts for them?
eBay or perhaps Facebook groups. I don't think there is a specific Facebook group dedicated to just this RC. But if there is a Facebook group for Duratrax than maybe someone has spares and would be willing to sell....