stannyblade Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 My boy has a cheap rc Subaru and now wants an off road buggy or monster truck. Now I don't want to spend a fortune (he is 8) but want one that will last or can be repaired. Any suggestions welcome as to which to go for Thanks Gav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
53HRA Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Welcome to the forum mate What is your budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex97 Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 http://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/topic/190978-review-quicrun-60a-3800kv-combo-fitted-to-ecx-circuit/#entry2020225 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitroholic Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Lots of things to think about here: 1) What's your budget ... and does it include money for batteries, charger etc. or is it just for the truck? 2) Where do you plan to run your car? 3) How fast do you want to go There are lots of options, but depending on where you want to run...not all would be best. For example...if you want a buggy, 1/10 scale ones would struggle on anything other than mown grass down the park, where a 1/10 truck would cope with more. But a buggy will handle better. I bought my youngest a Traxxas Stampede to get him started. They are 2WD, but cheap to fix when they break...which hasn't been often. You can buy a brushed one...which would be slow and steady....but then upgrade to brushless and LiPo batteries later on for decent speed and a load more fun once he's got the hang of things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'83Junglizt Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 I've had alot of luck with finding vintage tamiya on ebay, had to pay a bit for them but the majority of the parts are still available, ive found a supplier on ebay called Europro975 and hes got literally everything, for every model, if you type 'Vintage Tamiya' into bay you'll get hundreds of results which should give you a range of budgets... I have found that you get what you pay for with RC though, the more you spend the first time, the less you have to spend on repairs, my 4 year old nephew has smashed my lunchbox, and his mighty bull round my garden, up the fences, smashing flat out into my shed and they've survived it and never given up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 Lots of things to think about here: 1) What's your budget ... and does it include money for batteries, charger etc. or is it just for the truck? 2) Where do you plan to run your car? 3) How fast do you want to go 1) around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GilbertRC1 Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 (edited) I always recommend Tamiya kits to people starting out because they are so fun to drive and easy to build and maintain. Just look at my YouTube channel for some vids of my grasshopper. Ben. Edited July 13, 2014 by GilbertRC1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'83Junglizt Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 (edited) The Lunchbox is awesome, and its been pretty bombproof in my account, I paid 100 quid for it in kit form, came with the standard 540 motor and the ESC for it but no radio or batteries... in hindsight, id have bought either the black edition, or the midnight pumpkin, I've just been infatuated with the Lunchbox when it came out in '87!! (it does fall over though which is a bit annoying, but the wheelies on tap more than make up for it!) Edited July 13, 2014 by '83Junglizt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si Coe Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 (edited) As long as you don't go nuts with the motor there are a whole bunch of entry level RC's that will fit the bill. I'd suggest a stadium truck layout for someone starting out - they have higher ground clearance than buggys which helps a lot on longish grass, but are generally wide and low so don't roll over like monster trucks. There are several cheap options here: FTX Siege : Very cheap but durable. The 3 in 1 electronics package included is waterproofed (good) but makes upgrades expensive/difficult (bad) Team C Hyde: A little bit more fragile, but easy to repair and parts readily available. Its an updated version of the immensely popular Ansmann Macnum owned by quite a few people on here, Maverick Strada and FTX Carnage. Compared to the earlier 2 these are 4wds which means a little more complex (but nothing to worry about) and a bit better offroad. Not much to compare on cost, but I think the FTX is better. Personally I'd avoid Tamiya's if money is tight. The built quality is great but they always work out expensive compared to other brands. Basic spec on Tamiya's are just that, basic. Edited July 13, 2014 by Si Coe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 Thanks SI COE. Seen FTX Colt on that well known auction site, would one of these be ok for him? do they usually come with everything you need - controller batteries etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si Coe Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 (edited) The Colt is smaller (1/18th) so its onroad only unless you have a bowling green! Its ready to go, just needs transmitter batteries. Note - some of the stuff I've linked to comes with a battery and charger, some don't. Edited July 13, 2014 by Si Coe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonysmini Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Tamiya WR02's are great for kids, tough as old boots, cheap to fix if they manage to break it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 Its between the Carnage and the Maverick Strada now. Although when he sees the Maverick Strada MT Evo RTR Monster Truck he may well prefer this one. Are these still ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Tamiya can be expensive, but to those of us who have grown up with the likes of the avante - grasshopper lunchbox , clodbuster , tnx , TLT there is one thing that always brings us back, childhood memorys and the longing to just be that young lad again for 5 mins. Lunchbox is a great little bouncer , but does means it is a little top heavy and prone to rolling over. Tamiya did a stadium truck, a yellow looking low rider truck, using the very cheap TL01 chassis plan its like a car but off road and onroad running , cheap and easy to repair and upgrade. small things like adjustable tie rods and alloy little parts. for a young 8 yr old i would say a TL01 chassis would be great, simple to work with being a box design low speed, but an option to fit upgrade speed gears. and other small fancy parts, a cool feature is you can pop on four onroad wheels and and a car body shell and tear up the local carpark. or pop on the off road wheels and a truck body shell and eat up the local dirt tracks and bike trails. the pumpkin/lunchbox is nice and its beefy but always needing to upright it can put the younger child off rc. so i would say for a very first RC for a young lad you cannot go far wrong with a TL01 chassis type. here is an image of a Stadium raider off road truck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capri-boy Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 (edited) Being in a similar position I ended up getting 2 TL01's for my 8 and 9yr olds. They we're very cheap and needed a little TLC but came in orig boxes. However after factoring in batt costs etc I prob should have just bought a cheap himoto / Maverick etc. Amazon had this one for under Edited July 14, 2014 by capri-boy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 15, 2014 Author Share Posted July 15, 2014 With regards to the Carnage and maverick. Will any 7.2v NiMH battery pack fit it? Is there a big difference between say a 3300 and a 3800mah? will they give a lot longer running time? Sorry for all the questions just trying to get my head around it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capri-boy Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 With regards to the Carnage and maverick. Will any 7.2v NiMH battery pack fit it? Is there a big difference between say a 3300 and a 3800mah? will they give a lot longer running time? Sorry for all the questions just trying to get my head around it all. I can't speak for either truck exactly but 7.2v nimh stick packs are pretty much a standard size - prob give or take a few mm. The extra 500mah probably won't amount to much extra run time when you consider the mav runs for roughly 10 mins on an 1800 pack. Found a cheap truck for you, check your pm's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 Just won on ebay a Himoto Grim Reaper 1:10 monster truck cheap.That will keep him going till xmas when he might get something better and then I will have it from him and pimp it.He cant wait for it to arrive now, (to be fair neither can I)Gav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Well it's come. It's a bit quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 When I press the throttle now its beeping at me (the car) what does that mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YORKSHIRENEO Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Sounds like the ESC (electronic speed control) As far as i am aware (as quite new to all this meself) they all do it, just so you know everything is working ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 A beeping ESC can indicate many things, you need to get the manual and refer to it. Did this himoto come rtr, with a tx and Rx installed and bound, and tx and ESC calibrated properly (ie so that the ESC knows where neutral, full throttle and brake are) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 A beeping ESC can indicate many things, you need to get the manual and refer to it. Did this himoto come rtr, with a tx and Rx installed and bound, and tx and ESC calibrated properly (ie so that the ESC knows where neutral, full throttle and brake are) Sorry, What? no idea what you just said 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stannyblade Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 Not looking good. Just tried a new battery in both the charger and car still buzzing. Then there was a but of smoke from motor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Oh dear, that isn't a positive sign. The electrics may need replacing. Contact the seller, was the item described as fully working? Perhaps you have a just cause to claim a refund, although faulty electronics can be tricky to prove. Sadly, this is the problem buying second hand from eBay, especially on a brand like himoto; they're cheap for a reason.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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