Beginner RC Car for Teens

furyou on 22/12/2021 - 22:48
Last edited 22/12/2021 - 22:53

We've had no brand random RC cars from kmart etc. We've built a tamiya kit and it was a little underwhelming.
Looked around the 'RC World' and saw rec's for brands like traxxas, Arrma. Those starters are the 300-500 range.
Saw a lot of other brands on local hobby stores. But 70% of whatever's listed in those stores are sold out or preorder.

Saw a bunch of bangood stuff here. Lots of weird China brands. Don't know what's good or copy of copies.

What can I really expect from different brands, for just local play? No comps, will eventually need to buy 2 to play together.
Already have a good multi-charger, also don't like that many RTR come with a crap battery & crappier charger.

What would you recommend in considering for choice? What should I look at or avoid?

Toys & Kids

Comments

  • keo on 22/12/2021 - 23:32
    +1

    RC cars are not as popular as they used to be and can be a very expensive hobby with all the upgrades and broken parts. Can usually find a good deal on Ebay/Facebook/Gumtree. I would look for a well known expensive brand with lots of spare parts, lots of people spend big then get out of hobby. For new stuff and batteries I'm a big fan of https://hobbyking.com/ As far as what to choose, start with basic decent buggy or race car RTR depending on what they want. Let them break the cheap stuff first and then save up for the good stuff if they are actually interested in it. I used to be a big fan of Traxxas but the cost has turned me away from hobby.

    Have you considered drones at all? Can still get very expensive but at least might be a useful skill to have in future.

    • furyou on 23/12/2021 - 07:28

      Drones are like escooters. Hardly legal anywhere.

      RTR range so far, from $100-1000+. Now I don't know if it's price=quality, or if the China ones are better value (like lego clones) or just crappier (like electronics)

      And I dread the idea of needing spare parts and repairing them!

  • [Deactivated] on 22/12/2021 - 23:34

    Losi 5ive
    Rovan Baja if your budget doesn't go that far

  • wombat81 on 23/12/2021 - 06:00

    Depends how much you want to spend but the cheapest I'd buy would be a HBX 16889a Pro for around $180. Very robust, parts available, brushless motor.

    • furyou on 23/12/2021 - 08:17

      saw this one in store
      https://www.jaycar.com.au/1-12-scale-remote-control-high-spe…
      38kmh

      my current probably 20kmh

      And I can break 3 vs buying a $400 one.
      Would a $400 one last 3x as long? Or have other benefits?

      • wombat81 on 23/12/2021 - 10:01

        I suspect spare parts, extra batteries etc wouldn't be available for the Jaycar car. You're better off spending a bit more for something that is maintainable. The HBX I mentioned should be as durable as a $400 car, but won't have the handling and performance. It's also 4wd.

        I've owned a few Wltoys and while the 144001 is a great value little car, it's not robust, breaks easily, the brushes motor and each have overheating issues. Great for upgrading but not a great basher.

        If you want something for general bashing that won't break, goes fast and will handle most terrain, good battery life, parts available without paying too much, the HBX is the go.

  • apsilon on 23/12/2021 - 06:45

    What exactly are you after and how much are you willing to spend? You say you've already built a Tamiya kit and it was underwhelming. In what way?

    • furyou on 23/12/2021 - 07:50

      THe Tamiya was quite slow. 1/10 stock buggy cost maybe 350 all up.
      Even compared to a kmart $90 rtr , the 1/14 rtr was faster.
      The build itself wasn't so complicated, so it didn't really reflect an amazing experience in itself.
      It's bigger, seems stronger, so runs in slightly longer grass. Still gets stuck sometimes.
      Crashed and broke a bit off the shocks, lost it. Not very durable.

      I went to jaycar etc and looked at some rtr they have on the floor, and these $150 ones seem much faster than the Tamiya.

      I mean great that a kit I choose my own battery & charger, now I have that. Not sure what's next.
      Budget under 500 cuz we're not going serious. But only if there's value in it. Ie is the $500 one 5x better than the $100 one?

      eta found the rtr we have
      https://www.amazon.com/Fast-Lane-XPS-Scale-Control/dp/B01K26…
      It says it runs 20kmh

      So I guess the Tamiya stock is around that.

      Many rtr in hobbyco etc say 35kmh at least. Then on rc sites, 50+

      • pharkurnell on 23/12/2021 - 09:41

        So speed is all important?

        • furyou on 23/12/2021 - 13:00
          -1

          what makes you say that?

          • pharkurnell on 23/12/2021 - 13:58

            @furyou: Your opening 2 lines about slow and faster to start with.

            • furyou on 23/12/2021 - 14:02

              @pharkurnell: sure, I'm not going to buy a new car that's slower than our 10+ existing rc cars. It really needs to do MORE than what I have. Otherwise I have it.

              • apsilon on 23/12/2021 - 14:14

                @furyou: If you already have 10+ cars I'm not sure what you're expecting to gain from buying another entry level car. Perhaps look at upgrading one or two of the existing cars? Maybe take another tack, eg if you only have offroad look at an on road car. Or instead of trying to make something faster make it slower and look at scale crawlers.

                • furyou on 23/12/2021 - 14:18

                  @apsilon: cuz they're mostly $30-80 toy indoor cars you get as pres year after year
                  Only 2 can run outdoors

      • apsilon on 23/12/2021 - 09:54

        At that price it'd be a 2WD buggy. Build doesn't differ that much between brands. 4WD would be marginally more complex. Tamiya kits still come with brushed motors, commonly the classic "silver can". There's nothing stopping you from swapping to a brushless motor, compatible ESC and lipo battery and it'll go much faster though you should also adjust the gearing to match your motor choice. Of course the faster you go the more damage is likely when you crash.

        Breaking parts is part of the hobby, especially if all you're doing is thrashing about and crashing. That's why spare parts are available. Some brands, typically more aimed at being a toy, spare parts may not be available or may not be easily available. Tamiya will be available at basically every hobby store that does RC.

        There's a heap of decent brands. Tamiya, Traxxas, Kyosho, HPI, Lossi, Arrma and a heap more that I'm probably not aware of. Might be a good idea and look around at what's stocked locally so you can easily get parts without having to order online. Keep in mind also that right now a heap of stuff is hard to get due to slow logistics and that includes RC stuff.

  • iamherenow on 23/12/2021 - 07:27

    Wltoys. I have an old a979. Fast. Robust. Cheap parts. There are probably better wltoys models now. If you want two, just buy three and have spares.

  • MadKaw on 23/12/2021 - 09:27

    My boys had Quanum Vandals from Hobby king - 1-10 scale 4wd offroads. They are the same cars as some others just rebranded so parts can be found local. They raced them at the local RC club for a couple of years and did very well in the novice class.
    https://hobbyking.com/en_us/quanum-vandal-1-10-4wd-electric-…

    • furyou on 23/12/2021 - 13:22

      Wow that's pretty cheap. I guess that's why I'm confused by the huge price range. I see it's the FTX Vantage which adds a battery & charger for ~$100

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 23/12/2021 - 13:36

    The Tamiya Wild Willy 2 can sometimes be purchased Pre-Assembled.
    I built my own, plus I own the Original (which was a more complex build).

    Good on the beach too.

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