Fennec

Hello everyone,

I want to buy a ready to race car for my nephew. He has only played with toy grade R/C car so far. I don't know how far he will go into this hobby, but he has shown great enthusiasm. The Serpent offering is superior in terms of components included. For instance a 9T brushless motor. But i don't know how good it is. It cost over twice the Tamiya offering.
The Tamiya 'expert built' series i am looking at is based on the TT-01 chassis powered by a silver can motor. This chassis is known for its durability.
I want to get some opinion; pros & cons of these 2 choices and other areas of concern like ease of set-up etc.
Thank you!

UrabusDenis

The Serpent is two times more expensive and probably 3 times better- it is a competition level car while TT-01 is a entry level beginner car. That said I'm not sure how suited a S411 is for someone coming from toys, TT-01 is much more appropriate for that. If budget is not an issue (because TT-01 is very expensive considering what you get) and you want to take the hobby step by step, get the TT-01. If he still wants to continue with the hobby, then get him a real car

Qatmix

The TT01 will be stronger, and is a good beginners car. We have some we rent out at our club and they just keep going. You can also hop them up as your nephew's skills increase.

The serpent will be crazy fast which will lead to more breakages.

If a kid starts at our club and they dont have a Dad / friend who is in the know, they are much better off with a TT01. The car just works, doesn't tweak, is strong etc. They spend a little time getting to grips with the car and they buy a few choice hop-ups once they get better. Then they usually pick up a more club level car if they stay interested.

If they come down with a race chassis they usually spend their time on the bench with all of us helping fix them.. Mostly these kids give up as they dont get the track time which gives them confidence.

Vroomin

iTrader: (3)

TT01 to start. Its cheaper and if he doesn't like the hobby atleast you didn't spend too much.


Also Tamiya TT01 Hop ups are EVERYWHERE.

Eivind E

S411 will drive like a race car. TT01 will drive like a toy car, and has the quality of a toy car.

Buy the S411 and you can progress onto competition. Buy the TT01 and its forever a toy car, so you'd have to buy a new car later.

The TT01: put $300 in hopups in it, and it'll still drive like an overpowered brick with plastic wheels on it
S411: drives like a real race car out of the box, can handle high speeds.

Fennec

Hi guys, thanks for the feedback. The cost of the Tamiya hop up here is more expensive than elsewhere. To bring the TT-01 up to par with the S411 will probably buy my nephew the latter. I have just bought a S411 (orange colour) for US$440. Not sure if it cost more than your lhs. I will buy upgrade parts for my nephew as his skill improves. This will also serve as an impetus for him to strive harder in his studies

Timbo99

iTrader: (14)

The TT01: put $300 in hopups in it, and it'll still drive like an overpowered brick with plastic wheels on it
S411: drives like a real race car out of the box, can handle high speeds.
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THAT is the most brutally honest & funniest answer I've read for years.
Gold.....pure gold ( and correct to boot )...lol,thanks man,that made my day!
Tim

Fennec

Agree, I believe that I have made the right choice. Yes my nephew is elated over his new 'toy'. We are looking forward to this weekend when we can head down to local race track. From what I am aware of, there is no other RTR S411 other than my nephew's. The other few S411 are race-spec kit version. However there is a ton of Xray T4 running around !

TonyD.

iTrader: (43)

I have a tt01 and I run it with xrays and AE, and the like and the car runs great the only hop ups I put in the car were 2. Shocks and an alum center drive shaft. its a great car to learn on and a great car to race with.

Eivind E

Yeah you absolutely made the right decision, it handles so much better than a TT01 and you can take it all the way to the modified class with the fastest motors. Did the RTR come with a belt tensioner? Because that is a worthwhile hopup for the S411 and it only costs like $10. It's also a good idea to get a set of front and rear stabilizers. You'll need the stabilizer wire, the link cups and balls. It's secured in the middle with a little metal ring that has a set screw in it.

Hope the kid loves it!

JOE SI

iTrader: (13)

The way the serpent comes RTR is most likely too fast for a beginner, throw a 25.5 and put a VTA body on it and go from there. Once he gets the hang of it change it to a 17.5 and TC body and race with the rest of the TC's. the good thing about the serpent is that little by little it can be upgraded to the best TC serpent makes (Eryx 2.0) and you won't feel it as much. I thought about doing it when I first started but went with the Xray T4. I would've went the serpent route but coming from nitro TC I had a base knowledge of setup and wanted a car to grow into