new here... my first car purchase.
 

hello everyone. this is my first post here. I recently bought a moderatley priced 1/10 scale elctric on-road car on Ebay for around $100 shipped. It's brand new and comes with the radio and battery/charger.

Check it out at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=300008981937

I already got some better batteries for it (McNair 3200 Mah).
What I'm looking for is anyone who owns this car or knows the company that manufactured it. and if there is anywhere to buy parts/accessories. overall I think it looks like a pretty decent car (nicer than the cheap crapboxes at radioshack anyway) But any input and/or info you guys could offer would be great.

thanks,

Steve :tire:

i have never seen this car or heard of the company in my life. however, it does kinda look like a Tamiya TT-01 chassis. i know it's not it, but it's similar.

It was listed under "smartech" for the manufacturer on ebay, but i think they just make the servos. I'm kinda worried cause I bought it on the 20th and i sent them an e-mail erlier today and have gotten nothing back. i ordered the batteries 6 days ago and i bought them after i bought the car. I dunno I'm sure its on the way but it sure is taking awhile.

Anyway, do ya think it'll be a decent starter car? I'm not looking to break any land speed records.

Later

Steve

it doesn't look that bad. if it runs like the TT-01 it'll be a good starter car.

get a esc though instead of that mechanical speed control.

thanks for the replies. whats the advantages does the ESC have and where would i go about getting it. you think parts from other cars would fit on this car (springs, steering components, bodies) ?

I imagine standard 190mm bodies will fit the car, I wouldn't expect any tuning parts apart from that manufacturers own spares to work on it. I do think it is a Smartech car, I've also seen that chassis rebadged as a Carson in Europe.

ESC's make throttle control a lot better, give you the benefit of braking, and should also let you run a faster motor (not sure that chassis would handle high power though).

It should be a decent way to get a feel for driving an RC car. Don't invest too much in it, it's potential is limited and your money would be better spent on a more capable chassis if you decide to take the hobby further.

Looks as if other 1/10 bodies and springs should fit it. Other parts though are going to be hard to come by. I do know smarttech does sell cars so it very well could be a smarttech car and not just the servos.

As for ESC it does alot. first it's going to make the throttle response feel more like a gas pedal on a car rather then an on/off switch to your lights. It will also give you more run time because it is more efficient in delivering the power. It can also give you more tuning options to your car via drag brakes and progressive thottle and brake input. And it is also lighter then all the mechanical stuff in there. So it's a very good thing to get. As for where you can get one, well you have local hobby shops, Tower Hobbies, Ace Hardware Hobbies, there is numerous places. I would only suggest Ebay if you know exactly what you want so you don't get scamed into getting something that you don't need or doesn't have what you need.

So good luck and welcome to RC Cars

hmmm... i don't want to sound negative but.... cancel the order.

I don't think you'll be very happy with it... unless of course you're just planning on it being a parking lot basher.

You probably won't get much support for it ie: spare parts.. etc.

You're best bet, if you're just starting out is to visit your local hobby shop...

They will steer you in the right direction whatever your goals are. If you are considering possibly "racing" in the future, you don't want to waste your hard earned dollar on that car and then ending up buying something different later.

Just trying to help - speaking from personal experience.

you get faster throttle respons, less resistanse, more options for motors, and longer run times. An esc far better than a mechanical one. Its also lighter because you get rid of the servo and all the other parts of the mechanical one. An esc takes up less space aswell.

here is my .02.

the ESC is a good buy for all the reasons listed above PLUS you can carry it forward to the next car you get. as for buying on ebay, i happen to be a fan of buying used (i do not do it much, but you can get some great deals). if you have a local RC track, consider going there to look for used equipment. you get to meet the seller and touch/feel before you buy. also, if you are looking to race down the road, the track will be a great source of info on what you may want to purchase, and again, you can usually find decent used stuff at a track if you're planning on racing.

Wow, this place is great. so many replies in 30 minutes. awsome. I was'nt planning on investing much into this car. Basically one of my buddies got a Team Associated RC10 RTR (i think thats what its called) which is nitro powered truck. and it does about 40mph or so. He loves it but he just keeps trying jumps and braking parts left and right. anyway he now needs new seals on the motor and the carb is out of wack. When i found out the fuel costs like $35 a pint i figured I would go electric. If this car doesent work out,, I'll definitley get one from a more reputable manufacturer. But for a first car I think it is a decent start. It's basically going to be a parking lot thrasher unless i can find some races around here. Well thank you all very much for the responses and i'll let you know how it turns out

later

Steve

the truck should be an RC10GT. and yeah, they are fun.

Hey Steve - Where are you located??? (City/State)

refreshed the page and saw the response...made me think.

if you're going to be bashing and want something that will last you a REAL long time with almost nil maintenance, consider getting a used novak 5800 brushless setup. this will constitute both a speed control and motor (though the older speed control will not handle 'racing' brushed motors. essentially this will give you pretty decent speed and end up saving you money by not having to replacement the moving parts that make contact (namely brush/springs/comm). if you can get a newer used brushless system, GTB, this will also support brushed motors if you race stock down the road.

tbeardmore- I'm located in southern N.H in rockingham county.

So I'm assuming that ESC stands for electronic speed control. is that run off the battery or is it a standalone unit? It sounds like a definite must buy.

gee-dub- Do you think the novak 5800 would work with this chassis? I'm not really thinking of upgrading quite yet, as I have yet to receive the car. But once I run a few battery loads thru it we'll see.

I Just wanna get the thing in my hands and get the battery charged so i can take it for a run. I would think that the manual will tell me exactly what kind of car it is and where to get parts. Does anyone know if Smarttech has a website or anything?

Anyways, thanks everyone for responding. Sounds like everyone here knows what they're talking about. These are some good forums you got here.

Later,

Steve