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[Dev1lXYZ]

Recently, I have gotten back into the wide world of RC (Radio Controlled vehicles) since having a Lobo I from Sears in the 80’s. I bought a training helicopter as well as an plane to quench my aviation thirst. Those were cheap compared to when I started looking into vehicles! I bought a Traxxas Hoss (Monster Truck)to test the waters and was blown away. These things are very, very powerful. Imagine a four wheeler miniaturized and just as powerful. This thing can easily do 40mph and can tackle any environment outside of Arctic conditions! It’s wild!

 

[poppabk]

I have but on the cheaper side, you can pick up an RC car for $70 - $80 that will get close to 20 mph. I have also bought some FPV cameras ($15-20) and an FPV adaptor for my phone, which coupled with a cheap VR headset allows for a pretty amazing experience. 20 mph when you are 'in' the vehicle and 2 inches off the ground is crazy fast.
Here is one of the cars I recently got:

Amazon.com: DEERC RC Cars 9310 High Speed Remote Control Car for Adults Kids 30+MPH, 1:18 Scales 4WD Off Road RC Monster Truck,Fast 2.4GHz All Terrains Toy Trucks Gifts for Boys,2 Batteries for 40Min Play: Toys & Games

Buy DEERC RC Cars 9310 High Speed Remote Control Car for Adults Kids 30+MPH, 1:18 Scales 4WD Off Road RC Monster Truck, Fast 2.4GHz All Terrains Toy Trucks Gifts for Boys, 2 Batteries for 40Min Play: Trucks - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

The good thing about a cheaper car is that you can go all out without worrying about damaging it, mine has already taking a ton of flips and head on collisions and is non the worse for wear.

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

I have but on the cheaper side, you can pick up an RC car for $70 - $80 that will get close to 20 mph. I have also bought some FPV cameras ($15-20) and an FPV adaptor for my phone, which coupled with a cheap VR headset allows for a pretty amazing experience. 20 mph when you are 'in' the vehicle and 2 inches off the ground is crazy fast.
Here is one of the cars I recently got:

Amazon.com: DEERC RC Cars 9310 High Speed Remote Control Car for Adults Kids 30+MPH, 1:18 Scales 4WD Off Road RC Monster Truck,Fast 2.4GHz All Terrains Toy Trucks Gifts for Boys,2 Batteries for 40Min Play: Toys & Games

Buy DEERC RC Cars 9310 High Speed Remote Control Car for Adults Kids 30+MPH, 1:18 Scales 4WD Off Road RC Monster Truck, Fast 2.4GHz All Terrains Toy Trucks Gifts for Boys, 2 Batteries for 40Min Play: Trucks - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

The good thing about a cheaper car is that you can go all out without worrying about damaging it, mine has already taking a ton of flips and head on collisions and is non the worse for wear.

You are exactly right. The most enjoyment comes from pushing things to their limits and if one is concerned with having to fix a broken RC.....they probably aren’t getting the most enjoyment out of their vehicle. The term used for it is “bashing”.

 

[Dural]

Recently, I have gotten back into the wide world of RC (Radio Controlled vehicles) since having a Lobo I from Sears in the 80’s. I bought a training helicopter as well as an plane to quench my aviation thirst. Those were cheap compared to when I started looking into vehicles! I bought a Traxxas Hoss (Monster Truck)to test the waters and was blown away. These things are very, very powerful. Imagine a four wheeler miniaturized and just as powerful. This thing can easily do 40mph and can tackle any environment outside of Arctic conditions! It’s wild!

I have a Losi LST that I converted from nitro to brushless 10+ years ago, it has so much torque that it can do a backflip from a stand still if I give it full power. It's crazy how much power the brushless motors can put out. Also have an HPI Savage Flux that I bought as a roller and put the brushless motor, esc, and servos in, my son has an Arrma Senton short course truck. We use them for bashing, they're lots of fun. All can run up to 6S, IDK how fast I've gone with them but the Senton came with a gear that puts it over 60mph. I'd love to get either the Infraction or Felony from Arrma and my son wants a boat that he can use at the pond by our house. I've also built a racing drone but haven't put much time into it, it's been sitting in the case for a few years now.

Arrma Infraction & Arrma Felony (Product Review) - YouTube

 

[CloudNull]

In just because this topic fascinates me.

 

[Loope]

In just because this topic fascinates me.

Me too, it's one of those things i always had a curiosity. When i searched youtube these brands, holly shit.

 

[GloveSlap]

Not now, but i had a beastly Losi XX buggy in the 90s upgraded to the gills. I really regret selling it.

My favorite cheap one growing up was the tyco Bandit.

 

[JayK47]

I have some really old Tamiya RC cars from the 80s and 90s. It has been years since I ran them, but I am pretty sure they still work.

Here is a stock photo of one of them:

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I got this thing for Christmas circa 1999.

Plus, I had a subscription to this for a year and wore out the pages to every issue. Almost as good as EGM...

I still remember some kid named Brian being sponsored by Team Losi or Team Associated.

 

[Kev Kev]

used to do it a lot as a kid, but never had any cars or tracks. there was a place that had big ass tracks and long stretches for races, it was cool af. some of them cars would be going fast too, i couldnt believe it the first time i walked in there. really cool hobby. i kind of forgot it about tbh, thanks op.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

I used to have one of those DIY kits and tinker about before I had kids. Always had problems with fuel flow and engine sputter/cut offs but when it ran well holy shit it went. I never got used to track racing as it was too fast and heavy for me but had an absolute blast just taking it out when camping and full throttle sending it on dirt roads/tracks.

Not my pic but like this -

 

[Punished Miku]

I have Mario Kart Home Circuit or whatever its called. Pretty awesome game

 

[trikster40]

Oh man, my first car was a Kyosho Icarus when I was maybe 10 or so? I needed that roll cage. I can’t wait for my son to get a bit older so I, I mean he can get into them.

 

[AJUMP23]

Recently, I have gotten back into the wide world of RC (Radio Controlled vehicles) since having a Lobo I from Sears in the 80’s.

My brother and I both had the LOBO I when we were kids too. I remember we received them for Christmas. That is the Christmas we walked downstairs and had a NES, a Pinball machine and the remote control cars all sitting there waiting for us. It was a dream come to life.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Cool topic. I've been looking at getting a traxxas rustler for some time now.

 

[MastaKiiLA]

I was just thinking about this today. I'd like to buy an RC tank, or a helicopter. I used to have a flight sim that I was training on for 3D heli flight, but it's been over a decade since I last used it. Never bought the heli. Only flew an electric plane around the football field at my old hs.

I think a tank would be pretty dope. Probably a maintenance headache waiting to happen, since I'd want to use it at the beach.

 

[sunnysideup]

what is a good starter rc car for the kids(and me)

 

[poppabk]

what is a good starter rc car for the kids(and me)

Check the one in my post above. It's durable, fast, has analog acceleration and steering and is relatively cheap. It is small, and the batteries only last 20 mins or so (40 mins total if you switch out halfway through) buy other than that it has been great so far.
Oh the engine does get really hot, not sure how young your kids are, but that might be an issue.

 

[StormCell]

I always thought this stuff was really cool when I was a kid, but unfortunately every one I ever had would usually run the batteries down within the hour, and so... not nearly as much fun as in my imagination.

 

[MastaKiiLA]

I always thought this stuff was really cool when I was a kid, but unfortunately every one I ever had would usually run the batteries down within the hour, and so... not nearly as much fun as in my imagination.

If you were using disposable batteries, then those were just toys, and not the enthusiast/hobby vehicles the OP is referring to. That said, I found the Tyco Turbo Hoppers to be the best of the store-bought bunch.

The stuff you would buy mail order from like Tower Hobbies or Tamiya would use NiCad or NiMH batteries (I assume they're on to LiPo or LiIon at this point). If those drained, you just recharge them. If they were completely useless after an hour, then they probably used really cheap cells.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Wouldn’t be my first hobby but rc cars, boats etc. are way easier to handle than drones.

 

[StormCell]

If you were using disposable batteries, then those were just toys, and not the enthusiast/hobby vehicles the OP is referring to. That said, I found the Tyco Turbo Hoppers to be the best of the store-bought bunch.

The stuff you would buy mail order from like Tower Hobbies or Tamiya would use NiCad or NiMH batteries (I assume they're on to LiPo or LiIon at this point). If those drained, you just recharge them. If they were completely useless after an hour, then they probably used really cheap cells.

I had one that was relatively nice but was used. It was rechargeable, but I have no idea what the previous owner had done to it before I got it. We got it in a trade with a friend of my dad's, so it wasn't in bad shape from appearances. But yeah, it usually seemed to run down after about an hour of intense driving. This was back in the '90s and no one seemed to think that wasn't right.

 

[Damian Monroe]

I have a 1/8 Arrma Notorious 6S & just recently got the 1/5 Outcast 8S(this thing is huge & weighs 40lbs), got into them this time last year, covid hobby haha. I'll be down the beach this weekend with them. My friend has Arrma & Traxxas, any questions I'll do my best to answer.

 

[Mohonky]

Cars;
Mugen MBX6 Buggy
Mugen MBX6TR Truggy
Axial SCX10
Axial Bomber 2.0 converted to brushless
Losi 5ive T very modified
Very modified Traxxas Emaxx, basically not even a Traxxas now

Don't really touch the cars anymore (hence older models, except for the Axial Bomber, that thing is awesome) as I'm more into flying.


A Trex 450 and 700 Heli (never flown either though for one reason or another)

God knows how many FPV freestyle and racing drones

About a dozen planes maybe.


RC is my hobby.

 

[nemiroff]

I have this one, a Traxxas Rustler 4x4 VXL

Have had a lot of fun with it. Crashed it on the first day (!), but these things are so easy to fix. Basically it's also all-weather, although the battery didn't like to be packed in with slush during winter..

Have also had a bunch of smaller helis and planned to upgrade to larger ones, but have mostly abandoned that idea because of logistics and weather.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

In just because this topic fascinates me.

I was totally oblivious to it until recently. I went with the flying type RC’s first thinking that they would be more enjoyable to fly than driving around a vehicle. There is a big factor to figure in for flight: weather. The trainer helicopter I got can get away from you big time in even small 5mph wind gusts. I fly it with little to no wind. My airplane....well....remains in the box as that one requires a large open field to practice in ideal conditions as well as light winds. That leaves the vehicles. The “boring” RCs, so to speak. For the most part with the hobbyist brands like Traxxas, Arrma, Losi, and others they advertise that these things can get drenched in water and not flinch. That solves the weather issue for Florida! Snow and cold weather is apparently really bad though for the batteries though. Imagine having something that is fairly large, moves like lightning and sounds like a screaming banshee?

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

I have this one, a Traxxas Rustler 4x4 VXL

Have had a lot of fun with it. Crashed it on the first day (!), but these things are so easy to fix. Basically it's also all-weather, although the battery didn't like to be packed in with slush during winter..

Have also had a bunch of smaller helis and planned to upgrade to larger ones, but have mostly abandoned that idea because of logistics and weather.

My coworker has The Rustler! He has it pretty tricked out and it can rip!

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

I received this today. It hasn’t been run yet. I ran out of daylight and needed to install a wheelie bar on it. This is my first 6s.....and it dwarfs The Hoss at 1/8 scale!

 

[Mohonky]

I was totally oblivious to it until recently. I went with the flying type RC’s first thinking that they would be more enjoyable to fly than driving around a vehicle. There is a big factor to figure in for flight: weather. The trainer helicopter I got can get away from you big time in even small 5mph wind gusts. I fly it with little to no wind. My airplane....well....remains in the box as that one requires a large open field to practice in ideal conditions as well as light winds. That leaves the vehicles. The “boring” RCs, so to speak. For the most part with the hobbyist brands like Traxxas, Arrma, Losi, and others they advertise that these things can get drenched in water and not flinch. That solves the weather issue for Florida! Snow and cold weather is apparently really bad though for the batteries though. Imagine having something that is fairly large, moves like lightning and sounds like a screaming banshee?

When I got into FPV quads, I lost interest in the surface vehicles. They really aren't effected by weather like planes and helicopters and unlike a helicopter or plane crashing them is basically a non-issue, they are basically designed to crash.

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

When I got into FPV quads, I lost interest in the surface vehicles. They really aren't effected by weather like planes and helicopters and unlike a helicopter or plane crashing them is basically a non-issue, they are basically designed to crash.

FPV drones look awesome. I had a quad drone years ago, but it couldn’t fly in the rain and was affected by wind fairly significantly, just like my RC Helicopter.

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

My Traxxas Hoss caught fire on Sunday. The ESC burned up completely severing the cables. Luckily, I was able to retrieve the battery (3S) safely. I called Traxxas and wanted a refund. My impression of the line is that it needs a revision badly. Other places like Reddit have whole threads dedicated to ESC fires on this machine. Traxxas is going to repair the truck and I shipped it back yesterday with a return label. I wanted a refund. They declined. Rather shit customer service from the ‘industry leader’. Shipped back in my Kraton 6s box.

 

[Dural]

My Traxxas Hoss caught fire on Sunday. The ESC burned up completely severing the cables. Luckily, I was able to retrieve the battery (3S) safely. I called Traxxas and wanted a refund. My impression of the line is that it needs a revision badly. Other places like Reddit have whole threads dedicated to ESC fires on this machine. Traxxas is going to repair the truck and I shipped it back yesterday with a return label. I wanted a refund. They declined. Rather shit customer service from the ‘industry leader’. Shipped back in my Kraton 6s box.

That's ridiculous. I've built trucks with cheap Chinese ESCs and run 6S on them without issue, Traxxas having an ESC burn up on 3S is just sad.


So I'm ordering my son the Volantex Vector SR80P for his birthday, he's wanted a boat for a while that he can use in a pond in our neighborhood. It looks pretty sweet, can hit 44mph out of the box on 4S and puts up a good rooster tail.




Thinking about getting a couple of small cheap cars for my younger kids to play with; the Wltoys 144001 and SG 1603. The SG 1603 looks like a 1:16 Arrma Infraction and seems to be pretty good for the price, kids will love it in the driveway.

 

[Mohonky]

My Traxxas Hoss caught fire on Sunday. The ESC burned up completely severing the cables. Luckily, I was able to retrieve the battery (3S) safely. I called Traxxas and wanted a refund. My impression of the line is that it needs a revision badly. Other places like Reddit have whole threads dedicated to ESC fires on this machine. Traxxas is going to repair the truck and I shipped it back yesterday with a return label. I wanted a refund. They declined. Rather shit customer service from the ‘industry leader’. Shipped back in my Kraton 6s box.

Are they still using Castle for their ESCs I wonder......Castle Creations ESC's are terrible for going up in flames.

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

Are they still using Castle for their ESCs I wonder......Castle Creations ESC's are terrible for going up in flames.

They use the Velineon 3355R. So far not a fan.

 

[SirTerry-T]

I have been known to still get my Wild Willy out in public and give it a good thrashing on the local fields...scaring the local wildlife and putting a smile on the faces of watching kids.