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Fast remote control cars - any fun?


Franchi

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Anybody have any experience with and or play with / mod quicker remote control cars like Traxxas and the like? Coworker brought in a Traxxas truck and got to play with it for a few mins and they have my interest piqued and been looking into them a bit as looks like may be a fun little side hobby but zero experience with em besides 20 mins goofing off with one at work.

 

Seems like Traxxas is one of the main brands for that type of stuff and few mods you can do to them, depending if electric or nitro.

 

From the little bit of research I've done online regarding them, seems like a pretty decent sized following for it as a hobby and some people can get REALLY into it.

 

Just wanted to get few folks opinions on who has goofed off with em before and how they like it. Seems interesting but at same time, don't want to drop coin to buy a decent one, and have it be one of those things that's fun for 2 days and sits on shelf for next 4 years as flash in the pan type thing if that makes sense.

 

Looking one's similiar to below...

 

https://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/36054-1stampede

 

https://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/58064-1fordraptor

 

 

I know Nick has a couple and he's bringing them over next week so I can check em out but wanted to see if other folks have played with them before and what they thought.

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from personal experience - in the early 1990's I used to race R/C pro-stock style drag cars. The fun was in tuning them wasn't in driving in them. I also ran a koysho gas R/C car on local outdoor road courses, and even did a year racing R/c motorcycles. Without the competition the fun wasn't really there.

 

I played with a few friends Traxxas rigs when they first came out and were advertising 65mph. Here are my thoughts. If you like the crash as much as you like actually playing with the thing it's fun. It's really fun to launch it off something without thinking this is going to be "expensive", even though it is. I couldn't really use 65mph because I never had the room to get up to speed there and even at that speed the damn thing is twitchy and you are past the limits of traction. basically launching the thing was the most fun part of the experience.

 

I can pretty much guarantee they are vagina repellant if your wife/girlfriend/significant other/any female you remotely had an interest in sees you playing with it in the park. I got out some of my old R/C kit 2 years ago before we moved and the wife caught me playing with them. I don't even think she used the term "man-child" but skipped right to "fucking child".

 

CL is fill of people for whom this was a flash in the pan for - just buy their used rig for 1/3 what they paid and beat the crap out of it and see if you like it.

 

This guy spent $800 on it and he'll be luck to get $350 for it:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/for/5212294566.html

 

here is $100 for a nitro one:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/tag/5210120303.html

 

To be honest if you like RC, I still have plenty of fun with my old clodbuster and grasshoppers/hornets. outright speed doesn't really add to the experience as long as they are faster than the old 7.2v tyco ones they used to sell at Toys R Us. once you are going faster than 30mph you are going to have that moment of "oh shit" what if I hit another person with this thing which kinda makes it less fun.

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from personal experience - in the early 1990's I used to race R/C pro-stock style drag cars. The fun was in tuning them wasn't in driving in them. I also ran a koysho gas R/C car on local outdoor road courses, and even did a year racing R/c motorcycles. Without the competition the fun wasn't really there.

 

I played with a few friends Traxxas rigs when they first came out and were advertising 65mph. Here are my thoughts. If you like the crash as much as you like actually playing with the thing it's fun. It's really fun to launch it off something without thinking this is going to be "expensive", even though it is. I couldn't really use 65mph because I never had the room to get up to speed there and even at that speed the damn thing is twitchy and you are past the limits of traction. basically launching the thing was the most fun part of the experience.

 

I can pretty much guarantee they are vagina repellant if your wife/girlfriend/significant other/any female you remotely had an interest in sees you playing with it in the park. I got out some of my old R/C kit 2 years ago before we moved and the wife caught me playing with them. I don't even think she used the term "man-child" but skipped right to "fucking child".

 

CL is fill of people for whom this was a flash in the pan for - just buy their used rig for 1/3 what they paid and beat the crap out of it and see if you like it.

 

This guy spent $800 on it and he'll be luck to get $350 for it:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/for/5212294566.html

 

here is $100 for a nitro one:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/tag/5210120303.html

 

To be honest if you like RC, I still have plenty of fun with my old clodbuster and grasshoppers/hornets. outright speed doesn't really add to the experience as long as they are faster than the old 7.2v tyco ones they used to sell at Toys R Us. once you are going faster than 30mph you are going to have that moment of "oh shit" what if I hit another person with this thing which kinda makes it less fun.

 

If I drive my fast electric R/C I drive it through the windows of my house. The blinds are slightly open, barely letting light in across my face as I wear a pair of aviators and a medium sized t shirt. I drive it carefully as to not flip the car or crash - this way I can remain in my rocking chair behind closed doors without judgement. There's typically a hot plate of bagel bites or hot pockets next to me and a gut buster mountain dew. I don't like when the children watch it zoom down the street. "Stop it", I whisper to myself. They never listen.

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I have a used traxxas russler I'm wanting to sell. It probably goes 60mph. Looking for $200 and comes with a real nice charger and spare tires. Probably $500 worth of stuff. I just don't use it anymore, so it sits in the basement collecting dust.

 

Not to hijack the thread but it is a fast electric rc. And imho avoid nitro at all costs. I had one a number of years ago and just hated it.

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Once upon a time, Nitro was king. Now, it seems Electric w/ Lipos are the rage.

 

They are stupid fun, and are entertaining for all ages, assuming they can be turned down until for the younger.

 

All that being said, they depreciate WORSE than a new car. New $800: Used $300 PLEASE!?!

 

:thumbup:

 

KillJoy

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I have a used traxxas russler I'm wanting to sell. It probably goes 60mph. Looking for $200 and comes with a real nice charger and spare tires. Probably $500 worth of stuff. I just don't use it anymore, so it sits in the basement collecting dust.

 

Not to hijack the thread but it is a fast electric rc. And imho avoid nitro at all costs. I had one a number of years ago and just hated it.

 

Buy this, play with it, fix what you break on it and sell it for 200 in a year when you stop using it. Cant lose.

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Everybody shits on nitro but it isn't that bad. For a tourist in the hobby I wouldn't recommend it because it takes a commitment and a proper setup. Everything is expensive, noisy, and environmentally unfriendly. It used to be an advantage for racing but now the electrics have caught up that it is now a personal preference thing.

 

I have run nitro powered control line airplanes, R/C airplanes, and cars. When I was active I was setup with fuel in locked cabinets (as per fire code), a recovery system, cleanup equipment, and a set routine. With the car the hardest part about it and the thing that made me stop using it was that I got to the point where I was tearing up major drivetrain components regularly and when replacements became no longer available I didn't want to dump another $1000 in a new car to prep for what was essentially local parking lot races. Breakage was always expensive, replacement engines were more than half the cost of the car.

 

It made a little more sense for the planes when I lived in NYC because I lived in the same town as a flying field and electrics were only good for 10min a shot at most where as I could fly for 30min on a tank of nitro in a large 4 channel airplane. Now park flyers are pushing 20-30 minutes and with some park flyers you don't need a dedicated flying field like you do with gas.

 

For someone dicking around in their backyard nitro doesn't make a lot of sense. Your wife will hate the way you stink, the neighbors will hate the smoke, smell, and noise, and your kids will think it isn't fun and slightly scary. It used to be the only way to get a really fast car but the electrics have leveled the playing field there.

 

so yeah, based on what you said you wanted, don't get nitro.

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I can pretty much guarantee they are vagina repellant if your wife/girlfriend/significant other/any female you remotely had an interest in sees you playing with it in the park. I got out some of my old R/C kit 2 years ago before we moved and the wife caught me playing with them. I don't even think she used the term "man-child" but skipped right to "fucking child".

.

 

Ha, I admit, that made me laugh. I could see my wife saying something like that.... but hey, it's still cheaper then the car mods.

 

 

Good info to know from all, thanks!

 

Been looking up how fast some folks have gotten their r/c cars up to and blows my mind... Had no idea r/c cars could hit 100 mph in under 5 seconds like with the Traxxas XO-1 model...

 

Def leaning towards electric for something simple and easy to run.

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Thanks, it was meant to be funny. If you are having fun who cares. Personally I love having a child because it means I get to buy a whole bunch of toys I miss playing with without the wife being too judgmental.

 

100mph? Not even trying:

 

http://jalopnik.com/worlds-fastest-r-c-car-breaks-record-at-196-mph-1599762393

 

The traxxas xo-1 can hit 100mph (in theory) straight out of the box. That's impressive. R/C drag cars were hitting that number 20 years ago, but they aren't nearly as much fun to play with.

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Looking at spending $200 probably, and definately want a simple and easy to run setup, pretty entry level.

 

And leaning towards monster truck style or something with bigger tires that I can run in backyard / grass fields as well.

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I have been going back and forth for quite a while on getting into the hobby. Probably going to drop the money on a 4wd truck at some point when I come across a good deal. I have a huge back yard and large wooded lot behind the house to play in. I was in OBX last week and the idea of playing on the beach with one did seem fun.
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Nitro RCs are now a joke, no one buys them and they are worthless on the used RC market.

 

Electric is the only way to go and make sure it's brushless or you're wasting money. Buy Jason's RC, it's a great deal for the money. You should buy an RC used not new. Getting a lipo charger, with lipo and an RC for $200 is cheap, most chargers are $50+.

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I have a X-mod I got for Christmas when they came out. Started with the camaro body and bought the supra body with bodykit. It's fun but prices for parts range quite a bit online. The suspension is a little weak and I would suggest upgrading them if you go that route. But you can buy whole car kits on ebay for anywhere between 50 and 300.
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My fully modded slash 4x4 sits in the closet. lots of money in it, I will make very good deal to CR member. Brand new body with 0 runs on it. New speed controller with less than a dozen runs. Might need a battery due to sitting, but ready to go other than than ($30 will buy a battery) PM me if anyone is interested.

 

 

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r39/aussiek2000/slash/IMG_2088.jpg

 

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r39/aussiek2000/slash/F30B8AB2-CB6B-448F-96A3-A3C8D64F5E62-67616-00000CCF57B4EE23.jpg

 

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r39/aussiek2000/slash/IMG_2105.jpg

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