Si Coe

The Sanwa can, the others can't. SkyRC do a 1S specific version of the Toro - its 120A not 160A but that lets you use pretty much any motor you'd actually want to use (down to 3.5T) on 1S. Only downside is AFAIK its 1S ONLY so a bit limited in versatility compared to the Vortex. I have the older version of the Toro 1S which is a lot larger and less programmable, but can run on 2S as well. Its a decent quality esc and works nicely on 1S. I use it in my youngest sons car where I've wired the saddle pack as 1S2P rather than 2S1P which slows it down but doubles the running time. The only downside is that the esc is so good it actually doesn't slow the car nearly as much as you'd imagine halving the voltage would.

We don't really race clay in this country, at least not for 1/10th scale. Outdoor clay tracks just can't take the UK weather - the only one currently is at Robinhood Raceway and it spends most of its time under covers whilst they use their astroturf track. Likewise we have very few permanent indoor tracks and none right now that feature an offroad track that I know of - its all flat circuit racing. Its cost that stops the permanent indoor tracks - there just isn't enough money to cover the rent/heating/lighting etc. A few have cropped up over the years, some been a big success for a while but all eventually folded. Indoor racing therefore tends to be at venues rented just for the day (sometimes just a few hours!) and packed away after. But there are several permanent outdoor tracks - they just use astroturf instead of dirt. Astro is a great surface in that its all weather, grippy and consistent in a way clay just isn't. Its also very low maintenance once laid. It suits our weather, how our clubs work (most US tracks are owned/run by hobbyshops whereas UK ones are clubs run by volunteers) and it suits our drivers because they are all used to it! Depending on where you are in Cheshire there is likely a decent astro track around. Your B64d, whilst nominally designed for dirt will work fine on astro with a few tweaks. Bury is where I race - or did as I'm too busy these days to race much - and near you, Southport is another possible. Both feature full astroturf tracks - you can find both on Oople.

It still has though, because what you get for that money has improved so much. My Falcon had a silver can 540 and a wiper style mechanical speed controller - my Acoms radio wasn't even BEC at first - I needed a reciever pack. The battery pack was a 1200mAh Nicad and the charger an unregulated trickle charger. Even if I wasn't way off with my inflation estimate (which I clearly was) a £250 RTR today would have an esc, quite possibly a brushless motor, much better batteries and a proper peak detecting charger. To give you another example - The Associated RC10 and Schumacher CAT XLS Re-re's cost roughly the same today as they did when first released 25 years ago (both around £200) - which given inflation makes them way cheaper now than then.

In real world terms even things like a Firestorm aren't that expensive. My first RC was a Tamiya Falcon in 1988. That cost £70 for the kit, another £50 for the radio, £20 for the battery and a tenner for the overnight wall charger - so £150 all in at 1988 prices. Given inflation that's got to be £250 today at least - and remember the Falcon had a silver can motor, mechanical speed controller and was self assembly. The difference is that today thanks to cheap Chinese manufacturing there are a lot of other things you could also get for that money (hoverboards, mini motobikes, drones etc) that potential customers buy instead. RC hasn't gotten expensive, other things have become cheaper.....

But that almost exists already with some of the better RTR's. The battery/charging part isn't quite there yet, but that is done on purpose so we can use standard interchangeable batteries and chargers. What you propose would involve a more proprietary battery system which loses some flexibility. That might gain you some customers, but it could also lose you others. However with hobbygrade performance you inevitably hit the problem that things will break if you hit hard. Even the toughest models aren't invincible. The only solution is to reduce the performance but its that that sells...... Toygrade stuff definitely has a place. My kids have access to my array of hobby grade RC's, but they actually prefer their (admittedly high end) toy grade Carrera Mario Karts. They just suit them more.

The problem there is that if you don't know much about the thing you are buying 2nd hand is a minefield. I've seen the same thing with bikes where people would rather buy a new thing that looks like a mountain bike but falls apart the moment you take it offroad rather than a used quality bike a few years old. There is good (if flawed) logic behind that - a new item ought to work, whereas a used one might have been hammered to the point of destruction. Experienced users know the signs to look out for, and that toy grade stuff really isn't that good but outsiders don't and shouldn't be expected too.

Thats not strictly true. Parents that claim they can't afford school shoes seem to be remarkably good at buying hoverboards, the latest iPhone, limited edition trainers etc. It seems its possible to 'find' the money IF the parents themselves think the item is kinda cool too. This is exactly what happened around '87-90 when entry level RC cost £200 once you'd included the radio, batteries etc - no RTR back then. £200 in late 80's money I might add, so somewhat more adjusted for inflation. Legions of dads got Tamiya kits to build with their sons despite the cost, some were used lots, others lay in a cupboard after a few uses. The key there though was that Dad wanted it as much as the kid did - not something many modern parents are that into.

RC was the in fad in the late '80's. That boom provides the roots for a very large number of current RCers who either started there themselves (I'm one of them) or were introduced to the hobby by someone who did. But even then, like most fads people had wildly different levels of interest. Back when I was at school - probably around 1990 I guess - I started an RC club at the school. Practically everyone owned an RC (normally a Tamiya) but few used them regularly, or even knew how to repair them. My brother and I were the only ones to have multiple RC's and to actually consider it our primary hobby. The rest were more interested in their NES or Sega Master. And that was the height of RC's popularity. One side effect of the net is that fads have much shorter lifespans now. I seriously doubt I'll see another fidget spinner after the summer hols are over for example. That means even if RC cars because big again I doubt it would last long or provide many committed new members. I thought it might have a bit of a resurgence when drones caught on, but they seem to have died out except as a specialist tool. The thing to remember about all those kids on their phones is that the net is a means of communication. People on it are messaging, watching videos etc about something else - like we are now! Those kids are watching people play video games, or talking about their favourite music or football team. Its an outlet for other interests not an end to itself! Its just that RC doesn't feature in those other interests.

The hobby goes in cycles anyway, Sometimes its more popular than others. Right now its going through an affordability bump, which has happened before. These tend to have rather curious effects, because whilst sales of the now not quite as cheap entry models drops, sales of high end stuff tends to increase. Its like people decide to drop it, or commit fully. Thats why there are more larger scales and racers now. The problem is that with fewer new people coming in, as people leave they won't get replaced. What isn't responsible is the internet etc. There have always been other things you could do.

Bashing hasn't, but organised bashing has. As mentioned as soon as a bash becomes a scheduled, regulated event health and safety kicks in, issues arise about use of the land, people complain about noise etc. Nothing to stop you and a few mates hacking about, but bigger gatherings just don't work well now.

How to tell if your lipo is 'borked'. Put it on charge. One of three things will happen: 1) It won't charge. Your lipo is borked 2) It will catch fire. Your lipo is borked (and also on fire - you might want to do something about that) 3) It will charge normally. Your lipo isn't borked. Generally I run lipos until 1 or 2 happens. Actually 2 almost never happens - I've had a few smoulder but always disconnected before proper flames.....

Technically speaking when switched off the only magnet in the motor should be the rotor. The coils shouldn't be magnetic (since no current is flowing) and whilst they are wrapped round an iron core the field ought to be quite weak. But in the real world I've had smooth and notchy motors that worked great, and smooth and notchy motors that didn't. I guess that there are a lot of other factors in motor design that matter much more.

No, I'm Northwest based now but grew up in the Southeast so really only know the Lancashire and Essex clubs in any detail (and the latter 10 years back). Mendip I know has a club section over on Oople, probably best to check it out there.

Well you'll want a 2wd because those are far more common than 4wds and therefore tend to have better racing. Other than that its really up to you - Most of the major brands have a decent enough 2wd car which with the right driver can win. The best advice is to see what the locals are running and get that - it won't really be 'better' but at least you can copy setups and borrow spares.

It won't take lower than 12 turns but there are plenty of 12 turn motors a lot quicker than the Titan - they will be 540 sized so have less torque, but a lot more rpms.

I'd love a Summit but the fact it doesn't specifically do anything is kind of the appeal. And I guess thats sort of the point here. There aren't that many bad RC's, but quite a lot of wrong ones. Sometimes they are wrong because they aren't really the right RC for you, and sometimes they are wrong because they are marketed as something they patently aren't. The video actually mentions good examples of both: The Maverick MT isn't an MT at all. Its just a Strada buggy/TC with big wheel and extra shocks. Maverick sell it as an MT so a buyer might expect it to behave like one but it should be clear it isn't. The Ansmann Madrat (and even more so the Macnum truck version) attracted a very dubious rep, even though many people loved them. This is mostly because people saw the Macnum as a low cost alternative to a Rustler or Firestorm when really it was a cheap entry level model. More often than not if you regret buying a particular RC its because its not right for you, rather than not right full stop. Edit: I wouldn't say the High Roller disproves the 'you get what you pay for' part. Yes its not cheap, and yes its fragile, but its still designed like a Losi, so when it works its great. The problem is you have to recognise you aren't actually paying more for a robust model, but for an advanced design with fancy materials or technology.

Not sure I really regret anything I've bought, though I've had a few that turned out to be a mistake. Fortunately I've always managed to find them a new home at a price that hasn't made me feel I wasted my money. Some examples: RC18T - To be fair this isn't the fault of the truck, more what I tried to do with it. I sank a fortune into trying to make a tiny 60mph missile before I finally gave up and sold it on. I regret the money wasted on the project but it was fun. HPI Savage SS - Another money pit. Great fun, and technically very strong but when it broke it broke big. Got bored and sold it for what I paid for it so OK with it. Likewise I've had lots of racers that were just not me. I sell them on, get something different and move on. My one biggest disappointment had to be my Tenth Tech Predator DTM. Gorgeous car, but so fragile and so hard to set up - it was a disaster. My regret there isn't buying it though - it was selling it to a keen young lad with more money than sense......

Its true that if the drivers are equal, that machine becomes more important, but even that is not the excuse to upgrade some people use it as. I've seen many drivers that constantly change chassis, electrics etc in search of that elusive edge lose out the drivers of similar skill with older gear. The reason is that the those who stick with a platform often learn to ring the very most out of it, whilst the 'chassis of the month' brigade are still getting to grips with theirs.

The other thing to remember about speed is its just a matter of the right motor and gearing. Both of those are easily changed things. Yes changing the motor can get expensive, especially if a new esc is needed because the motor is want is more than the stock one can handle, but its still a technically simple job. It also follows that since the electrical components are interchangable, you could easily put say a Rustlers electrics in a Firestorm. The result would be a Firestorm with pretty much exactly the same top speed as Rustler. In effect no one chassis is actually faster than any other - any difference in top speed is down to the stock electrics supplied. Why does this matter? Because you should buy model that is strongest, drives best, looks best, suits whatever use you have planned best because those are harder things to change. If its a great truck but not fast enough - thats easy to fix. People often ask how fast my RC's go. I don't know - my normal answer is 'As fast as I want them too'. I could easily make them faster - its as simple as swapping in a higher kv motor - but I don't because they work best as they are now. Just get the one that suits you and enjoy it. Thats what is important.

You can run 3S in a 2wd 1/10th truck, but unless its a pure all out speed run 2S will do just as well. This is particularly the case offroad where you really can't make use of the extra power from the 3S much. I've been finding the same thing with my Swamp Dawg airboat - I have 2S and 3S lipos for it. Its certainly quicker on 3S but its not actually more fun......

Looking at his list of cars in his profile he's got a pair of Cyclones and an SX2 - ie already owns some older racers and just wants to know if he can use them and still be competitive. Weirdly I always seem to go back to Yokomo's myself. I just love the cars, and normally change to something else when I get frustrated because the parts support drains up, only to return when the backing reappears. In contrast whilst I love vintage Associateds I've never been able to get with the modern ones. But this thread is about the SX2 and thats an important point because the SX was always a slightly odd car. Schumacher copied the suspension design of the legendary Losi XX4 (and I mean copied - I used to run SX2 wishbones on my XX4 as they were a direct fit, stronger and more readily available) and then fitted a uniquely Schumacher belt drive to it. That always made it a very marmite car that some loved and others just couldn't get with. Great on some tracks - awkward on others. The models that replaced it are more allrounders, but if where you plan running is pretty bumpy an SX2 will go nicely. Just as a thought when it comes to 'modern' 4wds : Until the latest 'shorty lipo' balanced versions appeared recently most shaft 4wds are developments of the BJ4 (which became the B44). The original Durango 410 was a contemporary of the SX2 and until the current V5 had evolved so little most parts were compatible. The Losi 22-4 is literally a modernised XX4 - a design that raced alongside the SX's predecessor the Cat 2000! 4wds haven't really changed that much in a long time.

As well as modern 2wd and 4wd racers (Yokomo Yz2 and Yz4) I've also got vintage models for each class (RC10 Team and Team Manta Ray) which I sometimes use on club days alongside the modern versions. The vintage cars do have brushless systems, but cheaper spec and lower powered. I'm about 1-2 seconds a lap slower with the vintage models. Now consider that we are talking about comparing the latest stuff with 25 year old versions and you can see the driver is much more important - I'm terrible no matter how old the car is! So - is the Cat SX2 still competitive? Well its not likely to be holding you back much, but only if everything else is OK. You'll need a decent setup because you likely can't just copy someone else, and you'll need a good stock of spares on you (parts are still available from Schumacher so no issue there) because you won't find any trackside. If as I suspect from your cars list you've done some racing in the past and are looking to get back in then by all means use the Cat.

The HPI Firestorm is better than the Rustler in just about every aspect though. The only problem is that stock seems to be non-existent right now. If you can find one, or are willing to wait its a better platform being both stronger (out of the box - RPM upgrades will put the Rustler on par) and better handling. But if you can't wait the Rustler is good enough for you not to regret it. Ground clearance for a 1/10 truck is better than that of a 1/8th buggy - the wheels are similar size but the chassis rides higher. They are fine on reasonably long grass - its only really 1/10th buggys that need freshly mown grass. You will experience more drag on long grass though, which will mean more heat and less running time. The smaller and less torquey motors in 1/10ths will suffer from this more than larger 1/8th motors for sure, but the idea that a 1/8th MT is needed to run in a field is somewhat of an exaggeration.

What I find interesting is that whilst Modelsport won't be supplying Losi, MB Models, Wheelspin, Apex and DMS racing will still be, so its not about larger stores with online presence.

£200 a piece, want a buggy style car, and want brushless + 4wd - but you'd rather not wait? Can I suggest the : Losi Mini 8Ight Most people who've run one would agree they are very well built and capable models, but they have one significant flaw which is that they are smaller than the 1/10ths you've listed and the 1/8ths some have suggested, which does limit where you can run them. They won't handle grass well for example. That said being smaller means they need less space to run.