Thgummybear

Hey Guys,
Iv'e been looking into RC building for a while now, and by no means do i mean to make it a serious hobby or enter races, more so just a bit of fun. Iv'e got a few empty months ahead of me so I thought it'll be a perfect time to get into into it.
I'm also an obsessive builder, I loved playing with construction // electrical kits as a kid and that passion has remained some what dorment. I'm all up for a good build which is why I was looking into full Nitro Kits, iv'e seen one or two on ebay for about £126 ($200) Which is the perfect price range, these also include all the electrics and radio kit and speed controllers, glow starters, they only needed batteries and some fuel! I don't really want to be dotting about waiting for parcels which is why I'd preferably want an all in one kit so to speak. £150 ($250) is really my upper limit for the build so any help would be greatly aprechiated, also it's worth noting I have no rc equiptment at my house (Bunch of electrical tools though so i'm sorted on that front)

Many thanks,
Tom

SyCo_VeNoM

Honestly with nitro budget ones the engines don't hold up that well normally, and most times are a royal pain in the ass to tune, and the model itself is usually(there are a few exceptions over here in the stats not sure over int he UK) made out of some inferior plastics. You basically get what you pay for.
Cheapest I'd go is an Hobao Hyper 7 http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hobao-hy...products/20870 (needs a glow starter, but those are cheap)
Those are very popular starter RC's over here in the stats cause they are cheap, the engines are pretty easy to tune, and they can take a royal beating. Only thing that probably will have to be changed out soon is the steering servo. Only other RC I'd recommend over that is the Hong Nor X1x, but that costs more.

Foxy

Completely agree with above. The Hyper 7 is by far and away the best value nitro car in the market. There are cheaper and there are better, but none that are cheaper and better.

don't be disheartened that it is an RTR, Hobao usually supply complete assembly/disassembly instructions (disassembly=work backwards through manual), and you absolutely SHOULD strip and rebuild the entire car, it will be dubiously constructed from the factory. Even if you don't strip it, you will need to loctite and check various areas before running.

Your first upgrades will be a proper rechargeable 6v receiver pack and a better steering servo.

Good luck

Thgummybear

Hey,

Thanks your reply, I was interested in building my own (The two you mentioned were pre built) The one i found was a Acme Condor it had everything except the fuel and was a built it yourself kind of thing. However iv'e been also pursuaded to look into electric built it yourself kits however these seem to be more rare with everything included.
Thanks again,
Tom

Foxy

Stay away from ACME. I often wondered what kind of company expects to do well labelling themselves the same as the company that frequently sells near fatally flawed products to poor ol' Wile E Coyote.

Modelsport.co.uk and apexhobbies.com are your go to online hobby stores in the UK and I think they both sell Ansmann stuff, which is the cheapest stuff that's worth a crap. It's much better than ACME and other 'off brands'.

I think going electric is a good idea. I used to be a nitro man, even been a gas man for a while, but I keep coming back to electric, its's simple, clean, fast and fun.

My picks given what I understand you are looking for would be...

Car - a simple Short Course truck would be a great start, but any of the Ansmann kits that takes your fancy would be a good choice... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ansmann-...&ChassisID=811 - this is a particularly good discount on a decent 4wd truck. Also has a clear body which I know you can't wait to paint. Don't forget to buy paint.

Radio - a nice simple 2.4Ghz unit... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ansmann-...products/36914
ESC and motor combo - A simple brushless 12t unit... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/modelspo...products/40027
Servo - This is a decent servo, will last and perform well for a good price... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hitec-62...products/11168
Batteries - Get a couple of these... you can find much much cheaper from China, but in the name of keeping it all at one store for now... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hpi-plaz...products/38774
Charger - This is a good one, again its a little overpriced from this store, but to buy one from elsewhere you'll be at the same amount due to delivery costs anyway. I use one of these as my backup myself, they're decent and cheap... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ansmann-...products/38399

Admittedly, that's 350 quid all told, however, when you want another car, you already have half of what you need. Electric is an expsensive initial investment with few running costs, nitro the opposite (to a greater or lesser degree depending on who you talk to). This setup above will be a fun and fast car and a full home build, change the kit if you wish, but without ordering from China you won't find a cheaper way to get up and running with something WORTHWHILE (stay away from those off brands, Ansmann is one of the top budget brands).

Thgummybear

Hey Foxy,

Foxy

OK, well, firstly, I consider it my duty as an experienced hobbyist and a recognised representative of a reputable hobby site, to make sure your first foray into RC gets you into the current technology with a car that will impress you from the word go, not require a lot of spares and hopups, be simple and relatively maintenance free, and give you hours of fun.

In light of this, I simply cannot and will not recommend, anything that contains a brushed motor and a nickel metal hydride battery, and not a 2.4ghz radio (which you got). The difference in performance between lipo/brushless and nimh/brushed is just WOAH! It's more than double the performance and runtime at that scale.

About the model. The Mad Monkey is the lowest spec car of a low spec brand. It's not a bad car, but, think of the cons...it's rear wheel drive, it's low and light, so it won't be much good on anything but very light off road, it has a delicate front end and open wheels. The price is right, however, consider...the short course I linked above is one of their top models, it's a very popular class at the races (though not so much in Europe, but its catching on), it's the pro version, so it's fully adjust able with a few alloy option parts already on it. It's closed wheel yet still has a bit more ground clearance than the buggy (this means it will be easier to drive, not get hung up on stuff, etc), it's FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (big deal this), and they look cool

What's the absolute max budget for this, including paint, everything? Give me a number I'll see what I can come up with, with the least compromises possible.

Thgummybear

Foxy

Yeh, we had the same radios. It's a decent radio for the money.

The mad monkey is your only option given budget... http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ansmann-...&ChassisID=803
Radio: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ansmann-...products/36914
Servo: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hpi-sf-1...roducts/363626

and from here (not including delivery)...

Battery ($15 - 10uk#): http://www.hobbypartz.com/77p-sl4000-2s1p-20c-2222.html
Motor/ESC combo ($85 - 54uk#): http://www.hobbypartz.com/ezrun-35a-...tem-combo.html
Charger ($45 - 29uk#): http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html

Lets say another $30 for delivery (20 quid), and we're at... about 220 quid.

You are not going to get brushless and lipo cheaper than that. If you absolutely must go brushed, then do it, but its wasted money. If you like the RC car you will want brushless asap, and if you don't like it, well, it's all wasted money anyway. lol. Believe me though, it's worth finding the etra 50 quid from somewhere, but if you can't, go with those brushed/nimh options, make sure you get a charger that can also charge lipo so you don't end up buying that twice at least if you end up liking the hobby.

Thgummybear

Hey Foxy,

That seems like a nice little build, I'm going to stick with the brushed motor and Nimh for now however if i get into it I don't mind blowing another £100 or so on a brushless motor and lipo batteries. Iv'e used the upgraded servo you reccomended and stuck with the Radio units, for now i'm also sticking with the Turnigy Charger (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Turnigy-Ac...#ht_4760wt_952)

Foxy

Ure welcome dude. Let us know what you think when you've given it a try.

htrunner

My Feedback: (1)

i honestly started out on a revo 3.3 as a first nitro its quick reliable and very durable and u can find them pretty cheap if u look at the right places

SyCo_VeNoM

if you notice his prices are in British Pounds
Traxxas doesn't have anywhere near the presence overseas from what I've read from posters as they have in the US
But on that note you can find a lot of things pretty cheap if you look in the right places, and are lucky.