[4W4K3]

First off, I'm not really sure if this is in the right section, so please be kind!!!

I've decided i want to get into RC Trucks, for basic bashing and fun. I'm not too interested in racing, as I know where I live this hobby isn't popular at all. However I am not discouraged, as around where I live there are plenty of places I can take a truck and have fun with it.

So, a few questions.
1. Can I get into RC Trucks with a "small/moderate" budget? I can't be spending $500 on a kit and then another $1000 upgrading it. Is it doable? All i want is some fun, at a reasonable price.

2. What is generally cheaper, nitro or electric? (I fear a huge debate will rise lol)

My other hobby is computers, I build them and overclock and mod and tweak...so I'm not too bad with tools or electronics. I might be able to carry over some skill in this hobby to RC hopefully.

Thanks

[Rain Man]

I would go for the Assoaciated Monster GT 4.60 SE. I'v heard the engine it comes with is easy to tune so it would be good for somebody thats new to nitro. There isn't much difference in cost between nitro and electric. After you buy battery packs and chargers for the electric car it ends up being just as pricey as nitro. The Monster GT is a tuff and powerfull truck and cost 400 $. Go to Tower Hobbies.com and look around. I'm sure you will find something you like.

[4x4guy4978]

i would suggest a traxxas t-maxx for a good nitro truck to get started with its what i got. i don't really like electric for the short run times. and you will hear alot about get a HPI savage they are the best basher around so i would get one of them if racing isn;t in ur future at all but if it is go with a t-maxx(around 380-400) the savage depends on what type you get i would get the savage 25(around 400 but has no revese were as the t-maxx does)

web sites for the trucks t-maxx= www.traxxas.com savage= www.HPIracing.com

[4W4K3]

lol, even $400 is too much, but thank you for the suggestions. I think i would rather use nitro, but still not 100% sure. Can i purchase nitro at a hobby shop do you think, or will i have to order it online?

i'm looking at towerhobbies right now and really i can't distinguish the crap form the good stuff. I'm thinking i could get a $100 starter kit, that i could afford to ruin if i mess up bad upgrading it. I don't want to go spending hundreds on a kit and have 0 knowledge of what i'm doing.

here's a good way to put it. "What kit would you give yout 10-year old son to work on?" lol, since i don't trust myself.

[Out Of Control]

you can get nitro and electric at the hobby store, and they usally carry lost of parts for rc cars, off, on , electric, nitro. i would get nitro, but i would find a good beginners car before you go blowing $400 on something you dont know how to use.

[4W4K3]

Originally Posted by Out Of Control

you can get nitro and electric at the hobby store, and they usally carry lost of parts for rc cars, off, on , electric, nitro. i would get nitro, but i would find a good beginners car before you go blowing $400 on something you dont know how to use.

exactly my thinking. do you know of a "beginners" truck, because so far all that has been suggested is mid $300's to $400 models :/

i'll use nitro, i think i'm convinced on this now. and my dad jsut pointed out an indoor RC place we have close to where i live, i had no idea. but i am still wanting to go with trucks/bashing.

[QUAKE&SHAKE]

A beginner nitro truck like say Traxxas Stampede is going to be around $300 to get running. Not really going to get more beginner than that.
Electric Traxxas Stampede up and running $200

How much do you want to spend? This will help us help you better.

[4W4K3]

Originally Posted by QUAKE&SHAKE

A beginner nitro truck like say Traxxas Stampede is going to be around $300 to get running. Not really going to get more beginner than that.
Electric Traxxas Stampede up and running $200

How much do you want to spend? This will help us help you better.

Well, i thought i said earlier $100-$200, but maybe I forgot to mention that. Sorry.

I don't want to spend $300 on an RC nitro truck, and not know ANYTHING when I get it. I've been reading for a few hours on terminology, basic parts and maintenance, but I'm still pretty much clueless. As an example, I spent a few months researching computer before i went and bought a $400 junker to toy around with. I am willing to do this with RC, rather than blow my money first and find out I ruined my truck when trying to tinker with the engine or something.

Is there a "beginner" truck in my price range? I seen some $160-180 ones at towerhobbies.com and the like...but I was hoping to build it myself so I could really "learn" the basics myself. Can i purchase parts individually/over time and still spend no more than $200 at first?

(I am selling my electric guitar, amp, and effects to get into this hobby.)

[zakerid]

look through the tamiya kits on tower. find one that you like and buy it.

[4W4K3]

Originally Posted by zakerid

look through the tamiya kits on tower. find one that you like and buy it.

Almost all buggy's. Do you think I could start out with off-road buggy's, and when I think I can afford a "real" truck, upgrade to that without having too much of a learning disability lol?

I think I might do that, seeing as the 1/8 monster trucks with .21 engines and higher are all over my budget range, and these are more for a beginner (AKA ME) Thanks.

EDIT: You know what guys, I think what I am going to do is purchase a cheaper "car" kit, one that I can assemble. This isn't anywhere near a truck i realize, but it will give me the basic building skills I want to have before I get into a really expensive/big truck project. I still want an off-road RC truck, but just not yet. Thanks alot for your help

[bullett1818]

What would everyone think about a Nitro Evader RTR for him?? From what I hear it is pretty easy to drive and durable. Not a bad price and easy to upgrade in the future if he wants. The problem with any stadium truck or buggy is that their not going to drive very well in any decent length grass.


So if you want to be able to bash around in any grass, a stadium truck or buggy are prolly not the best bet. Then again to get into any decent MT you are going to have to spen a little more cash. Thats my opinion.

-Bob-

[4W4K3]

Grass won't be a problem, most of the places I want to use around here are strictly dirt lots/rocks that are soon to be houses. Where I am moving also has little/NO traffic in the streets (kind of remote i think) so I could easily setup stuff around/along the road without worrying about getting my RC ran over lol.

Couldn't I just raise it if desired? I believe the term is "hop-up" or is that wrong? I feel like an idiot using these terms lol, i'm a computer geek learning yet another hobby language.

[bullett1818]

Originally Posted by 4W4K3

Grass won't be a problem, most of the places I want to use around here are strictly dirt lots/rocks that are soon to be houses. Where I am moving also has little/NO traffic in the streets (kind of remote i think) so I could easily setup stuff around/along the road without worrying about getting my RC ran over lol.

Couldn't I just raise it if desired? I believe the term is "hop-up" or is that wrong? I feel like an idiot using these terms lol, i'm a computer geek learning yet another hobby language.

By raise it up, do you mean Raise the ride height of the truck??

-Bob-

[4W4K3]

Originally Posted by bullett1818

By raise it up, do you mean Raise the ride height of the truck??

-Bob-

Yes. Can't you raise the suspension on a buggy to make it higher off the ground and improve clearance?

[4x4guy4978]

what do you really want electiric or nitro 4x4 or 2wd a monster truck or a stadium truck ask your self these questions then look around at hobby shops and websites to find something in your price range. In some time you can up-grade the one u buy or you could save up again and buy a better one.

[desfjr1300]

$1-$200 kinda makes it tough-electric or nitro. Have you considered a smaller scale? 1/18th's are HUGE right now. Unfortunately the only ones that come in kit form are road cars, and they really need a fairly clean running surface. If you keep 'em stock, you can run them in a garage or basement, and they are fairly simple kits to build-perfect for a first timer. Next time you're at Tower, check out Hpi's micro rs4(better deals on ebay), or visit Horizon's site and look up the Xray M18. Either of these can be had for less than $100. I would suggest Futaba's 2PH as a good starter radio, then you will need an electronic speed control, (Novak XRS comes to mind, and will fit!) and of course batteries-However the micro rs4 can run on AA's. With a charger you're probably looking at just a little over $200. A Tamiya buggy is a good choice as well, and the same esc can be used in it, but expect to pay more for batteries. At least it can run on the dirt or other irregular surfaces!

I know there seems to be a lot of choices, but you've already taken a step in the right direction by coming to this forum-Keep asking questions.....There's a great group here that will be able to help.

[4W4K3]

Argh, all this deciding without the money makes it very difficult lol. I think what I will do is wait till i sell my guitar/Equipment and THEN shop. I shopped for 3 months looking for a laptop, and ended up not buying one...I am a very picky person lmao.

Thank you for the commments/advise, it is greatly appreciated. I'll keep an eye on tower and look for a good buggy, unless I magically can afford a good truck

[metalry101]

From what I can tell by reading this...you want a good, but basic starter truck. You say not many people in your area are into this sort of thing...does that mean you're in a rural area?

You sound like me in that you'd prefer to build it rather than buy it built. If so...then might I suggest a Tamiya Twin Detonator. It's cheap and kinda funky, but it's well made, it's 4WD, and quite durable. It's a fabulous beginner truck...and it's even fun for experienced guys like me. I plan on getting one of them some day. For the price, it's going to be hard to beat.

If you want something that's already built, then I'd suggest the Traxxas Rustler or the Traxxas Stampede. No other electric ready to run is anywhere close to as good for the price. Both of these rigs are tough and cheap, but they're also very upgradable, and any hobby shop worth it's salt should carry, or at the very least be able to order Traxxas parts. I don't think there are better beginner RTR vehicles than the Stampede and Rustler. They were first introduced something like 12 years ago...yet they're still sold...basically unchanged. There's a reason for that...they're still great vehicles.

Oh, one other thing I noticed.... Unlike about 95% of the newbs on the board, and about 90% of the rest of the people on the board, your grammar is superb, making you sound much more intelligent and making your posts very, very easy to read. Thank you. Seriously, thank you.

[4W4K3]

Originally Posted by metalry101

From what I can tell by reading this...you want a good, but basic starter truck. You say not many people in your area are into this sort of thing...does that mean you're in a rural area?

You sound like me in that you'd prefer to build it rather than buy it built. If so...then might I suggest a Tamiya Twin Detonator. It's cheap and kinda funky, but it's well made, it's 4WD, and quite durable. It's a fabulous beginner truck...and it's even fun for experienced guys like me. I plan on getting one of them some day. For the price, it's going to be hard to beat.

If you want something that's already built, then I'd suggest the Traxxas Rustler or the Traxxas Stampede. No other electric ready to run is anywhere close to as good for the price. Both of these rigs are tough and cheap, but they're also very upgradable, and any hobby shop worth it's salt should carry, or at the very least be able to order Traxxas parts. I don't think there are better beginner RTR vehicles than the Stampede and Rustler. They were first introduced something like 12 years ago...yet they're still sold...basically unchanged. There's a reason for that...they're still great vehicles.

Oh, one other thing I noticed.... Unlike about 95% of the newbs on the board, and about 90% of the rest of the people on the board, your grammar is superb, making you sound much more intelligent and making your posts very, very easy to read. Thank you. Seriously, thank you.

I live in Frisco, Texas. It's not exactly rural in most places, but I live on the "outskirts" you could say, and there are still corn fields and acres of undeveloped land around. Lucky me

That's PERFECT! I can't believe I missed that truck on towerhobbies.com.

Now for a question that might be somewhat noobish, but I must ask anyways.
1) Can I convert an electric truck to a Nitro truck? Meaning, when I want to upgrade can I get say a .21 engine and the rest of the necessary nitro parts and mount it on the frame, replacing the electric parts?

I noticed the Stampede and Rustler both have Nitro based versions, and I might just shoot for those if it will save me alot of work. I'll have to wait longer, but no big deal.

And I do try to spell/compose my posts in a decent fashion. Thanks for noticing lol

[metalry101]

Originally Posted by 4W4K3

I live in Frisco, Texas. It's not exactly rural in most places, but I live on the "outskirts" you could say, and there are still corn fields and acres of undeveloped land around. Lucky me

That's PERFECT! I can't believe I missed that truck on towerhobbies.com.

Now for a question that might be somewhat noobish, but I must ask anyways.
1) Can I convert an electric truck to a Nitro truck? Meaning, when I want to upgrade can I get say a .21 engine and the rest of the necessary nitro parts and mount it on the frame, replacing the electric parts?

I noticed the Stampede and Rustler both have Nitro based versions, and I might just shoot for those if it will save me alot of work. I'll have to wait longer, but no big deal.

And I do try to spell/compose my posts in a decent fashion. Thanks for noticing lol

For some reason I had a feeling you lived in Texas. That's cool though, I lived in Lufkin a while back.

Some vehicles could probably be converted from electric to nitro...but you'd be buying about 80% of the parts, and that's quite pricey, so I'd say no. Technically, it can be done in some instances, but it's far easier and cheaper to just buy the new truck.

The Nitro Rustler and Nitro Stampede are...bleh. They're not bad rigs...but there are better vehicles in their class, and for less money too. For example, the Team Associated RC10GT, it's listed at 279.99 on Tower. That's only 5 dollars less than the Nitro Rustler, but you have to buy a battery and charger with the Nitro Rustler that you don't have to buy with the RC10GT, so you're really saving 40+ bucks, and getting a better vehicle to boot.

[desfjr1300]

Oh, one other thing I noticed.... Unlike about 95% of the newbs on the board, and about 90% of the rest of the people on the board, your grammar is superb, making you sound much more intelligent and making your posts very, very easy to read. Thank you. Seriously, thank you.

No, THANK YOU! I'm glad somebody finally said it. I can certainly understand not knowing how to spell a particular word, but ferchrissake you're using a computer-YOU HAVE A BUILT IN SPELLCHECK!

I've almost gone blind trying to decipher the hieroglyphics in some posts!

[twistedtrik]

That was too funny.

Your best bet is to sit back and hang out on the Bulletin Boards and learn everything you can. Keep saving up and buy what you really want. Reading the boards will give you a much better idea with what is really involved whether it be electric or nitro. There is nothing wrong with waiting to be able to buy what you really want, but there is alot of things wrong with buying what you can afford right now and then realizing that it really wasn't what you wanted and now you are stuck with it.

[choman2673]

Two words... DURATRAX - EVADER

I have 4 EVADERS. All electric. There isn't much interest in R/C around my area either. But the EVADER - ST (Stadium Truck) is a GREAT deal for entry level.

Buy it from www.towerhobbies.com

They always have the best price.

[67f100StPro]

How about this one
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXJH00**&P=0

It can be upgraded with rustler parts and Traxxas' customer service is excellent. This truck should do about 35 mph and be pretty durable. You will need a stick pack and charger for the EZ start.

[4W4K3]

The Sport SE Nitro is only a couple bucks over what I want to spend, so far that looks liek the most affordable nitro. It should be under $300 for car/radio/batteries/charger/fuel don't you think?