boooooostedsti

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so I'll keep it brief. My objective is to get some feedback on what I plan on getting three of my four kids for X-mas. I will preface this by saying that I used to be into rc cars years ago. Back in the days of the HPI RS4 2's . Anyhow, I've done a ton of research and have now gotten to the point where I needed to reach out to the community for some assistance.

My children are: 7 years old and twins that are 12. This will be the first "legit" r/c they've owned. They are very responsible and will learn proper care for these vehicles.

With that said, I've had the following items in my cart over at Towerhobbies for couple of weeks now:

- (2) Traxxas Rustler XL-5 1/10
- (1) Associated RC18T2 Brushless 1/18
- (1) Onyx 245

I want them to learn proper upgrade methods over time. Would this be a satisfactory place to begin my kids on their R/C journey?

ALL suggestions and feedback are welcome.

Thank you,
Craig

cumquat

personally, i'd go for the duratrax evader ext2.4 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXCZLH**&P=0 for all of them. slow enough for your 7 year old but still quick to keep the 12 year olds entertained. when they are ready for more speed, they can put in brushless and lipo fits just fine if a little snug. the best part is the warranty. 1 year free replacement of all plastic parts. best part is no one will be fighting because they all got the same dang thing!

nitrosportsandrunner

id go with what you got. the traxxas models are a bit overpriced IMO....Id choose the ECX torment instead of the rustler.(but ECX is not sold threw towerhobbies)
But the rustlers are certainly easy to work on, upgrade ect. And the ESC has a training %50 mode, so even the 7 year old can get behind the wheel and when he's got the hang of it you can up the power back to 100% in just a few seconds.
More than a few long time hobbiest can say that they started with a traxxas rustler, stampede or bandit.

boooooostedsti

Thank you cumquat. Although they are all great kids, I know that the thought would still run across my youngest sons mind ("why did Santa get me a much smaller car?") haha. I do like the fact that they guarantee their parts. I don't know enough about how durable these things are. However, it sounds like they are a great company.

I like the price point much better and I'd be more inclined to go ahead and just get them the lipo battery upgrade right away.

1.) Can you recommend a battery for this?
2.) Is that charger going to be adequate enough? (I want to keep charge times down and be able to provide them with something they're not going to outgrow in a year)
3.) Do you have any first hand experience with the Evader? If so, would you be able to provide some feedback?

Thank you very much for your time. I realize that people probably see similar posts on a daily basis. However, being an avid forum user, I know that it can be time consuming as all get out to get simple straight-forward answers rather than 100 different contradicting responses

boooooostedsti

Nitrosportsandrunner:
Thank you as well, for your response. I'd just like to get them something that they can learn and hopefully pursue an enjoyable lifelong hobby with.

nitrosportsandrunner

I use a thunder AC6 charger (sold threw hobbypartz.com)
It does all the onyx charger does, but costs $50.
Hobbypartz.com also has a good selection of 2s lipo batteries. for the rustlers, a 2s, 5000mah, 20 or 30c rated pack is good.
2s means 7.4v
mah=capacity and thus runtime. 5000mah will get you 20-30 minutes
"C" is like the flow of power. The higher the number the faster the pack can deliver power to the speed control. for brushless, I use 30c packs. for brushed, a 20c pack is enough.
Packs like these on hobbypartz.com run $30. Much cheaper than other places. Im not sure if they have packs with the traxxas style plug, but you can purchase them separate and solder them on.

If money isn't an issue, traxxas sells their own brand of lipo packs now. A little more money up front, but will always fit and have the right type of plug.

This time of year, we get a lot of "what to buy for the kids" posts.....we are happy to help here on RCU

boooooostedsti

Dang, I just bought the Onyx Anyhow, thanks for the solid info. I'll keep this thread up to the top so I can keep receiving feedback. How has your experience with Hobbypartz.com been?

cumquat

i've owned the original ext and 2 ext2's. the ext was my first hobby grade rc. great starter car. kind of a handful but that made it fun and ultimately made me a better driver. the ext2 is the same as the ext2,4 but the 2.4 has better electronics.
sadly the cheap stuff has gotten more expensive. luckily there is new cheap stuff http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-ROAR-Approved dont have personal experience with them but they seem pretty decent. if the budget permits, i'd get 2 of the duratrax chargers. that way you can have all 2 batteries charging at the same time and there's an extra spot for your battery in the future

cumquat

the ac6 does NOT do all the duratrax does. the ac6 is a single charger whereas the 245 is a dual charger..

boooooostedsti

I've already been debating on whether or not I should ask Santa for one as well, cumquat! Which lipo battery would you recommend from towerhobbies site for the EXT 2.4? I don't know if I'll be able to swing another onyx 245. Which duratrax would be comparable to the 245, sans the ability to charge two batteries?

cumquat

none. however the ac6 will work just fine http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html i have one and it has served me well.


EDIT: sorry, missed the battery part. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXUUE5&P=0 no personal experience but consensus is they have improved greatly.

nitrosportsandrunner

Nice catch cumquat.....the thunder charges 1 battery where the onyx 245 can charge 2 at the same time. My bad.

I run a thunder AC6. It will charge a 2s 5000mah pack in 1 hour. 1 hour charge times for 25-30 minutes of runtime is pretty good in my book.
But the onyx can do 2 packs in the same time. That does make it worth more.


Ive bought chargers, lipos, motors, batteries, radios and tools threw hobbypartz.com. Basically, hobbypartz.com is a USA based distributor for stuff made overseas. You can buy pretty much anything they have off ebay....but on ebay it will be a bit cheaper, but ship from hong kong (LONG shipping times)
Hobbypartz on the other hand ships fast. most orders get to me in 7 days (im in maine)
I had 1 radio arrive busted, notified them of the issue, explained it and they sent be a replacement.
I don't hesitate to buy from them again, and again.

I should mention that the thunder AC6 will not come with a plug that matches the packs that will come with your rc. but one of these multi-plug adapters is easy to use and will let your charger work with most any battery plug type:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tenergy-Octo...item4d0c5c2167

the onyx may come with a similar multi plug setup, youd have to check.

I use both the "skylipo" and Gens ace brand lipos from hobbypartz. Both work well and have a good rep from many RCU members.

your last question: Which duratrax would be comparable to the 245, sans the ability to charge two batteries?
Not sure if I understand.....the onyx 245 is a duratrax brand charger
if you mean which thunder is comparable to the onyx 245....they do have dual chargers but they actually cost more than the 245.
The onyx 245 may be one of the least expensive dual chargers.

boooooostedsti

Thank for you for your response regarding Hobbypartz! They sound like a decent company to do business with. There are some local places in town. However, they are far more expensive than anywhere online.

As for my last question, I meant that I didn't want to have to spend over a hundred dollars for another charger. The AC6 seems like a good option w/o the ability to charge two batteries at the same time. Three kids and one Onyx 245 won't fly in my house. They have to be able to get their cars charged at the same time and play at the same time

boooooostedsti

What are your guys thoughts on that Associated RC18T2 Brushless 1/18? I've seen some really good reviews on it. Do you think it's just too darn small?? I know the industry standard is 1/10 scale....

SyCo_VeNoM

Instead of the RC18b2 you could look at the vaterra kalahari, and kemora they are 1/14th scale(close to a 1/10th scale buggy), and pretty cheap (were discontinued, but share parts with a losi vehicle), and they are brushless got one the other week brand new for $118 off ebay shipped
Its wheelbase is about 3 inches longer then my RC18B
Hell the electronics in it would cost around $100 alone

I won't say nothing bad about the RC18B2 as if its anything like my RC18B it would be a tough little bugger, and is quite fun. Just they don't travel very well on anything outside dirt, and pavement due to them being very low to the ground.

nitrosportsandrunner

I have the vaterra, and would highly recommend it over a rc18. the rc18 is kind of the standard for 1/18 scale, its a good rig. But the Kalahari is based off of a 1/14 racing buggy. It has great handling, 4wd and a decent brushless system. They started out at $200-$250. They are being discontinued (ive heard everything from vaterra wanting to change its name, to infringement rights with losi) and thus can be found for $99-$150.
I raced mine last Friday night. Due to the low cost, vaterra racing classes are popping up at many race tracks.
They are tough, and fun to drive. 1/14 scale means they are not that much smaller than a 1/10 onroad car. For the price, you cant buy anything better.

you mentioned the onyx not being able to charge all you batts at once.
there are chargers that can do 4 or 6 batteries at the same time. but they run a bit over $100 for the charger, then you need a $50 AC power adapter.

don't forget, the RTR models will have basic chargers. they wont charge as fast as a thunder or onyx, but you will still be able to have all batteries being charged at the same time.

boooooostedsti

The only problem is that I already purchased the Onyx 245 (which only charges two batteries at a time) for my twins. My 7 year old will need something other than what comes with that RTR kit. Do you think an Onyx 150 would suffice for his needs?

nitrosportsandrunner

does the rc18 come with a lipo battery?
the onyx 150 only charges lipo batteries
the onyx 100 only charges nimh...which I assume is what the rc18 comes with, but I could be wrong.

nitrosportsandrunner

if you haven't gotten the rc18 yet, I still recommend looking into the vaterra Kalahari. Its just as fast, but is bigger, cost less and is just as fun to drive. It takes the same size nimh battery most 1/18 models do. The spectrum radio alone that comes with the Kalahari is $80 on ebay!

boooooostedsti

Crap, you're right on both. The rc18 comes with nimh AND the Onyx 150 is solely for lipos.

Charge time is what I'm concerned about, honestly. I definitely am going to need more more charger..I just don't know which one to get. I'll be finalizing my purchase most likely tomorrow or Thursday.

I will throw the Vaterra into the mix as well. SO MANY OPTIONS!!! My brain hurts..

SyCo_VeNoM

Thats a bonus for the vaterra the included charger isn't a complete pile of crap, and (I'll admit I was shocked) is useable unlike every other RTR charger I have had come in a box that was a cheap ass trickle charge power brick instead Vaterra included a 10Watt 1A Peak charger (takes a lil over an hour to charge the included battery)

nitrosportsandrunner

vaterra has a nimh pack as well....most RTR models do even if they are brushless.
don't forget, 2 ways to help your runtimes....more chargers or more batteries!
I saw several 1/18 scale nimh batteries on ebay for $18-$25
onyx 5000mah 1/10 nimh packs range $30-$35

even the better chargers can still take 30-60 minutes to charge a pack. As mentioned, the Kalahari's charger is decent for a RTR, taking not much over 1 hour. In fact, if you changed the plug type of the rc18 to match the plugs the Kalahari uses, you could use kal batteries in rc18 and vice versa. and the kal charger would charge them both nearly as fast as the $40 onyx 100 charger would.

cumquat

got another option for you http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...dio-System-Red the esc can only handle nimh but the onyx can handle those. here's a second charger http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...Po-Li-Ion-LiFe and battery packs http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...or-72V-5000mAh all you will need is batteries for the radio. in the future you can change to a low power brushless setup and get lipo then. this car is a kit, meaning a box of parts you assemble but anyone who can build a lego kit can build an rc kit.

kistner

My Feedback: (10)

a little more pricey, but if you get the 7 year old a traxxas also the parts and batteries will all interchange. the traxxas stampede is a little different but does share some parts. they even come in popular monster truck versions like grave digger, etc.

boooooostedsti

Thanks everyone for the responses! Im glad I came to RCU to post first. Right now I'm swaying towards getting all them Rustlers. I'm getting contradicting info whether or not they support lipos. I want to get the suggested 2S 5000mah 20C batteries. I have better luck finding 30C ones though. Any huge difference?