yodizzle

Hope everyone has had a safe and fun New Year day!!!! Looking to get my son into the sport and want to get him a nice first car. To begin with, I simply hate cheap items but love good quality low price ones !!! We have been looking at 1/10th and 1/8th scale 4x4 buggies in the range of " 150 to 300 give or take a few bucks" such as the Exceed Hyer Speed beginner and the Exceed Forza. Are these ok for starters, or should I dish out a few more bucks and get something better??? If possible, can someone simply give me a few proven cars that would be a good fit for a beginner?? Easy to find parts would also be a plus? I also would like to buy something that comes with good solid parts out of the box. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks Guys!!!

SyCo_VeNoM

Well a few of your criteria say stay away from exceed
There are a few issues with exceeds.
One of the biggest is parts support. Outside NitroRCX, and the 5 sites that are owned by the owners of it (all have the same stock...) parts are virtually non-existant so if the one distributor is out (which happens often) you are screwed(that is unless redcat RC sells the same RC under a diff name).
Another is durability... They aren't very durable.
Customer service is virtually non-existant so if your RC comes broke if the seller doesn't do something you have to buy new parts(heard this happen to a few people)
Another issue is there are 0 aftermarket parts for them.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXBWUV&P=ML is probably the most solid RC out of the box. But be advised that price does not include batteries which will run another $50(it needs a 4S), and a charger will be around $50.


Now if you don't mind you could look for a vaterra Kemorra, or Kalahari (I probably misspelled Kemorra) currently they are in the $150 ballpark (on ebay new) due to the manufacturer discontinuing them(they share over 90% of parts with the Losi mini 8ight). They are 1/14th scale, but in translation that is about the same size as a 1/10th scale buggy. I think its wheel base like .5cm's shorter then my 1/10th scale buggy(but physically it is larger) in all honesty. But it has the same ground clearance. Price includes everything you need to get it running even batteries for the remote. Only issue I have with the RC is the battery location kinda limits the pack size it could take. Original price was around $300, hell the radio in the box is almost $60
Lipo's would cost about $15 a piece for it, and the charger $45-50.


Question before looking for other RC's how old is your son usually helps to know so we don't tell ya to get RC's that go so fast they could cause really bad damage to property(like the LX2)
Also what kinda terrain cause honestly the 1/10th scale buggies(and the Vaterra's I said) are mostly good for on-road, dirt, and maybe .5 inch long grass.

yodizzle

Thanks Syco, my son is 8. We would be using it in the driveway and parking lots maybe even some dirt if we get the chance. I was thinking of a buggy and to be truthful I too am wanting to play around with it also. What online store has the best prices and reputation? Also, do you think battery controlled units are better than Gas in this case?

Ttam Says Blarg

Electric has a much easier learning curve than nitro. Sycos suggestion is a great one. Id like one in my collection. Tower Hobbies and Tamiya are pretty much the only online retailers I use. Every once in a while Hobby King for the cheap brushless system.

SyCo_VeNoM

ok as you said an 8 year old I'd strike the LX2 off the list as I said earlier as that thing would clear most driveways in like 2-3 seconds(unless you own a mansion with one of those quarter mile long driveways)
Seriously 1/8th scale RC's are mostly stupid fast(think 40 MPH), and can really hurt someone.

If you want something slower, and don't mind building you could look at the Tamiya DF-02. They range in price from $130-$170ish for kits (the $170 one has a better ESC included in the box) it needs around $30 in parts aditional, and a battery, and charger. Also one slight modification should be done right out of the box as it increases durability like 10 fold, and fixes its prime weakness. Own 2 of them, and got my nephew one a few years back. All in all total cost would be $240ish-300 to get all the gear to run em (including battery)

HPI Wheely King 4 WD Monster Truck that likes to uhh pop wheelies Waterproof, comes RTR with controller, and battery (although the battery and charger are pretty crappy like in almost all RTR's). Think stock it goes like 12-15 MPH, but due to its large tires it can drive on a lot of surfaces. Will say it does like to tip if you turn at high speeds, but as its a solid axle Monster Truck so that is expected. Own one of these also. they are durable as long as they are not pushed to the limits (I mean we had one member here that made his go like 45 MPH, had it jump his moms Van, and complained it broke lol) Would recommend getting a better battery, and charger which will be like $70

The Vaterra's I mentioned earlier too I'd keep in as they are pretty tough, and IMO as much as I hate to admit it are a WAY better deal then the DF-02(also the DF-02 is the 1/10th scale buggy I compared it to).


http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXBWEP&P=ML SCX10 let my nephew drive one, and he had a blast as it looks like a real truck, and due to the design can drive over quite a few obstacles. Also only goes like 10MPH will need a battery, and charger though so that like before is like $70 more on the total
But it also has a ton of accessories to modify it with like currently I'm trying to get a working snow plow for mine if the place would ever get them in stock (it costs like $100, and coulda really used it today with the snow we got...)



As far as Gas I'm guessing you mean nitro (as even the cheapest gas RC's are absurdly expensive), and honestly as much as I like them in cases with children I wouldn't recommend them. one of the reasons is the engines get over 240 degrees, and its VERY easy to get a bad burn specially when tuning the RC. Which brings me to the next part tuning its not for everyone now if you like fiddling with the RC, and don't mind spending a few minutes getting it to run properly then nitro might be fine. Other things with nitro if you don't have a hobby shop nearby (as nitro shipping prices are insane), and don't mind spending $45-50 a gallon (that was last time I bought one 2-3 years ago) then yes Nitro is fine.

Cool_cris27

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Cool_cris27

Yeah id trust syco on this one i own an LX2 its a pain in the you know what sometimes but it sure hauls ass. For a beginner getting a nitro could possibly make him not like RC's just because of the amount of maintenance especially on nitros. Dont get me wrong you still have to do plenty maintenance on an electric but not as much as a nitro. I with syco on this one.also gas (nitro) is very expensive 40-50$ but im lucky my LHS always shaves 5$ off for me just because i go there a lot i pay like 38$ money is money. Syco I was actaully very curious where i am Real cars pay like 3.40$ per gallon if you were to scale it how much would a 125cc cost to fill up? like might be hard to explain my LX2 has a 125cc tank how much would one tank full cost? Or for a real car its would go up by gallons it being 3.40 what would be the gallon for nitro rc car tank? mini pint? lol if so how much would each scale gallon cost? if you paid 40$ on nitro? I tried to do the math then im like &%(&*%((%&*%#&^&$* lol.

SyCo_VeNoM

hmm depends how you want to go at it
if you want to say the tank on the nitro is equal to 10 gallons on a real car then its entirely model dependent as I have one nitro that gets around 50 tanks off one gallon then another that gets half that.
as 1 CC is equal to .000264172052 US Gallons Which to fill my real car that many times would cost over $2k But alas that theory falls apart as the nitro don't last 1/10th the time my real car does lol
Honestly the math would be a nightmare so I'd rather not bother


BTW the LX2 I linked was the LX2E as I didn't bother recommending a nitro. Only nitro I'd really recommend would be a Hyper 7, or a savage X, but the X is way out of the budget given

Cool_cris27

Lol thanks for the try at it though

yodizzle

Man, you guys are great and I really appreciate the advise. One of my customers gave me an RC10 GT with a OS 12cv engine in it today. I think this car will be great for my little guy to learn on, plus it was free. The only thing is the radio is kinda old. Should i just use this radio or would it be beneficial to get a newer/new one. Was thinking about the DX3 by Spectrum. Also, I now am wanting to get me a car, Is the Duratrax 835B better than the OFNA Hyper 7 or are they pretty even?? Also, @ Syco, do you like electric better or Nitro??? Please elaborate a little, thanks in advance. Register clerk at my local HobbyTown told me he was getting the Duratrax 835b today and says that it was better than the Hyper7 would this be just a preference situation or is there really a major difference??

Also, Could I build something for 400 that would be better than the units mentioned above???

SyCo_VeNoM

couldn't say never heard of the Duratrax 835B


Nitro vs electric...
To me neither is better then the other both have pro's and cons
Nitro's non controversial pro (as I see them)
Run time they will run pretty much as long as you have fuel (which for a gallon depending on vehicle could be over 20 hours non stop )

Nitro's noncontroversial cons
Price of fuel
The engine can get DAMN hot potentially being a safety issue

Why I say noncontroversial is the rest are dependent on person if you like fiddling with engines trying to get max performance then its a pro, but to some they hate it which makes it a con. Some like the sound some hate it. Some think it has a steep learning curve some easy

Electrics noncontroversial pro
Easier to get up and running(as long as its RTR if its a kit then it can be a bigger PITA IMO then breaking in a nitro engine and getting the 1st tune)

noncontroversial con
Run time reliant on batteries brought

Again people will argue all around some say electrics are quiet, some are loud, some will say more instant power is a pro some a con (I'm ore in the con range in this regard as BL can royally wreck the drivetrain). Some say low learning curve, some high (IMO its kinda high as you gotta learn battery care, battery difference, etc)

Honestly in the end it all comes down to preference. In the past threads that mentioned those 2 things would balloon to 20-40 pages of bickering literally coming down to name calling (hell I remember seeing some yo mamma things even)

I will admit I own more electric's then nitro's, but then again that kinda boils down to a few things. One is Nitro I will admit is not a good idea in all applications like my scaler/rock crawler a nitro would not work, also in the under 1/10th scale group


Now prior to pumping a pile of cash into nitro I'd try out that RC10GT and see if you like nitro 1st. As for a radio I'd just get a cheap 2.4ghz radio for it that are around $20ish like http://www.valuehobby.com/radio-syst...lysky-gt2.html (This is sold cheaper by other places, but they are usually out of stock) I own one, and find it does the job nicely (I also own 3 other of the more expensive radios by the same brand). But if you want to buy the more expensive radios I won't argue its your money. I own a Spectrum, and whatever brand HPI uses too.

If it turns out ya like nitro for $439 the Nexx 8t http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXBWUW&P=ML exists it is the 3rd iteration of the Jammin X1 CRT (I own the original X1), and if its 1/10th as tough as the X1it would take a beating. Seriously my X1 crashed 40+mph into concrete(on its 1st run...) in the most blood curdling sound, and had a whole $5 in damage lol. We had one member inthe past get one, and only thing I can recall he said about it was that he was very happy with it.

Eman77

For online retailers, I like amainhobbies as well. Usually a nice selection. Stormer Hobbies is very nice too - site isn't all that polished, but they do answer the phone when you call (and it's a dude at the store, not a call center), and are quite helpful.

Cool_cris27

I honestly like nitro better for me because i like the sound i like to tune i like almost always having something to do with high maintenance and i feel like its more fun IMO.

SyCo_VeNoM

Well nitro is for you then

I'll be honest my nitro's have went through less parts as when they hit they usually do not have the extreme power behind em brushless does. Seriously I've had a few of my brushless RC's break parts just from the force of the BL motor on the drivetrain. For example my one savage that I made BL (I have 2 one will stay nitro ) I had to replace every single cup on the sucker, and every dogbone as the force of the BL motor twisted the dogbones(the few that didn't snap) so bad I was actually shocked(and also ate the cups they sat in), and that was only after 10 mins lol.

Will say one thing brushless did that was great for nitro the beefed up drivetrains from the BL RC's work their way down into the nitro's as companies don't feel like producing 2 diff sets making them a hell of a lot more robust

Cool_cris27

Lol yep syco for sure. Them Bl motors scare me sometimes D: lol

SyCo_VeNoM

Seriously shoulda seen when I was setting up my stampede 4x4's motor, and screwed up the ESC calibration steps... Friction burned about 2 inch patch of my skin off had a piece on the RC itself I had to pull off... Can't say I ever did that on a nitro

Cool_cris27

lol the worst things thats ever happened to me was problem what till this day always get a fail safe. I was driving my old Ofna buggy Ntiro .25 engine having fun all of a sudden my radio turns off i think batteries went dead or something my car zooms into a fence does a back flip rolls over intro the middle of the road and flys down the street as im trying to save my ass it slams into my ankle and i was lucky i didnt break i got just a sprain but after its destroyed my ankle it flies strait into a brick wall. I went to go get and i see that the impact snapped my engine mounts and the engine was just out of place im not ever going to tell you what happened to the from side i snapped both dog bones the entire chassis was bent it was like a 90 degree angle. I actually ending up fixing it but i sold it after a while i will never forget that. Lesson learned always have a fail safe. what was the worst things that happened to you?

SyCo_VeNoM

had that happen with nitro, but in my case the traxxas TQI AM radio I had was malfunctioning... The reverse switch would reverse at random... caused me to go full throttle into my house.

Then my nephews stampedes TQI radio failed after that(steering wouldn't work) causing him to break an A-arm...

Best one after that I bought a fail safe(from Venom RC... ) after a week that thing caused me to lose control of my trucks throttle, and made it go full throttle I'm glad I still had steering control cause I caused it to flip so the engine would die out. Funny thing is I tested it everytime I used it prior to running to make sure it was set properly, and the failsafe failed me...

Was so happy when 2.4ghz radios came down in price moved all my RC's over, and best one it even has a failsafe built in so no more mishaps as I've not lost control once since I moved over even after the RC drives off the horizon

Cool_cris27

well thats nice to here

yodizzle

Ok here we go!!!! Got an old RC10 and an rc10GT from one of my clients. At first glance the cars appeared to be a nice "Free" cars, but, these things have caused nothing but massive headaches. The spur gear had stripped teeth so I had to reinstall a new one, and then the battery pack went out, and after that, I purchased a new DX3c Radio for 100.00 because the one that came with the cars was on the old AM frequency. Now, all of a sudden, the motor seems to be locked up. my son and I ran it in the snow for 25 mins and now it's a "NO GO". GOT ABOUT 170.00 AND and I'm still out of a car...lol...Why do I get myself into these things

Can someone share what they would do??? Almost purchased a Duratrax 835B at a local store here in town but Being that it was new and we have lots of snow, I wouldn't have been able to run it because of the break in period and our current temperatures. Kept running outside to fire this thing up with my son and every single time, something new went wrong! "Wait 5 for minute son", "I promise this is it", and then we go outside and the freakin thing just sits there and makes noise...lol

rcguy1411

Tunning nitro can be a bear it your engine is locked up its because you were lean not enough fuel in the winter we get good air nice and dence so you need to fatten up the engine add more fuel i generaly fined im one to two turns richer over the base line manufactures sugested settings ie. If main needle is suposed to be 2 1/2 turns out from closed i start at 3 1/2 - 4 turns and its opposite on real hot muggy days in july also when snow gets on the heat sink it can be a pain as engine dosent get to a good operating temp good luck on finding what you want