Best complete RTR buggy setup for around £200

[Gtiracer]

Hi guys. Starting out again completely fresh in the first time for over 15 years, so I need everything again,  looking for the impossible, good quality, upgradeable and fast out of the box, but I'll settle for a good all rounder of course.

 

My choices so far are:

 

Strada xb brushless

Abisma ab3.4

Ftx vantage brushless

Associated reflex 14b

LC racing emb 1h

 

 

But then I wonder would it be worth getting the more expensive arrma typhon brushed model and upgrading it later on? I just wanted a brushless setup from the get go really and it is over my budget so trying to avoid that if at all possible, plus I don't know if I would need to purchase batteries etc on top

 

thanks for looking at another question you lot have probably seen a thousand times over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2021 by Gtiracer

[Lone-wolf]

forget upgrading a brushed typhon to brushless, lots of parts needed to get it close, would be better just getting brushless from start, what i have found is the HPI jumpshot st flux is really good fast and tough but a little over budget, but i have just done vantage brushed to brushless and that goes and handles well

[Jens]

I have done something with the FTX Carnage which could also be an option for a FTX Vantage.

Provided that the Vantage is still considered by you.

 

Instead of getting a Vantage Brushless, you could get a Vantage Brushed and just replace the brushed motor/ESC with a better brushless combo.

 

Based on modelsport prices:

Vantage Brushless: £199

 

Vantage Brushed: £115

Hobbywing Max10 Combo 3300KV: £93.50 (with presoldered Deans)

Sum: £208.50

Then sell the old motor/ESC here for a tenner.

 

Same price, but a lot better setup!!

Able to run at 3S with mad performance.

 

 

 

[Gtiracer]

27 minutes ago, Jens said:

I have done something with the FTX Carnage which could also be an option for a FTX Vantage.

Provided that the Vantage is still considered by you.

 

Instead of getting a Vantage Brushless, you could get a Vantage Brushed and just replace the brushed motor/ESC with a better brushless combo.

 

Based on modelsport prices:

Vantage Brushless: £199

 

Vantage Brushed: £115

Hobbywing Max10 Combo 3300KV: £93.50 (with presoldered Deans)

Sum: £208.50

Then sell the old motor/ESC here for a tenner.

 

Same price, but a lot better setup!!

Able to run at 3S with mad performance.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, I will look at this vantage and brushless combo for sure. would I need anything else other than that? Would the standard radio work with it and would I need a new motor mount / pinion or anything else please? I'm pretty good at fixing/repairing things so I don't have a problem getting my hands dirty, just want to know everything will be there if I order the car + the combo.

 

Many thanks

Edited March 23, 2021 by Gtiracer

[Jens]

1 minute ago, Gtiracer said:

 

Thanks, I will look at this vantage and brushless combo for sure. would I need anything else other than that? Would the standard radio work with it and would I need a new motor mount / pinion or anything else please? I'm pretty good at fixing/repairing things so I don't have a problem getting my hands dirty, just want to know everyone will be there if u order the car + the combo.

 

Many thanks

Nothing else required.

Old motor/ESC out. New one in.

Everything else unchanged.

You won't even get your hands dirty.

If you can solder, fix the battery plug yourself and save the £4 modelsport service.

With my only 8 months RC experience it would take me 30mins to upgrade motor/ESC.

 

However, there are always the usual "recommended" upgrades.

Servo.

Hardened steel pinion/spur. And with that you can choose a different ratio if you like.

Waterproof receiver box (if you plan to go through water/mud).

Wheelie bar with above setup (Performance is really mad).

 

FTX Carnage & FTX Bugsta are practically the same, if you can accept that style, it might be worth considering.

There is a 270 page Vantage/Carnage owners thread with lots of good advice.

 

Last but not least, check my previous posts with videos (RC videos section) of my setup to get an idea about what to expect.

 

 

[Gtiracer]

9 minutes ago, Jens said:

Nothing else required.

Old motor/ESC out. New one in.

Everything else unchanged.

You won't even get your hands dirty.

If you can solder, fix the battery plug yourself and save the £4 modelsport service.

With my only 8 months RC experience it would take me 30mins to upgrade motor/ESC.

 

However, there are always the usual "recommended" upgrades.

Servo.

Hardened steel pinion/spur. And with that you can choose a different ratio if you like.

Waterproof receiver box (if you plan to go through water/mud).

Wheelie bar with above setup (Performance is really mad).

 

FTX Carnage & FTX Bugsta are practically the same, if you can accept that style, it might be worth considering.

There is a 270 page Vantage/Carnage owners thread with lots of good advice.

 

Last but not least, check my previous posts with videos (RC videos section) of my setup to get an idea about what to expect.

 

 

Thanks for the great help and great info, I would leave everything else really for now to keep to budget a bit better, but of course, maybe an average but not bad 3s battery recommendation to make the most of motor? Nothing crazy, just to get me started with 3s power please - what would you recommend?

 

Thanks again

[Jens]

17 minutes ago, Gtiracer said:

Thanks for the great help and great info, I would leave everything else really for now to keep to budget a bit better, but of course, maybe an average but not bad 3s battery recommendation to make the most of motor? Nothing crazy, just to get me started with 3s power please - what would you recommend?

 

Thanks again

It was not easy to find a 3S that will fit sizewise.

Here is the one that I bought:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B089YNL95B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am sure they also sell a single battery somewhere.

 

Maybe it's a good idea to start slow with brushed and the delivered NiMH. Then go for 2S Lipo. Then Hobbywing brushless. Then 3S.

You can spread the cost and with each upgrade have extra joy. 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Jens

[Jens]

10 minutes ago, Jens said:

It was not easy to find a 3S that will fit sizewise.

Here is the one that I bought:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B089YNL95B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am sure they also sell a single battery somewhere.

 

Maybe it's a good idea to start slow with brushed and the delivered NiMH. Then go for 2S Lipo. Then Hobbywing brushless. Then 3S.

You can spread the cost and with each upgrade have extra joy after each upgrade. 

 

 

 

[fnknan]

I have an absima ab3.4 with about 150 into it altogether, it's a fun buggy and definitely more durable than any ftx vehicle. Main weaknesses are the front bumper, wing mount and arms, but all can be upgraded easily.

 

I bought the kit and out my own electronics in it. 

 

Here's a link to my thread where all the details to mine and a couple other people's builds are.

 

[Alex97]

On this price bracket I'd be looking at Tamiyas or spend a bit more and get something better. 

[Gtiracer]

4 minutes ago, Alex97 said:

On this price bracket I'd be looking at Tamiyas or spend a bit more and get something better. 

Such as?

 

1 hour ago, fnknan said:

I have an absima ab3.4 with about 150 into it altogether, it's a fun buggy and definitely more durable than any ftx vehicle. Main weaknesses are the front bumper, wing mount and arms, but all can be upgraded easily.

 

I bought the kit and out my own electronics in it. 

 

Here's a link to my thread where all the details to mine and a couple other people's builds are.

 

I do like the way they look but some YouTube reviews on them made me wary regarding quality and manufacturer support/parts?

[fnknan]

11 hours ago, Gtiracer said:

I do like the way they look but some YouTube reviews on them made me wary regarding quality and manufacturer support/parts

It's a really cheap buggy so you get what you pay for, I wouldn't say it's half bad with a few upgrades, I wouldn't say I've had my money's worth of fun just yet but I haven't had much time for actual RCing for the past year or so and the car has plenty of life left in it. So I'm sure I will get my money's worth. Parts support was decent when I last ordered a part which was near on a year ago so I don't know the state of it now.

[Gtiracer]

Just to update this thread I ended up going with a vantage in the end (RTR Brushless version). I'm really happy with it, obviously things I'd like to do but it seems like a fun car for just bashing about in with my boys and their cars. Although I do need to relearn some driving skills before going full throttle again probably 🙂

[Scottyb]

Just to hi-jack your post a bit, I've not had an RC car for about 20 years or so now and I'm kind of in the same position at the minute but after a 1/8, I had my heart set on the Arrma Typhon 3s but the £320 price tag is a bit too high for me. I've got a £50 Amazon voucher I was going to use to buy one which would have bought it down to a more acceptable price but just my bloody luck it must be the only Arrma model not on there! 

Are there any other suggestions for a 1/8 for £2-250ish, I've seen a few off brand ones but looking at a few youtube videos they don't look that great. I have been looking at the smaller scale ones aswell like 1/10 but would prefer a 1/8 just coz I like the bigger cars. I was looking at the China specials aswell like WLToys 124019 but waiting 3-4 weeks for parts would get old fast and tbh they don't actually look that great.  I know I should probably not expect great quality at this price range but would be nice to get something that doesn't turn to dust when you take it out of the box.

If i can't find a decent enough 1/8 I might just get the FTX Vantage like Gtiracer as I could get the brushless one off Amazon for £150, worth it?

I won't be belting it off skate park ramps or anything just maybe some small dirt bmx park jumps and mainly used on grass/gravel.

Been trawling on here, Ebay and Gumtree etc aswell for a couple of months to see if there's anything pre-owned local but never anything about and would prefer new as had really bad experiences buying 2 pre-owned nitro's in my late teens which is when I last had an RC car!

 

Thanks

[Gtiracer]

55 minutes ago, Scottyb said:

Just to hi-jack your post a bit, I've not had an RC car for about 20 years or so now and I'm kind of in the same position at the minute but after a 1/8, I had my heart set on the Arrma Typhon 3s but the £320 price tag is a bit too high for me. I've got a £50 Amazon voucher I was going to use to buy one which would have bought it down to a more acceptable price but just my bloody luck it must be the only Arrma model not on there! 

Are there any other suggestions for a 1/8 for £2-250ish, I've seen a few off brand ones but looking at a few youtube videos they don't look that great. I have been looking at the smaller scale ones aswell like 1/10 but would prefer a 1/8 just coz I like the bigger cars. I was looking at the China specials aswell like WLToys 124019 but waiting 3-4 weeks for parts would get old fast and tbh they don't actually look that great.  I know I should probably not expect great quality at this price range but would be nice to get something that doesn't turn to dust when you take it out of the box.

If i can't find a decent enough 1/8 I might just get the FTX Vantage like Gtiracer as I could get the brushless one off Amazon for £150, worth it?

I won't be belting it off skate park ramps or anything just maybe some small dirt bmx park jumps and mainly used on grass/gravel.

Been trawling on here, Ebay and Gumtree etc aswell for a couple of months to see if there's anything pre-owned local but never anything about and would prefer new as had really bad experiences buying 2 pre-owned nitro's in my late teens which is when I last had an RC car!

 

Thanks

 

Well the main thing is I am enjoying the car. It is my first car in many years so many things to learn, it was pretty swift out of the box but I always like making things a little different or the best they can be, so I would always probably upgrade whichever model I had chosen. The great thing with the vantage is that their are loads of spares available and it doesn't break the bank if you need to replace a couple items.

 

I've taken it out on 3 runs so far, I've bent a shock and lost a screw from the underside, but I guess that's my fault for not checking them all before driving it, I was just excited to get going again, but I've no doubt the screw will cheap to replace. 

 

I've ordered a couple parts too, steel spur and pinions, new shocks (obviously) front bumper (to protect shocks) and some sway bars.

 

I've no doubt they probably wouldn't be up to the standard of the higher end stuff like losi and kyosho, but I didn't pay losi or kyosho money and I'm not racing either so I'm really not bothered. It's just a bit of fun for me and the kids

[Scottyb]

I'm not sure what to get at the minute lol, I think i've narrowed it down to either the vantage or carnage, i really like how the carnage looks but looking at videos on the tube the vantage looks like it's twice as fast out the box than the carnage and i won't be upgrading it for a while 😕 I think the carnage would be more suited to grass/dirt blasting aswell
Either that or a Maverick Strada MT/XT 😄 FTX versions look better thought out/built though

Edited March 30, 2021 by Scottyb
adding

[Jens]

9 minutes ago, Scottyb said:

I'm not sure what to get at the minute lol, I think i've narrowed it down to either the vantage or carnage, i really like how the carnage looks but looking at videos on the tube the vantage looks like it's twice as fast out the box than the carnage and i won't be upgrading it for a while 😕 I think the carnage would be more suited to grass/dirt blasting aswell
Either that or a Maverick Strada MT/XT 😄 FTX versions look better thought out/built though

The Vantage is a bit faster, due to a slightly larger pinion.

Otherwise the same as the Carnage.

 

If you want to go off road once in a while, get a Carnage and add a Vantage pinion. :-)

[Scottyb]

I think i will get the carnage, do you know if it's the same chassis as the vantage as i'll be looking at upgrading it to ally and seen one on hobbyking but says its for a quantum vandal and looks exactly the same, i'll probably order this and a vantage pinion at the same time i order the car, thanks for the advice

I did start reading through the vantage/carnage thread on here and got to page 8 so far, only 260ish to go....

 

[Jens]

quantum vandal = FTX Vantage = some chinese VRX Racing model.

 

Mostly the same chassis.

I think the top plate is different.

Maybe the shock towers.

 

Are you planning for brushed or brushless?

 

I recommend to upgrade to alloy when something breaks.

So far I only upgraded the rear shock tower to carbon after braking it twice.

Rest needed no upgrade.

 

Regarding pinion. Consider going straight to hardened steel. Especially if you want brushless.

[Scottyb]

I'll be getting the brushless version off amazon and will upgrade the electronics a bit later on when i've collected a few batteries and stuff, i won't be going mad with it, 45-50mph will probably be more than enough i think. 

I read in the owners thread on here about the spur gear, is that what you mean instead of the pinion? I'll get the acetyl one first i think coz im on a bit of a budget then upgrade to steel later when i put more power in it, i've got some 3 or 4mm carbon sheets left over from some stuff i done on my actual car so i might try and make my own shock towers out of that, if it goes belly up i'll buy some lol 😄 

[Jens]

2 minutes ago, Scottyb said:

I'll be getting the brushless version off amazon and will upgrade the electronics a bit later on when i've collected a few batteries and stuff, i won't be going mad with it, 45-50mph will probably be more than enough i think. 

I read in the owners thread on here about the spur gear, is that what you mean instead of the pinion? I'll get the acetyl one first i think coz im on a bit of a budget then upgrade to steel later when i put more power in it, i've got some 3 or 4mm carbon sheets left over from some stuff i done on my actual car so i might try and make my own shock towers out of that, if it goes belly up i'll buy some lol 😄 

I am not sure how the acetyl spur will hold.

The hardened steel set cost about £26. Well invested and surely not wasted money. All my Carnages/Bugsta have it.

Spur alone is £21. Then you can choose any pinion you like.

( I have the very common 32DP pitch and use Team Corally pinions )

 

If you go for Brushless, let me give you a calculation:

 

Carnage 2.0 Brushed £109 + Hobbywing Max10 ESC/Motor Combo £94 - £10 for selling the old brushed combo = £193.

Carnage Brushless £199.

 

Difference:

Hobbywing can go with 3S Lipos (3300KV/4000KV motor) giving you excellent performance later.

Very water resistent.

Temperature sensor cable from motor to ESC.

More programming options.

It also works with the delivered NiMH battery.

In my opinion: Hobbywing is way better than Etronix.

 

I went for a stock brushless intially. The ESC was gone after 3 months. Replaced it with a cheap Hobbywing Quicrun ESC. Still running.

2nd Carnage went straight for the Hobbywing Max10 Combo.

 

 

[Scottyb]

Sounds interesting, I was going to get the brushless as it comes with a lipo i think, do you know what the hobbywing setups like with the standard nimh? It'll probably be another month or so before i can start buying a decent charger and more batteries

Need to get it off Amazon ideally as i've got a £200 spending budget for running and driving plus a £50 amazon voucher (so £250 if i can get it off there)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FTX-Carnage-Brushless-Truck-2-4GHz/dp/B009FB3ENU/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=ftx+carnage+brushed&qid=1617126206&s=kids&sr=1-4

[Kpowell911]

10 minutes ago, Scottyb said:

Sounds interesting, I was going to get the brushless as it comes with a lipo i think, do you know what the hobbywing setups like with the standard nimh? It'll probably be another month or so before i can start buying a decent charger and more batteries

Need to get it off Amazon ideally as i've got a £200 spending budget for running and driving plus a £50 amazon voucher (so £250 if i can get it off there)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FTX-Carnage-Brushless-Truck-2-4GHz/dp/B009FB3ENU/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=ftx+carnage+brushed&qid=1617126206&s=kids&sr=1-4

To be fair, £199 for that seems a bargain! But why not get the brushed + hobbywing combo listed above, then use your £50 voucher for a charger/lipo off Amazon?

[Jens]

Can you use your Amazon voucher also with AmazonPay?

Then you could go to modelsport.co.uk and pay there with your voucher.

They offer AmazonPay.

Just a thought....

 

And yes, going with the Carnage 2.0 brushed, you will start with NiMH initially instead of LiPo.

But I think the Hobbywing instead of the stock brushless ESC will compensate that disadvantage.

[Strugglecuddle7]

The absima ab3.4 isnt bad at all after a few metal upgrades! goes like a stabbed rat on a 3s!!! My kit came with metal spur and plastic and parts are plentiful if you know what you are looking for as it shares tones of spares with hsp/condor/himoto etc, i wouldnt say it was

any better then a ftx vantage tho, pretty much on par. The absima needs a few bits upgrades straight off the bat like the chassis strengthing plate and cvd's over the standard dog bones althought the brushless version RTR might come with them?

 

All in all not a bad car as mine cost me under £120 all in