Metalhack

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Hi..its been a while. Back in 2004 ish I was heavy into the hobby and racing. Had to get out of it when my boys came along. Now that they are older...7,7 and 9 Id like to get back into it with them. Mostly just some jamming and bashing. Some p lots some tracks. Maybe the occasional race.

I really dont know where to start. I am going to spend the next few days on the forums here brushing up on things.

Heres my criteria

1. 4 identical cars/truck/buggy/rally car to make maintenance easier..
2. RTR because with 3 kids and 2 jobs I have no time and less moneyScale doesnt matter...
3. Electric
4. Decent quality but low cost....again I have to buy 4 of them I would like to get by with spending about $800-1000 total

When I got out of it Brushless and Lipo were the big thing...any changes?

collector1231

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Nope. Welcome back! Here are some nice models you guys would like;
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...io-Black-Green
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...io-Blue-Silver
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...io-Green-Black
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...io-Black-Green

Only 680. I'd go for a faster charger and possibly more batteries, but the price will be over 800.
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...or-72V-3300mAh (x4 for each of you)
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...C-Peak-Charger (x4 if you'd like)
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-Female-Tamiya (one for each charger)

nitrosportsandrunner

ECX torment short course truck. short course trucks run well on many different surfaces. These are waterproof, RTR and plenty quick for kids and us big kids alike.
About $150 shipped on ebay. so 4 trucks=$600. Add a onyx 230 for $60
And some onyx 6cell 5000mah nimh packs at $35 each. Probly want 4 of them....one for each truck. So each truck will have 2 batts to use.
Grand total,, $800. Not bad for 4 RTR trucks, 8 batts (total) and a decent nimh charger.

Brushless and lipo are big. But a brushed truck like the torment is still plenty of fun. And trying to buy 4 RTR brushless in your budget would be hard. There is the thunder tiger phoenix XT truck. It is really a team associated T3 with a brushless system and a 2.4ghz radio system. It is a nice truck and right now it can be had from tower hobbies for $180. If you are a tower member, shipping is free. And if you spend over $500 with the tower code you can take off $60 from the total. Ive had the buggy version, and it does hold up pretty well. Tires wore out fast....but I ran it on lipos. The phoenix xt is RTR...but does not include a battery like the torment.
Id still go for the torment myself. Its built to bash. Brushless is great...but not needed in the hands of young drivers. 25-30mph is plenty fast for them. And SCT trucks just tend to hold up better due to their large bumpers and body.

Metalhack

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Thanks guys... Great info. I'm gonna look into those for sure.

A couple other cars I want to run by you are the Losi Micro SCT and the Rally car and...the Associated RC18T. I know they are going to limit the places I can go but I'm liking the availability of RTR w/brushless motors. Thoughts?

collector1231

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They are only indoors-use RCs. Micro cars won't get you much fun.

Metalhack

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FYI I'm thinking something like this...also what about the RC18T

http://youtu.be/p41snhlCovQ

nitrosportsandrunner

Ive had the micro SCT...the brushed version.
It is true you can get the brushless version now for $150 RTR.
smooth surface only. and they don't jump that well....very small jumps, otherwise you will land upside down a lot.
They can be used on paved driveways....but only if they are clean and free from pebbles.
I think they would get a lot more use out of a 1/10 scale. It is also easier to install/remove the batteries in 1/10's.

Also, with the ECX torment, there is the ruckus and boost versions (MT and buggy) They all share many of the same parts. So you could throw in some variety by having a SCT, MT and buggy. The MT has bigger tires, buggy is better handling (lower CG) and all 3 are durable.

nitrosportsandrunner

you can actually get a clone of the rc18 called the propulse. the buggy version comes RTR for $57 shipped on ebay. For a time, they were sold at radioshack. They are entry-level hobby grade...ESC/servo/radio/motor are all standard 1/18 scale hobby stuff. The battery pack is a bit odd, but otherwise they are basically the same as most common 1/18 4wd chassis.

There is also the ECX smash. It is a longer version of the losi mini T. It shares many of the same parts. nearly all mini T hop ups (and there are a ton of them) work on the smash.
original ones came with a "AA" battery holder....way slow.
now they come with a normal 7.2v nimh battery.
$83 shipped RTR (batt and charger) which aint bad.
2wd and not 4wd like the rc18, but not as expensive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5KeABs8WI
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Electrix-RC-...item5af45b64f7

cheapest I found the rc18 on ebay was $120...that was for the buggy version, and no battery included.

phmaximus

Hummm, that's a good budget to work from... What age are u kids and skill level?

I would reccomend looking into some SCT's... They are very durable, love to rub fenders, great offroad and can be raced at any level of competition. Most should give u some worry free rc'ing. The base models come brushed witch is good in a way because the kids can get a feel for the truck without ridiculous power. Then as they evolve and get older u can upgrade to brushless power

I would reccomend the HPI Blitz ($249) or the Team Assioated SC10 ($229) from tower hobbies...
sure there are a lot of other 1/10 and smaller cars out there but I don't think they will have the same quality or durability as those 2. Parts avaloability is awsome and so are the prices. The tricky part will be keeping them under budget including postage... But if u buy 4 surly u will be able to get some decent discount
because its a big order, discount codes could save u a few hundred.

Only down side is they are brushed and 2wd.... Well u would think that but in my opinion they are more fun. Nothing like rooster tails and dirt drifting fun

Metalhack

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Hey guys thanks a lot for the great info. I'm leaning towards getting the Torment but some of the other options pointed out look good too.

One other option I have in relation to the 1/24 scale Losi Rally Cars is...I have a huge carpeted basement that we could use them in...and our local track has a nice carpeted road course and a hard packed dirt track that may work well. Just some thoughts but I'm still leaning towards the Torment.


Thanks again!

collector1231

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If you have a good-sized basement, then why not get some dirt or clay and make a raceway in there? Build a table out of wood, put side rails on so the dirt doesn't come off the table, and then dump the dirt in, as well as fashion the jumps.

nitrosportsandrunner

ive done the mini race track in the basement thing. for some reason its just not as much fun (imo) as driving 1/10 scale.
When I had the torment and would race at the track on even on the street I loved how the truck looked realistic as it leaned in the corners (something which cant be seen on the small scale trucks) and 1/10 scale is much easier to jump.

but on the flip side, if you do the basement track thing they whenever you want to drive them with the kids you can...no worries about the weather.

Just a thought, you have 3 kids right? 3 torments/ a charger an 3 extra batteries will run you 620 bucks.
then you can buy 3 redcat sumo 1/24 trucks. these are not as fast or as good as the losi, but they are still plenty quick, have 4wd, use AA batts (no need for charger or extra batts) have good runtimes and a 2.4ghz radio. Upgrades available as well. and they only cost $55 shipped. So less than $200 for three of them. I had one for awhile. with the 180 motor upgrade it was just as fast as my losi 1/24 sct brushed. I had the early version with FM radio and those tended to glitch. The current ones have 2.4ghz so they fixed the only major issue with them. in stock form they seem slow outside, but inside the house they are plenty quick. will drift around on a smooth floor.

even if you got 4 torments, 4 extra batts, a charger and 4 of the redcat sumo's you would still stay under $1000. So it is possible to have both the indoor and outside RC models under your max budget. Have you cake and eat it to

Metalhack

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Sounds great but my wife would kill me..haha. It's a finished basement with carpet. We actually have some jumps down there already.

Thanks again for the help guys...

phmaximus

ok im changing my recommendations to... Steer clear of cheap and nasty Chinese cars... like Colt, Great Vigor, HSP, HBX, Redcat, EXC They are very far from been quality made
maintaining one is hard enough better than 4.... well u could allways look at it as u have 3 spare parts car to keep one going.

Metalhack

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Yeah I'm really not sure what direction I'm gonna go...here's a few of my considerations at this point. All these will be the RTR models and are in my budget out of the box, some leave little room for much mods though.

Losi 1/24 scale rally car or SCT...

Pros-They are inexpensive,seem pretty fast and durable.. They look cool. I can use these things at home,work and the carpet tracks. Even our dirt track would be fine because it's very hard packed.

Cons-Small,need smooth surface...no one around here runs them. Of course if we got then there's enough for a class.

Losi Mini8ight- Similar to above but I can run it on more surfaces but it's more expensive. I don't think I could run these in our basement either.

Associated 1/18 scale cars-Again similar to above. I'm digging the buggy models and there's a ton of hop ups.

Associated SC10
Pros-Quality,lots of hop ups,lots of competition classes,fun to drive and easy to maintain. I have always dug Associated. Can go anywhere.
Cons-Can't run it in my basement,price.

Right now I'm leaning toward the SC10 or the Mini 8ight.

One other consideration is we go camping a lot in a travel trailer. I'd like to bring them with us and lugging 4, 1/10 SCT's with us, plus gear is not going to happen. This scenario makes the smaller scale cars , even the mini 8ight a lot more appealing. The a Losi 1/24 scale cars would be perfect for this. I suppose starting like this and later on getting the 1/10 scale cars is an option too.

nitrosportsandrunner

wow....I will give you the lower quality in all those, except for the ecx line. It is hardly in the same line as redcat. for one, it is from horizon hobby. so the product support is the same as any major brand. It is a way larger company than redcat or the others. Second, the stock electronics are much better. with redcat or other brushed models the ESC/batts are always junk. I mean they work, but not usually for that long. The ecx has a waterproof 15t capable esc and a 15t motor. The durability of the torment is on par with the slash. The slash has the advantage of aftermarket support (mainly rpm) but in stock form I like the torment better, and it cost almost $100 less.

and as for the redcat sumo....obviously the losi is better. but the sumo holds up well, it just isn't as fast out of the box (or as good looking) but it costs at least $50 less.

I currently own a SC10. It is a better built model than the ecx. durability wise it is only a touch better. speed wise the sc10 is just a bit better. handling the sc10 is better (low cg chassis vs high cg chassis) but the ecx can do better offroad due to more ground clearance. It costs $70 less (and Im not sure if the sc10 includes a battery)
It is true that you generally get what you pay for with RC. But you also have to temper that with the use the model will see and how it will be ran. If the OP wanted to race at a track then hands down the sc10. but for kids to play with in the yard, street or homemade track the ecx will do all that and provide the same level of FUN.
If it were my kids, my money, Id get 4 ecx models.
If it were me and I wanted to race at the track every weekend, then Id save up and get 4 sc10's. But for general backyard fun the torment fits the bill and is easier on the budget.


Oh, there is also a waterproof Brushless version of the ecx torment....which costs about the same as the brushed SC10 RTR.

Dads like rc too

I would also say that the smaller stuff like the Losi micro's are top quality in their class, but they do get boring quick. They're ok to zip around the house, but it just seems to wear off. If you are leaning towards smaller rigs, the 1/18 stuff like the mini Revo or mini eight are both great models. I don't think 4 of these would fit your budget though when you consider extra batteries and a decent charger. As Nitro mentioned, the Redcat Sumo is a lot for the money. Lots of fun inside and still moderately fun outside. For the price there's not much out there in that category. I have two of them and yeah, they break some stuff now and then, but the replacement parts are practically free. On the plus side, once you've replaced the steering servo on a sumo, you could also pick up a part time job at a watch repair shop.

phmaximus

Ok buddy, fair fair.... Still not something I personally would reccomend. But u have made some great points... I sware my kids have more fun with th box than the car.

Dads like rc too

I won't argue about quality issues with the cheaper equipment, but I understand where this guy is coming from. I understand the difference between my fleet of Redcats compared to my friends higher quality equipment, but it's just not in my budget to equip myself and my kids with higher priced equipment. It would be nice to upgrade eventually, but for now we still have a lot of fun with what we have. There certainly is a learning curve with the cheaper equipment, even my 10 year old has learned how far to push his Caldera 10e, but it's held up well for them to have fun with.

phmaximus

As for the micro SCT and rally. Hummmm where to start?
Mine started its life of second hand brushed with. 6v nimh battery and now has evolved into a brushless,lipo carbon fibre, t6 alloy machine. It's a great little car and I had lots of fun playing with the kids. But it is very flawed. It's one of the worst quality cars Losi has ever made.

Cons.
despite what u think it can not be driven offroad, (I've personally gone through 3 spur gears trying to. The gears are just so small even dust can strip them.
most have diff issues, ie diff action excessively tight
steering is very soppy
toe links are very fragile
axles can be easily broken is steering EPA is set incorrectly
brushed motor overheats on a lipo with stock gearing
brushless combo lacks inital power and can struggle to move is stuck.
on road handling is very bad... Not to bad on carpet.
tyre suck and there is no aftermarket replacements
gear mesh can be tricky to set

it handles great in a scale environment, but ive just never seen one. The smallest of small rocks are still massive to it. It doesn't take much to loose controll
Even at my local offroad carpet track it really struggled, and I found it to be frustrating. The steering and suspension is no way consistent, and the power delivery from the brushless combo it all over the place. I had a hard time just keeping it on the track

overall I consider the mini SCT to be a compliment car. I would never recommend it as a first car, more of a 2nd car that u mess around with inside at night. Or with a cat.


as u can see I've spent a bit on my micro SCT..... And it's still not that good.... It's so limited by its size.... It sucks 1/10 touring cars handle better off road

phmaximus

I really liked the look of the losi mini 8ights, and was going to buy one. But Jang's YouTube review put me off them.
i would recommend watching some of Jengs reviews, he raises some good points. Then u can see if its for u.

have u thought about the AE stadium trucks? They are just in ur price range? Or something like some of the Tamiya 1/10 buggies?

kistner

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I was going to mention the thunder tiger phoenix line but realized nitrosportsandrunner beat me to it

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXBXHN&P=7
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXBXHM&P=7
and there are brushed versions that are less expensive

Metalhack

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Hey thanks...Great info!

Metalhack

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I'm looking closely at these and the Associated models too.

pj2000

What about the new ECX 1/18 ruckus and torment. My six year old loves the torment. And for $100 bucks you can't go wrong.