_marius

Hi, I need start up help!

Its probably more than 25 years since my Tamiya Blackfoot and its time to start over with rc cars.

To begin with I will mostly drive on streets around the house and parking lots. The asphalt will be uneven with gravel + dust. I like to build so it must be a kit and 1:10 scale. Quality is much more important than price. I also need to be a lot faster and better than my neighbor. I understand I need a four wheel shaft drive.

I also have to buy the rest;
- 2,4 ghz radio (3-4 channels to control lights and sound effects?)
- brushless motor
- esc
- batteries
- computer charger
- tires
- servo
- other important items, upgrades?
- etc.

Probably I will order most things from Tower Hobbies.

I will be grateful if you guys can point out the things I need! At the moment it looks like a product-jungle.

Marius

Foxy

OK, so you want a good quality car experience, you want a kit because you want to build it, and quality is more important than price.

Sounds good. Precisely HOW important is price? And why does it need to be 1/10th? 1/8th is superior in every way, and if you have the money for the slightly higher startup cost of 1/8th (more expensive electrics and batteries), then you'd be silly not to do so, as they are twice as much car.

_marius

Hmm...I know the budget when I see the costs. I don't have loads of money but what does it cost? For example I would be ok with the price of [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCWGH&P=0]Associated RC10TC6[/link] ++ (I don't know anything about this car but understand that belt drive is no good for streets).

I thought that 1:10 is the most common. I have not seen a 1:8 car and know even less about them. I expect it to take up much "space" in the street and therefor needs bigger places and larger turning radius.

Marius

Foxy

The main caveat of 1/8th is racing. If you want to do a bit of racing at the local track, get a 1/10th. If you are strictly in it for fun, get a 1/8th, they are simply a lot more fun.

There is a euro brand which has a very good 1/8th gt car, its called the Absima GR8LE. I mention it because its a lot of car for the cash and its well supported in eurozone.

Alternatively, tower hobbies has both of the other two decent (and even cheaper) alternatives, the OFNA DM-1 and the OFNA GTP2E. The absima car is not available as a kit unfortunately, but has a significant advantage over the other two which are available as kits, in that it has a longer wheelbase and allows for a realistic looking body (the bodies on the other 2 are a little cartoonish being slightly short and fat).

The bad boy in this class and expensive but worth it, is the Kyosho inferno gt2 ve. Unfortunately I believe that it is also not available as a kit.

If I were you, I would try to find the Absima car for a good price in euros to avoid customs and high delivery charges, despite being a RTR, it has good electrics. As you will see, prices between 1/10th and 1/8th are actually pretty close, the batteries and electrics for 1/8th are twice the size and power though. It will not be too big for the average street.

Don't let it bother you that it isn't a kit, it is still advisable to strip and rebuild it after taking it out of the box. 12 year old Chinese kids are not known for the care with which they assemble rc vehicles.

_marius

Is the [link=http://www.tamiyausa.com/items/radio-control-kits-30/4wd-rally-on-road-(xv)-36180/rc-xv-01-pro-touring-car-58558]Tamiya XV-01 Touring[/link] or this [link=http://www.tamiyausa.com/items/radio-control-kits-30/4wd-rally-on-road-(xv)-36180/rc-xv-01-pro-chassis-kit-58526]Tamiya XV-01[/link] recommendable?

_marius

Thanks! I'll do some research on the 1:8 cars. Is it better to start with 1:8 as a beginner? It looks a bit more "serious" than playing around with a 1:10 car.

Foxy

The 1/8th cars are actually much simpler. Don't fear them. The chassis layout and available space plus the big differentials make them much better to wrench on. I cannot recommend Tamiya, as I have no experience with them (touring cars anyway).

_marius

Which radio and charger do you recommend?

Foxy

If you go for a 1/8th car, consider that you will be using either single 4s lipo batteries, or 2s in pairs (2s in pairs is preferable as you can use 2s batteries in many other RCs as singles, plus, usually it is cheaper to buy two 2s packs than one 4s).

Bearing that in mind, you should get a charger capable of charging two batteries simultaneously. The ideal solution involves buying a dual charger and a separate 12v power supply (25a minimum) so you can charge twin packs together. Most batteries take 1 hour to balance charge, regardless of cells or duration, due to the fact that charge rates are proportional to duration. For example, a 5000mAh battery should be charged at 5A. A 4000mAh at 4A, etc.

If you bought 4s batteries, you would only need a single charger which can use ac wall outlet power, but your batteries will only be good for 1/8th or bigger.

All that said, for a radio, I recommend the flysky gt3b or c (c just comes with a lipo battery and charge lead, but is otherwise the same), they are very cheap, 2.4ghz, all relevant adjustments and a 10 model memory. There is no way to get more radio for your money, but there are higher quality options available. If you would rather spend on a quality option, the futaba radios are all great.

As a single charger, the imax b6ac at hobby king is a very cheap wall outlet charger that will happily charge 4s batteries in about 45 mins. Its even cheap enough to consider buying 2 rather than a dual charger.

OvalRacer99

Saying any scale is better or worse than another is mearlt one's personal opinion. Ihave tried the 1/8 on road scean and it was a nightmare at best.
Being tenth scale is a lot more popular, 1/8 parts availability is scarce. Irun an Associated TC4 for both racing and parking lot bashing and it works great.
With the shaft drive, it is extreamly reliable and easy to maintain and just about any hobby shop in the country will have parts and pieces for them. The ultimate choice is yours but
with tenth scale, you will have a few more options and if racing is in your future, can't go wrong with it as most indoor tracks don't run 1/8th scale. That
means you can run year around also.

Again, this is just ones man's OPINION and some might not agree.

Best of luck to ya and most of all, have fun!!!!

_marius

Thanks!

I have decided to go for 1:10 scale. Not sure about the car. Maybe either the Tamiya [link=http://www.tamiyausa.com/items/radio-control-kits-30/4wd-rally-on-road-(xv)-36180/rc-xv-01-pro-touring-car-58558]XV-01 Touring[/link] With protection Box over the belt or the Associated TC4? Which motor, esc and battery are the best Choice (quality, speed, running time etc.) ? And which servo do I need?

Foxy

For a motor you can look at any 540 size in the 3500kv to 8000kv (more than 8000kv tends to be a bit hot) range, and a suitable 40-60A esc to run it on (40A is fine for up to 4000kv, go 60 for anything higher). A good and cheap servo is the Hitec 625mg. For batteries I suggest you buy Turnigy or Turnigy Nanotech from HobbyKing's euro warehouses. You want 2S, 4000-6000mAh and at least 20C. If you decide to buy soft case batteries, pay attention to the dimensions and make sure they will fit. Hard case packs are largely standardised and shouldn't be a problem.

_marius

Thanks! Do you have a link to the motor, esc and battery I should order? I'm not familiar with the brands or numbers. I have to go for something someone recommend.

Foxy

I'll give you some suggestions, but don't ignore the numbers or think they are not important, or your RC car will become an RC fire.

I've not used it personally, but this is a good value set from what I've been hearing. http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-w-EZ-Link-75T

Good quality cheap servo: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...r-Servo-S-JR-Z

Good quality cheap radio: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...203GF-Receiver

Good batteries from hobbyking: http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...arehouse_.html

Good charger from hobbyking: http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store..._GENUINE_.html

Unfortunately, you'll need to order both the batts and the charger from hobbyking's chinese warehouse, none of the european warehouses have that particular battery or charger available.

With all of that you should be all set up.

_marius

Thanks!