Damn Traxxas for intruducing RTR
 

Team Associated recently eliminated the SC8e kit. I really do feel that building your car is what makes you take pride in racing it, driving it, or fixing it. You learn how the components work, how solid the materials and screws are. I know most of us built our first RC cars at a young age, myself was a Tamiya Frog in 1983. I've been in and out of the hobby ever since.

But I've never, ever bought a RTR car. I guess it makes sense for kids with a local track that just want to get into the hobby but even so, I believe it'd be better if the entire traxxas and HPI lineup was all kit form. Each car would be unique and those whom can't build their car right, can't run yours off the track. :lol:

It makes me sad when I go into a "post pix of your SC truck" thread and all the trucks have stock bodies and look the same....

I'm 31 for reference, so maybe I'm considered old around here. What are your thoughts on how RTR has changed the hobby?

Simply put it's made it easier for people to get into the hobby. Which in turn helps it grow. There's plenty of kits out there for you if you don't want an RTR. I'm not sure how building a Slash would make someone a better driver on the track.

Different strokes for different folks. How many people would have just done something else if they had to build a kit, figure out what electronics to run, buy all the ancillary gear like soldering stations and special tools etc? RTR gives a lot of people a chance to try the hobby for a pretty low time investment or monetary buy in. I was lucky enough to have some people in the hobby who gave me a ton of help and advice when I started. Not everyone is so lucky and reading internet forums will only get one so far.

On one hand it's great to get people into the hobby.

But on the other hand it doesn't teach them to appreciate ALL aspects of the hobby.

I missed most of the brushed motor days and i honestly don't think i would have enjoyed cutting comms and brushes. On the other hand, some people still miss that aspect of the hobby.

To each his own i guess, as long as i have somewhere to race and someone to race against.

It all depends on which hobby you are talking about. RTR is great to get people involved with the R/C hobby. Personally, that is not my hobby. Mine hobby is R/C racing. There are no more R/C racers and no more R/C tracks/clubs than before RTR existed.

If everyone had to build their real car in order to drive them on the roads, then there would be a lot less cars on the road wouldn't there?

My first car was an RTR, that I learned to dis and reassemble.

I often dis my first RTR car too. Piece of crap HPI. ;)




yes, I know that isn't what was meant by the quoted text

I started with a RTR to get into the hobby, but soon after I fell in love with R/C racing. I realized at that point that I could not do with a RTR what I needed to do to become competitive, so I found out the wonders of kit building, better controllers, esc's, motors, shocks, and a empty wallet. I think getting in the sport with an RTR is great, and it will lead you to better things.

I agree totally. I started racing, dirt oval, with a RTR Losi mini latemodel. The stock brushed motor didn't last long with a lipo, so that got switched to a mamba sidwinder micro with a 6800kv. The shocks leaked, so aluminum threaded ones were installed, the gear diff went out so a ball diff went in, etc., etc, etc. In the time I had the car it went through a major change. The only thing stock left on the car was the arms and chassis, but the chassis was drilled for a mid motor setup I thought up. I won a lot of races with it in the 2 years I had it. My first kit was a losi xxxcr, I love building kits. I just recieved my new customworks rocket electric latemodel kit in the mail, about 20 minutes ago. Once again I can't wait to start on it!

I am curious, did any of you start only because you could buy an RTR or would you have purchased and built a kit if no other option was available?

I can see how RTR can get people into the hobby but so did my RC10 and Tamiya Frog/Blackfoot.

Problem is, the companies are eliminating kits. HPI barely has any, Team Associated is in the process of discontinuing them.

RTR may get people into the hobby, but the companies are now charging MORE for kits. Its insanity.

We do the labor and you charge us more? It doesn't make sense. Its like the companies are pushing us towards RTR because they'd rather pay some chinese worker to put together the kit cheaper than it is to package a kit? I don't get it. The kits should be cheaper.


Perhaps its the fact that kids these days want instant gratification and parents are too scared to let their kid learn how to solder.

The fact that Tonka trucks are no longer metal says plenty I guess.

I worked in hobbyshops at the time the T-MAXX and RTR boom started. We had plenty of kits on the wall along with the RTR's, and RTR's outsold kits probably 50 to 1. People wanted something along the lines of Radio Shack "buy and play" car, just higher quality, with replaceable parts. Very few wanted to get into it as a "hobby", just more as a toy to bash around with. Pretty sure the number of T-MAXXs sold was somewhere in the MILLIONS of units, a far cry from many of the vehicles that are talked about on forums like this. There was once a stat that I don't know if it still holds up, but 95% of R/C cars NEVER hit a racetrack. Like another poster said, different strokes for different folks.

I went into a local hobbyshop with the intention of buying a good kit for my first hobby grade rc, but they didn't have anything I wanted in stock and ended up selling me on a RTR that I regretted buying within a couple of weeks. I didn't really know much at the time and was somewhat taken advantage of by a sales person who could probably tell I had some cash to spend on a new toy and really wanted to walk out with something that day.

Most of the hobby shops near me have tons of RTRs, barely any kits and basically zero competition grade kits. The shops just stock garbage. That is the biggest problem. Now I don't care as much, because I just order most things online and the shops that sell crap don't get any of my business.

I hear ya. Really enjoy building a good kit. I'd go to helis but I've already built 5 of those. lol.

My favorite part of this hobby is the build and making my cars stand out from the rest.