HPI Savage

Summary[]

HPI Savage is a line of 1/8th scale radio controlled monster trucks manufactured in Taiwan by Hobby Products International of Foothill Ranch, California USA.

The original version was the now-discontinued and ready-to-run Savage 21 which served as the basis for the vehicles that came after. It featured a unique boxed chassis with parallel aluminum panels surrounding the transmission and drive axles, two-speed transmission, heavy-duty slipper clutch, eight oil-filled coilover shock absorbers, four-wheel-drive, HPI .21ci (3.5cc) pull-start engine with rear exhaust and a HPI 27 MHz three-channel pistol grip radio. A "reverse module," sold separately, mounts inside the transmission where it replaces an idler gear assembly. It utilizes the factory-installed radio's non-proportional third channel and an additional servo to add the convenience and fun of reverse when the model is first brought to a complete stop.

Shortly after the Savage 21 was released, the Savage SS was released. It was an unassembled version of the Savage 21.

The Savage 21 was replaced by the updated Savage 25. This version added both a larger HPI .25ci (4.1cc) engine for additional power and torque as well as HPI's unique "Roto-Start" electric starter system. The Roto-Start kept the weight-saving advantages of the pull start with the extra added convenience of electric starting via an external electric starter. This starter, standard on most new HPI models, incorporates a gear-driven one-way bearing mounted on the engine in lieu of the pull starter. The external starter is a motor-driven gearbox which spins a hexagonal steel shaft and is powered by a standard 7.2v nickel cadmium battery pack. A pinned ball joint at the end of the shaft mates with a socket on the rear of the engine-mounted one-way bearing assembly. The system has proven to be a popular one, with third-party engine manufacturers such as O.S. Engines and Team Orion designing their replacement engines to accept the assembly. An limited edition version of the Savage 25 added a three-speed transmission along with updated wheels and tires. These parts can easily be retrofitted to previous versions.

A mechanically identical variation of the Savage 25 replaces that model's Lexan pickup truck body with that of a Kawasaki KFX700 all-terrain vehicle with articulated rider figure designed to move with the model's steering motions.

When the Savage 25 was released, the Savage 4.6 SS kit was updated to include the more powerful engine, improved differentials and other upgrades. A ready-to-run version, the Savage 25 LE, added colored shock absorber springs and a commemorative bodyshell to differentiate it from the kit version.

An electric version, dubbed E-Savage, was a 1/10th scale version similar in appearance to it's nitro counterparts, but shared no parts due to it being a direct rebadge of the Hot Bodies E-zilla. It was powered by two HPI "GT550" 14.4v electric motors and competed in the market defined by models such as the Traxxas E-Maxx and Kyosho Twin Force.

The next ready-to-run nitro version was the Savage X. It had a redesigned, more powerful version of the S-25 engine and a chassis which utilizes composite side plates in lieu of the aluminum plates. A variation, the Savage X SS, had a .28ci (4.6cc) engine that has 10% more displacement than the S-25 Model. The .28 size engine would become standard in later RTR versions of the Savage X.

Expanding on the lineup, the Savage XL released the following year. It featured the new K5.9 (.36 size) engine, an extended wheelbase through it's lengthened TVP's, and plenty of hop-ups such as a 3-speed transmission, metal geared servo, aluminum clutch shoes, and an upgraded drivetrain. The terra-pin tires and GT-gigante body completed the new look for the new largest savage iteration.

For 2009, the Savage Flux models saw their first release. The Savage Flux 2350 featured a 4s capable brushless system, whereas the Savage Flux HP was capable of 6s. Both models were incredibly fast, and were much more user-friendly compared to the previous nitro offerings.

In Japan and Europe exclusively, the Savage 5T saw it's debut. The car was based off of the popular savage XL, but with much longer TVP's and driveshaft, which elevated the car's size to 1/5 scale. The car came out of the box with Baja 5T tires, but also included a set of Terra-pin tires. The truck also featured standardized 17mm hexes, along with machined diff ring gears. It was very similar in appearance to the Baja 5T with it's large Short Course styled body shell, yet the fundamentals of the Savage XL largely remained unchanged. The car never saw release in the US.

The Savage XS Flux was a downsized version of the Savage Flux models, with composite TVP's, a reworked design, and a 3s capable brushless system. At 2/3 the size of the Savage X flux, it's widely considered to be 1/12 scale as it is smaller than popular 1/10 scale offerings by other companies. Due to the high KV (RPM's per volt) of the brushless motor, the truck could hit 65 MPH. Not only was it (and still is) the fastest out of the savage lineup, but it was widely marketed as the world's fastest mini monster truck.

Adding to the list of brushless Savages, the Savage XL Flux was the elongated version of the Savage Flux HP. The truck featured a new body shell to accommodate the large size, but the fundamentals of the Savage Flux HP were largely unchanged.

Though technically not labeled as a Savage, The Super 5SC was a similar truck in appearance to the Savage 5T, however used the Savage XL flux as a base. It included even longer TVPs, new wheels/tires, and a new short-course bodyshell along with accompanying bumpers to fit the style.

The Savage XL Octane is widely considered as a disaster for HPI, and many people consider it a key factor leading up to HPI's bankruptcy. The Savage Octane employed the unique idea of a 15cc 2-stroke Gas engine fitted into the traditionally nitro-powered Savage platform. The release date was delayed to 2014 from it's initial projected 2012 release. The design of the truck was very unique compared to other fuel-powered savages, featuring a large roll cage to protect the relatively large engine, a forward-mounted fuel tank advertised to be capable of 20-minute runtimes, and triple disc brakes to ensure the heavy truck could stop. It also had a tuned pipe known for not just being incredibly loud, but also discoloring from it's original black the more tanks the engine ran. Due to the rush to release the truck before Losi released their competing truck, the Savage XL Octane's already delayed release was met with large amounts of controversy and criticism due to many issues that had gone unresolved. With a combination of reliability issues and engine failures, inaccurate needle base settings in the manual, and it's enormous price tag of nearly $900, the Octane was met with large amounts of criticism and was eventually discontinued to sort out reliability issues in a later version 2. Although some problems were later fixed, the reputational damage had already been done, and the Octane would never see the success that it was once promised.

Throughout HPI's bankruptcy and ownership changes in the late 2010's, the Savage lineup, along with the majority of HPI's other cars, would be discontinued. As HPI transitioned ownership from Ripmax to Vestergaard, HPI began to make an effort to return many of it's older models to production with an updated design, including many models from the Savage lineup. The new Savage lineup aims to solve issues that older iterations suffered from for decades. These improvements include standardized 17mm hexes, standardized hex hardware over Phillips-head hardware of the older models, fully captured upper hinge pins, and new wheels, tires and bodyshell designs. As of 2024, the current Savage lineup consists of the Savage X, Savage XL (each have their respective nitro and flux versions), along with the rereleased Savage XS Flux.

The engineering of the Savage makes it unsuitable for racing in stock form, but does enable the model to be able to withstand tremendous abuse. Though mechanically more complex and difficult to service than newer designs from competing manufacturers, with some considering it outclassed, it is nevertheless a good model for taking serious punishment and reaching intense speeds.

As of this edit, the new Savage lineup Consists of the aforementioned 5 different models and their respective improvements. Other variations have been long discontinued, however the 15cc Octane engine and some of it's parts can still be found for sale.

A List of Savages[]

Version	Engine Displacement	Engine	Comments
Savage 21	.21ci (3.4cc)	Nitro Star F3.4	Ready-to-run
Savage SS	.25ci (4.1cc)	HPI S-25	Kit version of Savage 21
Savage 25	.25ci (4.1cc)	HPI .25	First Savage to come with Roto Start
Savage 25 ATV	.25ci (4.1cc)	HPI .25	Identicle to Savage 25 but with ATV body.
Savage 4.6 SS	.25ci (4.1cc)	Nitro Star F4.1	Updated Kit version to include F4.1
Savage X	.25ci (4.1cc)	Nitro Star F4.1	Updated the RTR to the F4.1 engine
Savage X SS	.28ci (4.6cc)	Nitro Star K4.6	Updated Kit to K4.6
Savage X 4.6	.28ci (4.6cc)	Nitro Star F4.6	Updated RTR version to F4.6
Savage XL	.36ci (5.9cc)	Nitro Star K5.9	stretched chassis and K5.9 engine

Savage Flux 2350	2350KV Brushless	4S capable	Electric RTR with Brushless system
Savage Flux HP	2200KV Brushless	6S capable	Electric RTR with more powerful Brushless system
Savage 5T	.36ci (5.9cc)	Nitro Star K5.9	Elongated Savage XL in short-course style, only released in Europe and Japan
Savage XS Flux	4000KV Brushless	3s Capable	Smaller version of Savage flux HP with unique composite TVP design, 2/3 size of normal savage
Savage XL Flux	2200KV Brushless	6S capable	Elongated version of Savage Flux HP
Super 5SC	2200KV Brushless	6S capable	Elongated version of Savage XL Flux with Short Course styling
Savage XL Octane	.91co (15cc)	GT15cc engine	Unique Design similar to XL, with gas engine.

External links[]

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at HPI Savage. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with the RC wiki, the text of Wikipedia is also available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

HPI Savage

Summary[]

A List of Savages[]

External links[]

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