thatdood

I'm new to the RC world and would like to get something better than the "toy" grade RC car/truck. Not looking to race but would like to have the option to upgrade parts at some point.

I would like to spend no more than $250 but I could go up to $350 if it was worth the extra money.

Things I'm looking for:

On road / off road
Decent speeds - something that at least has a top end of 35 - 40mph
Something with good handling
Durable
Electric
RTR

Thanks in advance

BuggyKing

iTrader: (17)

IMO on-road you will be limited to were you could run it were as off-road you can run it either. You can start out with a Traxxas Slash since the parts are readily available and truck is durable.

thatdood

Ok thanks. Off road it is. Is the Slash something I will outgrow quickly?

Odd

If you are wanting to run 4x4, the Slash is a good start, although I'd rather convert an RC8 4wd to an SC 10 4WD...

However, the SC10 is an excellent choice for a 2WD SC truck, the Losi seems pretty good too, though I have only watched it race, no hands on experiance.

Best thing to do is find out what people are racing in your area. No sense in buying into a class and not be able to run it because of lack of interest.

thatdood

What would most people recommend 1/10 or 1/16 scale?

No plans to race. This is more of a backyard fun type of venture. If I go with a Slash I think I want the VXL version. Of course I can save some money with 1/16 scale but I don't want it to be too small.

BuggyKing

iTrader: (17)

Probably could convert an RC8 but that will be pricey.

TocSin

iTrader: (51)

If I were you, I'd go with a 1/16 E-Revo VXL (often referred to on rcteck as a "MERV.") It's a bit of a Swiss Army knife and is capable on-road and off, and a ton of fun. It's also very popular with lots of aftermarket upgrade options.

If you'll be bashing around the neighborhood, the Slash is pretty bullet proof. That is what I started out with when I got back into RC. Lots of parts available for it and 10th scale short course will likely be ran at any race you go to nowadays. Best bet is to replace anything you break with RPM (a-arms, rear bearing carriers, etc.)

A very big plus on the MERV is 4WD. The slash is really squirrel'y on dirt with stock rear tires, especially with a brushless.

rcjoe99

i would go with the losi xxx sct or blitz there about 200 then u can drop in a brushless for about 100 bucks and u will be good to do anything

the only problem with the 4x4 is there is a lot of maintenance with the diffs if they start giving you trouble

Odd

I thought I saw somewhere that the RC8e could be converted to an SC10 4WD by replacing the suspension towers and wheels with SC8e parts and using an SC10 body. Not really any other mods needed... was a while ago when I found that though. Might have been misinformation too.

thatdood

Thanks for everyones response. I ended up buying a Slash 4x4 Brushless RTR truck model 6808 from the local Hobby Town USA.

Purchased a second battery since I was told it would only last about 20 minutes.

Anything else I should buy to get me started?

bigsimmo77

Tools, something to put them in, and a heap of super glue! if your learning to drive it,your gonna smash it and you want to be able to fix it!

Odd

Mike down at Mike's Hobby Shop told me about a trick using adhesive and fiberglass ribbon to reinforce the body to prevent it from cracking.

Apply the adhesive (like Shoegoo, or something similiar) to the underside of the body along lines and folds, and other problem areas like around the body post holes.

Then apply pre-cut fiberglass ribbon on top of the adhesive.

Smooth out the ribbon, and apply another coat of adhesive on top of that to allow it to seal.

Keep your new body looking... newish. :P

TocSin

iTrader: (51)

With the slash 4x4, be sure and do the two mods that are talked about online. The first is to wrap the driveshaft where it enters the chassis in the front with electrical tape and then heat shrink over it. You'll want it to only have ~1mm gap between the shrink and the chassis hole. If it is too tight, it'll chew up your heat shrink. This keeps some of the dirt and the big rocks from entering that hole and chewing up the driveshaft and tunnel. Also, cut a little L shaped piece of foam to cover the gap between the back of the drive shaft tunnel and the slipper clutch. That bearing on the slipper is notorious for going out and then chewing up the plastic slipper shaft. I installed a yellow seal Boca bearing and had pretty good luck with it. I think they also make an aluminum slipper spacer now to replace the plastic one.

The shoe goo and fiberglass tip works really well. My stock 4x4 body had more of that on it than there was plastic left by the time I retired it Be sure and use the white plastic body washers that came with it too. Those help to keep from having the body clip rip through the body in a nasty crash.

When you break something, replace it with RPM parts. They have an unbreakable warranty and are really tough. First ones you'll want to get are a set of A-Arms (same for front and back on 4x4) and rear bearing carriers.

http://www.rpmrcproducts.com/product...s/4xSlash1.htm

Have fun! That's the exact vehicle that started my addiction all over again. Gateway RC!

One other note. If you do decide to race it on dirt, you'll need to put different tires on it to be competitive. I'd go with ProLine Calibers or maybe JConcepts Goosebumps. Keep the stock tires for running around on the road or carpet tracks though, as a couple runs on asphalt will kill a new set of race tires. It's set up to be fairly tame and forgiving out of the box. Search for the Steve Slayden setup sheet and match that if you get better and want to race it. That setup has a LOT more steering, and does well on the dirt, but is more "twitchy" and less forgiving.

They sold you a charger too, right? The stock one takes forever. I started with an Onyx and handed it down to my kids. I did the dual Onyx 240 that will charge both batteries at once, but it's one of their more expensive ones. The 210 is a cheaper and capable single battery charger. The 230 will also charge LiPo batteries which you may eventually get in to. Just make sure, when getting a NiMH charger, that it's a 'peak' charger, and that it has an AC plug (unless you already have a 12v power supply.) Many RC chargers run off of 12v only.