What is wrong with redcat?
 

I'm a complete noob in the hobby and before I bought my redcat I searched and searched everywhere on what rc to buy. I may be in a somewhat unique situation where I'm getting my whole family of 7 into the hobby where price was the most important thing to consider, but saying avoid redcat at all costs seems to be what from I've seen 75 percent of people say. Where a couple people in my situation (trying to get a hobby grade rc as cheap as possible) asked for advice on what to get for 150-200 were pretty much told to find used or sorry you are out of luck. I bought the blackout xte monster truck first. At 129 shipped and rtr minus 8 aa I couldn't see any other way I could afford to buy 7 rcs so everybody could have one. I was sick of buying toy junk rcs every year for Christmas. Ever since I was a kid I've always wanted a hobby grade rc but never thought I could afford it. I freaking love my redcats. I have bashed the heck out of them. I bought them for the 2 11 year old boys and being worried about how well the would last after all the hating on forums I tried them out to see if they were worth getting for everybody. I literally couldn't stop playing with them. I played with them so much that my girlfriend told me to keep one and she would take the other because they wouldn't pass for new anymore. Since then I've bought 2 more blackouts (1 brushed and 1 brushless so I could swap motors and esc's to make mine faster) and 2 volcanos for the 2 8 year old girls. I read that the volcanos have been around for a while and even though they cost ten dollars more each I thought they would be better for the girls since they are slower. I can tell the quality difference between the two. So trying to make a super long story not so long maybe check out their newer stuff. Being a total noob I admit I know nothing but maybe somebody who does know something can check one out. I have had no problems with mine at all. I have rolled and cartwheeled and done everything bad to mine that I can think of and the only thing I've had to buy is a shock cup? And a tie rod. Other than that the occasional popping the tie rod back on has been it. I saw an old post where a kid wanted a 150 dollar rtr rc for a school project and possibly getting into the hobby and other than one person mentioning redcat they were totally overlooked. The blackout has officially got my girlfriend and I into the hobby and possibly 5 more next generation hobbyists. I live in southeast Ohio and from what I can see the hobby is almost dead in my area. I know one older guy I used to work with that still does it and that's it. My moms neighbor used to be into it but last time I drove by his track was gone. In my eyes a good entry level rc for 129 bucks might be the best thing for the hobby since brushless motors or lipos. I never would have imagined there was such a nice rc truck to be had for that price.

Hi Djackson,I don't know anything about the Redcat except for what I have read,and until now, I haven't read anything nice.And about you being a noob, it seems you've learned the most important steps about r/c.Just go out there and have fun and bring the family.When I first started racing there was a three generation race team at the track and a brother & sister and dad race team.They didn't always race on the same day but they all seemed to have fun.

While it's seems to be improving, build quality was very inconsistent for a number of years. Few of us at my job bought 3 five years ago. 2 caught fire, mine ground up the rear diff within the first 10 feet of driving. Screws had not been tighten. Would have had to taken car apart to even have chance of seeing this.
Just never trusted it afterward. The other issue for some is lack of aftermarket support. Pretty much only Redcat, or the 3 or 4 other names they are sold under, makes parts for them.
Hey if you having fun with them great. That's what matters. You might get lucky and get a bunch without issues.

I had 3 24th scale redcats and they were decent. And there are plenty of parts available thru redcat. Stock and aluminum

Wow, 0 for 3? I see where you wouldn't buy one. There were a few reviews like that on Amazon where people had a lot of trouble right off the bat, which prompted me to try them out before buying a bunch. I will admit the volcano looks kind of sketchy once the body is off. It's been over a month since I hid it away for Christmas but I remember seeing the esc or something just held on with a sticky pad. The blackout to me makes the volcano look like kindergarteners designed it. On the blackout there is like a tray with a lid that holds everything in place. Everything to me looks well thought out except for maybe the way you set the gear mesh. You have to take half the rear end and move the motor mount in order to maneuver the motor, which changes the mesh once you put it all back together. Having only set my hands on the blackout I don't know if that is harder or easier than most. All I've done with the volcanos is plasti dip the body pink for my daughter and put it up so I know almost nothing about it. I would love for somebody who knows something about rcs to take a good look at a blackout and give an honest unbiased opinion. I like everything I see with it and I wonder if I will be disappointed if I spend 3 or 4 times the amount to get a good brand named rc or not.

Thank you. I'm excited about us all getting together and bashing and maybe racing if they are into it. There's almost nowhere to run them except for a small track at a friends campground 45 mins away and a club that has races in middleport Ohio (I think). I can't seem to find anything on their website on open practices or anything like that. I'm just going to have to go to their monthly meeting and ask questions. I'd really like to get them all into the hobby any way I can. They are getting close to the teenage years and I want to keep them close so they don't start growing apart from me. They all love their toy grade ones they have when I can keep them running and I expect their minds blown on Christmas. I plan on building a small track in the yard but we rent our house so nothing spectacular.

That is actually pretty normal, even for high-end racing chassis.

I've never owned, touched or even seen a redcat from up close. All I've read is that e.g. materials are poor. Non-hardened aluminium, bending (and later breaking) easily. So for bashing, durability might become a problem.

Racing... I don't know these cars myself, but usually cheaper cars have less options for setup changes. Also it can be hard to find racing setups (unless you have some experience and like to tinker and find out all about it on your own). Worst case would be that the design is so off, that you cannot get it to run well with setup. Also they might not fit into any racing class (again, not knowing these cars well enough). Plus the possible durability/quality issues mentioned above.
So while it's not impossible, it's sure a lot more work to get these cars going fast and consistent.

For starters they're ok - and much better than any toy RC from Walmart or such. But if you guys really get into it, you may want to upgrade one day, sooner or later.

same here.

I started out with a couple ExceedRC cars a few years back (I think made by the same OEM as Redcat since many of their parts are interchangeable). They were great at first, but became a real headache when I started having problems and the parts were hard to find, plus the customer service was non-existent. Like Billy said, the aftermarket does not support these brands, so they are rather limited in that regard. From what I understand though, Redcat has gotten a lot better over the years and people seem to like them a lot more now. It sounds like your experience with Redcat has been good so far and that's awesome to hear. They are very well priced vehicles for sure and as long as you're able to continue getting spare parts and support you need, that's what's most important!

this has got me thinking that a redcat might be a great starter rig. Just to see if the nephew is really interested in the wrenching around or he just likes to help me out. it sure is a lot more gratifying to fix them when they are yours. This thread has been very helpful,thanks.

Redcat parts are always available thru redcat or amazon. And they have hop up options for every rig they sell

I have had 4 or 5 rs10 crawlers a ground pounder a avalanche and another one so long ago I dont remember the name lol. Had very good luck with all of them. It was easy to order parts from redcat when I needed something, which was not something broken but something missing when I picked up a used one. My middle grandson sstarted with a rs10 crawler and has graduated to a hpi crawler king not because it is so much better but because I dont care much for moa rigs. Only part he ever broke was a servo mount and that was not the trucks fault. I've been really looking at the redcat everest for some new crawlers. Hard to beat the price and how universal they are.

Before I bought them I checked out replacement parts and most of them are on Amazon and all are on redcats website. I do love to tinker and also ordered a 3d printer so maybe I can make my own hop up parts? I have been looking for hop ups and haven't been able to find anything at all. I assume any esc, motor, and all that will fit the space in there will work, and I just have to find how tall the shocks are and find some that fit. That's where my limited knowledge comes in. What else is there? Differentials? Longer arms?

That's funny, the last rc I have to buy is for a 5 year old. I was thinking of an Everest 10 because I assume it will be a lot slower and he likes to see his giant new bright gravedigger climb stuff. Btw I have a brand new one in the box minus the battery, lol. People complain redcat doesn't have parts support. They should try new bright. Got the first one and one of the wheels didn't work, called new bright and they didn't even have any to get a new gravedigger, I told them I'm adept at working on toys and they told me to fix it. I did and the second time I charged the battery it exploded and the poor kid didn't have an rc for 9 months until we saw another 90 dollar one at Walmart. There was literally no battery's for that to be had.

What really made me make that post was a lot of people trash talk the company. I used the search function and typed in redcat looking for stuff people have done to their redcats and maybe some help on buying aftermarket bodies and stuff like that and almost everything I found was trash talk. one post where this person was asking how much participation his kid that's grounded should have while going to the track. Most were helpful but one person said "get him a redcat". That comment there was what got me going. People seeing that might be totally turned off by redcat. If I had seen tons of stuff like that before I bought mine I might not have bought them. Then I never would have been in the hobby. I'm really glad I did, even if they are sub-par.

The Everest is not the quality of an ax10 but at a1/3rd the price.......... Parts are available and cheap. Still nicer and better quality than the gearbest crawlers p401,p402and p601 etc.

Who cares? Are you having fun? Did the cars you already bought accomplish what you were looking to get out of them?

That is one of the problems with this hobby. A lot of people see everything that is not what they like as garbage or junk. Traxxas has brought more new people into this hobby than most other companies. The only company I can see being close to them in how many mew people they bring to the hobby is Team Associated with the invention of the RC10, and that was many many years ago. Any company that can manufacture and promote lower priced R/C vehicles that will get people into the hobby is better for all of us as hobbyists. You may have bought an R/C for one of the most naturally talented drivers to ever grace a drivers stand, but the price of top name models may have been keeping you from finding that out. That is where the brands like Traxxas, Redcat, ECX....... to name a few, really help the hobby grow, its just some of the "elitists" will never give that credit to them.

Aftermarket support is no reason to shy away from or choose a model, unless the goal is to build a model for racing. Bashing does not require many aftermarket tuning parts, some parts for reliability, some for bling, some for speed, but up until I started racing last year I never changed shock positions or camber link locations while bashing around parking lots and construction sites.

Buy what fits in your budget. Buy what makes you happy. You may find that some of who you are buying for does not enjoy R/C. You may find that one of them is a natural and then move that one on to higher quality kits and involve them in racing. But who would want to buy a $500 kit to find that out.



HAVE FUN. That is what this hobby is about. Bring the family, bring friends. Dont let anyone tell you that your way of entering this joyous hobby is wrong. It's YOUR way in, not theirs.

Yes redcat did indeed get 7 new people in the hobby. I don't see any other way I could have gotten into the hobby. I was hoping that people on this forum would back me up and I wanted people looking for information on redcats to actually see something good said about them. Thank you all for backing me up. I hope to see some of you in The years to come at some races. We may still be rocking Redcats!

Well said

Redcat, and companies like them, are a "double edge sword" for the hobby. Their price point tends to attract new people to the hobby, a good thing.

Their quality, and depending on the brand, parts availability can at times be a problem. Not many people research and educate themselves on what they're buying. Not realizing that these brands may not have the quality or parts support that the big names do. Leaving them with unrealistic expectations of what they bought. If they then have issues with a product, that in their mind they spent a ton of money on, they get frustrated with the hobby and quit. That's a bad thing.

You, Djackson, did some research. And even though you might not have found the user support for Redcat that you were hoping for. You at least educated yourself on what you were getting and set your expectations accordingly. The fact that Redcat, for you, has met or exceeded those expectations is a plus. The end goal is to have FUN! Your "fun" might not be the same as my "fun". But I'll help and support anyone who wants to be in the hobby.

What Racer said is spot on. Redcat is fine for your use case. Running it on a homemade track would be perfect. its really like a RTR vintage Tamiya to me.

A lot of people here have racing in mind so saying Redcat is good is like telling a competitive gamer, I'm a gamer cause I play angry birds.

Well said racer and quarter mile! I may not yet see a downfall in my redcats I do see a problem if I do get into racing them with aftermarket parts support. I ordered a blackout pro because my girlfriends son wanted blue and the only way to get blue on Amazon is to get the pro. That thing is waaaay fast! It may be a contender in some races! It has a 3800kv brushless and a 2s lipo from the box and it's ready for a 3s. I put the motor, esc, and steering servo in mine because her 11 year old would trash it instantly. It might do well on dirt I have no place to run it yet but on cement it rolls too easy. I have it lowered all the way and I'm playing with toe and camber to try and tame this beast. Has nobody seen these!? I want to start messing with it and I can't even seem to find a body. I completely destroyed my stock body the first time out with the brushless. Do I measure the width and length and go from there? When I was doing my research before buying I ran across a video showing the redcats are slightly different size than other 1/10. I also remember seeing somewhere "everybody has seen a volcano" and would assume there can be bodies bought for them other than the redcat ones. My blackout is the same length but not as wide. Anybody have any insight on bodies at least? I'd love to at least find a different body. Btw I've got a new motor ordered to put in his so it will still be new. I might give that one to my son and just leave the new motor out because he is more of a tinkerer.

:lol: Don't get carried away. Redcat is what it is. Good for entry level. Not so good for competition. Glad it's working out for you.

Hi Guys,

There are some good posts here, this is nice.

I have an XTE regular brushed and it's fun. I swore off RTR's many years ago, but this is different: it really actually, not-just-kinda, worked right; right out of the box. How cool is that?

The steering has some slop, but there's a guy on eBay that sells shim washers I didn't even know existed; mix with some cheapo offshore bearings for the posts and CA/teflon for the ball cups and...voila: more accurate steering. Even out of the box, though, it drove and tracked pretty well - I was surprised.

The tires balance easily and last quite awhile. It's noisy, but I haven't had any of the loose parts problems mentioned in some vendors' customer ratings areas. And, yeah, it's really waterproof! I haven't submerged it, but chugged through some pretty deep puddles and it keeps going.

The only thing I actually broke was a lower arm (buy more than a few extras when able) when I clipped a tire on a track wall corrugation. I also misjudged and ran it under the wheel of a moving trailer behind an SUV and all it did was bend the shock tower, pop a cap and squash a wheel - that's almost Traxxas tough. Well, the hood of the body needs some TLC, but...I massaged the wheel back into shape, refilled the shock and bought a new tower for $4.46 shipped - cool beans!

Motor temps on the street and gravel/weeds stay about 155-160F no matter the ambient temperature, but any grass higher than a groomed golf course shoots it up to 175 in about 30 seconds. It's a fan cooled 550, but I don't believe there's much air flow through the can-end inside the gear covers. For the yard, I'll probably go down at least one pinion tooth, maybe 2. These motors work real nice and barely break a sweat in 2WD trucks & buggies.

The radio is a very good budget system, too.

I think I want a different body mounting system for it, also, but haven't figured what would be easy & tough. I like reading these ideas about it.

One thing I did right off the bat was to carefully sand the hexes true, not axially, but to knock down some flash and warp; and to ream out the wheel holes very slightly. It was almost impossible for me to wrestle the wheels off when my joints flared up.

They ought to be in someone's Black Friday sale, like last year; so for $99, or so, shipped, why not? Also, Amazon has the RedCat/HSP/Himoto bodies on sale off'n'on through the year for like $10-15 each and I've gotten red, green & blue bodies, now.

One last thing until I can post some pics: the NiMh's that come with these are pretty good. Except for the old 3300's, rad shack & wally martoni packs never have seemed stout to me. These 3000's and the Racer's Edge 3300's are better batteries and are constructed accordingly, as mass packs go. Of course, making side-by-sides from them would be better, but I'm comfy just charging & running 'till they start to slow. They seem ok to sit in that state for a few days before using them again. If I ran them multiple times a day or put them in storage, I'd follow a more strict time-honored protocol, but they're fine as occasional use packs.

Bring on the stories,
:) Gene

I know what you mean gene! I really don't know what anybody could ask for especially for $129.99. Everything works and works well. I wish it was a bit wider but I read somewhere volcano wheels work well on them. You should see the pro in action. I'm having trouble getting the video of my first run with my pro uploaded but it's almost too fast! Especially with my lack of experience. I can't say enough good things about them. I may have caught redcat at the perfect time. They have a great truck. I can't wait until I get the last of Christmas done so I can get a 3s lipo for it. As soon as my video uploads I'll post the link but until then here's a video of the quickness of these. I can't post urls yet but if you search redcat blackout xte pro 3s street run you will see it.
This guy has a 3s in his but all stock except for the 3s and different wheels and the wheels are different because he didn't want to wear out the ones that come with it stock

Best post ever. FUN is the name of this game and it's too often forgot.

If you like Tyco, Nikko is better. If you like Nikko, hobby grade anything is better. If you like Exceed, Redcat is better. If you like Redcat, Traxxas is better. If you like Traxxas, Losi is better(I kind of disagree there...but the point is what I'm after). If you like Losi, Tekno is better. If you like Tekno, Mugen is better. If you like Mugen, XRay is better. And on and on the story goes. Sometimes it turns into a gigantic d/ck measuring contest.

The moral of the story; if you like something, you're happy and that's all that matters in regards to any hobbies!

Yup!

Mine are, but those top ears on the diff cases snap off if I catch a sign pole or brick corner. Luckily, they're cheap to replace, just a lot of wrenching.

Overall, I'm glad I got them. Unless you can snag a used AE or Losi RTR here on RCT, it's the way to get started in rc trucking.

One of them got the front run over by a car/trailer in the street on it's maiden voyage and I think that all that I've got to replace is the shock tower and a shock cap and a couple screws - how cool is that? (Ummm...not the accident, though!!)

I'm sending the nimh setup to my bro, 'cuz it's new and will be perfect in his on-road TC4 and putting a mild brushless in it's place. I feel it's worth that upgrade.

One of these days, I'll post up my slop-reducing for the steering.

The receivers are on there pretty tight...are you sure it got tossed? Maybe you are having a hard time identifying it under the black top holder? If you'll post a pic, I can ID things for you.

:) Gene

I got two inexpensive 1:24 Redcat Sumo RCs for my kids and they like them a lot. This was 1 or 2 years ago and so far no broken parts just one stripped gear (still driving like that). The only upgrade I did was to replace bushings with bearings. Kids being kids, drive those things into a wall, down from a steep hill (more of a tumbling down than driving) and the small cars just keep going. Recently one of them even drove it into a pile of water. Car stopped working but once I dried it out, it is back in operation. If I remember correctly, I paid something like $60 for each RTR car. They run on AAs and have 1+ hour of runtime on one set of batteries. This got both of my kids interested in RC cars. Older one is now considering upgrade to a bigger scale. So I have nothing bad to say about Redcat. It was a great entry into RC hobby without breaking the bank.

When I jumped into rc cars, I went with redcat I had no prior knowledge on the company or any reviews. I was handed 2 nitro Shockwave's and away I went learning what I could. One became a parts car and the other I ran literally into the ground. It was a blast, my kids loved watching me play with them and helped tear into one for repairs. Yes the parts are fragile but they are cheap too.

I have nothing but positive things to say with my experience with the actual 2 cars I have. They sit in storage one a skeleton of its former self, the other needs front end work but when I stop driving I plan on running them along with what I recently picked up.

You'll enjoy it and eventually you'll upgrade to something different, maybe jump a scale. The most important thing is to continue to have fun, if it's no longer fun, it becomes a chore then it becomes a dislike. Don't let anyone change your view of what you enjoy.