This looks like it might be a lot of fun. MSR at the Kyosho site is 33,600 Yen or $280 USD. It's not an RTR, so someone new would have to buy all the extras required to get started.
I've never run 1/12th. Can you tune these things for different track conditions? It doesn't look like there are a lot of options. That could be a show stopper for some people.