Ed M.

It's been a long while since I explored the world of off-road RC buggies. It was a great pass-time for me in the mid 80's to the early 90's - about a good 7-year stretch. My first car ever was a Taimya "Frog" that got heavily modified over the course of a year-and-a-half. Then I moved up to an RC-10 from Associated. That was the car that I stuck with for quite some time. It was awesome and I still have both today.

Lately I've been considering re-entering the hobby, but I've been out of the loop for so long that I'm not sure where I should resume and wondered if some of you here could steer me in the right direction.

At the time, the RC-10 seemed to be the ultimate 1:10 electric off-road buggy you could buy and the intriguing thing was that it was American made! Of course there was probably far less serious competition back then, and I'm sure times have changed a lot since the glory days of the RC-10.

Basically I'm looking for a superior quality, off-road pro-grade 1:10 electric racing buggy with a healthy after-market product offering. Back in the day the RC-10 was the iPod of off-road RC cars and there was a plethora of after-market "hop-up" parts available. Again, I'm not necessarily looking for the most popular off-road buggy, but rather the "RC-10" of the new millennium. 2WD or 4WD.

Then there is the questions pertaining to the accessories:

- Which electronic speed-control should be used?
- What brand batteries are best? Has the battery tech. changed any? Longer runs?
- Which radio? (My old one is a Futaba)
- Servos? (Back in the day I was using tiny orange Novac servos).
- Electric motor? (Back then I was using sprint motors from Trinity)

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Ed M.

BuggyKing

iTrader: (17)

It really depends on budget, cause it gets $$$. As far as the RC-10 it is out of date with today technology, but you can look into a Associated B4 buggy.

AndyMoore

iTrader: (64)

All 3 of the top tier 2wds are competitive. The B4 Factory Team, the XXX CR, and the RB5 will all work with the right setup. I would reccomend going to your local track and see what most of those guys are running. The best supported car is probably your best bet.

Ed M.

Well, at least one thing remained the same - the expense. Honestly though, you really can't put a price-tag on a hobby; especially if it's something you enjoy doing. In the beginning, the hobby was funded mostly via allowance money earned (from doing my list of chores) as well as money earned from various part-time jobs. Thankfully a lot has changed sine then and the $$$ aren't that much of a concern for me these days.

Basically I'm interested in the top car as well as the finest gear. Back in the day I couldn't always afford the "best". I pretty much laid out the basics of what I'm looking for to build upon. All that's left is getting some advise and maybe a few suggestions that I will be able to research.

Maybe we should try a different approach... Perhaps it's possible to narrow it down to what most enthusiasts consider the preferred or top three companies on the market, and rate their top offering.

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Ed

Ed M.

OK, I guess we can look at 2WD kit and then explore 4WD kit later on. I'm on my way out the door and will check back later.

Thanks guys!

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Ed

Scottmisfits

iTrader: (7)

As for cars, I'm partial to the Losi's but I have been looking at the AE B4. Not much support for Kyosho in my neck of the woods so It's not really something I'm looking at.

As for ESC's, I would go brushless. I am currently using the LRP Sphere Comp. It will do brushed and brushless.

Batteries, I have pretty much always liked the SMC's but I am thinking I am going to try the new EP cells, not sure from which matcher yet though.

Radio, I like the KO/JR radio. It's the same radio with a different name stamped on it. I am currently using the Futaba 3PKS and I find it very comfortable, easy to navigate and I get great battery life out of it.

I will have to say Futaba on the servo end of things as well. I have put the Futaba 9550 in mine. It's designed for the TC's but it's a little smaller in height. When it sits laying down in the chassis I think it pushes the weight a little more forward helping with the turning if you need it.

As for the motor, again, brushless. I am using the new LRP X-11 5.5. I think it's a little much. The 6.5 will be better suited to 2wd buggies.

AndyMoore

iTrader: (64)

Airtronics, M8/M11. It seems to be one of the, if not the most popular choice.

Definately a brushless setup, either the Novak GTB, or the LRP Sphere Comp(which I run) are the two best.

If you decide to go with an Airtronics setup, then I would say that the 94357 is the best option.

LRP Pulsar Comp 3 and the Checkpoint charger seem to have a number of features that most racers look for. They both also are able to charge LiPos, which will be very important in the coming years.

What area are you from?

MADMAN23

iTrader: (27)

maybe you should thank of geting a 4 wheel frive buggy.. like the b44 or losi xxx4 or sb pro or sbv2

Ed M.

Hey, thanks for all the input, guys! Andy, I live in NJ. I used to race every Friday evening at a place called B.I.R. Hobby Shop. I don't think it's there anymore. There was also a track in Bridgewater, NJ that a few of us used to go to on Saturdays every 2 to 3 weeks. Other than that my cars have seen lots of NJ shore terrain as well as NJ and PA forrest terrain as well as paved city streets and parks and parking lots. I've even raced them around a few large indoor warehouse loading areas when I was able to.

BTW, what about a reliable, bullet-proof receiver for the speed control and servos?

I'm looking at the LRP ECSs now...


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Ed

Ed M.

How do you guys like Trinity Motors?

Just curious.

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Ed

Jeff K.

iTrader: (18)

LRP esc are pretty good, but I went over to Novak. Easier to set up and program. For receiver, DSM would be the way to go now. Get a Spektrum module for your choice of radio, and you'll be primo.

Trinity makes some good stock motors. P2K2 and Monster, though I've had better experience with the P2K2. For mod and spec, Checkpoint makes the best brushed motors.

RBMike

For your radio & receiver, no matter what brand you choose, get spectrum. No more messing with crystals or finding an unused freq and best of all no more run aways.

Ed M.

Wow, you guys are pretty awesome! Thanks for all the info. PLEASE KEEP THE SUGGESTIONS COMING!!!

Anyway, here is what I've been reading so far as optimal choices for my 2WD kit:

Radio/Receiver: Futaba brand with a Spectrum module (Any specific brand module?) DSM receiver as an option. What's the advantages of utilizing a DSM receiver over anything else (just curious)?

Motor: Definitely Brush-less with LRP the suggested supplier. NO MORE BRUSHED MOTORS!

ESC: A LRP Sphere Comp Brushed and Brush less speed control (with a Novac optional ~ going once...hee hee.)

Actually, since Novac was brought up for an alternative choice for an ESC, It'd be interesting if someone here could provide a quick comparison to see where each has advantages over the other etc.

2WD KIT: So far I'm leaning toward the Factory Team B4 - unless someone else persuades me to take a harder look at something else.

Batteries: I've been looking at the new Lithium Polymer cells. Any thoughts on this? Suggestions?

And what about the digital-type servo for the steering? I'd hope to find a servo that balances reliability, durability, speed, torque, and travel (and perhaps be waterproof?). I haven't looked at any new servos yet and was wondering if any of the new digital servos offered any "adjustable" features like speed and travel*etc.

Thanks a ton guys!

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Ed

Jeff K.

iTrader: (18)

For steering you don't need the fanciest servo. I have a JR Z590m in both my B4 and XX-4 and I love it. Haven't had any major problems, one crapped out so I replaced it, and they're only 40 bucks from LPH, which is where I also recommend buying your gear. Cheaper than most stores and great customer service.

NJA82

iTrader: (33)

For a radio i would highly recomend the Futaba 3PM FASST spread spektrum system, i was looking into the 3PK but for the price the 3PM does ALL you will ever need and is very comfortable. Can pick the 3PM FASST transmitter and reciever up for around $180-200US which is a bargain, im so happy i bought this over the 3PK, even though im sure the 3PK is awesome i cant justify the price for features that arent really used.

Everything else you need the guys have summed up pretty much, if you are an AE fan than go the B4, it is a good chassis, im partial to Losi`s myself but have always been a Losi driver, its hard to change when you are a fan of one brand, i reckon stick with that path and you cant go wrong.

Be carefull when buying a Brushless set up, in a 2WD off road car realistically a 7.5 turn brushless motor ( equivilant to around a 12-13 turn brushed but with lots more torque ) is all you will need and will be stupidly powerfull, i know a lot of others use bigger motors but the power will make you actually slower as the car will just be plain hard to drive. My XXX-CR with a 7.5 turn Novak Velocity wheelstands out of turns on hard throttle and has enough top speed to chew up most straights without even winding fully out. Thats more than enough power IMO. And it is easy to drive with about 30-40% negative throttle expo dialed in.