Assasin - Worth the cash?

[RieleyP]

ive seen the corally assasin on the site linked from corally.co.uk but is it worth the £360 that they are asking, considering most other top level cars are £300 (plus it appears to be reduced from £430!)

[B_Final_Bob]

Considering that the Xray freedom of choice is £330, and you need hop-ups to get it working at it's best... £360 is reasonable. You truly don't need any hop-ups for it, I bought a front diff but that was just because I race indoors.

The car is not too tricky to setup, if your racing indoors, avoid the kit setup. Haven't tried the car outdoors.

[v8 power]

THE XRAY FOC CAN BE RUN OUT OF BOX WITH NO HOTUPS

[Ade]

I'd have to agree with Liam.

You really don't need any hop-ups to get car working very well. (except maybe some weights ;D )

The quality of the kit is superb.

Ade ;D

[ian plimmer]

its not even in the same league as the xray foc or even the t1r

[acurry]

have to agree with ian & v8 power not impressed by the assasin kit at all

[MikeS]

Alan, I am not trying to be funny and this is NOT a flame but....for obvious reasons, unlike you I cannot directly comment! But I will say that being impressed and having sufficient driving experience of any particular car are two different things. There are lots of things in life that I am not particularly impressed with, but that doesn't make me qualified to pass judgement on them!

I will also add that the only 2 or 3 people struggling with the Assassins that I know of are all those who go about the set-up incorrectly OR aquired their cars either directly or indirectly through a grey import process - yes it does peeve me! However this has caught them out as this has resulted in a kit with a slightly different and lower basic spec to that supplied by the official UK distributor!

[Alex Lindsay]

I could not agree more with Mike. We have set our car up as described in the manual and we have had absolutely no problems with it running on wood or carpet, with better results than with our previous car. In my opinion, they are really well made.

We bought the spring kit with the car kit and have not needed to experiment with any of the optional ones yet. Certainly, my driving style is better suited with a front diff and we purchased that additionally.

[B_Final_Bob]

I have no problem with getting the handling right, I can't get any speed out of the damn thing though. The drivetrain is not the best belt drive system, well compared to my previous car ( Losi XXX-S) the drivetrain is poor. This really does not help considering I race 27t stock week in - week out.

I am impressed with the quality and handling of the car, just very annoyed about the drivetrain. For £300+ you expect better.

Alongside the Tamiya Evo 3's, the Assassin is the finest quality car you can buy. Everything fits perfectly, no slop (except in the ballcups) and how many cars come with a DECENT set of tyres - pre glued?

[B_Final_Bob]

OR aquired their cars either directly or indirectly through a grey import process - yes it does peeve me! However this has caught them out as this has resulted in a kit with a slightly different and lower basic spec to that supplied by the official UK distributor!

Mike, I am not trying to wind you up here, but my kit is one of those "grey" imports and apart from some of the earlier kits having weak front hubs (which I have already cracked ::)) I can't tell what is different. Could you please explain how they differ?

[MikeS]

Hi Liam, yes I know >:( I could say that your supplier should support you, but then they don't have any experience of the car do they..... :o

The drivetrain on the new car is one of the smoothest and free'est running belt drives going so I can only suspect an you have an assembly problem ???

On some of the early cars the diff adjuster cover cones could rub on the bearing holders in the bulkheads - check you don't have this, simple to rectify if you have it, just use a small sharp knife to put a taper on the outer edge of the cover moulding.

Also, you need to make sure you have the bearing holders fully seated in the bulkheads, you can tell by loosening the bulkheads cross bar screws, the diff should spin freely, then tighten up the cross bar screws again, if the diff now binds, then there is your problem.

You are the first person who I have ever heard that has said the transmission was not super free......... ::)

PS: check all your screws, last I heard you had a few hanging out....... :-X

[KeithA]

Liam - I think you are getting your Mardave and your Assasin mixed up!

[Ade]

I think Liam you definatley have a problem if you cannot get any speed out of your Assassin :o

If you ask anyone at the MKRCTC none of them would say mine was slow ::)

As for free running transmission.... Snetterton round of the STCC we were instructed to after crossing the line (at the end of qualifying) stop in the area at the far left of the track. All I can say is I came off the throttle as I passed the line and coasted down the rest of the straight round the corner and into said area and still had to break to stop (all this with a stock motor in the car) if that isn't free running I dont know what is :o ;D

Ade ;D

[John Lindsay]

The Assassin drive-train is super free, my dad commmented to me a couple of nights ago about that when we had the motor out for a skim.

I would say that the assassin is very fast in a straight line On my first night out with the car many people were doubting that I was actually running a 27T motor.

I usually have my gearing at around a 23-24 tooth pinion, with the 78 tooth kit spur gear, for indoor racing with a 27t motor.

Also the quality of the machined parts are of a very high quality as are all the rest in the kit.

With the kit you get a set of pre built Corally ssb tyres worth £11.75 a pair, you dont get that with most kits.

John

[v8 power]

NO ::) ::) ::) ::)

[MikeS]

Thats a really informative comment Ken....... ::)

[v8 power]

EVERYBODY HAS THERE OWN OPINION ;D ;D

[Ade]

Your right everyone does have their own opinion.

But when replying to a question most people would give their opinion along with some form of reason to allow for understanding of their opinion.

Otherwise it just looks like your a crank who just wants to slate things for the sake of it :P ::) ;)

Ade ;D

[burgie]

Your right everyone does have their own opinion.

But when replying to a question most people would give their opinion along with some form of reason to allow for understanding of their opinion.

Otherwise it just looks like your a crank who just wants to slate things for the sake of it :P ::) ;)

Ade ;D


very well said!

[v8 power]

IF I DO NOT THINK IT IS WORTH THE PRICE I DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE REASON AS I SAID EVERY ONE HAS OWN OPINION
;D ;D ;D ;D

[MikeS]

Stay cool Ken, just as you said, they are entitled to their opinions also, but seeing as you have never owned one, and probably never driven one either, your opinions are pretty much worthless, don't you think!

You might also want to stop posting using just UPPERCASE letters - in forums this is taken as SHOUTING and is generally not easy to read or appreciated!

[v8 power]

i would not want to own one and would not want to drive one and i do not think my opinion is worthless

the question was do you think the assasin is worth the cash and i said no which was my reply to question

[DA_cookie_monstA]

you could say that about the Robitronic at £299, a lot of dosh. Is it worth it, well, depends on what you want, if ou want the Assasin, or Robitronic, then yes they are, if you don't want them, they look expensive.

[Toby]

Personally I think the Assasin is a very nicely made car - all of the parts look top notch and Ade has never been short of straightline speed with his.

I think Corally struggle in the UK because there are not huge numbers of Assasins at a given meeting, meaning knowledge of setups gearing etc.. could be hard to find.

[John Davie]

I watched Andy G race this car at Ashby last summer in a round of the Torc series on his way to taking mod FTD if i remember rightly, the car looked very fast and a match for anything out there handling wise.

In the end of the day you pay your money and you make your choice.

I do agree it needs a few more top drivers using it to show just how good it is.

[KeithA]

I am sure those of us who don't yet own an assasin would be able to make our minds up if there were more of them visible on UK tracks. There will probably be 100 people at the Teesside track tomorrow but will anyone be using an Assasin? - probably not.

Maybe the Distributors/Retailers of these lesser seen cars, could organise some kind of 'promotion' at local tracks on a weekly basis to allow us to view/test the cars? At £350+ it is a big investment to buy one or make judgement when you haven't raced or seen one.

[lewist]

yeah if corally give me one i will go and show it off for them :P

it is a lot of cash, no disputing that but i do think that the car is worth every penny.. i have not seen one in the flesh but from reading the review and ooogling over the picture it looks to me that the quality of all the componants is very high, its well speked and generally a very tasty car (i also really like the direct/belt drive combination!)

if i had the cash.. i would buy 2!!

[Ben Turner]

Yea its like nobody moans about the cost of a ferrari for example as we know its worth the money, and is different to everything else about!!

ben

[cobra81li200]

I wonder where is my post gone ?

[Robfo]

If corally want to sell the assasin it needs more team drivers. Why do you think HPI and Schumacher have so many drivers, because they think they are all the next world champions. i dont think so!

[MikeS]

Is that based on experience, or heresay....... ???

[cobra81li200]

IMHO it needs more than that. Not saying it's crap, but it still nedds more developing, which is being done with regards to the new one way, the new spur gear holder (those two items almost fix the two mains clues of the car), new front hubs etc...

I still wonder why the short wishbones are still machined out of delrin when their team drivers told them it was not suited, waaaaaay too soft and not consistent in stiffness when heating up.

The car would definately be worth the money when all the option parts (including the thicker chassis/top deck) will be included, and the wishbones will be made out of a suited material.

Just the 2 pennies of a driver that was at the corally days in france last week and saw plenty of them (and was not impressed by Simo Ahonemi's car as in the corners my car was faster, but once he was applying the throttle, he was flying away :o).

[al]

seen it and heard the same type of thing more than a few times,

[MikeS]

So its heresay then..........

[MikeS]

Fabien,


and was not impressed by Simo Ahonemi's car

You omit to include that Simo won the modified class, and Olivier won the stock class, both with Assassins..........facts, not opinions or heresay!

[MikeS]

the thicker chassis/top deck

Developed for very high grip carpet, and foams. You would not run these on tarmac with rubber tyres!

[al]

he explaind that he had a large power advantage :)

[cobra81li200]

true, but Simo had ballistic motors and batteries. His car was really slow in the corners though, I was in the same qualifying so I know what I'm talking about. Benoit Thomaes was complaining about his motors, as it was exactly the contrary with his car, he was fast in the corners, but had no power. He finished less than half a lap behind Simo and he've been using the same tyres during the whole week end (and these tyres are well known for not lasting long at all, we used them for the past 2 years as controlled tyres in the 12T class).

In the stock class, I didn't see any driver that can match Olivier, he is well known to be a good driver in france so it was not a surprise.

I'm not saying it's crap, just that it needs improvement and for the money you could expect more.

[MikeS]

Al, what complete rubbish, you think that really is the case! Sorry but I would suggest that in future you stick to what you have first hand experience with.

If you are going to knock something make sure you have FACTS and first hand experience in the item please.

[MikeS]

Its the complete pacjkage that wins - not just the car, not just the motor not just the cells not just the driver - it takes all to win like that . You do both the drivers and the cars an injustice.

[MikeS]

I am not saying that the car is imperfect - show me one that isn't!!

But with more learning, in the real world and with more feedback I am confident that Team Corally will refine it further, just as all manufacturers have and do, with all cars.

[al]

ok ::)

[cobra81li200]

Oh, Simo is a really great driver, and a nice lad, we had a chat after the race, and with Paul and Yoko too.

You need to be a great driver to handle that much power, I couldn't do that, honest if I had that motor, I would just crash.

but I was not the only one on the track to say that he was nearly stopped in the corners but had fantastic motor.

Walter's car looked better, but he modified so many things that it's definately not a kit spec car.

No car is perfect I totally agree, I just think that when you buy a car, you should know everything about it, and this thread was started by someone who wanted to know.

[B_Final_Bob]

Somehow, my Assassin is suddenly competitively quick (drivetrain bedding in? ???) and I put it in the stock A final at my local club last night. It was far from being the quickest, but it was on rails round the corners, it made up loads of time by being consistent and very quick through the corners, which is very important on carpet tracks.

The problem though - the front hubs are weak. I'm now on my second pair in 2 months. My local track is harsh, if you hit a barrier with an Yoke SD the wishbones and hubs will just shatter - literally. That really needs sorting, i've been running PK racing hubs, they are a bit stronger, but I don't fancy forking out for the alloy hubs.

It is is beginning to justify it's £300+ price tag, but the real test will be in a couple of weeks time when I try it outdoors.

The Assassin is a good car, just with only 2 or 3 very good drivers in this country, it doesn't get the exposure it deserves. In Holland they are very popular, it doesn't take a genius to work out why.

Just my 2p worth. Liam

[cobra81li200]

Hi Liam, they got alloy hubs out (with small bearing in the king pin :o). However, you can use the reinforced hubs for the TB Evo and TRF 414, they're a perfect fit and the team drivers have ben using them until the alloy ones came out.

[B_Final_Bob]

Ta, Fabien ;)

Is that any TB Evo, or the original one? Also, can someone PM me about some UK shops that might stock them, if any?

[MikeS]

Liam, Corally have upgraded the moulded steering blocks since the original Shape-Shifter kits were released, with a stronger part. All UK Mid Motor kits come with these as standard. Same part number as the original, just a stronger item.

As Fabien has said, there are now an Alloy version, but if you are in the habit of hitting track barriers then I would either stick with the moulded ones or get some spare king-pin bearings as they are quite small and we have found that they will not sustain repeated barrier impacts! Of course if your not a "barrier hitter" then this would not be a problem ;)

[John Davie]

Back to the question " is it worth the cash ? "

I would say yes if you like the look of it as it does handle and does not have any major issues with breakages etc now new stronger and uprated parts have been released for the few weeker areas it did have at first.

Also worth taking note that Corally does not release a new touring car every six months or a year so the car you purchase now will be around for a while to come yet.

The engineering side of the car looks first class and i dont see why anyone with this car would struggle at any type of meeting unless their standard of driving was not up to the standard of the people you were racing against.

In the end of the day the choice of what car to run has to be made by you and not someone else.

I would like to run one myself but can not afford to do so right now unless Mike feels like sending me a freebie my way as running two top level touring cars is just out of the question right now.

[MikeS]

;D....nice one John, contact me and we can discuss this ;)

[university_dave]

Although it is undeniably expensive, I'd say it is worth the money.

I've driven Ade's several times and it is a very quick, and well balanced, car. I don't think it is as nice as my Xray, but given the amount of time I've spent on it I'd not expect that. Given the time and experience of it I'd be very supprised if I couldn't tune it in to my driving style.

I was very tempted last year, and still am, I just can't afford one. :( So if the UK distributor sees this and wants an extra 19t driver for the coming season, a free kit is all it will take to secure my services... ;)

[Ade]

Nice try Tom! ;D

[ian plimmer]

hey mike, do you reckon i should be giving one a try this year ?

[cobra81li200]

Ta, Fabien ;)

Is that any TB Evo, or the original one? Also, can someone PM me about some UK shops that might stock them, if any?


The TB Evo 3 is the only one that shares its suspension parts with the 414/TA04 series...

[B_Final_Bob]

Of course if your not a "barrier hitter" then this would not be a problem

I'm not so much of a barrier hitter, it's just the barriers at my local club are very big, very tough and very solid. They turn Yokomo SD's to dust!

I think the Tamiya hubs would be a good option, as my local shop keeps a good stock of Tamiya parts and Tamiyas are known for their quality and strength.

Who are the actual UK Corally team drivers, I know that there is Andy Griffiths and Andy Sawyer, anyone else? Andy Sawyer has told me a lot about the Assassin, it's nice to see they run almost "kit" cars.

[John Davie]

I dont know of any other Corally Assasin Team Drivers other than the two you have listed.

[Genem]

I think that Corally cars are much too expensive considering that many other cars such as the TC3, RC-Lab, XRAY T1R, Ho Bao, Yokomo, are all cheaper and quite competitive. My personal favorite, in terms of bang-for-buck is the RC-Lab. They are very durable, have precise handling, and are fairly cheap.

I have seen Corally Cars go quite fast though, and I my TC3 has been beaten by Corally before. I just think they are too expensive. Why buy a Porsche when you can buy a Corvette Z06. Sure, the American engineering may not be as cutting edge, but the cars still win at Le Mans.

[B_Final_Bob]

The Corally may be expensive, but when you see team drivers using pretty much the basic kit (except a front diff and different castor blocks), that shows why it is priced like it is. Look at the Yokomos, Xrays and Losis, the works cars all have £££'s worth of option parts.

As for your comparisom between the Corvette and Porsche - you are obviously American! You can count the number of people on your two hands who bought a UK spec Corvette. :)

In the end, you get what you pay for. If you can afford a Corally and you like it, you might as well buy one.

Liam :)

[ldebackker]

The Corally may be expensive, but when you see team drivers using pretty much the basic kit (except a front diff and different castor blocks), that shows why it is priced like it is. Look at the Yokomos, Xrays and Losis, the works cars all have £££'s worth of option parts.



the Xray T1FK is exactly the car that the team drivers run and it's the same price as an EVO 2, cheaper than the Assassin.

[johnbull]

the Xray T1FK is exactly the car that the team drivers run and it's the same price as an EVO 2, cheaper than the Assassin.

Strange, coming from a Dutchman.

Not very partiotic is he?

[ldebackker]

Strange, coming from a Dutchman.

Not very partiotic is he?

I know :D , but I drive an Xray and I just wanted to make clear that you don't need any options with the factory kit.

the corally also is a very good car, actually at my club, it's mainly a battle between Corally and Xray. But the Corally is way to expensive for me so I just stick to my T1 Raycer. :)

[ninjagordy]

well lads......

i now have 2 assassins , one for indoors and one for outdoors.........they are in my eyes the best and quickest cars i have run yet.....even if i didnt buy them new, i still paid good money for them..!!!!!

regards

gordy!