Liko

Looks like a pretty happenin' place around here.
Lemme introduce myself: I'm getting back into the R/C world after building my first car about 5 years ago. I'm a Tamiya kit fan; first kit car was a McLaren Mercedes MP4/13 (definitely a track-only car) and now I just finished assembling the 2002 Team Vodafone AMG Mercedes (not the new one; the TL-01 chassis) that should be a little more suited to sidewalk practice without having to sweep and polish the concrete .

My kits stay pretty stock; my first one just has a Rooster ESC, Futaba Magnum Jr radio setup and the kit motor running off a 1500mAh Duratrax battery (which gives me more than enough speed and run time). Don't have the guts for the second kit, but the only change in what I buy for this new one is probably gonna be upping to a 1800-2000mAh pack (best my peak charger can handle, and I don't have the werewithall or inclination to get a new one yet).

One of my questions for y'all is, is there a class where a stock kit car like mine would be at least marginally competitive, or do even the base classes see more "super-stock" motors and high-amp packs?

Also, just my opinion on the "dumbing down" of R/C, but there's a place for everything and everyone here. Some people spend a year building a 1/4 scale R/C regatta sailboat practically from scratch. Some people get a kit and trick it out for competition or just for the extra hands-on stuff. I personally like the hands-on kit-building experience, but considering my kits out-drag my real car without any hop-ups, I'm in no hurry to trick them out with modded motors, high-draw packs, and $300 speed controls, especially when one good crash can destroy it all. Hey, I'm not even a big fan of soldering on batteries and motors a la Super Rooster; gimme the connectors anyday. And then there are some that just wanna tool around in the backyard. I think that's cool, but most RTR cars worth scratch cost more than my kits. I'd be ecstatic if someone gave me one of the glow off-roaders I saw on the repair counter of the local hobby store yesterday, never mind how it works.

Anyway, soap-box moment over, this looks like a really cool place I can come with questions and personal triumphs. Just remember there are casual hobbyists around too

Entropy

You need to get hooked up with your local Tamiya series races, if any.

Liko

Cool. I'll look around. There's word of a new R/C warehouse going in somewhere around here, run by one of the local shops. While I was talking to the shop owner who's working on it, though, he told me that Tamiya kit sales (certainly the on-road electrics) are fading in favor of off-road kits by brands I hadn't heard of before. It's a farming/college town, so people like dirt races and monster trucks more than on-road. But, this guy's gonna have both types of track, so I'll keep my hopes up that there are a few more guys running at least 4WD Tamiyas.