Nikko Predator
 

I've had a 7.2v Nikko Predator for a couple years and I was thinking of getting into hobby r/c cars. I've hooked up a 9.6v battery pack to my Predator and it really flies compared to other Toys R Us type cars. Could someone tell me how it compares in speed and other qualities to the more expensive hobby cars?

- Tom Buckler
[email protected]

RE: Nikko Predator
 

o.k ill answer your question!:D Well first of all, Nikko cars are sold at Toys R'us. and I dont even think that a Nikko are tyco are a radio shock car can ever be compared to a hobby car.
With hobby cars they go speeds up to 30mph on an average. _-_ With tyco cars you go about 5-10 mph.
With hobby cars you use EXPENSIVE batterys with long run time_-_ With "toy" cars they have cheap packs
with hobby cars you use 7.2V batts_-_ With toy cars you use 9.6V
With hobby cars batts charge in about 15min_-_ takes 4 hours with other cars.
With hobby cars they are never broke to you cannot to repair them_-_ Toy cars once something breaks theres no fixing it.

And over all the speed, performance, huge air, and fun is way more!!

RE: Nikko Predator
 

i have a nikko predator that i ran hard before i got my evader, if you keep running that 9 volt on the preditor you will overload the circutboard and fry that car so i suggest that you dont do that.
***milkmachine*** the preditor is actually pretty fast about as fast as a stock rustler.

RE: Nikko Predator
 

Actually, radio shack does it right with some of their cars.
My best "fake" r/c car was about the size of an 8th scale buggy, it used a 7.2V PACK, it had dual motors, and arms/shocks, bearings, and a dogbone for each wheel. So it was basically better than some of today's hobby cars! It was 4wd, fast, tough, and was the same speed as my RC10B3 (which also ran on 7.2V)
Hobby cars take 4+ hours to charge because they use a wall charger. The 15 min thing is because you use a fast charger.. Wall chargers are available from tower.
You can get decent Duratrax Piranha 1900 7.2V packs for under $20 (great, isn't it)

With hobby cars, you spend a lot of time "fixing" them! With Radioshack cars, you spend a lot of time RUNNING them!
The fake r/c cars are actually extremely durable, since they're not really built for performance - more for durability. And they really are durable.


But overall, hobby cars are priced higher because stores KNOW you will pay $300+ for a RTR car, whereas you can get a car almost as fast at Radioshack :D

RE: Nikko Predator
 

please list the name of this 1/8th radio shack beasty buggy, i might of owned one once

RE: Nikko Predator
 

I bought a radio shack car, it was a truck with "duel high torque motors", and it is almost 20" long, its huge. The only reason I bought it is because if was on clearance from $150 to only $60, so I figured I didn't have much to lose. After spending $100 on an entry level peak charger and a couple packs from towerhobbies(more than the car cost), it was fun to play with, but I was disappointed. Despite it's huge size, it has less than 1 inch of ground clearance. It does not go well in grass without having a lot of momentum already. The tires sometimes just get stuck, despite the "duel high torque motors" Top speed on pavement is maybe 15mph. The shocks are those friction kind, no oil filled shocks, so the dampening is not very good. I would be shocked to find bearings anywhere, although at least it has dogbones. The 3000 mah packs last about 15 minutes. And lastly, it was a PITA to take apart.
Anyway, getting back to the thread's topic, a hobby grade RC car will have a seperate receiver and electronic speed control (ESC). Toy cars have 1 circuit board with both. Seperate ones allow you to upgrade to motor and get a better ESC so it can handle the better motor. Also, if any part brakes, it can be replaced. (although radio shack used to sell parts for their cars too) Most hobby grade RC cars in an RTR (ready to run) package go around 20mph or sometimes a little more. With some upgrades, they can easily go over 30mph. The shocks are oil filled, so the ride is less bouncy, and they can land from bigger jumps. You can also adjust the suspension on a lot of hobby grade RC cars, to make them lean less when cornering, or be better at off road terrain. The steering on good RC transmitters is duel rate, which helps control your car when it is going 30+ mph. With the right ESC, you can have ABS brakes. Driving with partial trottle is a lot smoother, less jumpy. You can change the gear ratio of an RC car to make it have more torque for quicker acceleration, or adjust it the other way for more top speed. (although I see that radio shack sells $50 cars that are like 5" long, and they sell different pinion gears, and motors for it)
Well, those are all the advantages of hobby grade RC cars off the top of my head.

RE: Nikko Predator
 

hey guys ... not to be digging or anyting .. but i actually searched and found a topic i was looking for! anyway ... back when i was about 12 or so (about 8 years ago) i bought one of these Nikko Predator's ... my first RC car that i purchased .. $120 or so from Meijer .. im wondering ... can you find parts for these cars anywhere!? i need the little plastic piece that turns the tire (on the axle) for the left side and i also need 2 wheel nuts for the rear wheels .. if anyone knows where i could possible find these parts .. you would be a hero to me! just got back into RC cars and wanted to get this back out and see just how slow it was LOL thanks again

-craig

RE: Nikko Predator
 

No radioshack car (Aside form the X-Mod Series) has replaceable parts

RE: Nikko Predator
 

thats not true u can buy replacement parts its probably more work than its worth but it can be done

RE: Nikko Predator
 

A $99 mini-t is better then any radioshack car....

RE: Nikko Predator
 

search ebay..you might find something