emerilnut

iTrader: (2)

True true. I was more talking about it from a popularity standpoint. I guess the 80's example I should have really used was the Grasshopper. Or what was the MOST popular car in that era?


HAHAHAHA. Good advice. I do have a section of my office shelves with bins already marked R/C... I'll just fill up those bad boys slowly.

Yes, she won't know about the upgrade stuff, but since the initial purchase is a "significant" one she'll have to know about that one.

emerilnut

iTrader: (2)

That's what my mindset was. Since I was a fan of the RC10, I was looking to pick up a B4.2 or B5.

But the price of getting into either one of those is higher than an RTR Slash. And the aftermarket support for the Slash is equal to or better than Associated. LHS can get me an RTR with 27MHz radio for $209. Seemed the best I could do for a B4.2 RTR is like $250 and a B5 kit is 220, but then I gotta get everything else.

I wasn't even thinking about Slash until I posted this thread. Now I'm all obsessed with it. However, I do still have reservations about the size of the thing. It's got 1/8 scale dimensions (wheelbase) for a 1/10 truck. And doing a buggy conversion makes it a 1/8 car? I don't really plan on racing it, but I know once I go to the local track, I'm going to want to try it out.

Cerevo

They're slower than 1/10 buggy and truck but they look really fun. There's a lot more bumping and stuff.
It's argued that they are less skill oriented since you can use the guy on the outside of the turn as a wall to push off of but i sort of disagree since you'd have to be good enough to get next to them anyway.
I'll probably end up with one at some point.

Cain

iTrader: (294)

how tied are you to buying new?

Reason I say that is you can find some really nice condition Proline Pro2s which the Slash as you probably know has some compatibility with. May be worth a look.

And on the cheap, you can sure find some nice battery packs out there with some really excellent C ratings from the likes of Promatch and SMC.

As for radio, I have to say for a cheap radio I really enjoy the futaba 3PL my daughter uses. I now have a 4PLS, but the 3PL has the features I like, and I like it is compatible with the antenna-less receivers futaba offers.

Lastly, for electronics, I have been happy with the hobbywing line of ESCs, can get some sufficient ones cheap, like $50 with a 6 month warranty.

4s losi

Just a note on the slash...there a great basher truck. There is millions of them around. You said you don't plan on racing but may give it a try...if you get hooked on it...as I did...the slash will not be competitive . Even a slash with every possible upgrade will get left in the dust by the more race oriented vehicles. Not trying to discourage you from buying one but if do see racing in your future you might want to look at some of the other trucks form losi, associated and tekno. Granted you will spend more money up front but may save you in the long run

emerilnut

iTrader: (2)

I'm not married to the idea of buying new. My first nitro car was a used one that I saw at an old LHS that is no longer there. Problem I have is finding a hobby shop that would have used stuff. The LHS in my area is a Hobbytown. Great advice from knowledgeable staff, but a small R/C section in that store.

What I need to do is head over to HotShots in a different part of town where they have a track, and I'm sure I'll see some used stuff there.

mx836

iTrader: (15)

Check out the used section on this forum!!! If you don't know what you are looking at, send me a link and I can try to let you know what everything is, if it's a good deal, in good condition, what you'd need to buy, etc. Plenty of good deals to be had there. I just feel that if RC is something you think you will do for some time to come, you will upgrade every single thing you buy to run a slash. I've never had one because they are junk IMO, but I have been into RC for almost 20 years off and on. I guess they are a good beginner vehicle, but that's really all that's good about them. And the 27mhz radio is outdated technology. If you were to ever race or drive with multiple other RC's, you will want a 2.4 system. A brushed slash with AM radio doesn't give you any of the great technology we have today with 2.4ghz radios, brushless motors, or LiPo batteries! Just my thoughts. Slash is better than nothing.

oPAULo

iTrader: (10)

I agree. My local track has a spec slash class but if it didn't I would have never started with one as my intention from the start was to race. They're great for playing in the yard though!

I've had nothing but good luck with the for sale forum on here. Got my son and I both a used RB6 off here way WAY cheaper than retail. Check the sellers feedback rating and have them txt you a few pics. I've bought all kinds of lightly used stuff on the cheap.

Cain

iTrader: (294)

yeah there are some gems out there. The big thing to look for as someone new is to find someone with great feedback and stands by there stuff.

In general when I pick up something used, I give it a full teardown and rebuild,replace anything not up to my specs and go. In general, probably 10 20 dollars of items if that and I have something that works excellent at that point.

emerilnut

iTrader: (2)

I've been in there but too many parts and not enough cars in there.

And thanks for the offer. I'll take you up on that.

Roger that. I was going to get the cheaper Slash RTR with the 27 radio and ditch the radio since I do have a 2.4 radio already.

brandon1116

iTrader: (1)

I have been through countless cars and trucks and if I could have done it all over again I would have started with a buggy and stopped with a buggy!! Other then my summit that's all I own!! You might laugh but don't over look the losi mini 8ight!! Those little cars make most short course trucks look silly on a track!!

Rabidtrout

You will need to take the receiver out of your RC10 and put it in whatever you get. You couldn't just get another receiver and connect it to your your remote. Not with that model of remote you have. I was just telling you because it kind of sounded like to me, that you may have been a little confused. Sorry if I misinterpreted that.

I will echo what everyone else is saying. The slash is the perfect beginning vehicle. They will take a pounding and have a TON of aftermarket support. However, I would look at just jumping head first into brushless/lipo.

You said that you were unhappy with the 4-5 minute run times of yesteryear, well, those old batteries have NOTHING on a good brushless lipo setup as far as runtimes are concerned. You will just end up kicking yourself the first time you squeeze that trigger with the brushless/lipo setup. And after 15+ minutes when LVC finally kicks in and you still have your grin on your face you're going to say "damn, why didn't I just do this to begin with?!?!?!"..

With lipo, you don't feel the voltage drop like you do with those old batteries. Where you get the full power for the first minute or so and then gradually fading to nothing after about 5 minutes. Lipos give you full power almost up until about 3.6 volts per cell (or whatever you set the low voltage cutout (LVC) at. That's not even getting into the power difference between the two.

bubbaslash

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like you like the Slash and you like buggies. Have you seen the Proline Pro2 buggy? It's based off of the Pro2 SCT. Good looking kit with the old-school rear-motor setup. Plus, it is a kit containing almost every upgrade that Proline makes for a Slash. Just add their aluminum caster blocks and any aluminum bulkhead for a Slash and you've got one tough racer/basher

MSgt

If you're getting a Slash with an a.m. radio, that thing has been on the shelf for a while. Traxxas hasn't put them in their setups for a couple years. I'd try and talk him down, as you can get one with the newer 2.4 ghz radio for the same price and toss it and the receiver on the shelf as a backup or to throw into a model later on for your youngster.

And whatever you get, get a lipo battery setup. I just upgraded my kids Stampedes for Christmas, and while at the hobby shop snagged me an Arrma Fury with a brushed motor. I put one of my kids new lipos in it and couldn't believe the difference. Almost a different truck going from nimh to lipo.

bubbaslash

iTrader: (1)

The Castle SV3 system comes with a 3800kv 4-pole motor. KV....K=1,000. V=volts. So KV=how many thousand RPM per volt. So a 3800kv motor with a 7.4 volt 2 cell lipo would theoretically give you 28,120 peak no-load RPM. Most manufacturers have listings of the KV for a particular wind of their motor. Most brushless 2wd motors are 2-pole. The 4-pole motors have more torque. The SV3 combo can be had for about $100. They offer a programming card for around $25 to dial it in. SPC has excellent lipos for a very fair price. $27 for a 5000mah 2S 40C lipo. We run them, and so do a lot of the people at the track where we race.