I bought my son an Exceed drift king for his bday... It has issues where it just jerks and sputters with both the included battery(gens 2000mah nimh) and a different battery I ordered (3800mah nimh) .... The company is sending me out a new esc to try and fix it but Im already wanting one for myself

So......
I want a decent brushless Lipo setup, budget is around $300

I would love a 1/5 scale but those are expensive.

I see nitrorcx has 1/8 scale trucks and short course trucks ...RTR for around $300 made by Iron track and Exceed and wondering if one of these would be a good choice?

Im a bit leery as the Exceed drift king I ordered my son had issues out of the box- but then again the price was right and everything seems high quality for the price.

My biggest gripe is the lack of documentation- its already daunting for a first time RC car buyer- but then it only comes with an exploided parts list, and a quick start sheet for the transmitter telling you how to set the failsafe but doesnt explain any of these functions or even tell what the knobs/lights indicate or do.
I just cant afford a traxxis or anything like that.
I just need a decent budget on/offroad vehicle that will support Lipos and is brushless with a good brushless motor that will have the thing moving fast.

Would like good speeds on the street but also some offroad ability so not sure if I should lean torwards an offroad truck or something like a short course truck or truggy.

Ive read that out of all the exceeds - the short course chassis was the most solid- (read this a couple different times but they didnt elaborate why) so wondered if this is true?

Also- 1/8 vs 1/10 - Is there any pros and cons I should consider? I would assume the 1/10 scale is more common and would be easier to find parts at local shops but are there any other pros or cons of 1/8 over 1/10 scale?

I plan on buying in a couple weeks when I get my tax refund so that me and my son can play around with our RC's and just trying to get an idea of what to get.

Thanks

I would go with something from one of the larger companies. They will be easier to service and support will be more abundant.

As for starting, 1/10 is about all you will get for around 300$ I would skip over any more exceed vehicles. They are not known to be high quality and you will probably have more problems with then vs other vehicles.

1/10 will be better it is most commen and easier to get parts for. my personal favorite out of all the rc cars i have driven is my stampede 2wd brushed was decent fun in the street because you can ride wheelies. then when i went to brushless (i did not use the traxxas setup i used cheaper one that works really well) i can barely keep front wheels on the ground. not many rtr's come with lipo but you can use lipo with any just by using lipo alarm. sounds like you might want a traxxas slash or traxxas rustler. and as long as you know how to solder it is much cheaper to buy brushed and upgrade

2wd brushed traxxas is about $200

There are good losi rtr 1/10 scale platforms around 300 usd. Losi is one of the commonly used brand and parts availability is not a problem.

Those exceed madbeast 1/8's although cheap exceeds seem to really take a beating..These guys are trashing theres lol...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfwMAL9heqo
I know parts wont be as easy to find but I wont be nowhere as hard one mine if I get one.
Brushless and come with 2 lipos for around $375
Heres one that seems to hold its own well against a traxxis that was converted brushless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYeejn6ytRs
Heres nitrorcx's video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuwvj022jdg

Seems decent for the money. I know its no traxxis but if I go with a traxxis I will have to go with a smaller scale 2wd brushed.

What do you think? Is all the exceed hate from personal experience or just word of mouth?

i just hate their $7 shipping cost from their los angeles warehouse to my house that is an hour away. otherwise i had a 1/18 crawler that got thrown into a wall broke and got replaced by a tc4. they aere tough ill admit that

Ive been reading reviews allday and looking at 3 trucks.
Exceed madbeast .....$380
Redcat Earthquake 8e............$330
Integy i8MT 4X4 Brushless ......$220

All the exceed reviews are very positive. Seems well built and fast but the most expensive. Comes with lipos. Ive read its very similar to the savage so wonder if parts are interchangeable?
http://www.nitrorcx.com/03c503-re-ma...brushless.html

The redcat reviews are also very good. Seems as fast as the exceed and heard it has much better customer service and parts availability, also comes with lipos. Dont like its stance as much as the exceed but its $50 cheaper.
http://www.rcplanet.com/Redcat_Racin...ke-8e-blue.htm

The Integy has only one review on there site and couldnt find any others searching google. Found a couple youtube vids and they seem quick. I know Integy makes some good aftermarket parts but for an 1/8 brushless monster truck for only $220 shipped it has me leery. Also it doesnt come with battery.
http://www.integy.com/st_prod.html?p...5#.VLq9rC4l82I

I would love to get a traxxas or something with proven durability but want as big and as fast as I can get for the money. Im really wanting 1/8 and brushless but may consider 1/10 brushless.

What do you guys think?

integy is crap for the most part. i would vote redcat because amazon and online hobby sites carry parts for it. as for the exceed it may be a clone but on clones sometimes they will put small differences in parts so you cant interchange parts but idk about the madbeast

I still hold the belief that you should go with a more upmarket company, and settle for a smaller car.

The standard for 1/10 brushless right now is a slash or stampede. There are reasons people go for these over a cheaper larger vehicle from another brand.

if he knows how to solder then it opens a whole new range of options. ecx and arrma seem to be pretty durable also i still vote for brushed and put a hobbyking/hobbywing/neewer type of combo in and its cheaper

I can solder but would need to buy soldering wire...

Havnt heard of ecx or arma... are they kits you build?

Im not against going brushed then upgrading. I just dont understand all the brushless motor specs and esc compatability, if other things would need to be swapped/upgraded to support the new motor...etc.

Just figured it would be easier to go brushless from the start even if the motor was not top grade.

ecx and arrma are just cheaper priced brands but i know from experience the ecx circuit is durable for $150 it is 1/10 2wd car. if you do go that way we are here to explain. check out the brushed ecx cars buy one if you like it. it will cost about $100 to go brushless with lipo maybe a little more but it is more name brand

I'm new and really don't want to hijack the thread but I have the same questions. Looking for a 1st RC toy to play around in my yard etc. Needs to be waterproof(snow) and 4x4. Love the Stampede but was told it's hard to drive for a beginner. Not a big fan of the Slash looks but was told it's easier to drive? I have a $500 budget. Thanks in advance and sorry if I hijacked this!

For starting off I would go with something 1/10