brett309

Some people buy Nitro cars from a shop but some want to build their own car. These self build kits provide hours of fun and when they are finished they are actually fun to use. I also like to buy an Unbuilt Nitro radio controlled car kit and then work on it. What do you like?

RAlmeida

iTrader: (2)

Any self respected racer will never buy anything but a KIT, RTR are for newbies.

packerbacker

iTrader: (4)

RTR is a killer of the true hobby.

goszu

Interesting statement.
Could you elaborate ?

tak4

I respect your opinion but i kind of disagree. A year back we were having a 1/8 buggy race. A bystander was really interested but had no experience with the hobby.

He got persuaded to buy an RTR Kyosho Inferno. It was newbie friendly and almost had everything he needed to race.

He broke in the engine the day before the race and competed with the rest of us. There were only 8 racers in his class and he finished sixth. He had plenty of fun and is one of the most active racers today.

Yes he has now upgraded his ride but even he admits, if it was not for that RTR he would never get into the hobby in the first place.

speedy2

iTrader: (1)

RTR can be cheaper at first
but soon due to lower quality of parts, problems occur that can scare away new drivers too, when they have to look for a solution and they can't find parts easily
on the other hand, they can learn a lot too during this fase

Roelof

RTR is like spam, we all do hate it but it does reach a lot of people and with less than 1% reaction it is keepng the business alive or in our words the clubs and competitions.

Herrsavage

RTR's are necessary. Yes, having been in the hobby for a while we all know that of course a kit is better - not only just better quality, but better value for money.

But the difference is price is vast. For many people just getting into RC, 500 bucks for an RTR toy car is already insane. Double that(if not more) for a kit with all the goodies is flat-out not an option. 500 bucks for a toy car is a lot, but a grand is REALLY a lot of money for a toy car.. So afaic it's unrealistic to expect people new to the hobby to always go that route. Even though in retrospect most of us know it would be better. Just one of those things..

And for bashing, some RTR's are great. The best RC I've ever had is an RTR LST2 - and I still have it and it still runs great six years later. Not many RC's last half that long.

They all have their place. Except 10th scale electric SC. RTR or kit, those are just gay.

banana rt

RTR for newbee - kit for pro OR newbee

mberta2

iTrader: (6)

I started with RTR. Wasn't sure how deep I wanted to get into racing. I had been bashing for 15 years. Now I sold off all of my bashers and have strictly two racecars. Ya I spent alot of money upgrading my RTR, and I still am upgrading it, but I raced all last season and really enjoyed myself. I learned alot about the racing side of the hobby. Keep in mind that rtr really does keep this hobby going. Hobby shops, be it online or the old LHS, sell more rtr to non racers therefore paying the bills and keeping the doors open for us. So I wouldn't be so quick to bash the rtr crowd.

goszu

I totally agree. And there are lots of people buying RTR-s and upgrading them to race ready vehicles keeping this business going. I am one of them. And I would not be here posting on this forum if I haven't bought my first RTR. The KIT price was too high for someone who only wants to try to get into the hobby. And to be honest - I have bought another RTR to try something different. If I like it I will upgrade to KIT version or buy a KIT for parts and enjoy. Upgrading is also part of the fun for me and part of the learning curve

Herrsavage

There's more to RC than racing.

Frank L

iTrader: (148)

I have seen guys with rtr cars lap the field. Person I really enjoy the build. But lately I don't seem to have the 10-12 hours that it takes to build them. I do like it when the companies offer prebuilt kits (not rtr) like losi, Mugen, and now kyosho.

Roelof

True, but without that "more" there is no racing at all.

Ambition88

RTR's are great for those who want to get started and its added a whole new dimension and demographic to RC. If it wasnt for RTR's I would never have bought my Kyosho Tracker and my Duratrax Maximum ST and gotten into RC. Now i love building kits and have gotten into high end 1/8 nitro buggys and never looked back...but if it wasnt for those RTR's I started with i would have never gotten to this point. Another factor is price point and age. When I was a kid i could have never afforded a competition 1/8 scale kit and wouldnt have had the skills to build it anyway. RTR's are cheap and easy to get started in RC, regardless of age or income.