Thanks for the advice.

I bought a dx3.0 for $160

TB03!! haha don't mean to jumble your decision but I would go with the Tamiya....The reason i went with them is because of the precision engineering in all their products from plastic models to R/C cars....I really respect the company and they been around for a loooong time...jap made babee!! GOOD LUCK with your decision

personally I wouldn't get the RTR if your going to further your interest in this field!! Just go to ebay....get the electrics 2nd hand ...sOoo much cheaper and if you get the right S*!t...your ride will be super quik...

SMART move, the tamiya cars suggested here dont turn my crank, i personally would not buy anything but a TRF tamiya car. Anyway the sweet thing with the cycloneS is you can later upgrade to full TC specs.

I dont care what car i drive, i always install a custom made wide front bumper to protect the front suspension.


They cyclone is based on a PROVEN pro level chassis and if what you read in magazines excites you, they you will be happy to hear that this car won the shoot out against xrays t2r a while back.

I have a lot to learn and so I am going with RTR and if necessary I can buy better parts and replace them in the future.

Cyclone S +1 for me.

Take it 1 step at a time... say kit today then charger, batts and so on and so forth.

Does anybody know what ESC is included with the Cyclone RTR? I need to know if I am going to have to replace it with one that can support Lipo.

the kit ESC does not have lipo cut off, but you can buy an inline cut off from novak and possibly others what will cut off at 6volts.

Would replacing the ESC do the job as well?

yes, either buy a lipo cut off, or buy an esc with lipo cut off.

personally id go for the latter, it will be neater if you go down the esc route.

ESC will be easier seen as I'll probably end up replacing it when I move on.

Exactly that reason too. by getting a brushless system in you are futureproofing your setup

Still not sure though whether I should go RTR or get a kit and build from scratch. If I get the Cyclone S with the new ESC will it be competitive or will I have to replace other parts for it to be competitive?

The Kit version of the Cyclone S is an easy build. If you've never built a kit before then you may want to get help from an experienced racer to help with the diffs, but other than that everything else is a breeze.

The RTR is a great start and the included ESC works fine for the closed end bell motors and probably up to a 27T brushed motor too. If you upgrade to a Lipo ready ESC you could sell the stock ESC to help pay for the new one.

The RTR kits still need to be checked for droop, shocks for spring preload and of course chassis ground clearance, but these things are simple.

It's just a guy said to me never to get an RTR because it won't be competitive. Anyways I guess not everyone can agree on that. I am going with RTR and will replace the ESC.