Back in RC - RTR Kit Advice Needed

[pcg]

Well, after being gone from the sport for 15+ years, my son is of the age that he is really wanting to play with RC cars so I am back. I still have my old Tamiya Clod Buster and Kyosho Turbo Optima which I am in the process of getting back up and running. I am kind of surprised how little has changed while I was gone. Probably the biggest change though has been the advent of RTR kits - back in the old days we had to spend hours upon hours building everything before we could play! :D

Anyway, I am considering getting an updated car or truck in an RTR kit and am curious what folks think about some of the options out there. There are quite a few out there but some that I have seen include:

Associated RC10B4 Stealth Factory Team Buggy Kit
Associated RC10B4 Stealth Team Buggy Kit
DuraTrax® Evader* Pro EP ST RTR
DuraTrax® Evader* Pro EP BX
Team Losi XXX-T Sport RTR II w/XR2i

Any thoughts on those or others out there? Is there really any difference between the truck kits and the car kits? It seems like looking at them they are pretty much the same but just with a different body. Any and all advice would be appreciated!

Tony

[Ventman]

Is there really any difference between the truck kits and the car kits? It seems like looking at them they are pretty much the same but just with a different body.

Fundamentally, the chasis's of stadium trucks and buggies are not that far apart, the frontend might be slightly widened and the front A-arms are longer than their buggy counterpart. Handling will be different between the two, with the trucks being a little more tough than a buggy, while sacrificing speed and manuverability.

If I were you, I'd get the XXX-T RTR, it has by far the best looking electronics package (a great JR radio instead of a non-brand knockoff, an ESC that was developed by Novak, and a 19T motor developed by Trinity)

Get yourself 2 sport packs, preferably ones with GP3300 cells, and a decent peak charger and you can be up and going real quick.

Funny you mention building kits, the industry has done quite a 180 and it's getting harder to find kits these days.

[highroller]

The quality of RTR has changed more than for people bashing or racing only on a club level basis there is hardly any difference. While it is cheaper to start with the race version kit (for people looking to start racing) it's is sometimes more costly purchasing the individual parts to upgrade the RTR. With most Buggies there are small differences in parts dimensions and chassis layouts between their Stadium truck counterparts. In Associated case the Stadium truck version used wider A-arms, shock shafts were longer, one version of Stealth tranny used a different ratio.

To aid in narrowing which vehicle may be right for you look at the initial cost of vehicle, what is included with vehicle and what parts are readily available to you locally. Also keep expectation open in case you may want to get back in rc racing and what the cost will be if you wanted to upgrade or go with a race ready kit.

[TC4RACER]

i have the team losi rtr and it is a good car

[highroller]

With Associated kits I like the Team version, the addition of anodized parts or graphite vs composite parts really isn't that much of a performance enhancement. I did own both the Team and Factory Team TC3 but still preferred the Team version for racing - car just seemed to be a little more planted. Plus the aluminum outdrives did wear a little more than the composite outdrives. I did add an Irrgang motor mount/heatshink to the Team TC3 which helped cool motor better than the standard Team parts. If I raced TC class more I probably would upgrade or purchase the Factory Team version.

[pcg]

Thank you to all for the replies - all very helpful!

I do find myself eyeing the Associated RC10 B4 buggy. A good number of upgrades for minimal additional cost over the basic RTR kit.

Of course I was reading RC Driver last night and reading about the 1/18 scale kits that are all the rage now.

Decisions, decisions! ;)

Tony

[BY basher]

XTM X-Cellerator.

Of course, the number one criteria is local/quick availability of spare parts.

[pcg]

Yup, parts availability definitely a big factor.

I finally made a decision - and purchase. Went down to the LHS and looked at all the options. Decided since I am just getting back in to the game I would start small - literally. Bought an RC18MT and am quite pleased thus far.

Cost was a factor since I was really starting from scratch and had to buy a charger, new batteries, etc. The smaller scale will work out well as our LHS is building an indoor track for them too so I will have someplace to play other than the back yard.

I am most impressed with the RC18MT thus far - I can't believe how fast the thing is in stock form. It keeps up with my old Turbo Optima which in its day (granted that was almost 20 years ago) was the fastest out there.

The only problem is that my son has decided he needed one too. Ordered an RC18B from Tower yesterday. I forgot how expensive this hobby could be! :D

Tony

[BY basher]

The RC18 should serve y'all well. My boys and I have a blast with our cars. Nothing better than beating Dad (and I'm driving hard...)

[pcg]

Ha! Thankfully my boy is only 5 1/2 so I limit how fast his car goes. I can still dust him - till he gets the hang of it and I turn him loose though I suppose. :D

Now am contemplating turning a corner of my yard (I have a BIG one) into a race track. Have been researching that a bit.

T