If you enjoy racing your remote controlled buggy through the desert sands or up and down the dunes you most likely already are familiar with the legendary King Motor Baja or HPI Baja design. These oversized buggies come readily equipped with everything you need to enjoy that sport in. And because of their size and rugged construction they are just perfect for harsh environments like desert sands.

But the real questions is which Baja are you going to buy? How do the HPI Baja 5b and the King Motor Baja KSRC-002 compare?

The most obvious difference is the price. The King Motor Baja KSRC-002 costs just over half of the HPI Baja 5b. Now that’s a huge difference. You could almost have a spare Buggy for your races in case something happens. But none of that matters if your Buggy can’t perform. So let’s have a look at the two models and find out what if anything sets them apart.

Let’s start with the similarities as there are more than differences. The King Motor Baja KSRC is just a little bit shorter than the Baja 5b. Both are 817 mm long with the KSRC being 5 mm shorter. For all practical purposes this difference in length doesn’t make a difference on the race track so we will ignore it.

Both Models are 1:5 scale classic Baja buggies with extremely powerful engines and rear wheel drive. While there is a significant difference in the engines we will get back to that a little later. Both come equipped with longer than normal suspension arms for superior ground clearance. This allows both designs to be used in rough environments like desert dunes or forest tracks.

Both buggies are built on top of a rugged aluminum chassis, with the Baja 5b made off high-grade aircraft aluminum while the King Motor Baja KSRC is made from high-grade aluminum anodized with chrome for a custom chopper look.

The shocks for both cars are heavy duty shocks well suited for the intended use on sand dunes and off road tracks. The long suspension travel of the shocks allows for superior control on even the worst tracks.

Despite the huge price difference there are still more similarities to cover. Both models come with a high performance 8000 rpm clutch with a spring release system which allows you to rev up your rc’s engine before you engage the drive train, ensuring extreme acceleration from the starting line. This alone can potentially give you the advantage in a race.

King Motor Baja vs HPI Radio Gear

The radio gear in both buggies is a high quality long range FM radio set with great ease of use. One interesting difference in favor of the King Motor Baja KSRC-002 is the fact the radio gear and the servo is water resistant for use in wet environments as well as in dry. And you will find one feature of the King Motor Baja KSRC-002 coming in really handy when you are in difficult terrain with poor visibility. The King Motor Baja KSRC-002 comes with a built in fail safe to prevent long range run away problems. Nothing is worse than losing control of your rc buggy in difficult to follow terrain. Good luck trying to find your buggy once you lost sight of it.

But what really drives the buggy and makes all of the difference is the engine. It is the heart of every rc model car or buggy. And here is where the real difference between the two models become apparent. Both models are running on regular gasoline with some add-on of oil. There is no need to buy expensive Nitro compatible gasoline. The other advantage is, you can just stop at any gas station and fill up your rc buggy.

King Motor Baja engine vs HPI Baja engine

The Baja 5b comes equipped with the Fuelie 26S 26cc gasoline engine. This engine is arguably tougher and much more powerful than the typical engine you can find in remote controlled buggies. With the higher displacement you can achieve much higher low end torque and a higher actual end speeds as well. The engine is a conventional two stroke engine running on regular gasoline with engine oil mixed in.

With the more powerful engine comes a custom designed drive train that reportedly is capable of handling the dramatic power of this engine. Combine with the previously mentioned high rpm spring loaded clutch you get unprecedented acceleration for a buggy of that class. Unprecedented? Really?

Surprisingly the much cheaper King Motor Baja KSRC-002 comes with an even more powerful engine as standard. Imagine a 29cc air-cooled, recoil start engine connected to an automatic high performance 8000 rpm spring loaded clutch. The result is really unprecedented power, acceleration and end speed. If you are in this sport to win in races, you have to give this monster a try. But I am getting carried away.

Now we have almost come full circle. The only thing left to compare are the tires. We mean the tires that come standard with the buggy. The King Motor Baja KSRC-002 comes standard equipped with sand dune ready tires whereas the Baja 5b comes equipped with rugged all terrain wheels that should perform well on almost any surface. But again, if you really are into racing you most likely will equip your buggy with the right set of wheels for whatever terrain you are racing.

Now what is the conclusion? Both buggies are exceptionally well built, rugged and ready for any race you want to throw at them. While the buggies are really very comparable in terms of their construction, size, maneuverability and looks, the real difference lies in the engine. The King Motor Baja KSRC-002 comes equipped with a much larger displacement engine. Considering the low weight and the otherwise similar features the massive engine will surely result in better performance on and off the race track.

Now at almost half the price for the King Motor Baja KSRC-002 compared to the HPI Baja 5b, our vote has to go for the King Motor Baja KSRC-002. Granted with the HPI Baja 5b you are not only buying the performance of the buggy, but also the reputation and reliability of an experienced manufacturer which has been around for a long time. But King Motor Baja is not a startup either and has gained a great reputation among its followers and fellow racers. At the end, we would suggest for the best value of your money the King Motor Baja.

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