Brief video showing the Kyosho Dirt Cross on a carpet course with a few thoughts on the buggy now that I've had chance to run it.
The 4WD Lazer SB Dirt Cross (at least here in Japan) occupies a sparsely populated middle ground with very few direct competitors. Here the market here is dominated by the big three domestic manufacturers - Tamiya, Kyosho and Yokomo. Other brands are available, but they tend to be more expensive and parts support isn't always great. With that in mind, given the specs/price point of the Dirt Cross, the only competitor that comes to mind is Tamiya's TD4. I've no experience with the TD4. Indeed I can only recall ever seeing one at my local circuit. To my mind, the Dirt Cross would be the better performer, or at the very least a lot easier to modify and work on. There are plenty of re-releases with price points similar to the Dirt Cross, but being MUCH older designs I don't think it would be fair to compare them.
Is the Dirt Cross going to be competitive against higher spec machines such as Yokomo's M.O. series or Associated B74? If you've got the driving skills, maybe... possibly. It definitely won't be as durable. The plastic used in the Dirt Cross is very good. But it is still plastic. As a cheaper entry point into higher spec racing, the Dirt Cross makes sense, especially if you cannot afford (or do not want to) shell out a big wad of cash on a high end machine. And in all honesty, I think it could hold its own in stock classes with sensible motors. My Dirt Master has almost no mods and after a year of regular use on indoor and outdoor tracks it is still going strong. I had planned to start replacing broken plastic parts with alloy upgrades, but so far nothing has broke! I cannot attribute that to my skills as a driver, as I've crashed more times than I care to remember. No, it's mostly due to me running 17.5 stock or more often, a G15 brushed setup.
Well, those are my thoughts. To be honest I think the vast majority of people considering buying the Dirt Cross will probably be casual users - a bit of fun down at the local track/park and the occasional club race. And for that, the Dirt Cross is ideal.
If you're want a more in-depth look at the chassis and build, check out my video here:
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For a cinematic running video see here:
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As always thanks for watching Kai City RC!
