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Treytor posted:Yeah it is a bit puzzling how the good kits are $500 - $600 while most of the RTR kits are around $300 or so. I realize the good kits are I'm sure far superior quality and what you'd start with to win races and stuff, but it seems like there's a niche of affordable kits that isn't being filled. Amainhobbies is top notch and highly recommended. I've been buying from them since they first started years back. If you want to be blown away by quality, get an XRAY. They're well worth the money.
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Apr 10, 2012 01:11
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oval office.exe posted:I just pulled this out of the cupboard where it's been sitting unused for 4 or 5 years: I used to have the same car! For me I would take apart the engine to make sure the piston and sleeve are good, clean the carb, air filter, change all the diff fluids, shock fluids, new glow plug, etc. Just basic maintenance stuff.
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Apr 10, 2012 01:16
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Treytor posted:Yeah it is a bit puzzling how the good kits are $500 - $600 while most of the RTR kits are around $300 or so. I realize the good kits are I'm sure far superior quality and what you'd start with to win races and stuff, but it seems like there's a niche of affordable kits that isn't being filled. I've built seven TT-01s over the years. I can probably assemble that car with my eyes closed. I know tub chassis are kind of old school but drat I just love that car.
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Apr 10, 2012 01:54
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wav3form posted:I used to have the same car! For me I would take apart the engine to make sure the piston and sleeve are good, clean the carb, air filter, change all the diff fluids, shock fluids, new glow plug, etc. Just basic maintenance stuff. Id be more expecting to have to refill the diff/shocks than change the oil 
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Apr 10, 2012 02:02
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 Time to torment the dog.
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Apr 10, 2012 02:27
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Treytor posted:Yeah it is a bit puzzling how the good kits are $500 - $600 while most of the RTR kits are around $300 or so. I realize the good kits are I'm sure far superior quality and what you'd start with to win races and stuff, but it seems like there's a niche of affordable kits that isn't being filled. The 'tweener' priced kits don't exist really because as a general rule it is more costly to produce an unassembled kit rather than the RTR. Krushgroove might be able to better comment on that, he works for HPI Europe. Those that are interested in the highest performance are likely to spend the extra money for something more expensive without fuss. A Main hobbies is without a doubt in the top 3 R/C retailers in the world. I'm quite close to the VP of purchasing there (also a goon, actually). Order from them without any concern; they will take care of you start to finish. They won't be stocking the TT01 chassis mostly because that is not their market. The TT01 is an okay platform, but not my first recommendation. If you want a tamiya kit, spring for a TA05 or TA06, they will just drive soooo much better. I would also say the TC4 club racer kit. It will be super easy to find parts wherever and forever. You can buy an HPI or Tamiya body for it and get super scale/detail if that's what you're going for. The other one I would suggest is the HPI Cup Racer. You can look back at some of my posts for pics of mine. I absolutely had a great time building it and it drives awesome.
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Apr 10, 2012 02:33
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Cup racer is on my to-do list in the future. I want to start a spec class for cup racer at my local track (any class with 3 cars to field will get a run) having a porsche cup racer class would be pretty awesome.
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Apr 10, 2012 03:02
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Thanks again for all the feedback. What about the XRAY T3R? A bit pricey but reasonable I think. I realize it's a very barebones kit but I'm also okay with that. I like the idea of researching and picking out everything that will go into it, even down to the wheels. I definitely want to go lipo / brushless, and the tt-01 kits seem a bit outdated and aren't built with that in mind.
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Apr 10, 2012 05:00
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there is the sakura zero S (or S zero?) that is the same idea as the T3R (basic beginner kit touring car) and it is MUCH cheaper. its around $150AUD which puts it pretty much in the $100 zone for US people I would assume. there is also other stuff like 12th scale pan cars and F1 that are much more basic and usually kit form.
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Apr 10, 2012 05:59
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Treytor posted:Thanks again for all the feedback. What about the XRAY T3R? A bit pricey but reasonable I think. I realize it's a very barebones kit but I'm also okay with that. I like the idea of researching and picking out everything that will go into it, even down to the wheels. I definitely want to go lipo / brushless, and the tt-01 kits seem a bit outdated and aren't built with that in mind. The TT-01 is outdated but it works with lipo and brushless just fine with no hassle.
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Apr 10, 2012 13:38
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I can't believe how much I enjoy this little Losi crawler. I've always liked RC stuff but have never spent hours on end doing it. I've got the perfect little rock garden behind my deck:  Spent most of the weekend crawling back and forth over the rocks. Even the NiMH's I picked up at the LHS last long enough that I can run continuously and always have a fresh battery on the charger when one dies. Only stopped when I finally stripped out a diff locker. Something about all the precision and slow but steady progress is really relaxing. I'm already itching for something more scale looking. I was debating whether to do the Dingo kit or Honcho RTR from Axial. Looks like the dingo has some nicer hardware in places, but it'd wind up being significantly more expensive with electronics. ColonelJohnMatrix, or anyone else who has an SCX10, any thoughts on how helpful the aluminum links and steering thingy are than the plastic stuff that comes with the honcho? I'm also wondering what I'd want to do for LiPos (the 5000mah 2s pack linked a page or so back seemed like a good deal.) And with that charger linked a few pages back, I notice it doesn't come with an power supply. Are there any that have a regular cord built in, or is that just the way it works for lipo chargers? powderific fucked around with this message at 00:28 on Apr 11, 2012 |
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Apr 11, 2012 00:26
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Laserface posted:there is the sakura zero S (or S zero?) that is the same idea as the T3R (basic beginner kit touring car) and it is MUCH cheaper. its around $150AUD which puts it pretty much in the $100 zone for US people I would assume. I'm running a sakura zero S in the local vta and usgt class. It's been pretty good. I picked it up for $120, but you'll have to put in another 75 or so to make it race worthy.
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Apr 11, 2012 00:41
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SGT. Squeaks posted:I'm running a sakura zero S in the local vta and usgt class. It's been pretty good. I picked it up for $120, but you'll have to put in another 75 or so to make it race worthy. once I get more experienced my plan is to switch my TC5 from VTA/21.5 touring to 17.5 touring only and then a sakura S for VTA, or keep the TC5 as is and get an F1 as thats another popular class at my club.
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Apr 11, 2012 01:44
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powderific posted:I can't believe how much I enjoy this little Losi crawler. I've always liked RC stuff but have never spent hours on end doing it. I've got the perfect little rock garden behind my deck: Totally agree with you on the relaxing thing. If you think crawling over rocks in your backyard is fun, just wait until you get a scaler and head out to the local mountain bike trail. It's a loving blast. As for a recommendation, I'd go with a new Dingo kit. In addition to the aluminum link upgrade (it's nice, trust me, I had to put an upgrade kit on mine), the new kit has various other kit updates....mainly a protective cover over the motor/spur. When you are on the trail, it's not too hard to get a stick wedged up into the gear mesh....which means new spur. If you want the longer "honcho" wheel base (it's about 1 inch longer) you can just buy honcho links and you are good to go. Yeah, for sure go with the kit. If you are concerned about cost of getting starting, I'll mail you the RTR ESC, motor, & radio. You just cover shipping. All you'd need would be a servo. Let me warn you though, the RTR electronics are NOT setup for crawling. You need an ESC with drag brake, which that one doesn't have. Regardless, I'll still hook you up if it helps you get started. You will love your SCX10. EDIT - Also one more thing, the new RTR kits have glued tired, not beadlocks. ColonelJohnMatrix fucked around with this message at 15:57 on Apr 11, 2012 |
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Apr 11, 2012 15:53
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That'd be fantastic. I wanted to do the Dingo anyway as I do enjoy building kits and it seems to make fixing things later so much easier when you know how everything fits together. I'll totally take you up on that offer--let me know what shipping will be and where to send the money. Any suggestions on the servo? Seems like people like the Hitec 5645MG.
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Apr 11, 2012 16:39
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powderific posted:That'd be fantastic. I wanted to do the Dingo anyway as I do enjoy building kits and it seems to make fixing things later so much easier when you know how everything fits together. I'll totally take you up on that offer--let me know what shipping will be and where to send the money. PM sent about the shipping stuff. Those Hitech MG servos are totally fine. I'm still using the RTR axial servo in mine and I haven't had any issues. Lots of guys use the traxxas slash servo, because they are waterproof.
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Apr 11, 2012 17:09
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What the hell, ordered the Dingo and some ancillary accessories. Went with the traxxas servo and ordered a smaller spur gear for the 27t motor as well. Exciting.
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Apr 11, 2012 23:08
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powderific posted:What the hell, ordered the Dingo and some ancillary accessories. Went with the traxxas servo and ordered a smaller spur gear for the 27t motor as well. Exciting. Badass! Can't wait to see it. I'll be sending you the electronics on Friday. My scx10 now has a third lid to go with the dingo & rusty Comanche......an Army Deuce and Half inspired Honcho! I'm going to be adding a ton of scale accessories on this thing...i.e. light bar, cargo rack, cooler, etc. Should turn out nice. Only takes a minute to change the body mounts from Comanche to Honcho! 
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Apr 12, 2012 03:28
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Here's my Honcho. I had a blast with it over the winter. A bunch of racing buddies and I got into crawlers over the off season. One of them has like 40 acres of old farm land. We were over there every week beating the crap out of our trucks. I'm not big on all the little scale details, cause like I said we beat the living poo poo out of our trucks. It has full steel mip/robinson drivetrain, 32p gears, powered by a 19t or 20t (I forget) 550 airplane motor on 3s with a brxl esc inside a waterproof box. Also has the hand bros chassis mounted steering, and r2j customs steel 4link truss in the rear.
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Apr 13, 2012 21:23
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You may not be big on scale stuff, but that's a great photo. Hey, if any of you UK goons are at the Gadget Show Live, I've been there all week for work. Stop by the HPI Racing stand in hall 7, next to the huge food court and VW driving experience. My ears are ringing from listening to Adele all week (blasted from the Curry's/PC World stand) and could use a break to talk to a friendly goon.
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Apr 13, 2012 21:29
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krushgroove posted:You may not be big on scale stuff, but that's a great photo. What do you do for HPI? I'm relatively new to this thread, so sorry if it's been discussed (I'm sure it has). I took my truck out for a hike yesterday, and wound up deep in the woods. I tried to climb a gigantic hill (probably 20 foot high) that was at least a 70 degree incline w/ moist dirt & roots. The truck made it up the first time, and upon the second climb it tipped at the top, making the truck tumble violently to the ground. The fall was so hard that the ESC fell out, a drive shaft popped, and the battery flew out (i had it ziptied way up front). Going to have to head to the work bench! Here are a couple pics before my illfated climb.  
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Apr 13, 2012 22:51
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ColonelJohnMatrix posted:What do you do for HPI? I'm relatively new to this thread, so sorry if it's been discussed (I'm sure it has). I'm this guy http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAABD4ADD34EAD570 ...and in 3D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R89eODhhxVg&context=C432fd17ADvjVQa1PpcFNitqoLdKLRwWM4THkZ-GsNTlfepxmKLKI=
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Apr 13, 2012 23:13
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While I wait for my dingo kit to come in I've been tooling around with the Losi mini crawler. It's pretty amazing what you can get around on with the little guy. Even with the battery in it's stock location it'll go pretty steep before straight up flipping over. (I did stick a bunch of lead weights in the front wheels though)
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Apr 14, 2012 00:04
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krushgroove posted:I'm this guy http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAABD4ADD34EAD570 Holy poo poo dude, just noticed this http://www.hpiracing.com/kitinfo/106949/ Please make us an electric one. I'd suggest using the Vorza as a base, but it looks like this is closer to a 1/10th scale chassis and doesn't share anything in common.
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Apr 14, 2012 03:09
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krushgroove posted:I'm this guy http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAABD4ADD34EAD570 Great, now I want a Crawler King as a fun basher/crawler.
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Apr 14, 2012 03:52
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Well I don't much feel like trying to figure out whether the ESC or the motor is busted on my Sprint 2 Flux, so i think i'm just gonna buy a better ESC and see if the motor will work. If it doesn't i'll just buy a new motor as well. I'd try seeing if its something i could fix on the ESC but its completely sealed to be water proof.
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Apr 14, 2012 05:57
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kuffs posted:Holy poo poo dude, just noticed this http://www.hpiracing.com/kitinfo/106949/ Yeah a Flux version was announced at the same time as the nitro version - it'll take 4S total (to keep the price low) and the wheelbase is the same as the old Super Nitro/Super Nitro Rally cars, so 300mm wheelbase TGX and Super Ten bodies will fit. I did the driving of the Nitro in the video (the tall GI Joe/Action Man guy is mine) and while it can't go over truly rough terrain because of the ride height it is really fun. The WR8s are based on the Bullet chassis but have a raised front bumper/skid plate and shorter arms, shocks and shock towers. A range of alloy suspension parts will be coming out for the Bullet/WR8 too. ColonelJohnMatrix posted:Great, now I want a Crawler King as a fun basher/crawler. I don't know if they sell those in the US still, but if you can find one and want it, get it - they haven't been sold in the EU/UK for ages.
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Apr 14, 2012 20:39
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god drat it, spent hours masking up a car body only to have my Tamiya rattle can block up (the mechanism in the can, not the nozzle) and then because of my fiddling to fix it totally ignored that i left the body open-end up to catch a bunch of dirt in the paint 
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Apr 15, 2012 03:12
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I finally got around to shooting a short crawling/water running video with my Comanche. Not bad considering I was driving with one hand, and shooting on my lovely digital camera. I'm definitely going to be buying a nice camcorder to shoot more videos. http://youtu.be/Pv0bBSJD44E The truck is pretty much waterproof now, so I let her loose! ColonelJohnMatrix fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Apr 16, 2012 |
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Apr 16, 2012 01:32
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Had this Losi Ten scte around for a month now, Finally got enough parts collected to start it. Finished painting the body, and i put the paint mask off center but ah well.   Started on the electrics, should have the servo and the TLR kit tomorrow.  Does anyone run one of these? any tips would be great.
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Apr 16, 2012 20:37
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I've been reasonably successful with mine over the past few months. The HD lightweight outdrives all around are a must-buy, as the stock ones will start to notch or break after a few races. I run the same motor you've got; use a 13T pinion on a tight track, 14-16 on a larger one. Our track is a bit loose and dusty but grooves up pretty well, and is fairly tight with only one decent-length straightaway. I run 27.5W in the rear shocks, 32.5W in front. For diff oils, 3-5-2 is awesome - plenty of quick acceleration and tons of steering both on and off throttle. I've ran 5-7-3 too, but in this truck it's too stiff. Terrible off-power steering and your tires will look like pizza cutters going down the straight. It's more ideal for larger tracks with more straights and bigger jumps (worked great at Psycho Nitro Blast). Keep your ride-height fairly low (I go with arms level in the front, dogbones level in the back). I cut the side parts off of my rear bumper because mudflaps just drag and the bumper tears the body up. I've also got the M2C tapered-hole shock pistons and swear by them. It really settles the truck down on bumpy surfaces and lets you barrel through them with ease. Also, you're probably aware but if not - take off the battery tray and look underneath - there are small clips for you to run your ESC wires through to your radio box. Neatens it up a bit and keeps the wires away from spinning parts. Definitely try to grab an aluminum servo horn at some point. Since November I've consistently had the fastest Losi on the track, and I've only been beat by a guy with a Durango, and our resident Fast Guy's SC10.
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Apr 17, 2012 03:17
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I've read some people use WD-40 on metal bits after running in water/mud. I know from riding motorcycles/bicycles that WD-40 is NOT a suitable chain lubricant, isn't that a bad idea on R/C cars also? Would bicycle chain oil be suitable for ball joints and so forth? This is probably just the first in a torrent of beginner questions, so apologies in advance. Goon Powderific sold me his 1/16th Slash VXL, I'm cool like you guys now 
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Apr 17, 2012 15:57
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Sloppy posted:I've read some people use WD-40 on metal bits after running in water/mud. I know from riding motorcycles/bicycles that WD-40 is NOT a suitable chain lubricant, isn't that a bad idea on R/C cars also? Would bicycle chain oil be suitable for ball joints and so forth? I guess general rule of thumb is that WD40 is a cleaner. Need hardcore cleaning, I guess WD40 is okay, but for something like a chain or something that wants lubrication, make sure you apply again after cleaning.
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Apr 17, 2012 16:03
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Sloppy posted:I've read some people use WD-40 on metal bits after running in water/mud. I know from riding motorcycles/bicycles that WD-40 is NOT a suitable chain lubricant, isn't that a bad idea on R/C cars also? Would bicycle chain oil be suitable for ball joints and so forth? My U-joints are already a bit rusty & squeaky from that water video I posted the other day. But....I actually like it like that. It fits the theme of the truck! Normally I'd just some white grease.
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Apr 17, 2012 16:20
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Glad you're enjoying the slash! Did you get the battery charger worked out? For WD 40, it's recommended with the slash for time when you've run through mud and water because it's Water Displacing rather than because of its lubricating properties. I think the manual just says water displacing oil. You don't want to use it on motorcycle chains since it's not a great lubricant--it's a water displacer. It evaporates too quick, some people claim it dissolves o rings, etc. powderific fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Apr 17, 2012 |
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Apr 17, 2012 18:03
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TremorX posted:I've been reasonably successful with mine over the past few months. The HD lightweight outdrives all around are a must-buy, as the stock ones will start to notch or break after a few races. I run the same motor you've got; use a 13T pinion on a tight track, 14-16 on a larger one. Thanks for the tips man, I did buy the HD lightweight outdrives, and the TLR kit. I should have them tomorrow and then i can start installing everything. I do have the 3k and 5k diff oil but i don't have any 2k, ill see if the store has any. Thanks for the info on the battery tray I was gonna route them under there but I might have missed the clips. EDIT: are these the pistons you are talkign about? http://www.amainhobbies.com/product...hock-Piston-Set HoWSeR fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Apr 17, 2012 |
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Apr 17, 2012 18:05
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Yep, that's them. They're fantastic on bumpy and blown-out tracks. BTW, how well does that Castle fan fit on the Pro4? I want to put a fan on mine but haven't really looked into what all fits.
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Apr 17, 2012 20:38
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Awesome, my track is a run down dusty 1/8th track, these will come in handy. the fan fits just right, if you tilt it away from the center diff you get better clearance . I have not zip tied it yet just to make sure there are no issues when I get my 13t pinion tomorrow. Ill post up some closer shots of the fan mounted if you like. TremorX posted:Yep, that's them. They're fantastic on bumpy and blown-out tracks.
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Apr 17, 2012 20:48
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Cool... my motor runs a bit on the warm side no matter what gear I run, so I'd feel more comfortable with the fan or even just a heatsink. Another thing I just thought of that a couple of us started doing and it helped was to mount the rear camber links so that they're longer - inner hole on the towers, outer hole on the hubs. The extra length seems to keep the rear a lot more planted. TremorX fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Apr 17, 2012 |
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Apr 17, 2012 21:17
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powderific posted:Glad you're enjoying the slash! Did you get the battery charger worked out? I won't have a chance to work with it more until this evening, but I think with the directions I can sort out what the issue is.
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Apr 17, 2012 21:42
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