Starting out in RC...

[Azonic]

Hi. Years back I used to own a RC car, however it wasn't much more than a toy. I've got an urge to get back into it but have no clue where to start. I want to start off with a decent electric car and then (much) later on maybe move to a nitro car.

What do you guys think of this as a starting car, is it decent?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160049290935

The specs doesn't mean much to me. Will this car be a good basis to put a better motor in at a later stage, or a battery with a higher mAH?

Any advice would be appreciated!

[norcalracer_707]

I'd go with a brand name car company, like traxxas, or duratrax (although alot of people think duratrax is junk). Do you plan on racing at some point, or just as a basher? For bashing, i'd go with a traxxas stampede, rustler. Both are bulit really strong. Theres also the duratrax evader st and bx, both are bulit a little more towards racing, but have more features, turnbuckles, adjustable shocks, ball diff. OF you plan on doing some racing, i'd do with the AE t4 rtr or the losi xxxt sport, both you can upgrade for racing.

[Azonic]

I'd go with a brand name car company, like traxxas, or duratrax (although alot of people think duratrax is junk). Do you plan on racing at some point, or just as a basher? For bashing, i'd go with a traxxas stampede, rustler. Both are bulit really strong. Theres also the duratrax evader st and bx, both are bulit a little more towards racing, but have more features, turnbuckles, adjustable shocks, ball diff. OF you plan on doing some racing, i'd do with the AE t4 rtr or the losi xxxt sport, both you can upgrade for racing.

Thanks for the quick response. I probably will get into racing at a later stage, even though the racing scene here is almost non-existant. A side reason for leaning towards the Seben car is that I'm a registered re-seller of theirs and can get the stuff cheaper than most people. What is your opinion of it?

[norcalracer_707]

I've never even heard of that company before. If you can parts for it, then I say go for it.

[z-man280]

got to get me some of those nifty racing accumulators,......:D

looks interesting, being a re-seller, any chance you can snap us some off-body shots???

[hijacker]

As norcalracer said I would worry most about parts availability. Also, I can tell you those tires would have to go if you plan on racing and not just bashing, they just won't work well. I'm not sure but those shocks look like spring dampening only, not coil-over-spring dampening, so they really wouldn't be very effective.

But if you can get it very cheap, then it might be a good starter for bashing.

[hijacker]

Z-Man, I have racing accumulators on sale right now! 2 for $20, just send the $$ and I'll get 'em right to ya! ;)

[Azonic]

Thanks for all the pointers and tips guys, much appreciated.

This seems to be the exact same car with some shots of with the body removed. This might be what you guys asked to see.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170049156052

hijacker, if you say the tires arn't good, I take it you mean they are too narrow? I bought last month's copy of Car Action and it seems a set of the wider "truggy" style wheels might be the right choice.

[Azonic]

Shees, seems this buggy is all over eBay. From what I've seen, Tamiya seems to be a good brand. They also sell this buggy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290049811365
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170048825615
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230050279368
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140050511645

The Seben listing had it for $133 (granted you get extra wheels etc), other sellers have this buggy for as low as $67. Even though I'm new to this I do have my standards and a $67 buggy does sound a little too cheap.

[JDT]

It looks tamiya-ish, If you near a walmart check out

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4661189

pick the purple and white one, I can tell you its based off the tamiya DF 02 chassis, there is a big tread in the electric off road forum below, hop ups are available. I can't be sure what the yellow yersion is based off of, the car you originally posted seems tamiya based but I can't tell for sure.

[Azonic]

I took a chance and stopped into a local Toy/Hobby shop. Against all odds, the car I posted originally was there! I tested it out (in a very small area) and the bugger is quick, real quick. I'm not sure what kind of suspension it has but it did seem to work nicely, very soft and cushy. My only real gripe with the car is it's turning radius seems very big. Being a noob I have nothing to compare it to but it did seem very wide indeed. To the experts amongst you guys, can something be done to better the turning radius? Any mods? Servos? etc...

Oh, JDT, there arn't any Walmarts in South Africa :)

[Demon-TC3]

Ok i dont have any experiance with that car but theres somethin that just makes it scream CHEAP and TACKY!...
if i were you i would get something like an associated rc18... its small (1/18 scale) but parts are cheaper than cans of coke and they an be seriously well upgraded...as for price they aint too expensive!
In my oppinion those toy things will be fun for about 2 weeks then youll get bored, at least with an 18th scale you can run it indoors and out and can upgrade it with ease...and fairly cheaply!

[JeffEmbracedDC]

The Associated RC18T would be an OK coice for general bashing. As would a traxxas stampede or rustler. The RC18T is a 1/18th scale car which means it's quite small, and probably can't be jumped quite as easily as a 1/10th scale stampede or rustler. For the most part, associated has very good parts availability at most Local Hobby Shops (LHS). But the fact is that the rc18t isn't that popular of a car and parts availability won't be quite as wide as a more popular associated vehicle like a B4 or T4. The Traxxas stampedes and rustlers have been around for a LONG time and they're pretty popular. Personally what I would suggest is - if you can afford it, get an Associated RTR B4 or T4. Make sure to stop at your LHS and compare parts availability between all of these cars.


Associated RTR RC10 B4 - $230.00. (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMGM6&P=)
Accessories Needed:

6 Cell Battery Pack(s) (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHUJ9&P=M)
Charger (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCLD5)
AA batteries for your radio ($6 at walmart)
Some building tools for fixing parts and such



Associated RTR RC10 T4 - $230.00. (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMGM4&P=ML)
Accessories Needed:

6 Cell Battery Pack(s) (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHUJ9&P=M)
Charger (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCLD5)
AA batteries for your radio ($6 at walmart)
Some building tools for fixing parts and such



Traxxas Stampede - $175.00. (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXNJJ0**&P=ML)
Accessories Needed:

6 Cell Battery Pack(s) (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHUJ9&P=M)
Charger (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCLD5)
AA batteries for your radio ($6 at walmart)
Some building tools for fixing parts and such



Traxxas Rustler - $165.00. (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXNJH9**&P=ML)
Accessories Needed:

6 Cell Battery Pack(s) (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHUJ9&P=M)
Charger (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCLD5)
AA batteries for your radio ($6 at walmart)
Some building tools for fixing parts and such



Associated RTR RC18 T - $165.00. (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJAY0&P=)
Accessories Needed:

AA batteries for your radio ($6 at walmart)
Some building tools for fixing parts and such


The B4 is an all around strong vehicle. The T4 has longer A-Arms than the B4 which causes more leverage on them if you hit something which in turn causes them to break a little easier if you hit something, but it has a wider wheelbase and is nice for jumping. The Stampede is a nice basher. I've never owned one but I've seen them and known people with them and they're an overall pretty popular vehicle and should have good parts availability. The Rustler is the same, but the rustler has a lower center of gravity and less ground clearance than the stampede which means it's better for racing than the stampede, but still a good basher vehicle. The RC18T I wouldn't suggest, but it is associated (which is good) and it is down there in the price range. They're pretty small (probably durable - I've never ran one). Parts availability will probably not be as good as any of the previous 4.

Good luck. I'm sure whatever you end up getting will be a blast :)

-J

[fourfun]

What About Raven St Or Raven Bx? They Look Good Quailty Or Not? Reasonable Price.

[ambiotter]

Yeah, the Ravens are pretty good. Quite new, so not many people have them.

[pauster]

or try a used e-maxx - about $200 for a used one on ebay