New to rc, buying advice needed..

[Jonny D]

Hi everyone, 

 

I'm just getting back into Rc after around 20 years away from the hobby. My last rc car was a Traxxas Rad2 buggy. 

 

I'm trying to figure out what to buy as my first car back into it. Ultimately I'd love a collection of trucks and buggies but financially I can probably only afford to get a model a year at the most. 

 

Which makes trying to decide what to get difficult. I'm currently considering an Arrma Big Rock V3, traxxas rustler 2wd brushless, absima Truggy Torch 4s. 

 

I'll be blasting around grass, dirt and a bit of skate park fun. 

 

Any thoughts? Price range £329 plus battery and charger is about my limit. 

 

Does anyone have experience of these models or does anyone have any recommendations?

 

I was wondering whether a Truggy might suit me as I used to have buggies. 

 

Many thanks, 

 

Jonny

[kwikuk]

Hi everyone, 

 

I'm just getting back into Rc after around 20 years away from the hobby. My last rc car was a Traxxas Rad2 buggy. 

 

I'm trying to figure out what to buy as my first car back into it. Ultimately I'd love a collection of trucks and buggies but financially I can probably only afford to get a model a year at the most. 

 

Which makes trying to decide what to get difficult. I'm currently considering an Arrma Big Rock V3, traxxas rustler 2wd brushless, absima Truggy Torch 4s. 

 

I'll be blasting around grass, dirt and a bit of skate park fun. 

 

Any thoughts? Price range £329 plus battery and charger is about my limit. 

 

Does anyone have experience of these models or does anyone have any recommendations?

 

I was wondering whether a Truggy might suit me as I used to have buggies. 

 

Many thanks, 

 

Jonny

There’s plenty to choose from used on eBay. Something like a first or second gen 8ight buggy or 8ight-T truggy would suit. Brushless conversions with a single battery and charger aren’t an unusual sight in that price range.

What starts out as one...haha I’ve heard that before. This is about a tenth of my collection lol




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[Jonny D]

Thanks for this info.. 

 

I'm thinking of getting something that will do most things and then the next model will be a track racing buggy. I like the look of the schumacher cougar / lay down.. 

[Lone-wolf]

I would choose the Big rock over a traxx and i think a couple of shops have a reduction on price

[namastebuzz]

If you want a truggy a used Kraton 6S or a Hobao Hyper ST Pro would get into your budget. Both 1/8th Scale.

Rustler 2WD is great. Easy to fix, fun to drive on 3S. Bit poor on wet grass and mud in terms of traction. The standard tyres need to replaced by Proline Trenchers or Badlands.

No experience of the Losi so can't comment on the above recommendation but I'm sure it's sound too.

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[Jonny D]

13 minutes ago, namastebuzz said:

If you want a truggy a used Kraton 6S or a Hobao Hyper ST Pro would get into your budget. Both 1/8th Scale.

Rustler 2WD is great. Easy to fix, fun to drive on 3S. Bit poor on wet grass and mud in terms of traction. The standard tyres need to replaced by Proline Trenchers or Badlands.

No experience of the Losi so can't comment on the above recommendation but I'm sure it's sound too.

Sent from my MIX2 using Tapatalk
 

Thanks for this. If I got a rustler I'd want to modify it with different body and wheels straight away. One of the appeals of the rustler is availability of parts. 

 

What are your thoughts on comparing largely plastic models like the rustler to things like the Absima Torch 4s truggy that have alloy chassis and other bits of alloy parts. Basically metal vs plastic? 

[kwikuk]

I’ve run or own most brands and popular models over the last 20 years or so, and through them all the 8ight platform has been the best bang for buck.

 

The 8ight 2.0 EU is still a competitive racer and equally takes a lot of abuse if you plan to bash. The 8ight-T’s go for next to no money on eBay due to the class having all but died out competitively. I think I’ve got about 10 or 12 of them in various states/guises.

 

Saying that, if I had to pick out my all time favourite, taking into account newer models and older styles, the Kyosho MP777 WC is hard to knock off top spot in my mind. It may not be super competitive anymore, but it still feels like so much fun to drive. When set up correctly it’s a very forgiving learner 1/8th. Granted parts aren’t that cheap for it, but you rarely need them. I’ve got three or four, and my favourite is set up as per the worlds winning car of 2006 (Mark Pavidis with whom I share the same [and contested!] colour scheme with). The truggy version, the ST-R never really hit the spot IMO and I sold all the ones I had apart from a battered old one I use to run engines in with.

 

One thing I’ve noticed in the newer kits is that they’re all plastic-fantastic, with the older kits usually using slightly better materials. This is a topic of heated debate, and I’m not going to go into it.

 

The most recent addition to my stable has been a Traxxas XMAXX 8S, which I’ve modded quite a bit. It’s got mod 1.5 gears, hobbywing 6 ESC, and a motor that could power a small Tesla. All in all I love it. For me it’s been an excellent truck for just throwing in the back of the car and bashing with. It requires next to no maintenance, and takes punishment that would destroy most others. Not something I ever thought possible from a Traxxas truck!

 

Best advice I can give, is wait and buy something you actually want. Something you see and go “wow, that’s cool!”. It’s your money until you spend it, and you can only spend it once. Don’t be scared of buying second hand, you’ll save a fortune and learn a ton. Just remember, the only people that benefit from you buying new RC is the manufacturer. I know that’s going to ruffle a few feathers amongst the “support your LHS” crew, but sadly it’s a fact.

 

God knows how many tens of thousands I’ve spent over the last 20 years, I try not to think about it!

 

 

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[namastebuzz]

Yeah metal parts aren't always the best. In some applications you'd rather a specific plastic part bent or broke rather than a stronger alloy part didn't break but transferred the load to a more expensive bit that did break.

I got a used, brushed Rustler for £80 and gradually upgraded bits that broke mostly with RPM stuff but fitted alloy caster blocks (coz RPM ones flex and bend the pins). Put in a Velineon VXL system coz I got one free. If I'd been paying for it I'd have gone for a Hobbywing Max10. Proline Trenchers all round and a wheelie bar, essential on 3S, and you're good to go. It's fairly bombproof now except driveshafts which break every ten minutes or so.....

I sold off the original brushed ESC/motor and the OEM radio and use a FS-GT3C radio on it now.

It's been very cost effective and has had far less downtime than the rest of our fleet due to cheap, available spares and ease of repair.

If you want to mod it up I'd definitely get a used one rather than waste money on lots of new parts you're gonna junk.

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[namastebuzz]

Thanks Kwikuk. Interesting post. Enjoyed reading it. [emoji106]

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[Jonny D]

8 hours ago, namastebuzz said:

Yeah metal parts aren't always the best. In some applications you'd rather a specific plastic part bent or broke rather than a stronger alloy part didn't break but transferred the load to a more expensive bit that did break.

I got a used, brushed Rustler for £80 and gradually upgraded bits that broke mostly with RPM stuff but fitted alloy caster blocks (coz RPM ones flex and bend the pins). Put in a Velineon VXL system coz I got one free. If I'd been paying for it I'd have gone for a Hobbywing Max10. Proline Trenchers all round and a wheelie bar, essential on 3S, and you're good to go. It's fairly bombproof now except driveshafts which break every ten minutes or so.....

I sold off the original brushed ESC/motor and the OEM radio and use a FS-GT3C radio on it now.

It's been very cost effective and has had far less downtime than the rest of our fleet due to cheap, available spares and ease of repair.

If you want to mod it up I'd definitely get a used one rather than waste money on lots of new parts you're gonna junk.

Sent from my MIX2 using Tapatalk
 

That sounds like a bargain. 

 

I must say a new rustler at around £310 doesn't seem good value compared to other models like the Arrma 3s range and the absima torch 4s that are around £329. But I'd quite like one to customise with rpm bits and a different body. 

 

What other models do you run? 

 

Cheers, 

Jonny

[Jonny D]

10 hours ago, kwikuk said:

I’ve run or own most brands and popular models over the last 20 years or so, and through them all the 8ight platform has been the best bang for buck.

 

The 8ight 2.0 EU is still a competitive racer and equally takes a lot of abuse if you plan to bash. The 8ight-T’s go for next to no money on eBay due to the class having all but died out competitively. I think I’ve got about 10 or 12 of them in various states/guises.

 

Saying that, if I had to pick out my all time favourite, taking into account newer models and older styles, the Kyosho MP777 WC is hard to knock off top spot in my mind. It may not be super competitive anymore, but it still feels like so much fun to drive. When set up correctly it’s a very forgiving learner 1/8th. Granted parts aren’t that cheap for it, but you rarely need them. I’ve got three or four, and my favourite is set up as per the worlds winning car of 2006 (Mark Pavidis with whom I share the same [and contested!] colour scheme with). The truggy version, the ST-R never really hit the spot IMO and I sold all the ones I had apart from a battered old one I use to run engines in with.

 

One thing I’ve noticed in the newer kits is that they’re all plastic-fantastic, with the older kits usually using slightly better materials. This is a topic of heated debate, and I’m not going to go into it.

 

The most recent addition to my stable has been a Traxxas XMAXX 8S, which I’ve modded quite a bit. It’s got mod 1.5 gears, hobbywing 6 ESC, and a motor that could power a small Tesla. All in all I love it. For me it’s been an excellent truck for just throwing in the back of the car and bashing with. It requires next to no maintenance, and takes punishment that would destroy most others. Not something I ever thought possible from a Traxxas truck!

 

Best advice I can give, is wait and buy something you actually want. Something you see and go “wow, that’s cool!”. It’s your money until you spend it, and you can only spend it once. Don’t be scared of buying second hand, you’ll save a fortune and learn a ton. Just remember, the only people that benefit from you buying new RC is the manufacturer. I know that’s going to ruffle a few feathers amongst the “support your LHS” crew, but sadly it’s a fact.

 

God knows how many tens of thousands I’ve spent over the last 20 years, I try not to think about it!

 

 

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Thanks for this info. 

 

The xmaxx would be my first choice for a model from the more top end price range. Unfortunately it's out of reach for me at the moment.. 👍🏻

[namastebuzz]

That sounds like a bargain. 
 
I must say a new rustler at around £310 doesn't seem good value compared to other models like the Arrma 3s range and the absima torch 4s that are around £329. But I'd quite like one to customise with rpm bits and a different body. 
 
What other models do you run? 
 
Cheers, 
Jonny

Yeah it's not great value new and it's not exactly high tech either. Hasn't been changed much in 20yrs. Used is the way to go.

Other cars? Arrma Kraton/Outcast /Talion 6S, Tekno MT410, Traxxas E-MAXX and Hobao Hyper ST Pro.

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[kwikuk]

Thanks for this info. 
 
The xmaxx would be my first choice for a model from the more top end price range. Unfortunately it's out of reach for me at the moment.. [emoji1303]

Yeah the XMAXX is a fantastic truck. It’s eaten a few pinions and spurs sadly. The motor mounts via plastic, and the mesh is set using small pins. I’m swapping to a different mount and belt drive to see what it’s like.

You can find the older 6S version of the XMAXX popping up on eBay every now and then for anywhere between £450-£600 depending on what comes with it.

If you’re spending £330 on a kit, £40 on a body, £30-£80 on RPM plastics etc, you’re not far off the cost of a used 6S.

Like I say, other than minor gear issues, I haven’t broken a single thing on mine in god knows how many months. I drive it fairly hard too.

It’s size is great and that itself appeals to a lot of people. However if you actually have to carry it anywhere it can become a bit of a pain. I ended up making a little trolley for mine when I wanted to take it to places that weren’t easily accessible via car.




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[namastebuzz]

I ended up making a little trolley for mine when I wanted to take it to places that weren’t easily accessible via car.




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Surely you could tow that trolley with a 2nd X-Maxx?

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