thehuntingterminator

A lot of newcomers to the hobby are unsure what the difference is between the toys that you buy at Walmart and they ones we spend hundreds of dollars on at hobby shops. This article will hopefully help clear that up for some people who are still unsure.

http://www.modelkits.com/radio-contr...-grade-rc.html

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

The main notable difference between toy grade and hobby grade is that toy grade is not meant to be disassembled. This is pretty much all I have to tell someone.

Phoenix XB Racer

+1

The_Shark

Comparing a toy grade R/c to a hobby grade R/c is like comparing a power-wheel to a Corvette.

its like bringing a nerf to a gun fight

its like mike Tyson against a 120 year old woman... with osteoporosis.... without her oxygen mask on... with pneumonia...


Toy grade R/c's are just shiny, sticker covered pieces of plastic that are able to perform locomotion without you touching them, that's about it, the crap today barely works out of the box, the motors used cant even power a Walkman cassette player. sad thing is they are not cheap! some often in the $90 range! I learned on toy grade in the mid 90's the cars at least has some power and where somewhat entertaining, and a few even had digital proportion and mabuchi 540motors, heck for $100 I got a dodge viper nikko that had full independent suspension, mabuchi 540 motor, slick belted tires and standard sized rims with a lexan body, it still was a rip, but it could do 20mph and that's not too bad for a 7 year old.

ElectricGuy007

Hobby Grade RC VS Toy Grade RC

Toy grade RC's are just junk, when you were a little kid yeah they were awesome because they did usually go 20mph outa the box.
Specifically the $100 models, New Bright, Tyco, Nikko, all them toy grade brands dont stack up to hobby grade RC's.
If Walmart sold traxxas stuff they would be a tad over priced then buying them from a Local Hobby Shop.
When you walk into a hobby shop people immediatly chose Traxxas products because they are the next one above Toy Grade.
Ive never had good luck outa traxxas stuff, thier stuff just doesnt perform like full race kits do.
Tamiya used to be toy grade but they have evovled alot over the last ten years. Now you can get shiny awesome TRF kits
that perform just as well as a Losi or Kyosho for that matter. Pretty much dialed cars right from the box. That respond to any small tweek you do to them. That's the kinda RC's I like is ones you can tweek on. And the screws in the race kits are just awesome too, hex hardware everywhere!

SyCo_VeNoM

lol the one tyco I owned had dual mabuchi motors, and could hit 30-40ish. It was a Lamborghini model. Lost control of it once, and completely shattered the front one of the car, along with the front mount for the arm. Repaired it using another one (I toasted the electronics in it) ran it totaled the bumper again, bolted on sheet metal(I was 15 by this time I got it when I was 9), and drove it till I destroyed the front steering knuckle. But yea they sure don't make them like that anymore for toy grades.

Phoenix XB Racer

Was this it?
http://www.rchobbyexplosion.com/NIKK.../nkc10-101.htm

silvermansteve

My Feedback: (2)

in defense of poor, struggling traxxas: i'd take issue with the statement, above, that traxxas is one step above toy grade. way off. when you handle one, drive one, or take one apart, the build quality seems the same to me, ballpark, as losi or hpi or tamiya. i also think traxxas is a great entry into the hobby, albeit not the most cost-effective one, perhaps. that value is the only issue i possibly see with traxxas. and if they're overpriced, btw, it's not by so much.....

Phoenix XB Racer

While the build quality may be similar to other manufacturers, the designs are not. They are still using the same 20 year old design for the Rustler and Bandit and the Slash is one of the only short course trucks with that high of a center of gravity.

Chucksolo69

Say what you will about Traxxas, but they are still the 600 lb gorilla of the RC world. All the Traxxas vehicles I have owned have been top notch.Going back to 1997, I have had at least 12 Traxxas models half of them nitro powered and all performed excellently. If you look at some of the other manufacturers, they too recycle old designs. A prime example is the AE SC10 RS. That rear engine design has been around for years, yet it was being touted as "new" just last summer. When I first got into the hobby, I was astounded at how much disdain there was for Traxxas stuff, e.g., not for racing, too heavy, blah, blah, blah. Well, if you look at history, Traxxas has been one of the few real innovators out there. The Slash is a prime example. The XO-1 another and now we have the Traxxas funny cars. Will all these new models be successful? Maybe not, but no other RC manufacturer of cars/trucks can claim they are as innovative as Traxxas. Heck, everyone touts the Losi Five T, Traxxas had a 1/5 scale gasoline powered RC buggy 15+ years ago. Don't get me wrong, I have RC vehicles from Losi, AE and Traxxas. I like them all. Traxxas just a step above" toy" grade RC's? I hardly think so.

phmaximus

IMO toy grade r/c cars dont have the same amount of fetures are hobby grade car, but some do have a few. and u can by spare parts for toy grade cars

How did this get into a debait about traxxas?

silvermansteve, traxxas struggling???? thats news to me. Who told u that? Sounds like BS. If they are struggling how are they able to release new or revised modes
"annual sales of $5,000,000 to $9,999,999"

The rustler was first relesed in 1994 bandit 1995 has been revised over the years.
What do u think the losi xxx-sct is based on? when was it first released??? XX-t 1996 then the xxx-t 2000

How come u dont bash Losi for using simular designs for the last 16 years?
keep in mind back then losi were very new to the RC industry, where traxxas allready had a proven transmission that is still regarded extremly strong even with brushless power.
Dont forget the slash has out sold every other SCT world wide, canbe that bad, its even got a few awards. (not saying its the best thing out there) rember under 8% of buyers race, so most people dont care about the COG.
Oh and traxxas parts are extremly easy to get
Check out the first few pages of the traxxas slash thread here on RCU, the high chassis is what got most people intrested and made them buy them

Traxxas is the most talked about manifacture on RCU, the fanboys love it, and the haters love to hate it, and cant stop commenting on it.

ATM Losi is my fav. started off with Tamiya, then HPI, then Traxxas now Losi
whats ur favroite manifacture?
I bet anything i can find faults with it and show examples of them using that same designs, durability issues, faster other brands, etc, ect

One last thing, what Traxxas vehicles have u owned in the last 3 years?

The_Shark

yep, I will say that was a awesome car

The_Shark

Traxxas is barely over the "toy" mark with both plastics and design (and handling) I have owned something from pretty much every brand, and traxxas is the worst next to HPI as far as fit and finish, durability and design, even bargain basement Duratrax is better.

Traxxas should charge 35% less than what they charge more, and even then your getting the short end of the stick.

my T-Maxx has more down time than anything I ever had and I barely even jump it EVERY SINGLE PART HAS BEEN REPLACED DUE TO BREAKAGE OR WEAR. I'm getting rid of it for a ECX ruckus.

silvermansteve

My Feedback: (2)

maximus i was being ironic: i don't think traxxas is poor and struggling. but i would have thought they had bigger sales than $10 max. are you sure?

BKoz559

My Feedback: (3)

All the RC manufacturer's "reuse" parts and components they already have in their lineup for such reasons and lowering production and design costs and to speed up the release of a new product.  This same practice happens not just with RC but virtually all other types of manufacturing and production.

Reusing a transmission or part of a rear end section as Associated did with the SC10 2wd was smart business as they already had a well designed component in production and could use other parts from the T4/B4 lineup.  It was almost a no brainer.  Other brands do similar practices.  Traxxas will release a dozen different vehicles based on the same exact platform (1/16 minis) and create anything from a rally car to a monster truck.  Losi's 22s are fresh new designs as well as Durango's buggy and SC platforms.

Yes, Traxxas has used the same design for the Bandit, Rustler and Stampede for over 16 years with slight updates along the way.  On one had I think they should come up with something new for their entry level vehicles, but at the same time the platform works well for it's intended purpose.  Additionally there are millions of aftermarket parts available which gives Traxxas customers more incentive to choose their product.  The ability to customize seals the deal for many people.

These are mainstream brands that everyone is familar with, but there are other less familiar companies that introduce innovative designs too.

TheKennyKiller

Nice article. The last line sums it up for me, bickering about what's better isn't fun and it's not what the hobby is about. If you can enjoy yourself and even have fun with those close to you it doesn't matter if you have toy grade or hobby grade or even what brand it is, the shared smiles are what makes it worthwhile.

phmaximus

+1,

JohnP2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49KE4OZVnQ8&feature=plcp

Sigma.40

My Feedback: (1)

I may be speaking out of turn, but I believe Traxxas is the 600 lb gorilla of the United States. Many of the European members here have stated that Traxxas is very small throughout Europe. I think it was Foxy that said he's only seen one or two Traxxas RCs. HPI is HUGEover there and while Traxxas is the monster company here in the U.S. right now, I think HPI is quickly catching up.

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Why do these threads always turn into a Traxxas argument?

There are two reasons threads get closed on RCU, spamming being the first, and a heated argument involving Traxxas the second.

kahnen

Monster truck VS truggy gets out of hand pretty quick too

What if Traxxas made a truggy?
Then there would be a Traxxas MT vs Traxxas Truggy thread. [:@]

Phoenix XB Racer

Like MT4-G3 vs Savage.

flyntruk

My Feedback: (5)

   Know why Traxxas cots so much  ?  they are spending about  3 million dollars  to have their name on the side of one of John Force Racing  funny cars     And you pay big bucks  to get your logo on the side  of one THE most popular  racing teams in the NHRA ..   

pcarluvr

I love these arguments, I truly do! All of us enthusiasts who love our R/C models know and understand the difference. To us, R/C means "radio controlled" hence having a transmitter and receiver. R/C in toy grades pretty much mean "remote control" where usually they are controlled using infrared,wires, or some very low grade of transmitter receiver technology. IMO, R/C on their packaging is only a sales pitch! What are you gonna get the 7yo kid that you got in a holiday grab bag, a $300.00 model or a $20 TOY! Ya know, the automotive world has done the same thing, produce a cheap,little,non-reliable car, sell it for $6,000 and if it lasts 5 years,throw it away! If I were HPI,Losi,Traxxas, I would produce a cheap toy to put into Wally World, Sears, Target and sell the crap out of them and get my name out so when these kids grow older and smarter and more mechanical, they would look to me for something better! Plus, if you bought a kid anything and he/she went out and played with it a few times and put it down to never play with it again, I'd rather the cheap Radio Shack toy for the short term use.

I have something to say about the old technology used on so many platforms. If it ain't broke,don't fix it! It's an old analogy but it works. I've been out of the "hobby" for years. The last model I owned that was a model was the Kyosho Inferno ST 1/8 nitro truck. This truck is 15+ years old and if I took it to my LHS for anything and set it aside some other model, they seem similar in design. Even my new Nutech Thunderbolt III 1/5 scale is similar. Everything from the center diff to the whole drivetrain is similar to my old Kyosho just much larger size. I admit, I've seen some new and crazy ideas that are out now making me interested and amazed where technology has gone but the true bullet proof old technology seems to still be in the race.

As I said in the beginning, "I love these arguments, well, I'm a Ford guy and my neighbor is a "bow~tie" guy, imagine that post!!!!

Chucksolo69

I don't really see this as an argument. How many of us seasoned RCers would recommend a toy grade RC over a hobby grade one? Probably none.