RC cars: electronic equipment?
Discussion
Depends what you want to do. Are you planning on racing? I would def recommend racing as just going for a blast at the local park is no fun in my eyes.
If you want to go racing, then Id suggest you get down to your nearest club and speak to the locals. The most popular scene is 1/10th offroad, this is the section I race in. As for equipment, it totally depends on budget. My brusheless speedo is £250, motor £100, servo £70, lipos £100, radio £350. This is all top end stuff and only relevent if you want to try and compete at highest level. As a new racer, you could probabily pay a third of what I have and it will still be relatively quick.
Pop over to Oople.com/forums. That is where most things RC can be found
If you want to go racing, then Id suggest you get down to your nearest club and speak to the locals. The most popular scene is 1/10th offroad, this is the section I race in. As for equipment, it totally depends on budget. My brusheless speedo is £250, motor £100, servo £70, lipos £100, radio £350. This is all top end stuff and only relevent if you want to try and compete at highest level. As a new racer, you could probabily pay a third of what I have and it will still be relatively quick.
Pop over to Oople.com/forums. That is where most things RC can be found
Unless you live in a house with a backyard the size of tesco's carpark with a surface like glass I really wouldn't even think about an "on road" model. I love the look of allsorts of the more roadgoing looking stuff but in reality its just no fun unless you have the above conditions available.
I'm very much into vintage Tamiya stuff, but for a bit of fun I've just bought a Traxxas Slash 4x4 1/10th Short Course Truck (Ultimate Ed). Everything you need for some serious fun in the box apart from a quicker peak charger and 4AA batteries for the transmitter.
I like building the stuff too (and rebuilding) hence the Tamiya stuff cluttering up the house. But the slash is just clearly damn good fun, and there's enough maintainance to be done and setup options to be worked over that it will keep you amused on the technical side, even at the basic out of the box level.
I'm very much into vintage Tamiya stuff, but for a bit of fun I've just bought a Traxxas Slash 4x4 1/10th Short Course Truck (Ultimate Ed). Everything you need for some serious fun in the box apart from a quicker peak charger and 4AA batteries for the transmitter.
I like building the stuff too (and rebuilding) hence the Tamiya stuff cluttering up the house. But the slash is just clearly damn good fun, and there's enough maintainance to be done and setup options to be worked over that it will keep you amused on the technical side, even at the basic out of the box level.
Associated do have race winning pedigree and there's a large crowd that swear by their stuff. I haven't seen an sc10 in the flesh so its hard to comment, but if we're comparing apples with apples then you would need to put the Slash VXL rwd chassis up against the sc10 as the Slash 4x4 and ultimate will be quite different beasts. On a tight track I've seen video of a box stock Slash 4x4 making really very modified 2wd trucks look none too quick. Of course thats not the reality of it, but the 4wd clearly makes a big difference.
When you can pick up a Slash 4x4 Ultimate for £350 for me there was really no other option. I'm sure the Losi and HPI trucks are very good too, they also have a pretty good reputation for putting stuff together well, but again they only have rwd chassis available at present.
When you can pick up a Slash 4x4 Ultimate for £350 for me there was really no other option. I'm sure the Losi and HPI trucks are very good too, they also have a pretty good reputation for putting stuff together well, but again they only have rwd chassis available at present.
You might guess that I have a Lunchbox too. Great fun just as it comes out of the box, although you will find a lot of insanely modified ones around and the odd one of those on PH. All mine has had is a set of bearings and a few little suspension tweaks and it brings huge smiles every time I run it.
As for the 4wd against 2wd with the short course trucks. Personally I think honestly that general bashing is where the 4wd really comes into its own. I've never run anything with 4wd before apart from the rather large and lumbering Tamiya Juggernaut, but I have to say that early impressions are that its quite a different experience. Out on the current low grip conditions I was easily able to hold a controlled opposite lock slide in a way I never have with a 2wd chassis and I can foresee getting stuck far less regularly.
If as you say its all down to the pound notes, I'd have a little wait until after Christmas. A month ago you couldn't get a new Slash 4x4 Ultimate for less than about £440. I picked mine up for £350 last week from modelRCshop.co.uk. I think Modelsport are now matching that price too, but had limited stock the last time I looked.
A standard ready to run Slash 4x4 (brushless) should be around £300 and the brushless Slash VXL 2wd should be around the same sort of figure. The standard Slash 2wd (brushed motor) is around the £200 mark and both come with everything apart from your 4 AA transmitter batteries, but like I said before... good peak charger needed really!
A stock, brushed motor SC10 will set you back approx £220 and you'll need a 7.2V battery pack and a charger plus your 8 transmitter batteries. The brushless version is around £260 and the same applies with the battery pack and charger. A 7.2V pack with half decent capacity will cost you £25. An ok charger like the prolux ultrapeak that I use will cost you about £30.
So to compare:
Traxxas - Associated
2wd Brushed: Slash 2wd Brushed 12Turn = £200 (charger optional = £30) - SC10 Brushed 17Turn = £220 + £25 (Battery) + £30 (Charger) = £275
2wd Brushless: Slash VXL 1/10 = £300 (charger optional = £30) - SC10 = £260 + £25 (Battery) + £30 (Charger) = £315
4wd Brushless: Its Traxxas or Traxxas and either £300 for the standard Slash 4x4 or £350 for the Ultimate edition with better shocks and some nice alloy bits plus the sway bars and centre diff.
Looking at the possible things to go wrong, I guess there are more moving parts on the 4x4 truck but having watched some of the videos on youtube I find it amazing the abuse that these not so little trucks will take. Its completely different to my memories of how things were as a kid and breaking something almost every run. With a sensible amount of maintainance and a big kid driver I really don't envisage too many issues.
As for the 4wd against 2wd with the short course trucks. Personally I think honestly that general bashing is where the 4wd really comes into its own. I've never run anything with 4wd before apart from the rather large and lumbering Tamiya Juggernaut, but I have to say that early impressions are that its quite a different experience. Out on the current low grip conditions I was easily able to hold a controlled opposite lock slide in a way I never have with a 2wd chassis and I can foresee getting stuck far less regularly.
If as you say its all down to the pound notes, I'd have a little wait until after Christmas. A month ago you couldn't get a new Slash 4x4 Ultimate for less than about £440. I picked mine up for £350 last week from modelRCshop.co.uk. I think Modelsport are now matching that price too, but had limited stock the last time I looked.
A standard ready to run Slash 4x4 (brushless) should be around £300 and the brushless Slash VXL 2wd should be around the same sort of figure. The standard Slash 2wd (brushed motor) is around the £200 mark and both come with everything apart from your 4 AA transmitter batteries, but like I said before... good peak charger needed really!
A stock, brushed motor SC10 will set you back approx £220 and you'll need a 7.2V battery pack and a charger plus your 8 transmitter batteries. The brushless version is around £260 and the same applies with the battery pack and charger. A 7.2V pack with half decent capacity will cost you £25. An ok charger like the prolux ultrapeak that I use will cost you about £30.
So to compare:
Traxxas - Associated
2wd Brushed: Slash 2wd Brushed 12Turn = £200 (charger optional = £30) - SC10 Brushed 17Turn = £220 + £25 (Battery) + £30 (Charger) = £275
2wd Brushless: Slash VXL 1/10 = £300 (charger optional = £30) - SC10 = £260 + £25 (Battery) + £30 (Charger) = £315
4wd Brushless: Its Traxxas or Traxxas and either £300 for the standard Slash 4x4 or £350 for the Ultimate edition with better shocks and some nice alloy bits plus the sway bars and centre diff.
Looking at the possible things to go wrong, I guess there are more moving parts on the 4x4 truck but having watched some of the videos on youtube I find it amazing the abuse that these not so little trucks will take. Its completely different to my memories of how things were as a kid and breaking something almost every run. With a sensible amount of maintainance and a big kid driver I really don't envisage too many issues.
M4FFU said:
Appreciate that ^, thanks.
I'll be waiting 'till after Christmas anyway, as the funds are taken by Christmas presents this month.
Having a further read around does seem to be some associated faithful, but I just want something that's fun. I've also looked more at the Lunchbox. I'm very tempted to get one of those sooner, build it, have a play, learn, then perhaps get a stadium truck/something a bit more serious in spring/summer. LB seems a good step into non-toysrus shelf RC cars.
good idea, a lunchbox is a good step up from "rc toys" and fun, but that is all it will ever beI'll be waiting 'till after Christmas anyway, as the funds are taken by Christmas presents this month.
Having a further read around does seem to be some associated faithful, but I just want something that's fun. I've also looked more at the Lunchbox. I'm very tempted to get one of those sooner, build it, have a play, learn, then perhaps get a stadium truck/something a bit more serious in spring/summer. LB seems a good step into non-toysrus shelf RC cars.
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