richhrly Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Hi all, long term since I last posted / had a RC car, and very out the loop! Looking to get back into the hobby, as my partner is on nights for a month and I could do with something to fill the time a bit. I'm after a bit of advice about getting a kit - I want to build something from scratch, rather than getting anything RTR or secondhand, as building something is what I'm actually the most keen to do. Ideally it can be a bit of an on-going project - initial build, then hopping up later when I get time on my hands. I'm quite open to either electric or nitro models as I've owned both in the past, it'll be run in my garden which is grass, so something buggy-ish would be ideal. I'm probably looking to spend £100-£200 on a chassis, which is a bit limiting, but my eye could be turned by the ideal model. I like buggy/truggy style, so the TT-02B looks decent, with a lot of scope for "doing up" down the line, but part of me is tempted by fun of nitro. I was wondering what kits you would all advise? Any help would be super appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gampla Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Hi all, long term since I last posted / had a RC car, and very out the loop! Looking to get back into the hobby, as my partner is on nights for a month and I could do with something to fill the time a bit. I'm after a bit of advice about getting a kit - I want to build something from scratch, rather than getting anything RTR or secondhand, as building something is what I'm actually the most keen to do. Ideally it can be a bit of an on-going project - initial build, then hopping up later when I get time on my hands. I'm quite open to either electric or nitro models as I've owned both in the past, it'll be run in my garden which is grass, so something buggy-ish would be ideal. I'm probably looking to spend £100-£200 on a chassis, which is a bit limiting, but my eye could be turned by the ideal model. I like buggy/truggy style, so the TT-02B looks decent, with a lot of scope for "doing up" down the line, but part of me is tempted by fun of nitro. I was wondering what kits you would all advise? Any help would be super appreciated! Tamiya tt01/02 Sent from my G8341 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 If you don't want to go down the crawler line (they're probably the most customise-able RCs out there), i think the TT-02B is your best bet. If "building, upgrading, bling blinging" is the goal, a crawler is hard to beat. As an somewhat related sidenote, if you don't cut your grass often, a 1/10 buggy is probably not the best chassis to get, due to low ground clearance - i'd suggest a truggy. That said: i don't know of any truggy kits in that price range (though, i've never really looked into it either). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.K Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Tamiya may well be your best bet if you want an electric kit to build. Otherwise you're looking at race-spec buggies which are expensive and not particularly suitably for your garden. Most non-race spec nitro's are RTR too apart from the kits which require an engine, servo's radio etc and would prob cost about £400+ once you've bought everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richhrly Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 4 minutes ago, m4inbrain said: As an somewhat related sidenote, if you don't cut your grass often, a 1/10 buggy is probably not the best chassis to get, due to low ground clearance - i'd suggest a truggy. That said: i don't know of any truggy kits in that price range (though, i've never really looked into it either). Cheers, it's kept pretty short. I had an RC10B4 buggy about 13 years ago, and used to bash that about on my parents lawn OK, so that's put the buggy idea in my head. 2 minutes ago, J.K said: Tamiya may well be your best bet if you want an electric kit to build. Otherwise you're looking at race-spec buggies which are expensive and not particularly suitably for your garden. Most non-race spec nitro's are RTR too apart from the kits which require an engine, servo's radio etc and would prob cost about £400+ once you've bought everything. I don't mind spending a bit on the drivetrain etc, but yeah - race-spec isn't ideal for the garden. It's a shame most nitro stuff seems RTR, back when I was 13 everything was a kit 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) If you know you can run it in the garden, disregard my concern - just wanted to make sure. There are other kits available than tamiyas, the question is how "serious" do you want to be. Have a look at the Absima AB3.4, AMT3.4 and AT3.4 kits. Buggy/Truggy/MT kit, their big upside is the price. @fnknan can comment on the buggy kit, he got one. Or maybe an ECX Amp MT Kit. There are some choices, but not much to be honest. That price bracket is pretty dominated by tamiya stuff. https://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CategoryID=9900&SubCategoryID=990010&MSAttributeID[88]=512&PageNo=5 Start going down the pages (price is descending), make a shortlist. Edited January 26, 2020 by m4inbrain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) RC today are cheaper than ever. Every RC there was more expensive back then than it is today once you adjust the prices for inflation rather than just looking at the smaller numbers. That Tamiya Grasshopper Kit there is £39. Adjusted for inflation, that makes £90 in 2020 money. Which is more expensive than the £70 they're charging today for an ARTR Grasshopper. Edited January 26, 2020 by m4inbrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Personally I think you're really best off looking at Tamiya kits. I've got a Tamiya Hornet which is a great 1/10th scale buggy but tbh it doesn't drive all that well sue to the way it's suspension set up is. A better buggy that still not too much money that I'd like is the "Wild One Off-roader": https://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-wild-one-off-roader/rc-car-products/369341 If you need a little more ground clearance maybe something like the "Subaru Brat" might be a better choice: https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=442452&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIydzv2oWi5wIVS7TtCh1vZwH9EAQYASABEgL1DvD_BwE Or maybe something taller again like a "Lunchbox" or "Midnight Pumpkin": https://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-midnight-pumpkin-black-edition-cw-01-/rc-car-products/372425 Just a few ideas for you there. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everclear1984 Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 After only ever owning fast brushless rc's I recently decided to give a tt01 a try after it popped up in the local classifieds. I love it, so much so that I now own 3 of them 😂 Cheap to buy/build, spare parts are cheap and plentiful and they can be as fast or slow as you like (within reason). IMO you can't go wrong with a tt01/tt02 kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 "I don't like facts so i just believe what i want, and the earth is flat too!!!!!" What are you, twelve or something? Feel free to argue with the very obvious facts, do the maths yourself, instead of throwing a temper tantrum like a toddler. Jesus what an unpleasant person you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Maybe @1111 was just joking @m4inbrain but it didn't come across properly. 😉 That's one of the failings of forums, social media, texts etc that jokes and sarcasm don't always some across as intended. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Considering his attitude in the other thread, suggesting everyone is stupid for not using plastikote properly, no, he wasn't. "DUH". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 The ab3.4 takes a right beating and it's stupid cheap, you can spend the excess money on good electrics and a couple of essential hop ups 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 That was my thinking behind it, for some light bashing in the garden it'd be absolutely perfect considering it's cheap as chips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Can withstand some heavy bashing too Keep in mind it was already broken before the run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 To be fair: it's frosty. Plastic tends to get brittle in these kinda conditions. And, of course, it's a £80 or so buggy, i wouldn't expect it to rival a £400 RC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Yeah it was stupidly cold, so I didn't blame the buggy at all. I didn't catch a lot of the awful hits on camera too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babylon Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, GMballistic said: Maybe @1111 was just joking @m4inbrain but it didn't come across properly. 😉 That's one of the failings of forums, social media, texts etc that jokes and sarcasm don't always some across as intended. No he's not, Been just as obnoxious and rude in pretty much every thread he's popped up in, I'm not sure what he's game is, Or if it is even a game, But he's coming across as a pretty unpleasant person. And RC's are so much cheaper today, My first car was a Tamiya Hornet, 7.2v 1200mAh, Schumacher GT Firefly charger and Acoms Techniplus radio, Bought in about 1982, Cost £150, 150 quid nearly 40 years ago was a lot more money than £150 today I can tell ya. I'v just had a look, And adjusted for inflation, It's £400 in today's money, For a RTR Hornet. Edited January 26, 2020 by babylon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 14 minutes ago, babylon said: No he's not, Been just as obnoxious and rude in pretty much every thread he's popped up in, I'm not sure what he's game is, Or if it is even a game, But he's coming across as a pretty unpleasant person. Yes @m4inbrain pointed me at some of his other posts so it would seem so. Been a member since Friday and already making good "friends" with everyone. 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richhrly Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 1 hour ago, fnknan said: The ab3.4 takes a right beating and it's stupid cheap, you can spend the excess money on good electrics and a couple of essential hop ups Just checked it out and looks ideal - thanks! Buying a cheaper chassis and dropping more on the electric bits makes sense so I can get another car if I fall back into the hobby. What are the upgrades you think are essential? Ball race / shocks would be my first thought but those boxes seem to be ticked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 3 minutes ago, richhrly said: Just checked it out and looks ideal - thanks! Buying a cheaper chassis and dropping more on the electric bits makes sense so I can get another car if I fall back into the hobby. What are the upgrades you think are essential? Ball race / shocks would be my first thought but those boxes seem to be ticked. Yeah needs bearings, shocks are fine, but I upgraded them to aluminium ones for bling lol. The only issue I have yet to find a solution for is the weak wing mount. As of yet there's no upgrade parts available. The aluminium wing mount for its sister car, the hsp xstr, doesn't fit either because the shock towers are different. I'll probably just bolt some aluminium to it just to reinforce it a tad There's a tonne of details about what I've done to the car aswell as recommended upgrades in this thread, defo worth a read if you're interested in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, fnknan said: Yeah needs bearings, shocks are fine, but I upgraded them to aluminium ones for bling lol. The only issue I have yet to find a solution for is the weak wing mount. As of yet there's no upgrade parts available. The aluminium wing mount for its sister car, the hsp xstr, doesn't fit either because the shock towers are different. I'll probably just bolt some aluminium to it just to reinforce it a tad There's a tonne of details about what I've done to the car aswell as recommended upgrades in this thread, defo worth a read if you're interested in the car. Just take a blueprint off the plastic mount and send it to, who was it? The lad with laser cutter and 3d printer etc. and have it cut from aluminium? edit: Craig76 it was. Maybe you could even send him the mount and he'll sort the aluminium part out? Certainly worth a shot. Quote No he's not, Been just as obnoxious and rude in pretty much every thread he's popped up in, I'm not sure what he's game is, Or if it is even a game, But he's coming across as a pretty unpleasant person. And RC's are so much cheaper today, My first car was a Tamiya Hornet, 7.2v 1200mAh, Schumacher GT Firefly charger and Acoms Techniplus radio, Bought in about 1982, Cost £150, 150 quid nearly 40 years ago was a lot more money than £150 today I can tell ya. I'v just had a look, And adjusted for inflation, It's £400 in today's money, For a RTR Hornet. Of course they are, but to understand that you'd have to have some idea of how "money" works and why the smaller number from 40 years ago isn't actually less money. Adjusting for inflation isn't rocket science. Edited January 26, 2020 by m4inbrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richhrly Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 11 minutes ago, fnknan said: Yeah needs bearings, shocks are fine, but I upgraded them to aluminium ones for bling lol. The only issue I have yet to find a solution for is the weak wing mount. As of yet there's no upgrade parts available. The aluminium wing mount for its sister car, the hsp xstr, doesn't fit either because the shock towers are different. I'll probably just bolt some aluminium to it just to reinforce it a tad There's a tonne of details about what I've done to the car aswell as recommended upgrades in this thread, defo worth a read if you're interested in the car. Cheers, got some good info from the thread! MS don’t have any in stock right now, hopefully some more arrive soon. Time to start learning about batteries and all that - LiPo and Brushless was only just starting to be a thing when I last had a buggy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) 2 minutes ago, richhrly said: Cheers, got some good info from the thread! MS don’t have any in stock right now, hopefully some more arrive soon. Time to start learning about batteries and all that - LiPo and Brushless was only just starting to be a thing when I last had a buggy. https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/311047/ They got it in stock. Having a look at their (Absima) stuff, it's kinda sad that they don't do the Sand Buggy (ASB1) as a kit - if it were somewhere in the ballpark of the AB3.4 i'd actually order one immediately. Edited January 26, 2020 by m4inbrain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
53HRA Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Rich, it is nice to have you back mate. I remember years ago when you got into photography some of them shots were awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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