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But talking about Christmas...our 11 yr grandson says he would like an RC car to race with his friends on asphalt in the park and on pavements. He keeps saying he's seen something great on eBay etc. but I'm not sure.
So what's ok for about £100 all in?
As an antidote to the talented body shell painters on here...
Bought my son a Tamiya Neo Fighter for his 8th birthday. I thought it'd be a project to last us all half term but we'd built it by mid morning the day after he opened it. Had to cancel his party for a covid contact and all he wanted to do all day was build more car. We have no paint so to buy time and keep the body shell pristine in the meantime we knocked up something temporary.
Gah! How do you post an image again? I've tried to follow the guide in "help" but to no avail...
Anyhow, really impressed with the Neo Fighter, compared with my limited experience from way back in the day (Falcon, endlessly bodged, upgraded, broken, glued, drilled, reinforced, squeezed into ill-fitting saloon body etc, c. 1987).
I wanted to build a proper kit with him so ended up going for this over various perhaps more "age appropriate" things, and I'm glad we did.
Pretty entry level kit and this thing is more balanced, stable, has better suspension, is not slow with stock bits even. Things have come on a bit haven't they...
Struggles with not short enough grass though. Am going to try to fit bigger wheels.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51599796652_696168e02c_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51599796652_696168e02c_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2mBGrQq ]Reduce Reuse Recycle[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/87704569@N08/ ]luketurney[/url], on Flickr
AH HA! Finally got the posting a pic thing. I'm not the quickest....
We built up our Neo Fighter. I couldn't make an 8 year old wait before smashing it round the garden so we knocked up our own shell to keep the proper one clean and tidy before painting.
And then the next day I was looking at truck wheels and tyres to improve it on the grass. At the same time boyo decided on orange and black paint and, as luck would have it, the in stock wheels were orange too, so that sealed that deal. Needed longer steering axles to take the wider fronts. It's now essentially an Aqroshot but with off road tyres.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51630802561_cf8dfc433c_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51630802561_cf8dfc433c_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2mErmP4 ]20211022_185147[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/87704569@N08/ ]luketurney[/url], on Flickr
It's a brilliant thing. Fast enough but not lightening quick. I'm sure we'll upgrade the motor to something brushless soon enough. Plus it needs stiffer rear springs and a set of cartridge bearings. Seriously tempted to get a second one, just so he's got something to race against, like...
It's so beautiful
I couldn’t make an 8 year old wait before smashing it round the garden so we knocked up our own shell to keep the proper one clean and tidy before painting.
That's proper Blue Peter stuff there!
@luket I did that to mine too. Watch out with the longer axles as they are a lot easier to break. Make sure you stick to the smaller of the two pinion sizes as the motor gets too hot with the 18t.
Kamtec make a nice cheap beetle shell which looks mint with the big wheels.
@clubby I was thinking about a beetle/dune buggy/Brat or similarly retro shell. Which Beetle one fits? Could you put up a link? DT03 has a pretty long wheelbase.
Ours does cut out sometimes, which I presume is the ESC managing heat. We'll stick with the 17t for now and fit bearings to hopefully lighten the load. Took it to the beach today, which I think put more pressure on it than the grass, largely because an 8 year old ran down most of a battery just doing doughnuts at constant full throttle. At some point probably not too long away I think we'll try a brushless motor as well, for a little more speed but they're meant to generate less heat too.
The other thing I need to avoid buying is a repro Wild One. Another iconic car I hankered for in my youth and just being rereleased again.
Think this was the one
https://www.kamtec.co.uk/epages/BT4645.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BT4645/Products/K0043
Needed a lot of trimming, especially the right rear quarter, to clear the gearbox. Wheelbase is near enough for a beach bashed. Two tone paint job was a pain and very messy but looks ok from a distance. Like all these things, messing about with things is half the fun.
Brushless is fun but get expensive with repairs. Chassis not really as lot designed to handle that much power off-road. I cracked the chassis barrel rolling it countless times trying to clear the doubles at the bmx track!
Seriously impressed that he can keep that in a straight line at that speed!
200o posts onthis thread and I am sure all the answers are here but:
Wherre does the newb start? i don't want to waste money but I don't want cheap tat. I am thinking 4x4 crawler rather than racer
I made airfix ckits as a kid but thats the limit of my experience
would this be a stupid place to start?
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-rc-mercedes-benz-unimog-406-cc02/
CC02 not the best crawlers. CC standing for Cross Country.
I’ve one of these and it’s great. Well worth the extra over the Tamiya kits I’ve had. Doesn’t come with ESC though but I bought a cheap Hobbywing Crawler esc and for less than 20 quid it’s been perfect.
Do you want the building / assembly of it to be part of the project or just to start using it straight away?
RTR (Ready to Run) will mean it's almost ready to go out of the box.
What's your max budget?
HI
Building it to be a part of it. I don't really want to go much beyond a couple of hundred if possible but I don't want to end up with cheap tat either
That's an excellent choice TJ. If you don't want to paint it I'll do it for you.👌
For anyone interested, this is my long term build at the moment.
Fitted a light bar tonight.
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I'm interested too in TJ's question. We've got two fairly entry level 2wd buggies on the go (both DT-03s - I went on to buy one for myself after getting my son one) and the next itch to scratch may be a crawler, but it has to be a kit (building it is half the fun) and I wasn't really thinking a £275 kit. However it's not so clear to me where the newbie starts if you don't want RTR.
I got that exact kit, it's an expensive way to build an SCX10-2 but none of the RTR options had the mix of bits I wanted. I remember someone saying at the time that hte best way to get a kit crawler these days is to buy an RTR then take it apart and tbf they were spot on.
Some companies do their crawlers in RTR and kit form so might be worth checking that. I know that my Carisma SCA-1E Range Rover is available as a kit and RTR.
I've just stuck a Hobbywing 1080 crawler ESC in my Scale truck, and it's waaaay better than the stock ESC (Carisma scale).
You can really easily programme different settings..
Much 'calmer' throttle response, and 50% reverse speed are FAB!
It's great cos I can now adjust the max speed (which isn't fast anyway, as it's a crawler) to, say, 50% for when my daughter drives it.
A well worthy upgrade.
Also stuck some brass hex weights in the wheels for a bot more weight low down. I'd love to get the brass pumpkin covers too, but nil in stock when i ordered.
DrP
Speaking of crawler kits, this turned up at maison du ginge yesterday:
Should keep me out of trouble for a little bit.
Thanks. So it feels like something like this at £175 exc electronics is the starting point in price terms for crawler kits?
But a quick search brings up a few comments about it being a real pain to build. I'd be in two minds about that - depends whether it's like that for good design reasons or bad ones.
I also bought myself a XV-01 Lancia kit which I won't get into for a while but am very much looking forward to. Looks like a great kit with the only real issue being finding good places to drive it. The nice thing about the crawler idea, to my mind, is that it feels like with a bit of creative thinking one can come up with/create great places to drive them very easily.
I've a coyote (mk1).. the Mk2 is meant to be better..
What's 'hard' for you is the fact that the DIY kit is £175 sans electronics...
Yet the RTR is only 30 quid more with all the gear...
TBH, I'd go RTR..buy a set of bearings for the crawler (as it comes with bushings) and enjoy taking the kit apart (axles/diffs) to fit the bearings.
DrP
TBH although it seems poor value to pay as much or nearly as much for kit as RTR, I'd still do it.
I feel like at this stage of life (8) I'd rather tread the normal path for a product, at the outset at least, while also actively seeking out the build project, rather than as a means to an end. The out of the box build is easier to hold his interest than choosing to tinker with something rather than spend the time driving it. We could do that later of course, like we have with the buggy, but I feel the ground-up build process is fundamental.
Reading back that sounds a bit illogical. I don't think it is though, I've just worded it badly!
As a kid back in the 80s I built, abused bodged etc a Tamiya kit and also picked up two older cars, one pretty complete but in need of love, one a sort of rolling chassis. Got loads of enjoyment and learning through all that but with RTR it feels like, for a kid, you have to break it before getting far along the learning and tinkering path. Maybe I'm just old...
@luket, this might be another option in a similar price bracket to the Carisma. From what I've heard the shocks might need a little fettling to get them performing well but otherwise I think they are supposed to be fairly solid. Not as pretty as the Carisma kits though (at least to my eyes).
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/hobao-dc1-1-10th-crawler-kit-g-wagon-style-427474
Off at a slight tangent... Why don't they put driver figures in them?
Some do, but the electronics and body mounts can fill up the cabin area, so not much space.
DrP
@Merak, That bug body looks great. What chassis will you be mounting it to?
Yep, amazing stuff Merak. Inspirational.
No new cars for me this year.
The Lunchbox has had a rebuild, but the 2CV and Tamiya buggy are in bits awaiting a few parts. Best get those properly mended and running before buying anything else.
The Arrma Big Rock continues to impress, but I keep smashing bodies. Have two atm, both more duct tape than polycarbonate. 😀
Might get another body and just keep that one as a shelf queen.
The chassis can handle anything, it would seem, but the bodies, not so much.
Kevin Talbot does a trick...shoe goo and plaster tape on the inside of his shells... seems to make them much tougher...
DrP
That trick does work, especially for bashers. Haven't done it on the Range Rover though as the slow speeds don't hammer it as much and the extra weight up high won't help. Does help I like the 'used' look on crawlers.
I’ve just stuck a Hobbywing 1080 crawler ESC in my Scale truck, and it’s waaaay better than the stock ESC (Carisma scale).
You can really easily programme different settings..
Much ‘calmer’ throttle response, and 50% reverse speed are FAB!
Same in mine actually, it's so much more controllable. I've also upgraded the servo to a high torque one so it can now push itself off rocks when stuck in a gully etc. Wheel weights and some chassis weights are the next upgrades when funds are available. I've also got a plan for the shell now it's suitably scratched and scraped.
The nice thing about the crawler idea, to my mind, is that it feels like with a bit of creative thinking one can come up with/create great places to drive them very easily.
You can use them literally anywhere compared to a fast basher or speed car. I have my Katana permanently in the boot of the car and it's so easy to just have a play on a bank, bit of loose ground or woods. You can have fun in a space a few metres square with the bonus that the batteries last for ages.
I shall try that, thanks.
£48 for a new Arrma body is waaay too much, I'll see if I can find something cheaper and reinforce it.
In terms of RTR vs Build. I have mixed memories of "helping" my dad build a 1980's Tamiya. If it's complicated; which means you're having to really read the instructions and take time over the steps than I know for sure that my impatient 7 year old isn't going to "help". Instant gratification and all that.
Having said that when something broke he was happy to help and showed an interest but total time to fix was probably less than an hour.
So the big thing about the Sca1e, in all of its variants, is that it's a really lovely scaler but it's not a massively competent crawler. Small wheels and high weight are big drawbacks, so it'll often fail to go places that a £150 FTX Outback will go without breaking a sweat.
(the same's true of the TRX4, it doesn't have the little wheels but all that beautiful plastic and the other bits of complication put the weight up really high)
So there's a big "what do you want to do" there. My crawler loses out big style on the looks- the wheels are a little out of proportion and it's got a light polycarb body that just looks toy-like, and the underdrive and all-fixed diffs and how the suspension's set mean it doesn't drive "right". It always looks like a toy. But it looks good enough for me and it's a hugely capable crawler- the centre of gravity is super low, and there's no frills, no complexity, everything's just chosen to make it crawl well. And I love it but another person might well never be happy with it. I love how the Sca1e looks but I couldn't be happy when playing with it.
DrP
Full MemberI’ve just stuck a Hobbywing 1080 crawler ESC in my Scale truck, and it’s waaaay better than the stock ESC (Carisma scale). You can really easily programme different settings.. Much ‘calmer’ throttle response, and 50% reverse speed are FAB!
Awesome innit. Just need to be careful with the radio settings as you can overlap and have conflicts- basically having 2 bits of electronics with lots of options can clash. Even the 1040 is good kit but the 1080 is so damn good and it's not even all that expensive.
TBH just about every crawler ever made benefits from better electronics and a more powerful servo. It's a bit off tbh, you can get a really competent 20kg servo for buttons but they still keep putting crap into really expensive trucks and the difference it makes is just vast- especially with good stiff steering parts so you're not just bending plastic. Combined ESC and radio is a ****'s trick that people keep on doing too.
Kevin Talbot does a trick…shoe goo and plaster tape on the inside of his shells… seems to make them much tougher…
DrP
I did this the other week on a basher body. It was triggered by a need for repair but most of what I did was to reinforce areas that aren't (yet) damaged. With plasterboard tape and shoe goo it was dead easy, like utterly foolproof easy, and I suspect the impact is big. I intend to do it at the outset on future shells. I even painted a bit black to stick on (spray glue) as a bit of window netting, just to see how it looked. That works too.
+1 for this. I know Kevin Talbot uses hot glue to stop the tape sliding around as you apply it, but I've found that if you give each piece a single smear of shoe goo and then give it a couple of minutes before touching it again it works just as well.
From what I’ve heard the shocks might need a little fettling to get them performing well but otherwise I think they are supposed to be fairly solid.
In my experience every RC that comes with oil shocks needs a bit if fettling to get them going when new. The Bugsta needed the preload setting up as it was too soft at the front and too hard at the back while the Carisma came with very little oil in the shocks so they stuck at full droop plus the preload on each was too hard. Adjusted it down to 40% sag and some 350wt oil and it was spot-on.
So the big thing about the Sca1e, in all of its variants, is that it’s a really lovely scaler but it’s not a massively competent crawler. Small wheels and high weight are big drawbacks, so it’ll often fail to go places that a £150 FTX Outback will go without breaking a sweat.
There's a V1 and V2 of the chassis, the main difference being how high and where the battery is mounted. Easy enough to convert to V2 but that version is a lot better and ripe for upgrades hence why I got one.
Came across this on an RC car forum... pretty clever stuff. Yutani Chainsaw Trike with rider
Awesome innit. Just need to be careful with the radio settings as you can overlap and have conflicts- basically having 2 bits of electronics with lots of options can clash. Even the 1040 is good kit but the 1080 is so damn good and it’s not even all that expensive.
I have got a spektrum dx3.0 that I was using to kinda alter the throttle progression and end ppoints etc etc, but the kids broke the trigger, and can i bloody find a replacement ANYWHERE??!! NOPE!
So now i'm running the stock (basic) carisma controller and the 1080..
Just today I ordered some new wheels/tyres for it.. Duratrax deepwoods.. get pretty good reviews.
I know what you mean about scale looks vs crawling..
I guess I'm after a 'scale crawler' here, with the limitations it has.
The proper crawlers are NOTHING like real cars are they...but are amazing!! I quite like the truck looks!
DrP
EDIT - i too stuck a 20kg servo in..much faster and stronger!