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Opening Comments: As trucks get tougher and engines get bigger the need for protection becomes essential. I’ve personally seen engines broken in half when exposed to the harsh elements of bashing. With only a few makers of roll cages available it’s my job and pleasure to test one made by Hard Body’z

This particular cage is made for the XTM X-Terminator, one my favorite Nitro’s to bash. There are 2 colors of cage available. Chrome and Blue. I chose Chrome to give the Buggy a little bling.

After opening the box I closely inspected the craftsmanship. Having experienced what seemed to be home made cages before I was closely scrutinizing the welds. I was not disappointed. Every joint was fully beaded and clean. Very nice welding. The diameter of rod used is also much thicker than any I’d seen before.

Installation: So easy my 6 year old son helped me. Removal of 4 screws is all that is required. HBZ took advantage of the XTM’s super long differential housing screws to secure the cage. Doing this removes 3mm of usable thread due to the cage mount.
Longer screws to accommodate the cage would be a nice touch but I haven’t experienced any problems with the setup.

Fit: Perfect hole alignment and mounting to the buggies differential boxes. Easy access to the on/off switch and fuel lines. Engine clearance did not go so well. The cage was specifically designed around the X-Terminator w/24.7 engine. The engine comes stock with a very small cooling head. My X-terminator has a Wasp.28 engine, much larger cooling head.

Modification: I cut several of the cage pieces off to make it fit around the engine.
This would sound bad but HBZ made the cage so strong it doesn’t flex even with the material missing. It hasn’t rusted where I made the cuts either. This is a sign of top notch, high-quality metal being used.

One problem that plagues the X-Terminator is rear wing landings. It’s takes one hard hit to break the rear gearbox cover (see picture to the right). It's a simple $9 fix but can bring your bashing day to a rapid stop. That is never good.

With the HBZ cage in place it finishes the square geometry the buggy lacks in stock form and prevents the rear shock tower from being pushed forward and breaking the gearbox. If for nothing else the cage is worth every penny just for that.

Additionally the cage was designed to keep the exhaust pipe in place. I’ve had more than my fair share of ejected exhausts but no more with the HBZ cage. it keeps the pipe locked into place, even on the nasty landings we all experience from time to time.






The HBZ cage cost $65 and has proven to be worth every penny. Check out the HBZUSA web site for more info on their cages and the long list of trucks they make them for. Note: I’ve used this cage for 4 months and it appears the cage has been discontinued since then.


Serious protection for your truck vitals. All that and it looks great too!


This review was written by "SocalNitro", a highly respected member at the BYT Forum. SocalNitro is a long time resident RC expert at BYT and is also a moderator on the BYT Forum. Chances are, you have watched the Socal Crew's high flying, sand dune busting, videos before and there is no question that they know how to beat their trucks!