Albadry

Hello everyone,

Firstly I apologise if this is in the wrong section, looked at the sections and this seems the most appropriate.

I am interested in buying a new Rc car preferably a 1/10 scale but that really is all I know. I have no clue what that rc language is when its advertised so would really appreciate some advice, what car to buy what car to avoid. I am looking to buy a car, sport look so not really fancy those dragster looking ones as I want to enjoy the car look. I searched for some and this one really blew me away, I loved it but since I have no clue what the specifications are on it I'd really appreciate if someone could shed some light.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/251634420080?nav=SEARCH

I apologise if the link is not allowed, I have read the rules and did not see anything against it as its providing extra info.

Obviously I am not restricted to just that one but as I said I really loved it. also is the price fair?

I will add more info if needed or if I remember anything else.

Cheers

cumquat

i would not recommend that model for various reasons (i'll elaborate if you ask). this should work for you pretty well http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXESLA&P=0 plus this battery http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXBYUJ&P=0 and this charger http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDMYL&P=0 total cames to just under $425 with shipping.

Albadry

Thank you for the feedback mate. I actually love that car, the combined price is a bit steep but doable with some stretching I suppose. So if I get those things you mentioned Im good to go? Also the battery pack seems large, where does that go?

Sorry to ask a lot of things but could you briefly compare the bugatti with the ferrari you recommended?

cumquat

first off, the body has almost nothing to do with performance, it's simply there to make them look cool. there is a defined spot for the battery pack, it'll be obvious once you actually have the vehicle. as for comparing them, they are pretty different. the redcat you linked is nitro, which would require special fuel that usually starts at $15 a gallon whereas the kyosho i linked is electric which is more user-friendly. when it breaks (any brand will) you will have a hard time finding parts for the redcat, but kyosho parts are readily available from most online hobby retailers. redcat is a relitively new brand that had more than it's fair share of issues early on but supposedly has improved; kyosho has been around for over 30 years now, being competitive on the race track from day 1.

all you will need is 4 AA batteries for the radio to get started.

Albadry

Really appreciate the advice. Would you happen to know the top speed of the kyosho and how long the battery life is on both the car and radio? Also any other models you would recommend besides that 1 if I cant afford it?

Cheers

nitrosportsandrunner

wow, overpriced! that same car from redcat (minus the better looking body) is just over $200.

Cars to consider
redcat lightning epx pro. a brushless RTR car. quick on the stock battery, very fast on a upgraded lipo battery. Cons: redcat parts usually have to be bought online, most hobby shops don't carry redcat. The steering on the lightning can be sloppy...upgrading the steering servo usually fixes this. Pros:cheap considering how fast it is.
Team associated tc3 (or maybe the newer tc4) team associated makes good stuff. good handling car. lots of upgrade and tuning potential.
Tamiya tt-01....can be bought RTR or as a kit you assemble. Not as fancy as the team associated or as fast as the redcat, however, there are many many body choices with the kits. No doubt you will find a body you like on a Tamiya kit. Some kits come with LED lights as well. Assembling a RC can be fun. Note tho, that kits require additional parts...usually a battery, radio, steering servo. May require paint for the body also.

I cant give you my preference, as I don't enjoy onroad driving as much as offroad. But, when I do drive a onroad car....I want speed. If you can buy a car that comes with a brushless system (or have money left over to afford brushless) then go that route. Brushless onroad cars can go as fast as you can afford (more expensive motor and battery usually means more speed) but even some RTR brushless cars will do 45mph easy.

oh, RTR means ready to run. fully assembled car with may or may not include a battery.
ARR almost ready to run, assembled, usually doesn't have a radio or battery. may not have steering servo either.
Roller, kit. This varies. Roller usually means assembled chassis with no electronics at all. Kit can mean you have to build it, or that it is assembled but doesn't have electronics. Kits you have to build may or may not come with any electronics.

NIMH, standard rc battery.
Lipo, better rc battery. requires lipo specific charger. Also requires that the model have a speed control (also called ESC) that has LVD or LVC. That feature means it can read the batteries' voltage and cut power to the motor when the battery drops to a certain voltage level. Lipo batteries cannot be fully drained like a NIMH battery.

Radios, FM, AM and 2.4ghz. most everything is going 2.4ghz now. the older FM and AM radios needed a frequency crystal, and if anyone else around had a radio with the same crystal you couldn't control your model. 2.4ghz doesn't have that issue, and generally has better range as well. even the cheapest 2.4ghz radios these days have range so far you could hardly see your car.

OH, battery life:
one rating on most batteries is MAH...milliamps per hour. this relates to storage capacity. the higher the number, the better. On a 2000 or 3000mah nimh battery with a brushed rc car, you may get 10-13 minutes of runtime.
On a 5000mah lipo battery on a brushless rc car, you could get 30 minutes! Lipo battery is better, and brushless motors are more efficient.
so, how long you car can go on a battery depends on if it has a brushed or brushless car, the type of battery and how large its capacity is.
For 1/10 cars, 5000mah batteries (nimh or lipo) usually fit and provide good runtimes.

cumquat

for the performance, that's as cheap as they come. i'd be dumbfounded if you got less than an hour and a half runtime with that battery, and it'll take about an hour to charge. the AAs should last 20+ hours. here are some other options. all of these come with battery pack and charger so all you will need to buy extra is the AAs http://www.amain.com/Search?cID=2589&fb=865&lg=fb look through the list and see what you like.

Albadry

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, I wouldn't be surprised if I annoyed with a few more haha but I really love that kyosho(ferrari), I think my heart is set on it but I'll let you know how I go and also thoroughly browse that list. Cheers mate.

Albadry

@nitrosportsandrunner

Fantastic post mate, really helpful with good info. Slowly learning the rc language and thanks for clarifying what those terms mean. Since I am a beginner I'd definitely go with a RTR just to avoid any trouble building my own haha, thats for another time. I will browse those ones you mentioned and see if I can find any that suit my liking. I agree that its a bit overpriced ( if you were refering to the kyosho that cumquat posted) but it does look great, plus its also brushless with an Esc, with 2.4gh radio etc. which stuff you both recommended. Regarding the battery, I will most likely bite the bullet and go for the expensive 1 because 10 minutes on a standard is simply not good enough. You mentioned 30 minutes too with the lipo but even that I feel a short time. An hour atleast would be nice as cumquat mentioned so not sure on that.

Again, thank you for that post, really helpful.

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Um, did anybody notice that the item in the OP's post says, right at the top, "...two-speed trans, Nitro On-Road RC car", yet below in the item description, it says "...comes complete with electric brushless 3300kv Novatec motor..." ?

To the OP: If you're new to this hobby, and it sounds like you are, buying off ebay is NOT a good idea! So just don't even go there. Yeah yeah, there are guys who buy boxes of cars off ebay, but they know what they're getting into and know how to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Do your research (good job! you came here!), read, and ask questions. We're here to help. Do you have a local hobby store? Go. Look. Ask.
Or are you buying all online? If so, get Tower Hobbies to send you a catalog. See what's out there. Find what you fancy, then narrow it down to a few choices.

Where do you plan on driving your new RC? On the street in front of your house? Or off in the dirt somewhere? Do your friends have any RCs? what do they have?

These modern RC cars can be very fast, and some, very big, and need a lot of room to run. If you're gonna be running in front of your house, I probably wouldn't go for anything 8th scale or bigger. I'd stay 1/10, or even 1/12 (like the Vaterra Khalihari) . And, realize scale is relative. To what, I'm not sure. Because a Traxxas Slash and a Duratrax Evader are both supposedly 1/10 scale, but the Slash is WAY bigger than the Evader. Personally, I think the Evader is more 1/12 scale.

Oh, and as someone new to the hobby, I really would not reccommend getting a Nitro, if you were considering that. Fuel-powered cars require a lot more time and patience and maintenance to run, and newbies who start there either have siblings or friends to help them learn the ins and outs of engine tuning, or they dump the hobby and sell the car out of frustration. Electric powered RCs have come a LONG way in the power and reliability department in the last few years with the advent of brushless motor systems and Lipo batteries. So for your first car anyway, go electric. Go brushless. (Although, if money's tight, there are some brushed motor models out there that can be upgraded to brushless later)

Oh, you mentioned you thought you wanted fuel-powered run times. Lemme tell ya, driving a fast electric RC car for 30min straight takes a lot of concentration. It's tiring. (Well, ok, maybe not JUST 30min. But 5 packs of 30min each, you'll be tired!)

That's my two bits.

SyCo_VeNoM

LOL
He just said it comes with it not that its in it
I'm actually curious if he knows what he is selling as it says 2 speed, nitro forward, and reverse trans brushless. Honestly sounds like he grabbed a pile of keywords, and just flung em together any old way

relhaopyla

I actually love that car, the combined price is a bit steep but doable with some stretching I suppose.

Albadry

Hello EXT2Rob

Thanks for your feedback first of all. This is the exact reason why I came here, to get more knowledge and research and thankfully you guys haven't disappointed because I feel like I already know more than I thought I would haha. To briefly answer your questions, I do have a local but it is a wee bit out near town, honestly I haven't been down there yet but I am not restricted to just them, if theres a great deal online like maybe the one cumquat recommended I'd definitely go for it. Unfortunately my friends have different interests so I am going to be solo. I actually knew that these things need space so no definitely won't be riding infront of home but there is a park close by with a large pavement parking area so thats where I will drive.

Its funny because reading that ebay advert I never though it would run on gasoline so good think I came here and after reading what you and others have said then I definitely need to avoid ebay and go straight to main suppliers like TowerHobbies and such. Its great that you also recommended electric brushless like the others above you, because atleast I know what I am looking for now so its definitely going to be brushless and a RTR to save me the hassle of assembly.

Cheers mate

Albadry

@cumquat

Browsed that list and this one caught my attention.

http://www.amain.com/Vaterra-1969-Ch...harger/p265431

Has the specs that you guys recommended, very nice body too but I wonder how it compares to the kyosho?

SyCo_VeNoM

The vaterra doesn't look too bad
Vaterra doesn't make bad RC's (they are owned by horizon hobbies the same people who own losi, and a few others)
Only issue with Vaterra is sometimes parts are a tad hard to get, but from what I seen the same can be said for Kyosho too.
But with on-roads you generally don't break parts often as you are not jumping them, and doing idiotic(but incredibly fun) things like offroads

cumquat

i was actually going to suggest that very model but i wasnt sure if you could wait over a month for it to be back in stock. the included charger is utter crap when compared to the one i suggested but it'll do. expect about 2 hour charge times. the battery should give you at least 20 minutes between charges, as a result of the battery's lower capacity and the brushless system likely being a bit more power-hungry. there is something to be said about everything coming in the same box, from the manufacturer. you know everything will work together from the get-go.

Albadry

Yeah I know what you mean. I just find the runtime of 20mins to be baffling though, the classic shape gives me goosebumps though, looks amazing. I'm torn to be honest. I love both of those you mentioned and can afford either or but the runtime is definitely putting me off a bit.

Which one would you go for if given the choice?

Albadry

It definitely looks flawless, the classic shape is awesome too. Which one would you buy if given the choice? They kyosho or vattera?

SyCo_VeNoM

hard call...
I own a vaterra RC(an offroad model), and can say that is built pretty nice. I've never owned kyosho, do want one, but their prices IMO are a tad high for what you get in the box.

The Vaterra seems closer to standard wheelbase then the Kyosho so if you want a new shell you wouldn't have much issues getting one. Hell it has the same exact wheelbase as a HPI RS4 so all 200mm HPI bodies should fit it fine. Whereas the Kyosho is 4mm's longer. 4mm's might not seem like much, but when trying to center wheel wells on a body to the RC it can mean a lot of difference in how it looks.
So in all honesty if I had to choose one of those 2 I'd probably take the Vaterra

cumquat

the kyosho is only 1mm longer than the associated tc4 club racer. i'm guessing there's a bunch of spacers on the hubs to adjust the wheelbase.

between the 2, i'd go for the kyosho. if only because of the better battery and charger. if it helps the budget, tou can get this battery http://www.hobbypartz.com/98p-50c-50...case-2222.html and this charger http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html which brings the price down a bit.


just noticed that the kyosho uses a tamiya plug for the battery. you will most definitely want to cut that off and solder on a different plug. a lot of people use deans http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXKX39&P=ML but i prefer 4mm bullet plugs, which both batteries i have linked use http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCPEF&P=7. you can pick up a cheap soldering iron and solder at radio shack and at most hardware stores.

Albadry

I'm also leaning towards the kyosho because of the superior battery and charger but the vattera looks amazing too and after watching a few reviews on the vattera, the negatives are the battery and charger which is something that bugs me because I want longer runtime maybe close to an hour or more if possible. Its a really tough call.

If that battery and charger are a lower standard then the ones you first mentioned then I'd rather avoid them and spend a few more on the other ones because I really want to maximise runtime. Regarding the plug, I really don't want to get my hands dirty this early as I have no clue what I will be doing, is it a huge issue?

cumquat

yes, the plugs are a major issue. they were not designed for the high power that modern motors and batteries have. they will melt together, so you'll have to cut them off anyway. if you are not comfortable soldering, you can take it to the hobby shop. if they cant/wont do it, try an electronics repair shop.
the cheaper battery and charger i linked are what i first got when i switched to lipo. the batteries were excellent and i still use that charger. only reason i dont have the batteries is because of user error. the gens ace pack is actually more powerful than the associated pack. the only reason i suggested the associated battery and the venom charger was so you only had to place 1 order and everything would come in the same box.

nitrosportsandrunner

I have a onyx 2s 5000mah pack I got from towerhobbies....has been used 60+ times, still works like new.
I also have a venom 4200mah nimh from tower. It seems to work well, and the venom multi-plug system isn't bad. if you bought an associated vehicle (deans) and a traxxas (traxxas plug) you can swap the end on the venom pack to work with either type of plug.

the onyx pack is about $15 more than a comparable gens ace or skylipo pack....but with towerhobbies you can get free shipping and other discounts. Ive bought 4-5 models, some batteries and a couple of parts from them over the past 2-3 years. Always fast shipping and with the discounts they are usually about the same price as anywhere else. Plus, I like the easy pay option.

Albadry

I am not in the US nitro so unfortunately I don't get free shipping, actually I calculated how much it costs to get the kyosho and its parts on both tower hobbies and amain they came at $135 which is crazy if you ask me so thats another obstacle. Anyway, while we are on the subject of batteries, if I got the vattera I would prefer to get a second battery to go with the stock 1 to increase my run time but will that stock charger be able to charge the spare or do i need a specific charger aswell?

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

It does say the stock (in the box) battery is a Lipo, so that Thunder charger will work. A Lipo battery needs a Lipo Charger. (Me, I'd go for the Thunder AC680. Slightly more powerful than the one Cumquat linked, about the same price.) A 5000mah Lipo should get you close to 30min run times. Probably more like 25min. If you look around, you might find higher-capacity packs, like 6500mah. But check the pack's spec'd dimensions. The thicker pack may not fit the Vaterra's battery box. I'm sure 5000mah will be fine.

WHY on EARTH does Vaterra use those crappy Molex connectors?! ARRGH!! Dumb dumb dumb. Albandry, mate, I know what you mean about feeling uneasy about "getting your hands dirty" so soon. But really, it's no big deal. I had the same feeling the first time I opened up the transmission (Crap! What if I loose something?) but you quickly become familiar with it. These things do require maintenance so yer gonna have to get in there sooner or later. Just have your manual's exploded-parts-view at hand, enough space to spread out, and a few little plastic tubs to group parts together as you see fit. It's really great fun!

As for soldering, and changing battery/ESC connectors, same thing. Take your time, and with a few tips from us or your LHS, you'll be fine. This is what you have to do, it may sound long and complex, but I'm just wordy. First thing you have to do is pick a connector. If you buy the Gens Ace packs and that Thunder charger, the only connector you'll have to change is the one on your ESC! Just ONE! Unfortunately, you have to buy a pack of ten... http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...0pcs_set_.html

Soldering is NOT hard. Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxeDkcAa4Fs The important thing about soldering is heat transfer. You need a good soldering iron of at least 35 watts, and a small roll of solder. A basic solder job goes like this: Position the items to be soldered so that they physically touch. Touch the iron tip to both items so they both heat up. With the iron still in contact, apply solder to the JOINT, and watch as the solder flows into it, making sure solder is getting to both surfaces. Once you see you have enough solder, remove the iron and the solder, making sure your joint does not move. As soon as it cools, it should take on a nice shiney smooth look. If it looks dull and rocky, that is a "cold" solder joint, and should be re-done. Practice this with some scraps until you become comfortable with it. In the instance of your connector swap, it should be pretty easy, since you can stick the end of the wire into the receptacle of the bullet, which should prevent it from moving as the solder cools. When soldering wires, it's usually a good idea to "tin" the wire first. Tinning is just heating the bare wire with the iron and applying a little solder so that it "soaks up" into the wire strands. This usually makes the final solder job easier. Give it a try, mate.