Foo - R/C Cars - Anybody have one?

Im looking for a new hobby, i spend way too much time at home doing nothing but watching tv. Ive always loved Radio Controlled cars, but have only usually had crappy Radio Shack cars.

I'm looking at getting an entry level Gas Powered one now, i would prefer an offroad buggy that can still go pretty fast.

My brother flies R/C planes and a flyer came in the mail from "Hobby Wholesale" in Edmonton, they were advertising this:

Spork Werks Turmoil RTR
1/8 4wd Buggy
Spektrum DX-2 Radio
.26 engine
Completely Ready to Run

All for $629cdn


So, i guess ill quit here just in case nobody has r/c cars, but if anybody does, how does this car sound?

Or are there any other suggestions??


Cheers...

I used to race electric R/C cars, many moons ago. Never had a gas-powered car, though. It was a lot of fun, but could get expensive in a hurry. I've never heard of Spork Werks. The big name manufacturers back when I raced included Associated, Kyosho, and Tamiya, among others. I still have a Bolink 1/10th scale on-road car down in my basement somewhere. Hmm...

I've never heard of Spork Werks. The big name manufacturers back when I raced included Associated, Kyosho, and Tamiya, among others.
Most of the names i see in this flyer are: Traxxas, Duratrax, Team Associated, Teeamlosi..

Right now, im clueless, and have no idea where to start....

If you decide to do it, my best advice is to spend extra on a good radio. You don't need top-of-the-line, but don't go bargain-basement, either. If you're considering an all-in-one package that includes the car, radio, and accessories, double check that the radio isn't crap.

From what I remember, Losi and Associated were closely intertwined. Both made highly-regarded products. I still lust for an Associated RC-10.

If you decide to do it, my best advice is to spend extra on a good radio. You don't need top-of-the-line, but don't go bargain-basement, either. If you're considering an all-in-one package that includes the car, radio, and accessories, double check that the radio isn't crap.
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i dont want to make the same mistake that a lot of newbs do when they are getting into cycling, buying an "x-mart" bike. I suppose the "x-mart" version of an r/c car would be a radio shack car, but im sure there are probably brands to stay away from...



From what I remember, Losi and Associated were closely intertwined. Both made highly-regarded products. I still lust for an Associated RC-10.

the "RC10GT RTR" on this flyer with a .15 enginer and radio (doesnt say which) is 379.99cdn

I just checked out the Associated web site. Looks like they still make great cars/trucks. That RC10GT chassis has all the bells and whistles. The independent and fully-adjustable suspension is a must. And I've never even seen adjustable wheelbase before (can't hurt, right?). I wonder if you can upgrade to a bigger engine?

I have a 1/8th nitro car. They are more work than the electrics, but pretty fun. I also have one of the Kyosho Overlands, a small scale electric(1/28, I think) It has been heavily modded almost doubling its articulation, ground clearance raised, new wheels with stickier tires made up, and a 196 to 1 gear reduction motor installed. It is a crazy rock crawler. I also scratchbuilt a Praga trials truck body for it. For me this is the fun part of scale cars.
And, I have an electric helicopter, if you want to get something that will test your patience and learning curve, try one of these. After several months of attempted flight I have a new respect for anyone flying a real one.

I do not have one, but have several RC cars. I have been racing them for two years now.This will be SportWerks third year in production and they make a good product. I have raced with the guy who helped to design them and have a friend who raced Mayhems for two years. Horizon Hobby in Champaigne, IL. designed and distributes them. The Turmoil is $549.99 American there.

The RC10 Gt is a lot less expensive to buy and operate than a 4 wheel buggy. One thing to consider may be if you have a Local Hobby Shop that will carry replacement parts. Broken parts seem to happen when you are having too much fun, but most of the Associated parts are inexspensive. I have a RC10T3 that is electric. A friend of mine's son just got a new Gt for under $300 American.

Namenda, a bigger motor does not always mean faster. But puting in an OS .15 or .18 wil make a big increase in power.

I will try to keep up with any questions you may have.

I used to have a few good electric ones from Tamiya, lot of fun, but I wish I would have gotten into the gas ones, electric sucks. 20 minutes of fun then back to the charger or pay $30 bucks or more for a decent battery.

One time I had a crappy radio go out on me, my car went straight into a curb and f'd it up real bad. This hobby gets expensive real fast.

Oh, and they're fairly high pitched, my brother had a gas traxxis and a RC10 something, quiet neighborhoods will probably hate you.

Radio Shack has its uses. If the thing isn't going to last long, why get a good one. The wife got a R/C one the size of a large matchbox. I gutted a Catnip mouse and fixed it over the car. She had the cats chasing it all over the living room until one of the big Toms smashed it. Loads of fun:D

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/konarider24/HPIM2310a.png

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/konarider24/HPIM2311.png

I have a 1/8th nitro car. They are more work than the electrics, but pretty fun. I also have one of the Kyosho Overlands, a small scale electric(1/28, I think) It has been heavily modded almost doubling its articulation, ground clearance raised, new wheels with stickier tires made up, and a 196 to 1 gear reduction motor installed. It is a crazy rock crawler. I also scratchbuilt a Praga trials truck body for it. For me this is the fun part of scale cars.
And, I have an electric helicopter, if you want to get something that will test your patience and learning curve, try one of these. After several months of attempted flight I have a new respect for anyone flying a real one.

wow... i have way too much to learn! i should get reading...

There are 2 hobby shops in town here that sells r/c's... One of them is pretty big, owned by an older fellow that i think mainly deals with trains and stuff, but still sells a lot of planes and cars, he seemed to reccomend the electrics, they were cheaper, still pretty fast, and there is a club that races them indoors. I would prefer to get a gas powered one that can handle some off roading...

The other store, is just a bare room with a bunch of kids running the place, and they basically have a bunch of empty boxes with no actual cars in the store, but they are very happy to order them in for me.


Choppers and planes would be fun, but the less air my machine can get, the better! Gravity tends to kill things real fast...


Konarider - how big is the big thing? and what make/model is it?

I am in a RC car club that races only nitro cars. They are great fun but do require a bit of work. I can't comment on the car you asked about as I haven't seen one in Australia. Usually the best place for a novice to start is to seek out a local club that races the type of car you are interested in. There is a lot to learn to get them to perform at their best and the guys who race in clubs are usually the best ones to get advice from. Good luck and welcome to a great hobby.

My advice as a longtime R/C person.... stick with a Losi, Team Associated or Traxxas for gas powered. And a Team Associated or Losi for electric anything. Buy a good quality FM radio like an airtronics or futaba (if you don't get something with the vehicle). You'll be a lot happier in the long run and you'll have value if you ever decide to sell it.

Associated T3, electric. Great truck, no mess, quiet and fast. Sure, you don't get the loud

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

and streak of blue smoke as you fly down the track/street, but I like the no muss / fuss / mess of electric any day.

Props to the good radio suggestion. If you ever find yourself in a club race and you start getting radio glitches, you'll be the black sheep. I built mine up with full graphite and that really screwed with the reception.

I also wound up spending about...dunno, $300 on titanium tranny parts, drillium everything. If it rotated, I lightened it. I wound up adding weight to qualify for stock truck races. Mine was the only stocker to actually pull a wheelie, and I got teched every time the race finished.

Low gearing...

I too have to admit I was into R/C Racing...

I still have a lot of the stuff in Rubbermaid containers in the Basement. I have thought of selling on eBay one of these days, but, yet that day has not come yet LOL

I went with Electric. I Have a Pan Car, another 1/10 car and a 1/10 off road truck (cheapy).
I went electric so I could race Year round! yep, You can race Indoors. but only with electric.
Tis a lot of fun.
I have some very nice radios/transmitters, tons of crystals etc......

I went electric so I could race Year round! yep, You can race Indoors. but only with electric.


Just to clarify, I have raced 1/8th scale buggy the last two winters on indoor offroad tracks. Some places are elctric only, but we have Pro races indoors in Illinios, Indiana, and Ohio.

Both electric and nitro requires a lot of work, unless you go with a brushless system. Turning coms and new brushes every five to ten runs become tedious. Nitro requires learning to tune an engine properly, and both types of powerplants require you to monitor temperatures.

You can fiind all kinds of information on rc cars at Sgrid, provided you can put up with the smart-alics.

http://www.rc-racing.com/cgi-bin/backtalk

As for wheelies, even my old Rc10 with a heavy RPM chasis will pull wheelies when the slipper clutch is adjusted tight. Wheelies are fun and freak out the competition when traction is low.

Radios can be a personal thing, I prefer JR because of the feel and the superior warranty. I use a synthesized radio where the channel can be changed without swapping crystals. Spektrum radios are the new thing, but still a little out of my price range. You turn the radio on and it searches for an open frequency and is also capable of two way communication with the receiver.

Have fun all, the sport can be addicting.

"Both electric and nitro requires a lot of work, unless you go with a brushless system. Turning coms and new brushes every five to ten runs become tedious."

This is good maintenance and makes your motors' armature last longer, but don't get the idea that it's "necessary". A good thing, certainly if you race even half-seriously, but not completely necessary.

My buddy and I almost bought a lathe, then we looked at it and thought..."We are getting a bit rediculous here..." and kinda dropped the whole thing. Now that same $500 T3 shreds in the back yard with Dirt Diggler square knobbies. Silly.

Actually I have a Losi LST that I would sell pretty cheap if that interests you. I am never on the board here but my GF roadie told me about the thread. Haven't read all the posts but my truck is top notch. It is 1/8th scale and has a .26 engine (Gas). It is well taken care of but does have a gear dragging somewhere in the transmission. You or a shop could fix this in 5 minutes or less and I would sell the truck and MANY extras for $250 plus shipping. If this is of interest please PM me, if not good luck, it is a fun sport. :D

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/konarider24/HPIM2310a.png

Ah, now that brings back good memories for me. I have the same type of car sitting in my closet, except mine is red, has a lot more scratches and is missing all of the stickers. It's noisy as heck and drains the battery quick, but it still runs :) I think I've had mine since 1994-95.

I have a old "stubbymaxx" t-maxx. I have a Evader St also. If you want electric, evaders are a good way to go. Nice clod KonaRider.

well you can buy a elelctric evader,it's a good starter truck but its electric and theres no thrill. nitro evader is a good starter for nitro, but if you expect to race dont get it, get somthing like the rc10gt, its a very durable basher/racer. but first off all before you even buy a truck go to your local hobby shop and ask them what brand they mostly stock parts for, because you dont want to wait 2 weeks before getting a little part that you can get in like an hr or so. from there you can start searching that manufacter and actually find a good truck. visit www.rcuniverse.com and you can find alot of helpful information. im Nitro Rustler Racer on there, so just join its free and ask questions, if you have any questions you can PM me on there because i dont get on here alot and i can help you out with some stuff. Good luck

Here is my modded crawler
http://allstarbikeshop.com/merchant/241/images/site/Right%20Side%20Close%20Up.gif
http://allstarbikeshop.com/merchant/241/images/site/RockScape4.gif
articulation, the other wheels are still on the table
http://allstarbikeshop.com/merchant/241/images/site/Front%20Wheel%20Clearence%20Close%20Up.gif