Ok. I am new to nitro rc's. I bought my Volcano SV about a 2 months ago. I think it is hella fun.

Now to the point. I am new to this, so I have had to learn alot about it on my own. I read the posts on this forum and I can't help but notice the reoccuing posts and/or complaints. !!ATTENTION!! You will have problems with your car or truck at some point! You will have to put money into it. You will have to trouble shoot and you will have down time. I don't think this is a good hobby for people who do not enjoy working on their rc's. I also don't think this is a good hobby for people who do not want to spend the money on their rc's. When I first got my Volcano, I broke it in and started bashing. That first day I lost my front drive shaft and drive cup and was stuck in 2wd. Did I start cursing Redcat for producing an inferior product and taking away some of my fun time? No. I cursed myself for forgetting to check the grub screws on the drive cup like I should have. I believe that for what you pay for the Redcat products you definitly get your money's worth.

I am not flaming anyone, I am just saying that you will have ALOT more fun if you have a little more patience and realize that driving is just part of the fun. Heck, I think I like throwing little upgrades here and there on my Volcano and seeing what it can do just as much as I like bashing it. Come on here and post your questions and I am sure that someone on here will help you out.



Just get out there and have some fun!

That is my .02 cents.

this hobbie can get expensive really fast..lol....alot of newbies problems are exactly because they are new...doesnt take long to find out who knows there stuff ...if u pay attention this is a great hobbie

i am a newbie.. and i have had mine for about 3-4 mons . and i have been getting fustrated about having to replace parts and down time but i dont cursed or blamed redcat i just get fustrated and irrated seeing it sitting on the shelf and having to waite for the new parts to come in but i dont blame redcat but to look at it for a week or 2 sitting on a shelve waiting for part getts very irratating

I'm a total newbie and I've run about 1/2 gallon of nitro through my Shockwave. I really beat on the buggy! Cart wheels, major air jumps on asphalt, running full throttle through pot holes. I've trashed my rims and broke various suspension parts, but they are cheap enough to order online. The car is tough. About the support forums, I'm sure this sounds stupid to veterens , but for the neebies there shoud be a sticky devoted to rims/tire/wheels that fit the redcat vehicles. These forums are great, but my complaint would be about the redcat tornado thread. It should be renamed the redcat clutch assembly forum. A post can start out as what is your favorite body color and it ends up being 100 posts about cluch bells. I would assume the large majority of newbies purchase Tornados or Volcanos why not a newbie thread based around beginner issues. Not another post on how many teeth you use with your clutch bell.
That said I've really got a lot of help from the forums.

About the car itself...It is durable. But tunning. Forget it. I'm sure it is operator error, but still a pain. The .15 engine is a DOG! Get the .18, if you can sprig for it. Forget about any LHS support. just about everyone at my two LHSs didn't know what redcat was and really couldn't be bothered with an off brand. After begging for help with new wheels I was told, "That's what you get for getting an Internet car. They don't use standard parts". Both LHS are major shops with tracks and enourmans inventory of everything but Redcat.

If I was to do it again, I would get more common brand of nitro car. I'll be buying my Savage X 4.6 in about two weeks.

Not trying to start a flame war.Just stating the neebie experience.

Patience guys, that's all part of the hobby too, lol.

Welcome to Redcat family Speed996

I'm also a newbie and I am learning more and more about this hobby everyday. It can be frustrating, but once you solve a problem its very satisfying. The key is just read as much as you can and take notes(literally) because there is a lot of information to take in. Since I personnally don't know anyone whose into nitro, I don't know if I would have as much knowledge that I already do in such a short amount of time. These internet forums are an invaluable learning tool. I probably wouldn't even tried my hand at nitro r/c if it wasn't for all the free info available on the internet. As stated before, be patient.........and have fun because that's what a hobby is all about. Don't expect to have Ehroof's r/c knowledge in a few months[8D]

you can still get ehroof's knowledge....you just wont get in redcat forum anymore

if you don't like down time. get more vehicles . haha then see how expensive things get. but there's less down time if you have to break several trucks at once to not be able to run!

I meant, don't expect to be as knowleable as he is when you are just starting out.

Dak....
Welcome to the Redcat Family...Glad you're havin Fun! Dont give up on the Buggy and dont let the LHS folks discourage from thinking for Yourself!


Here are a couple links for you that should help you find compatable parts for your Buggy.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4068240/tm.htm

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_49...tm.htm#4966838

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_42..._1/key_/tm.htm

Don't let people in LHS's discourage you. They just want you to buy products they support so they can make a profit. If you bought an HPI and went into a store that sold Traxxas only, they would tell you to go buy a Traxxas. Of course there is nothing wrong with HPI, they just can't make any money off of you.

Any rc you get is going to break and have problems. It really just depends on how much money you want to spend.

And thanks for the friendly welcome AAFH!

This is a great thread

I would love to hear from newbies on this.

What are the 10 things Redcat could have done better that would have made your life easier?

I will even start it out for you as I know our manuals need a lot of work.


1. Better manuals that are written by someone that speaks english.
2. Step by step guide with what to do from the point you take it out of the box.

Darin

I would say that an important bit of information for anyone getting into this hobby would be to get to know your vehicle. First thing I did when I opened mine up was pull it apart. I wanted to see how things went together and where things went. That way if I did break something or lost a part, I had an idea of what I needed to fix it. Also, paint anything that can fall off easily such as drive shafts or axles. Someone else told me to do it in a thread and it is a great idea.

As far as a first run:
1. Check the car over entirely. Check every screw and nut and apply lock tite where applicable. Make sure to check the gear mesh. (Remember, these are assembled by human beings so there will always be human error involved.)
2. Follow the break in method of your choice. (Just like car engines, EVERYONE has their opinion on this one.)
3. Take your time getting use to the vehicle.
4. If you are having a problem starting the vehicle, check all things that apply to fuel. Check that you are getting fuel, needles are set correctly, glow plug is not fowled, glow starter is charged and servo is set to a decent amount of fuel for starting.

I don't really worry about breaking stuff or if my engine lasts 10 gallons of fuel. I go out to have fun and if it breaks or my engine dies, I will fix it. If you spend most of the time worrying about breaking it, you aren't really driving it.

I am by no means an expert, this is just what I have learned along the way.

Other than a better manual (more pics or angles of parts)I was tickled pink right out of the box.

How about good instructional videos on your site on: engine tuning; maintenance; repairs?

Its proven that people have a greater understanding of things through the use of video than just literature alone.

Thats an excellent idea. Maybe even [8D]us as we do repairs we could film it and redcat could put links to them on the site. Good job bro[8D]
Edit: what about adding a new glow plug in the box and explaining why people should change it when they do the break in changing the plug may save some complaints later down the way. And add that info to the manual. Or just add a sheet and maybe even give them a link to redcats forum. I also don`t remember seeing to set the piston at bdc (which I just learnt lol)or using after run oil if it is in there I didn`t see it would be a good thing to add too. Just thinking if we can get noobs to break in engines properly there would be less complaints to redcat and less engine exchanges. What about adding a small bottle of after run with the glow plug. I know you need to keep costs down but less complaints means happier noobs.
Darin I`m just thinking that if the breakin is done right and they see that you add stuff that others don`t add to rtr they will like redcat even more.

I'm thinking, a better parts description list. For example, what screws go where, what size etc....
Make sure all parts that are used in the production of a buggy/car/truck are avalible to the public for repair (spacers, washers etc.).

Lee

hi im completely new to the hobbie and i have a redcat shockwave. i made a sorry mistake by not tightening the screw that holds the dogbone insert spot to the transsmission thingy.now the whole driveshaft is off and i dont know what i have to take off to be able to access the driveshaft and put it back in. i curse myself for not tightening that little unseen screw. im now in some serious downtime im going on 2 weeks unrunnabe.[] please help!

i have almost replaced every thing on my volcano i have a blast running it the only draw back is parts take to long to recive redcat shipping i would like to see you let the purchaser pick their own shipping costs as in 2 day- 3 day -overnight i would be glad to pay a few bucks more if i could get parts quiker just some thing to think about.

try ordering from allaboutfunhobbies...he ships priority mail...he is a very nice guy, good prices as well as fast shipping

thanks for the info cool site