HV to MM and still ended in disaster

in January i finaly gave up on the HV as an1/8 scale system after a year of struggling with it and i got a mamba monster 2200 and converted my X1crt.My gearig started at 12/62 and setteled at 14/62.the thing had been perfect and the highest temps i ever saw was 137 on the ESC and 156 on the motor after a full 16 minute run.I only run on a race track and three to five runs once or twice a week.So i went to the track Sunday and put a 2sx2 pack in the truck and 1.5 laps in i slap landed our big jump and it quit and after trouble shooting i found each of the 2s packs had dropped a cell !? the packs were the Zippys that have become so popular and at $24.95 a pack, no great loss and then i dropped the second pair (also zippys) in the truck and it started right up so i started another run and it went 100' and stopped again this time only one of the packs droped a cell so now im pissed but live and learn so i gave up on the zippys and WILL NOT ORDER MORE! Anyway,i dropped my pair of reedy 50002s /35c in flipped the switch and it booted right up.during the start up sequence i did notice the motor didnt sound quite right but it did boot and it had been runnig so i pulled throtle and the ESC went up in smoke!? I quikly unplugged it and when i checked the reedys they are fine but the ESC's toast.I sent it back today and im sure castle's great service dept wil lhook me right up. After all this explination i guess my Question is are all these damn systems this problematic and unreliable that you can plan on dropping tree hundred bucks every couple months on a new 1/8 set up, i mean realy? i thought i had this thing sorted out? silly me