A bit of advice for a returning hobbyist

[r1ckyj]

I wonder if I could trouble you all for some advice on my RC purchase.

 

I am returning to this hobby for the first time since the 90s. Growing up in the 90s I had a Tamiya Hornet, and spent many an hour in a friend's shed putting in new motors, changing parts etc.

 

Around 15 years ago, the Hornet was stolen during a garage break in, and thus I have been out of the RC scene for quite some time.

 

I was lucky enough to get some vouchers for Amazon recently, and thus have a max budget of about £525 (pererably lower if poss), but I am limited to Amazon, unfortunately, as the majority of this is via Vouchers.

 

I have been doing some research, and believe a truggy would best suit my needs. I liked the idea of the TRX-4 Tactical, and TRX-4 sport, but on further reflection I am not sure how much crawling I am going to do. My main uses will be park paths (and grass) garden, woods (which have hills, roots, lots of leaves, but not really rocks), and a beach (pebbles mainly), so not really crawling, and I just feel it would be too slow for general usage, and I remember craving speed with the Hornet.

 

I considered the FTZ carnage, but just feel it may be too 'injury prone', for someone getting back into the hobby.

 

As I am Limited to Amazon, my searches led me to Traxxas, and I felt the Rustler 4x4 VXL maybe the best option, unfortunately it is not available via Amazon, but the Rustler 4x4 brushed is, as is the stampede 4x4 VXL, so the question, which would be better for my needs (unless there is a better option I have missed).

 

What drew me towards the rustler 4x4 VXL was the low centre of gravity, therefore less risk of turning over, but also the ability to curb the speed with the Traxxas Link on the VSL as I do have a 5 year old son, and 7 year old daughter who may want a go at times.

 

My current feeling is the Stampede 4x4 VXL could work, and in time I could drop the body etc to give me the lower centre of gravity etc.

 

I look forward to any thoughts any of you may have.

 

 

[namastebuzz]

Hi.

The 4x4 brushed Rustler would probably be a good start. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how quick it'll be if you're comparing it with what you've used before. Once you're used to it, the ESC/motor can get you £30-40 on eBay and you could upgrade it to brushless with an aftermarket system. Brushless Rustlers are pretty insane on 3S.

But, for the sort of driving you've outlined, Amazon have a better option. I noticed they do the brushless E-Maxx for £600. It'll do the same as the Summit but bigger, better and faster. It's more 1/8th scale than 1/10th. The latest E-Maxx can run on 6S for mental speeds and has that flip back upright function on the controller.

You can reposition the shocks to lower it a little too if needed.

We run two brushless E-Maxxs and two brushless Rustlers (2WD). My 3 and 5 year old generally find the E-Maxxs easier to drive, with the power dialled down for the 3 yr old. The E-Maxx seems to tackle tougher terrain and crash much better than the Rustler. It's also less flighty and generally more stable despite it's propensity to roll over.

I'm biased, running two E-Maxxs, and not having used the 4x4 Rustler, but that's my take.

Obviously the E-Maxx is more and you'll have to factor in extra batteries too as it runs dual power cells.

Good luck!

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[namastebuzz]

I said Summit - I meant Stampede.

The 4x4 Stampede will certainly do you well too. The brushless one will be pretty rapid and be great fun if you don't want to stretch to an E-Maxx.

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[Tug]

I'd look elsewhere, I've owned plenty of Traxxas and still have three. Trouble is, buying new with Traxxas is very expensive for what you actually get. Parts support is legendary, but given the weaknesses that a lot of Traxxas models come with, you're gonna need a regular supply of parts. Yes, there's plenty of aftermarket support, so that's a bonus. 

 

Arrma make some very good machines, their line-up is expanding all the time. I've not seen much aftermarket support for them, but they really don't need it. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by Tug

[r1ckyj]

Thank you for the responses. It has been food for thought, and much appreciated. I have been pondering over my options, and have been considering Arrma due to their pricing/feedback. Arrma's current lack of availability through Amazon causes a few issues, but I am thinking if I hang on a month or 2, I should be able to get enough together to buy an Arrma Granite 4x4 BLX 3s away from Amazon, and then use the Amazon vouchers to buy the batteries, charger and spares?

 

Is that a good/better option?

 

 

[namastebuzz]

Yeah, Tug knows far more than me and most others.

I was just recommending based on the fact you're tied to Amazon.

My first E-Maxx was £50 on gumtree and the second was £400 on eBay but was completely upgraded with radio and batteries and a hummungous box of spares to keep both going for ever

I'd always go second hand personally.

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[r1ckyj]

Yeah, Tug knows far more than me and most others.

I was just recommending based on the fact you're tied to Amazon.

My first E-Maxx was £50 on gumtree and the second was £400 on eBay but was completely upgraded with radio and batteries and a hummungous box of spares to keep both going for ever

I'd always go second hand personally.

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£50 for a E-Maxx... That is a true bargain. Note to self, keep an eye on gumtree for bargains (as well as Ebay).

It is a bit of tie being limited to Amazon, but I think friends, family and clients know if they give me cash, it generally gets swallowed up into general living, i.e. Kids/meals out etc, and then it becomes hard to justify a spend of over £400. By having the vouchers, less risk of it being spent on 'general living', and easier to justify.

I do appreciate all the advice. At least I know I am in the right track after all my research.

[Tug]

Biggest downside to the E-Maxx is the diffs, only one true option for upgrading is UE, they make special diff housings that allow the use of Hyper 7 diffs, problem solved. Trouble is they're as rare as hens teeth and won't ship to the UK. 

 

Definitely keep an eye out for second hand bargains, you might get lucky. 

[r1ckyj]

I wonder if I could trouble you for some more advice, suggestions?

 

I have been patiently building funds for the Arrma Granite 4x4 BLX, but in the time I have doing this both the Arrma Kraton, and Traxxas Rustler 4x4 vxl have appeared on Amazon at around £485 which is doable. It would potentially mean I have to wait a bit to get the batteries and charger, but birthday is coming up early next month, so not too long a wait. 

 

What are you thoughts on these? The Kraton seems to get good reviews, but spare part availability seem sporadic. It is also a little bigger than I had initally planned, and does not have the flexibility of the Traxxas App, that would be useful to limit its speed. The Rustler 4x4 vxl gets good reviews, but most feel it is overpriced for what you get (especially via Amazon resellers: £489 vs £414 via Modelsport etc). 

 

Final option is to wait to buy the Arrma Granite 4x4 BLX, either via a third party when I have the funds, or via Amazon, if it becomes available. 

[tomzac66]

I had this problem last year with the kraton and spare parts, they are coming through so I bought one.

 

Traxxas are great for parts go with the VXL ( don’t go brushed) you can set the esc to 50% while you get used to it, then turn it up to 100%, 2s 3s for more power. You don’t need the App to set the power %, do it from the ESC, you would need the Bluetooth link to work with the App but check if it has telemetry first, although setting everything else is quite straight forward through the App.

 

I’ve ran my kraton and it’s a blast on 4s yet to go 6s I’ll double check the diffs before I do that though.

 

Good luck in your search both great trucks.

 

 

 

 

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[r1ckyj]

I had this problem last year with the kraton and spare parts, they are coming through so I bought one.
 
Traxxas are great for parts go with the VXL ( don’t go brushed) you can set the esc to 50% while you get used to it, then turn it up to 100%, 2s 3s for more power. You don’t need the App to set the power %, do it from the ESC, you would need the Bluetooth link to work with the App but check if it has telemetry first, although setting everything else is quite straight forward through the App.
 
I’ve ran my kraton and it’s a blast on 4s yet to go 6s I’ll double check the diffs before I do that though.
 
Good luck in your search both great trucks.
 
 
 
 
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Thanks for the feedback. Spoke to an Amazon seller today, and decided to order a Kraton, which I should see by the end of this week/early next depending on weather/delivery etc.

Thanks for your help.

[stu.artd]

I'm sure you'll have a great time with ther Kraton. One thing to do before driving it is set the steering endpoints as the stock servo doesn't have a great reputation. I haven't had any issue with the one in my Talion, Notorious or Typhon but it is one thing that people tend to have issues with. Your Kraton will run happilly on a single 3s, 4s or 6s lipo, or a pair of 3s, just get ones rated at higher than 35C. I'm using a pair of gens ace bashing 3s 40C lipos and a single turnigy 6s 60C lipo in my Arrma's. I always run 6s, but my kids get to drive them at 3s until they learn not to run the cars into my legs.

[tomzac66]

I'm sure you'll have a great time with ther Kraton. One thing to do before driving it is set the steering endpoints as the stock servo doesn't have a great reputation. I haven't had any issue with the one in my Talion, Notorious or Typhon but it is one thing that people tend to have issues with. Your Kraton will run happilly on a single 3s, 4s or 6s lipo, or a pair of 3s, just get ones rated at higher than 35C. I'm using a pair of gens ace bashing 3s 40C lipos and a single turnigy 6s 60C lipo in my Arrma's. I always run 6s, but my kids get to drive them at 3s until they learn not to run the cars into my legs.

I set my EPA through the duel rate is that technically the same ???

As I noticed the servo straining a bit on the left turn, after setting the duel rate it was fine.


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[stu.artd]

I think so, either way should reduce the amount of turn.

[r1ckyj]

I'm sure you'll have a great time with ther Kraton. One thing to do before driving it is set the steering endpoints as the stock servo doesn't have a great reputation. I haven't had any issue with the one in my Talion, Notorious or Typhon but it is one thing that people tend to have issues with. Your Kraton will run happilly on a single 3s, 4s or 6s lipo, or a pair of 3s, just get ones rated at higher than 35C. I'm using a pair of gens ace bashing 3s 40C lipos and a single turnigy 6s 60C lipo in my Arrma's. I always run 6s, but my kids get to drive them at 3s until they learn not to run the cars into my legs.

Thanks for this, I found a useful checklist before first run i.e. checking screws, endpoints etc, so will be doing that first. Thanks for the tip:-)

I have ordered 3 x gens ace lipos, 2 x 3S, and 1 x 4S. That way, the kids can run 1 x 3S, I can start with 1 x 4S, and move upto 2 x 3S when I am ready. Should keep me happy for a while...

Getting a charger, XT90 cables, and Lipo bags for birthday over the weekend, so should be ready to run next week, pending better weather conditions.

Any other parts it is worth stocking up on?

Have a good evening, and thanks in advance.

[GMballistic]

On 29/01/2019 at 22:32, stu.artd said:

...and a single turnigy 6s 60C lipo in my Arrma's.

Sorry  to jump in OT in the Ops thread but you haven't got a link to the 6S Lipo battery you're using in your Arrma Typhon have you? 

Just looking at options. Thanks. 

[stu.artd]

1 hour ago, r1ckyj said:

 

 

Thanks for this, I found a useful checklist before first run i.e. checking screws, endpoints etc, so will be doing that first. Thanks for the tip:-)

I have ordered 3 x gens ace lipos, 2 x 3S, and 1 x 4S. That way, the kids can run 1 x 3S, I can start with 1 x 4S, and move upto 2 x 3S when I am ready. Should keep me happy for a while...

Getting a charger, XT90 cables, and Lipo bags for birthday over the weekend, so should be ready to run next week, pending better weather conditions.

Any other parts it is worth stocking up on?

Have a good evening, and thanks in advance.

 

 

Sounds like you're good to go. It might be worth labelling the 2x 3s batteries as 1 and 2. That way you can rotate them so they get a similar amount of usage. Keep them 'matched' as far as possible for use as a pair.

 

What charger did you go for ? I've got a SkyRC D400 and am very happy with it (although it's kinda loud).

[stu.artd]

37 minutes ago, GMballistic said:

Sorry  to jump in OT in the Ops thread but you haven't got a link to the 6S Lipo battery you're using in your Arrma Typhon have you? 

Just looking at options. Thanks. 

 

I got it from hobbyking, shipped from the UK and had it in 2 days. It's big and heavy, just fits in the v3 Talion and Notorious tray as far as width goes.

 

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-battery-heavy-duty-5000mah-6s-60c-lipo-pack-xt-90.html

Edited January 31, 2019 by stu.artd

[r1ckyj]

 
Sounds like you're good to go. It might be worth labelling the 2x 3s batteries as 1 and 2. That way you can rotate them so they get a similar amount of usage. Keep them 'matched' as far as possible for use as a pair.
 
What charger did you go for ? I've got a SkyRC D400 and am very happy with it (although it's kinda loud).

Good suggestion on numbering, and have been considering this already, although might use the 2 kids' names, as they can help me remember then:-)

[GMballistic]

12 hours ago, stu.artd said:

 

I got it from hobbyking, shipped from the UK and had it in 2 days. It's big and heavy, just fits in the v3 Talion and Notorious tray as far as width goes.

 

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-battery-heavy-duty-5000mah-6s-60c-lipo-pack-xt-90.html

Thank you Stu, ...going to measure the Typhon tray when I get the chance and put it on my short list of possible batteries. ? 

 

[stu.artd]

It kinda fits in the typhon battery tray. I plan on getting a 6s gens ace 4500 mah 60c for the typhon.

[GMballistic]

1 hour ago, stu.artd said:

It kinda fits in the typhon battery tray. I plan on getting a 6s gens ace 4500 mah 60c for the typhon.

Cool and thanks for the pic.  

 

As I'm going to be trying for high speed runs I want to use a Lipo battery with a high Mah and a high "C" rating. Don't want to waste money on a battery that won't fit so still exploring my options. Thank you again. 

 

Edit: thread here Stu if you'd like to add to it: 

 

Still trying to figure out what AC/DC charger to get as well. 

Edited February 1, 2019 by GMballistic

[stu.artd]

Did you consider a Talion ?

That could suit high speed runs easier than the Typhon. I’ve seen people ‘truggify’ their Typhon by extending the width of the car with Kraton/Notorious/Talion hubs and arms to help with stability at speed. I do like my Typhon but as I saw someone say elsewhere, if RC cars were dogs then the Talion is a grey hound and the Typhon is a squirrel on crack. It’s definitely a lot more ‘fidgetty’ at speed.

 

Get as powerful a charger as you can, it’s likely to be something you replace quickly  if you get one that’s lacking power output.

[GMballistic]

2 hours ago, stu.artd said:

Did you consider a Talion ?

 

Don't want to keep de-railing r1ckyj's thread and I feel you could add something to my thread in the "High Speed Rc" sub section so pop in please if you can. ?

 

Re: The Talion.

I've done a lot of research so did look at it as well as other models from Traxxas, HPI etc. Considering what I wanted I felt/feel the Typhon fits the bill nicely and just as importantly I love the way it looks. 

[tomzac66]

I nearly got a 6s but realised my charger only takes up to 4s balance leads, I need a better charger.


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