Buggy Recommendations Please
03-21-2013, 11:11 PM
#1
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Buggy Recommendations Please
I'm looking for a buggy for my 15 yr old's B'day up to around the £200 mark.
2 I've been looking at are the Maverick Strada XB Evo S Brushless
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick...products/39569
and the
FTX Vantage 1/10 4WD Brushless
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-vant...products/40388
Does anyone have any experience with either of these / input, I was about to hit the buy button for the FTX and found one review that said every time he took it out something either came undone or broke.
I'm interested in any alternative suggestions as well, I have lots of 3s Lipos so if something was compatable with those would be good but really after something that's quick, the tougher the better and parts are easy to get hold of.
Any help much appreciated!
2 I've been looking at are the Maverick Strada XB Evo S Brushless
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick...products/39569
and the
FTX Vantage 1/10 4WD Brushless
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-vant...products/40388
Does anyone have any experience with either of these / input, I was about to hit the buy button for the FTX and found one review that said every time he took it out something either came undone or broke.
I'm interested in any alternative suggestions as well, I have lots of 3s Lipos so if something was compatable with those would be good but really after something that's quick, the tougher the better and parts are easy to get hold of.
Any help much appreciated!
03-22-2013, 02:48 AM
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RE: Buggy Recommendations Please
Both of those brands you have mentioned are what we call off-brands. In the case of Maverick, this is a brand owned by the major hobby company Hobby Products International (aka HPI). They engage a Chinese OEM (usually HSP (aka Himoto), a famous budget Chinese RC maker) to produce cars to a specific budget. The result is decent value, but lower quality and often a few compromises. FTX is a similar story.
If you are hoping that this is a hobby he will get into over the years, please consider spending a bit more on the car initially. Nothing puts off new hobbyists more than having to resolve all the problems of a Chinese import one after the other and not having it running satisfactorily until another 50 quid and 4 weeks have passed.
Of the various Chinese import cars, the Ansmann brand stands out, as they are a German company importing Chinese cars made to their own designs (mostly) and seem to have some cares about quality and a proper QA process. They are also well established now all over Europe and parts are easy to find. An Ansmann car is the current 4wd off road buggy national champion in Greece at the moment, just fyi. Modelsport seem to have reduced their Ansmann stock lately, not sure why.
Don't get me wrong, most of these cars and parts are made in China, even some of the expensive brands, but this is one of those hobbies where, while there are some top bargains, you generally get exactly what you pay for.
So, I get that you are looking for a brushless car for a beginner giving as much value for money as possible. With that in mind, have a think about this...
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobao-hy...roducts/366587
It is an OUTSTANDING car. The platform (chassis and driveline) have been around for a long while in various different cars, parts are easy to come by, the weaknesses are known, spare parts are cheap and plentiful. In the US its known as the Hyper 10TT if you want to have a look for reviews and stuff. It's like a small truggy (truggies are a 1/8th class exclusively and arguably the most evolved platform in the surface hobby), with an identical drivetrain and layout to a racing truggy, with three differentials, full time 4x4, alloy shocks, etc. Its an amazing bargain.
Of course you will then need to buy separately a motor, ESC and radio. I'm not going to mention batteries and chargers as they are not included in RTRs anyway.
Suffice it to say that you can get a really good radio, motor, ESC, and 2 batteries that will give over a half hour of runtime, for around 100 quid. Plus both of you will have the experience of doing the latter half of a build (installing motor, electrics, etc), which is very good, as it makes troubleshooting easier when you know what does what and how its connected.
There's another hobby shop that delivers not too far from you that may be worth a look. Apexmodels.com I haven't been there in at least 6 years, but I used to think of them as a shop I liked dealing with.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 3 outstanding deals in electric surface RC at the moment. In order of value for money...
Hong Nor LX2e RTR - a 1/8th buggy available for $350 ready to run. This is possibly the biggest single bargain in RC at the moment, 1/8th cars on 4S or 6S lipo batteries are a serious business, even for the experienced hobbyist, but don't let that put you off, they're still easy to manage , maintain and drive. Closely followed by...
Thunder Tiger MT4 G3 - a bit more expensive, but what a beast. There is nothing this 1/8th monster truck, with powerful electrics supplied in the box, cannot do.
Team Associated RC8.2Be RTR - something to think about if he gets bit by the racing bug in the future.
If you are hoping that this is a hobby he will get into over the years, please consider spending a bit more on the car initially. Nothing puts off new hobbyists more than having to resolve all the problems of a Chinese import one after the other and not having it running satisfactorily until another 50 quid and 4 weeks have passed.
Of the various Chinese import cars, the Ansmann brand stands out, as they are a German company importing Chinese cars made to their own designs (mostly) and seem to have some cares about quality and a proper QA process. They are also well established now all over Europe and parts are easy to find. An Ansmann car is the current 4wd off road buggy national champion in Greece at the moment, just fyi. Modelsport seem to have reduced their Ansmann stock lately, not sure why.
Don't get me wrong, most of these cars and parts are made in China, even some of the expensive brands, but this is one of those hobbies where, while there are some top bargains, you generally get exactly what you pay for.
So, I get that you are looking for a brushless car for a beginner giving as much value for money as possible. With that in mind, have a think about this...
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobao-hy...roducts/366587
It is an OUTSTANDING car. The platform (chassis and driveline) have been around for a long while in various different cars, parts are easy to come by, the weaknesses are known, spare parts are cheap and plentiful. In the US its known as the Hyper 10TT if you want to have a look for reviews and stuff. It's like a small truggy (truggies are a 1/8th class exclusively and arguably the most evolved platform in the surface hobby), with an identical drivetrain and layout to a racing truggy, with three differentials, full time 4x4, alloy shocks, etc. Its an amazing bargain.
Of course you will then need to buy separately a motor, ESC and radio. I'm not going to mention batteries and chargers as they are not included in RTRs anyway.
Suffice it to say that you can get a really good radio, motor, ESC, and 2 batteries that will give over a half hour of runtime, for around 100 quid. Plus both of you will have the experience of doing the latter half of a build (installing motor, electrics, etc), which is very good, as it makes troubleshooting easier when you know what does what and how its connected.
There's another hobby shop that delivers not too far from you that may be worth a look. Apexmodels.com I haven't been there in at least 6 years, but I used to think of them as a shop I liked dealing with.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 3 outstanding deals in electric surface RC at the moment. In order of value for money...
Hong Nor LX2e RTR - a 1/8th buggy available for $350 ready to run. This is possibly the biggest single bargain in RC at the moment, 1/8th cars on 4S or 6S lipo batteries are a serious business, even for the experienced hobbyist, but don't let that put you off, they're still easy to manage , maintain and drive. Closely followed by...
Thunder Tiger MT4 G3 - a bit more expensive, but what a beast. There is nothing this 1/8th monster truck, with powerful electrics supplied in the box, cannot do.
Team Associated RC8.2Be RTR - something to think about if he gets bit by the racing bug in the future.
03-22-2013, 07:54 AM
#3
RE: Buggy Recommendations Please
ORIGINAL: Foxy
Both of those brands you have mentioned are what we call off-brands. In the case of Maverick, this is a brand owned by the major hobby company Hobby Products International (aka HPI). They engage a Chinese OEM (usually HSP (aka Himoto), a famous budget Chinese RC maker) to produce cars to a specific budget. The result is decent value, but lower quality and often a few compromises. FTX is a similar story.
If you are hoping that this is a hobby he will get into over the years, please consider spending a bit more on the car initially. Nothing puts off new hobbyists more than having to resolve all the problems of a Chinese import one after the other and not having it running satisfactorily until another 50 quid and 4 weeks have passed.
Of the various Chinese import cars, the Ansmann brand stands out, as they are a German company importing Chinese cars made to their own designs (mostly) and seem to have some cares about quality and a proper QA process. They are also well established now all over Europe and parts are easy to find. An Ansmann car is the current 4wd off road buggy national champion in Greece at the moment, just fyi. Modelsport seem to have reduced their Ansmann stock lately, not sure why.
Don't get me wrong, most of these cars and parts are made in China, even some of the expensive brands, but this is one of those hobbies where, while there are some top bargains, you generally get exactly what you pay for.
So, I get that you are looking for a brushless car for a beginner giving as much value for money as possible. With that in mind, have a think about this...
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobao-hy...roducts/366587
It is an OUTSTANDING car. The platform (chassis and driveline) have been around for a long while in various different cars, parts are easy to come by, the weaknesses are known, spare parts are cheap and plentiful. In the US its known as the Hyper 10TT if you want to have a look for reviews and stuff. It's like a small truggy (truggies are a 1/8th class exclusively and arguably the most evolved platform in the surface hobby), with an identical drivetrain and layout to a racing truggy, with three differentials, full time 4x4, alloy shocks, etc. Its an amazing bargain.
Of course you will then need to buy separately a motor, ESC and radio. I'm not going to mention batteries and chargers as they are not included in RTRs anyway.
Suffice it to say that you can get a really good radio, motor, ESC, and 2 batteries that will give over a half hour of runtime, for around 100 quid. Plus both of you will have the experience of doing the latter half of a build (installing motor, electrics, etc), which is very good, as it makes troubleshooting easier when you know what does what and how its connected.
There's another hobby shop that delivers not too far from you that may be worth a look. Apexmodels.com I haven't been there in at least 6 years, but I used to think of them as a shop I liked dealing with.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 3 outstanding deals in electric surface RC at the moment. In order of value for money...
Hong Nor LX2e RTR - a 1/8th buggy available for $400 ready to run. This is possibly the biggest single bargain in RC at the moment, 1/8th cars on 4S or 6S lipo batteries are a serious business, even for the experienced hobbyist, but don't let that put you off, they're still easy to manage , maintain and drive. Closely followed by...
Thunder Tiger MT4 G3 - a bit more expensive, but what a beast. There is nothing this 1/8th monster truck, with powerful electrics supplied in the box, cannot do.
Team Associated RC8.2Be RTR - something to think about if he gets bit by the racing bug in the future.
Both of those brands you have mentioned are what we call off-brands. In the case of Maverick, this is a brand owned by the major hobby company Hobby Products International (aka HPI). They engage a Chinese OEM (usually HSP (aka Himoto), a famous budget Chinese RC maker) to produce cars to a specific budget. The result is decent value, but lower quality and often a few compromises. FTX is a similar story.
If you are hoping that this is a hobby he will get into over the years, please consider spending a bit more on the car initially. Nothing puts off new hobbyists more than having to resolve all the problems of a Chinese import one after the other and not having it running satisfactorily until another 50 quid and 4 weeks have passed.
Of the various Chinese import cars, the Ansmann brand stands out, as they are a German company importing Chinese cars made to their own designs (mostly) and seem to have some cares about quality and a proper QA process. They are also well established now all over Europe and parts are easy to find. An Ansmann car is the current 4wd off road buggy national champion in Greece at the moment, just fyi. Modelsport seem to have reduced their Ansmann stock lately, not sure why.
Don't get me wrong, most of these cars and parts are made in China, even some of the expensive brands, but this is one of those hobbies where, while there are some top bargains, you generally get exactly what you pay for.
So, I get that you are looking for a brushless car for a beginner giving as much value for money as possible. With that in mind, have a think about this...
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobao-hy...roducts/366587
It is an OUTSTANDING car. The platform (chassis and driveline) have been around for a long while in various different cars, parts are easy to come by, the weaknesses are known, spare parts are cheap and plentiful. In the US its known as the Hyper 10TT if you want to have a look for reviews and stuff. It's like a small truggy (truggies are a 1/8th class exclusively and arguably the most evolved platform in the surface hobby), with an identical drivetrain and layout to a racing truggy, with three differentials, full time 4x4, alloy shocks, etc. Its an amazing bargain.
Of course you will then need to buy separately a motor, ESC and radio. I'm not going to mention batteries and chargers as they are not included in RTRs anyway.
Suffice it to say that you can get a really good radio, motor, ESC, and 2 batteries that will give over a half hour of runtime, for around 100 quid. Plus both of you will have the experience of doing the latter half of a build (installing motor, electrics, etc), which is very good, as it makes troubleshooting easier when you know what does what and how its connected.
There's another hobby shop that delivers not too far from you that may be worth a look. Apexmodels.com I haven't been there in at least 6 years, but I used to think of them as a shop I liked dealing with.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 3 outstanding deals in electric surface RC at the moment. In order of value for money...
Hong Nor LX2e RTR - a 1/8th buggy available for $400 ready to run. This is possibly the biggest single bargain in RC at the moment, 1/8th cars on 4S or 6S lipo batteries are a serious business, even for the experienced hobbyist, but don't let that put you off, they're still easy to manage , maintain and drive. Closely followed by...
Thunder Tiger MT4 G3 - a bit more expensive, but what a beast. There is nothing this 1/8th monster truck, with powerful electrics supplied in the box, cannot do.
Team Associated RC8.2Be RTR - something to think about if he gets bit by the racing bug in the future.
