Page seven of the article beginning here.

There are those that argue that the RTR market has degraded the RC hobby. No longer are we hobbyists building something with our own hands, we're just consumers buying things off the shelves and running them. While I can see the logic in this line of thinking, I've always thought that RTR's bring newcomers to the hobby that would never have been there otherwise. Additionally, it opens a whole new avenue of commerce for hobby shops, presenting an actual market for RC repair and maintenance.

When I received the Mayhem, I expected compromises. I expected bushings instead of bearings; I expected cheaper substitutes for racing quality parts; I expected inferior performance and handling. I found none of those, and also found some innovative design and functionality features that demonstrated a serious attention to detail and quality. The Sportwerks Mayhem came out of the box and went onto the track without a hitch, and I hope to get it on a real track someday soon with other buggies - I'd be willing to bet it's every bit as competitive, too.

The one thing that really concerns me is parts availability. Prior to receiving the Mayhem, I browsed the Horizon Hobby site looking for parts and hop-ups, just to see what's available. To my surprise, many of the option parts and replacement parts were out of stock with many of them not expected for a month or more. This included lexan bodies. I've since discovered that other models' bodies, such as Mugen, will fit the Mayhem, but how do you run out of lexan bodies?

As of the writing of this article, I've also heard from several sources that many other model parts will fit or are direct replacements for the Mayhem. The Losi Monster Truck diffs, for example, are reported to be exact replacements for the Mayhem, and clutch shoes from almost any other buggy that runs a three-shoe clutch will fit.

But do I still prefer kits? This is a definite yes. You have a much better overall knowledge of your ride if you build it from scratch. One example is the diff fluids: with the RTR and manual as presented, I don't see an immediate way to change diff fluids, and specific instructions are not in the manual. I could easily find an answes from a message board or other resource, but that is not the point. If I'd built it myself, I would already know, and I'd also know how much work it is or is not to get to. So as it stands, I've still got homework to do.

But one thing is for sure: I definitely have a different view of RTR vehicles now that I've experienced the Sportwerks Mayhem RTR. I'll just have to tear it down next week to see how it works, then all will be well with the universe. :-)

I couldn't find anything about the Mayhem that would make me recommend against it, but here's a short list:

I'd like to again give thanks to the owners of Radio Control Nitro Talk (RCNT) for making this opportunity available. The Mayhem lives up to the name READY TO RUN in every sense and is going to provide a lot of enjoyment in the years to come.