BriDroid

I have been looking at nitro RC's and I'm wanting to get my first.

The Redcat Tornado S30 seems really cool, but I'm reading lots of hit and miss reviews/posts about it. I have it narrowed down to the following:

Tornado S30 2.4GHz with billet front and rear shock towers, alum wing mounts (these are what the dealerrecommended)
Associated RC10GT2
HPI Firestorm

The Tornado will end up being about $50 or so cheaper than the GT2 or the Firestorm.

I guess my question is, is the Tornado tough enough and reliable enough for me to get as my first Nitro RC? I'm going to buy one next week, but I'm not sure if I should stick with the "bigger" names or give the Redcat a try? I just don't want something that will break before the engine breakin is completed!

Thanks!

nitrosportsandrunner

i hate to say this, but everything is "hit or miss" i have owned a traxxas that was awsome, as well as a traxxas that was a money pit. no matter how big the name of the company is, there is a chance you could get a model that not that great. and ANY model you buy will break at some point. repairing and upgrading is part of the hobby. i understand that you want something that wont break the 1st time you hit a bump or jump it 2 feet. thats understandable. i have truely beat the crap out of my tornado, and it has held up very well.
i used to be a "traxxas" man. i thought that for the money, there was nothing tougher than the vxl models. but now that i own some of redcats stuff, my opinion has changed. i have had just as much fun with my redcats, all of which costs less than simillar traxxas models.

one thing i will point out, if the redcat is $50 less....then you have another $50 for upgrades or repairs!

sgtgeo

It appears in all the pics I've seen the the Tornado S30 already has billet  shock towers.

Mine arrives tomorrow (1st RC) I plan on getting the hop up kit seems like a good deal based on the prices of the individual parts

nitrosportsandrunner

the s30 has alum shock towers. the hop-up billit alum ones are twice as thick! and the alum they are made of is tougher as well.
are you looking at getting the hop up kit with the tuned pipe, shocks, cvd's, fuel filter and a-arms?

buggyboy2010

Agreed with what "nitrosportsandrunner" has said,
A lot of hit and miss with any "brand name company"

I Myself own a Tornado and have put that thing through hell and back with only stock parts and is still running strong after 3 years with minimal repairs and down time, Only recently I have purchased the aluminum hop-ups and all it did was make it stronger and bad ass looks!.
 It was My first RC as well, And read these words now, It's not pull out of the box, Gas and go. You have a lot to learn ( this is with any nitro RC ), You'll want to tighten every nut and bolt even apply lock-tite on metal to metal screws, Read the manual thoroughly, If You have issues ask anyone here, We are more than happy to give our advice, Also if it's something You or We can not help with, Contact Redcat themselves, Their customer support is absolutely spectacular. 

sgtgeo

That is the kit I was looking at. Do you have links to the thicker shock mounts? I was also thinking of making some out of .25" thick carbon fiber

nitrosportsandrunner

i sell redcat racing stuff. i can get any parts for you. you can also sometimes find hop-up parts on ebay
here are what the hop-up shock towers look like. they bolt right up like the stock ones but are thicker and will hold up to big jumps. i mean really big. my stock towers held up to jumping 5-6 feet in the air. then i started jumping my tornado 10-15 feet in the air and the stock towers bent. now i have the hop-up towers on and no more bending! the upgrade shock towers are the only upgrade i have on my tornado!

buggyboy2010

Here's what they look like on My Tornado

BriDroid

Good news and thanks for the honest feedback. That is really what I was looking for!

I do really think that I'm going to go for the Torndao. I have been doing a bunch of reading and watching videos online, and I think I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do once I get my car; before, during, and after break-in.

Thanks again, you guys are great!