Brushless, Electric, Build your own kit

[TrinityUTT]

Hi there

 

I have bought cheap RC cars that I can tear up the garden and neighborhood roads  but I want to get back into it but as I am older and have a job I now have more money

 

I was looking to see if there are any Electric, Brushless, Kits out there, probably Buggy style as I enjoy on and off road with jumps and love building things

[fnknan]

Most kits nowadays don't come with any sort of electronics. You'd most likely have to buy the kit and electronics separately.

 

On top of that, most kits today are for racing vehicles, many of which won't do well in grass, or are very expensive.

 

The only brushless kit I know if is this one and it's out of stock

https://www.nitrotek.co.uk/rc-cars/electric-cars/self-assembly/self-build-raptor-rc-truggy-brushless-version.html

 

I would stay away from 1/10 2wd buggies as they're not very capable offroad unless on a racetrack.

 

I own one of these

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=437209&gclid=CjwKCAiA0svwBRBhEiwAHqKjFiDPxGXGhP-bCoJRVzWF2NEyyv8kAvqK3I2_2b9f-qo3lo2X502QfxoCgOYQAvD_BwE

 

Doesn't come with electronics but you could pair it with some cheap brushless electronics and get a real fun car to drive. I love mine. I have a thread on it, might be useful to check it out.

 

 

If you have a tonne of money to spare, I'd suggest checking out some Tekno models, they're really expensive but they're the best of the bunch out there for build it yourself kits. Very durable too.

 

There's also this

 https://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-dark-impact-df-03/rc-car-products/24730

It comes with brusged electronics.

Not really sure how well it'll handle brushless.

 

If you decide you don't want one to build yourself then have a look at this

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/arrma-typhon-3s-blx-buggy-rtr-/rc-car-products/442031

These are very durable. Very good value for money.

[GMballistic]

Depends on what your budget is really.

As mentioned by @fnknan most kits nowadays don't come with any electrics and tbh I think that's a good thing as it lets the end user decide on what they want to put in it. 

 

Personally I do like a good 2wd buggy for fun at times but 4wd is the traction king of course and if I could only have one then it would be a 4wd.  

 

Tamiya are still making some fantastic fun kits to build at reasonable prices too but imho aren't the strongest for racing/jumping etc without some mods and even then it wouldn't be my choice. They do usually come with a basic 540 brushed motor and in some cases an ESC as well but I do think the brushless systems that you're looking at would quickly kill most standard Tamiya kits.

 

It's hard to recommend anything in particular without knowing your budget and some of it does come down to personal tastes and what you think looks good. If I was going to buy a buggy kit to build I'd be looking at Kysoho, Schumacher and Team Associated for starters. 

 

Bear in mind when looking at some kits that you may be limited by the dimensions as to what size or type of battery will fit in the model. 

Also I always prefer shaft driven (dog bones/metal driveshafts) wherever and whenever possible over belt driven. Again personal preference though. 

 

[TrinityUTT]

Hi guys

 

Thanks for the replies. 

I don't have a tonne of money. I was think £200 max as itll be my first in along time. 

 

I have no idea about the insides of one so building one would give me an idea how it goes together and learn as I go along. 

Maybe I should start with a ready to run 1st, get to know it and then look for a kit. 

 

I posts of cars with laptops and looks like the inside of a F1 garage, would love to get to that standard and know the ins and outs but I have to start somewhere. 

 

I'll check those links out and go from there. 

 

Thanks again

 

 

[fnknan]

If £200 is your max and you want an RTR then definitely consider this

 https://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-vantage-1-10-4wd-brushless-buggy-rtr-waterproof/rc-car-products/40388

[stretch]

I would go second hand as you can get a better model that way ie a firestorm flux with money left for a charger and battery.

[TrinityUTT]

12 hours ago, fnknan said:

If £200 is your max and you want an RTR then definitely consider this

 https://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-vantage-1-10-4wd-brushless-buggy-rtr-waterproof/rc-car-products/40388

 

That's the model I was looking at earlier. 

 

£200 is a lot of money but I have saved and  I'd rather spend that and get something that is good then something that is a bit rubbish and wont last me long.  Can you get spares easily?

and I just read alot that Brushless is faster than Brushed, Lipo are better than NiMH  etc

 

 

[TrinityUTT]

4 hours ago, stretch said:

I would go second hand as you can get a better model that way ie a firestorm flux with money left for a charger and battery.

 

Holy hell  firestorm flux is mad!! 77mph 

Just watched some your tube videos! very tempting but  but that's £300, I would have to save more

[stretch]

7 hours ago, TrinityUTT said:

 

Holy hell  firestorm flux is mad!! 77mph 

Just watched some your tube videos! very tempting but  but that's £300, I would have to save more

 

You can pick up decent ones second had in your budget.

[GMballistic]

I agree with @stretch that you'll get a lot more for your money buying a used RC than new but personally I would't go with a HPI model.  Not even sure tbh if they're even in business anymore after Ripmax bought them out years ago so my worry would be spares availability but I'm sure there are still spares around currently.

 

Tbh from what you've said so far my worry for you would be that if you buy a used model and something is wrong with it you may struggle to fix it or be put off completely. 

 

Did you look at that Absima buggy kit from Modelsport UK that @fnknan first suggested to you?   

What did you think of that? 

 

I think that actually might be a good place for you to start to build a kit and learn.

If you speak to Modelsport UK they're very good and I'm sure they could put together a package deal for £200 or thereabouts hopefully ticking all your boxes. E.g: car kit, remote controller/receiver, servo, motor/ESC combo, battery and a charger.

It will be tight mind if you want a brushless motor/ESC combo with it so you may have to be willing to go just a tad over budget if you can or go brushed set up instead.  Another good alternative imo would be to buy the car kit, motor/ESC combo, servo and batteries brand new but then get a remote controller/receiver & battery charger secondhand. 

 

Otherwise look at that RTR kit maybe that again @fnknan suggested. 👍

 

Edited January 7, 2020 by GMballistic
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[TrinityUTT]

I agree with [mention=21057]stretch[/mention] that you'll get a lot more for your money buying a used RC than new but personally I would't go with a HPI model.  Not even sure tbh if they're even in business anymore after Ripmax bought them out years ago so my worry would be spares availability but I'm sure there are still spares around currently.
 
Tbh from what you've said so far my worry for you would be that if you buy a used model and something is wrong with it you may struggle to fix it or be put off completely. 
 
Did you look at that Absima buggy kit from Modelsport UK that [mention=43424]fnknan[/mention] first suggested to you?   
What did you think of that? 
 
I think that actually might be a good place for you to start to build a kit and learn.
If you speak to Modelsport UK they're very good and I'm sure they could put together a package deal for £200 or thereabouts hopefully ticking all your boxes. E.g: car kit, remote controller/receiver, servo, motor/ESC combo, battery and a charger.
It will be tight mind if you want a brushless motor/ESC combo with it so you may have to be willing to go just a tad over budget if you can or go brushed set up instead.  Another good alternative imo would be to buy the car kit, motor/ESC combo, servo and batteries brand new but then get a remote controller/receiver & battery charger secondhand. 
 
Otherwise look at that RTR kit maybe that again [mention=43424]fnknan[/mention] suggested. [emoji106]
 

That sounds like the perfect advise.

I like the look of that build you're own kit and will probably grab one and as you said buy the other parts 2nd hand.

The FTX model keeps catching my eye each time I go looking.

At this rate I'll end up with the FTX and get the kit as a side hobby.

I'm going to go to MK centre on Saturday to watch the racing. Which will be great to watch.

Thanks for being wo welcoming

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[TrinityUTT]

So after alot more research I think I am going to go with the one that @fnknan  has mentioned.  As I am a complete noob the whole LiPo battery care is scaring me at the moment. Never dealt with those and alothough a have read many many pages about them I dont know how to store them ( I don't have a garage or shed) or discharge them, By the sound of it you cannot run a RC car batteries out completely  as that can also set them on fire! 😲

I think I will just go basic, and get confidence up and then upgrade. 

 

 

 

[fnknan]

Sounds good man. People exaggerate about how dangerous lipos are. It's like with an plane, if it crashes it's really dangerous but if it's all under control it's super safe. As long as you're sensible and watch them while they're charging then you shouldn't have any issues.

 

Get one of these to charge them in so in the unlikely case they do catch fire, you can quickly disconnect it and throw it outside without burning yourself

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/fire-retardant-lipo-battery-bag-190x60x82mm.html

 

Lipos are definitely worth the extra care they need.

Edited January 8, 2020 by fnknan

[m4inbrain]

That's pretty crappy advice. People don't exaggerate how dangerous LiPos are, they're exactly as dangerous as described if handled wrong. The only thing that gets exaggerated is the likelihood of something happening.

Edited January 8, 2020 by m4inbrain

[fnknan]

Yeah and I said as long as you're sensible with them they're not really dangerous. Most things are dangerous if handled wrong

[TrinityUTT]

I think that's my issue is whats good advise.  Your right its the it can happen rather than it will happen. I need to be sure how to prevent it happening.

I have now read the pinned message in this forum which is also helpful. 

[m4inbrain]

By that definition literally nothing is dangerous. Nitroglycerin? Don't shake it. Guns? Don't pull the trigger. Cars? Don't hit anyone. Chemicals? Don't mix em. 

 

The dangerous part is what can happen. If i drop a fork, nothing happens. If i drop a LiPo, something can happen if i'm unlucky, and that can be potentially expensive. 

 

As the guy said, it's what can happen. That's what determines the danger. Telling someone who's careful like "aah, don't worry mate, everybody exaggerating, don't crash it good to go" is just crappy advice. 

 

Lipos are dangerous, full stop. The only reason usually nothing happens is because people understand that and stay on top of it. The very fact that you have to watch your LiPos charging is argument enough.

Edited January 8, 2020 by m4inbrain

[fnknan]

1 minute ago, m4inbrain said:

By that definition literally nothing is dangerous. Nitroglycerin? Don't shake it. Guns? Don't pull the trigger. Cars? Don't hit anyone. Chemicals? Don't mix em. 

 

The dangerous part is what can happen. If i drop a fork, nothing happens. If i drop a LiPo, something can happen if i'm unlucky, and that can be potentially expensive. 

 

As the guy said, it's what can happen. That's what determines the danger. Telling someone who's careful like "aah, don't worry mate, everybody exaggerating, don't crash it good to go" is just crappy advice. 

 

Well it's not dangerous if you have complete control over it.

 

If you have complete control over a gun, you can pop out the clip and put it on safety and then it's impossible for it to be dangerous unless you literally throw it at someone 😂

 

If you don't drop your lipos onto a hard floor and keep them at storage charge in a fireproof container you're extremely unlikely to have an issue just like with an empty gun, unless you drive like Kevin Talbot lol

[GMballistic]

@TrinityUTT I think it's sensible of you that you're researching as much as possible and I think you've a good head on your shoulders. 😉

 

Whether you decide to use Lipo batteries at first or not I think you'll really enjoy your learning experiences with RC.

 

Also even if you do decide to start with NiMH batteries you can still use a brushless motor/ESC combo which means that when you're ready you can step up to the extra power punch of a Lipo battery when you're ready without changing motors or your ESC. 

 

[TrinityUTT]

[mention=44004]TrinityUTT[/mention] I think it's sensible of you that you're researching as much as possible and I think you've a good head on your shoulders. [emoji6]
 
Whether you decide to use Lipo batteries at first or not I think you'll really enjoy your learning experiences with RC.
 
Also even if you do decide to start with NiMH batteries you can still use a brushless motor/ESC combo which means that when you're ready you can step up to the extra power punch of a Lipo battery when you're ready without changing motors or your ESC. 
 

Thanks
I won't go into anything blind.

I don't want to waste money or just do what some do and throw thousands just to have the best of the best and then have no idea what I'm doing