Hi all,

I stumbled across this forum and thought I would put in a post to get some much needed advice. I have zero experience of RC cars, but I have recently been introduced to the action via a mate of mine who owns two cars, one nitro and one electric. Both of these are off road versions and he took me along with him to a meeting of enthusiasts in Derby, Uk. I was amazed at some of the sights in terms of veriety of cars being used and think I may have caught the bug.

My friend let me had a go of each of his cars and I drew the following conclusions:

- Nitro cars are fiddly to start with and get up and running. He was forever tweaking something under the hood to get the car working properly and regularly had to wait for it to cool down. They are also very loud...
- Electric car was straight forward to get into the action, but he had a multitude of batteries to hand which adjusted the performace of the car and meant he could drive it longer.

I am now tempter to go out and get myself an eledtric RC, and it needs to be off road as I intend to take it our on fields rather than tracks. I have been told that when I get one I should expect to brake it fairly soon and have read a load of reviews on line and I am still none the wiser as to which car would suit me best.

I do not want to get a beginners car as I feel I will get bored of it fairly fast, especially when I start dualing on fields with my mate, so therefore I am interesting in getting a mid-level car.

Would you advise getting a kit and if so what should I be wary of? There seme to be hundreds of car types, some which can be improved with aftermarket modifications, some which are harder to get parts for...

Is there any internet shops you would recomend looking at, as my nearest model shop is about 30 miles away.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!

for a good car that can run good in fields id say go for a 4wd short course truck or a 1/8 electric buggy, some good websites to check out are towerhobbies.com, amainhobbies.com, stormerhobbies.com, horizonhobby.com

definitely go for a kit of you want a good durable car with all of the hop ups to make it even better! the good thing about rtr's is you don't have to pay as much but that is about it, whether your going to be bashing it or racing it a kit with your own selected electronics is always the way to go

good luck and welcome to this awesome hobby and rctech

Id go with a Losi SCTE either V1 or V2.. they are sold in rtr editions..stock tires will last you a few times out as long as u stay off the cement or asphalt..

Thanks all... I will have a look and see what I can find.

I love my traxxas slash 4x4

Did u like the one u drove? Get 1 like it, just a suggestion, but if I have my $0.02 then I'd say go 1/8buggy or truggy, like the team associated rcb8e or the hpi Trophy flux, awsome field trucks!! Or for racing if u ever wanna slam I on the track with ur buddy's

My mate a HPI Firestorm, but he had modified it considerablly from the original. He had put new motors, bigger batteries and alsorts... He recons that I should get the Firestorm FLux, but you guys have got me thinking about moving away from getting a buggy...

Man its a tough decision making your first purchase... Its a lot of cash to throw away if I get it worng.

gigawatt.. you need to get what you will like to run.. all i can say is.. I have made some big time mistakes in this hobby ..from junky high dollar radios and garbage chargers that everyone said was Great u gotta get urself 1.. UGH never never again..radio was a spektrum DX3R pro and charger was a ICE-w/ POJ at best..also some Big mistakes from reading FAKE REviews like the jammin sct e.. biggest pile to date.. Just some fyi.. sites remove negative reviews when they are posted and many have Fake testers that dont actually run the vehicle just write there BS .then it spreads and more FAKE reviews go rampid.. in this Hobby companies site overloads and (sponsored drivers) have issues when u tell the truth on How bad a product is..

I said the Losi SCTE because I have had mine since 2nd day out after seeing a friend running his on our track that had me hooked.. I have had mine 3 years of hard running crashing bashing speed tests..and only broke 1 rear A arm due to a Fire hydrent at near full speed like 48mph..

The choice is yours.. buy something ud like and makes u happy.. maybe take some time see if u can do some test runs at ur local track or basher area..

Dont just buy something to buy it and have one..

Thanks for the tips Bigdog! I know what you mean regarding the various reviews, not all are consistant and everyone has a preference... I suppose in that respect it is exactly like buying a real car... I dont intend to rush in and buy, and as well as the reviews online I have joinded a few forums to see what people are talking about.

People in the UK forums have been suggesting that I look to a HPI firestorm Flux, as based on my limited exposure to the sport the HPI Firestorm was the car that tipped my interest. I am going to another bash in a few weeks, so will have a look at what other people are using and hopefully pick up more tips.

Thanks for responding though, every comment helps.

HPI VORZA!!! Or the Losi SCTE.

The hpi firestorm as mentioned is a great truck, they are hpi.....what else could u ask for heehee

I'd go with the Losi SCTE. It's basically a 1/8 scale buggy dressed up like a short course truck. Very durable.

If you have no intention of hitting the track, there is nothing wrong with a beginner setup. Tracks slash has a ton of hopup options. I hear a lot of people describe their slash's as bulletproof. The mid/high level may even be easier to break as they are meant to push the limits of racing.

I have a less expensive Spektrum DX2 transmitter and a decently setup Losi SCTE - with a 2400kv motor.

A few days ago I found a bent steering link, but didn't know how it happened. Later my 12yr old son confessed that he hit a tree at full speed (on 4s). This is a huge impact. I am certain our Traxis bandit would have broke in several places with that impact - fortunately the Bandit isn't very fast.

Dave

OK I love my SCTE as a racer on the track but as a basher the exposed pinion and spur are a draw back. If I were running through fields and not much racing I would go Slash 4X waterproof parts everywhere and can compete on the track.