Am I making mistakes?

[Mikyll1969]

I am new getting back to RC trucks. Will be looking at getting my kids into it along with me. We are looking at an 'entry level' type set of 3 trucks... probably all Traxxas, due to availability of parts and my previous familiarity with them. My older son wants a Bandit, and my younger wants a Rustler... I'm debating between another Rustler and a Stampede. I'm leaning toward buying each in the lowest cost version, with the NiMH batteries and chargers... and then moving up to LiPo ... ID batteries and chargers later. I also know my older son wants to upgrade his Bandit to the brushless fancy engine/gearing, we just don't feel the extra cost is warranted as an initial buy. What are anyones thoughts on this path/plan... and dues my idea seem workable? The one big question I have, at the start ... is for the batteries... is the performance/run time SUPER different and maybe worth the extra cost to bump to the LiPos right away?

 

[D3MON]

personally id recommend the arrma 1/10 trucks/buggy/short course, very very durable, very cheap, and 4wd. brushed is great, though if you do plan on going brushless id recommend biting the bullet and starting with brushless version (3s for arrma, vxl for trx).
the brushless typically have enough upgraded parts on them that it would cost that much just in parts without motor/esc to offset the cost. i will admit some of the traxxas parts are cheaper, but in the end you will have to convert them to as much RPM as you can stand to keep them going, and the xl5(brushed) versions, use bushings instead of bearings.
just food for thought.
for LiPos, i have been having very good luck with Zeee batteries and HoVoo batteries in the 2s and 3s range, and are both very cheap with high C-rating.
(c-rating is the ability to discharge rate, so if the ESC demands 50C, the battery can supply it, though brushed is typically less demanding, if the battery doesn't have high enough discharge rating, the battery will not be able to support it and the battery could be damaged or puff, and eventually fire).

either way, welcome back to the hobby, and definitely post pictures of what you end up getting!
EDIT: kind of a side note, but seems to be one of your concerns, brushless systems are much more effecient and likely to get up to 3x as much run time. if you do upgrade to brushless later, don't cheap out on the ESC, the motors, some of the cheap chinese ones are fine, but the ESC is where you want to have good quality, like hobby-wing, or castle.

 

[Greengaunja]

I almost got my son(10) Wendigo but the order went fubar and wasn't deliverable before Christmas. So I went to my LHS. They recommended the ECX Amp MT. RWD. Kid loves it, but for me, the sell was it could be upgraded cheaply, and is an easy design for him to learn the basics from. Hell even I love the RWD. . Arrma has that durability and moxie! But to start cheap and work your way up, that's what was recommended to me. 7.2 NiMH batteries and can be upgraded to 2s/3s.

 

[tntpoof]

Traxxas makes a good product to start with . many parts and can be upgraded easily.. Some people think that Traxxas is the doom to this Hobby (when its completely Corporate greed as in not paying there bills..)and upgrading from a 6 cell nimh to a 2 cell lipo Yes but not a 3 cell thats a NO.. Get 3 different Rcs then its always fun and new to drive 1 another's..Also you have a switch on A traxxas radio to switch down the power/speed to 50%..so enjoy this hobby..

 

[LibertyMKiii]

My 9yr old son has been driving a Slash 2wd brushed for quite some time and is just now interested in making it faster.
I will say that you should go with 2s LiPos from the start. The charge time is significantly less (1 hr versus 6 hrs?)
One word of caution is that LiPos take a higher level of care, being put back into storage voltage when not in use for multiple days. If you want your kids to be able to neglect the care of batteries then NiMh may be the safer path.

As mentioned before Brushless upgrades are really expensive in general. It typically is best to buy the brushless model initially and turn down the speed on the remote.

Like others I have a bias towards Arrma. I'd think a Big rock crew cab or granite might be a better choice than some of the Traxxas models. Parts availability is about the same in my opinion.

 

[Mikyll1969]

Thanks for the inputs and thoughts.
I have gone to the available local places and talked with people at the stores, focusing on what they have available, in stock, for vehicles and parts. The Traxxas stuff seems to be MUCH more readily available, especially in the lower price/entry level area. There are really only 2 places within reasonable drive of my location.
The main guy, at one 'store' (just an oversized cubby-hole attached to a track place here), basically had the attitude that if I wasn't spendng at least 4-5 hundred on a vehicle, I was wasting time and money, and even when I explained, AGAIN, that I was looking for 3 trucks, to be used by my sons with little experience, and had a budget limit to stay with, he just couldn't seem to move off of that view.

For the upgrades mentioned, I will definitely be doing research on them, and making sure to improve all the associated bits too, not JUST the motors; the batteries, I'll double check what the correct size and ratings are, before buying the 'better' ones.

 

[AClegg]

There are quite a few big name companies out there that make a good backyard basher. Traxxas will have the most available parts. For a Lipo battery, a few months ago I purchased my kids a few Awanfi 2s 4600mah batteries at $45 for 2. At $45 for a pair, I thought "What the heck." I know they are pretty freaking cheap, but they are holding up really good. My kids use them to race and they have the same performance as their Orion 4500mah.

Due to me having two kids in the racing scene, I had to go as cheap as possible without buying complete junk. For chargers, I have a Hitec RDX1. No frills or thrills, but it charges, balances, and has storage mode. It also charges Nimh.

 

[Greengaunja]

The Redcat Blackout SC is another nice starter, imo. First REAL rc i had since I was limited by the transmitter cable. Was given to me by friend and two weeks later I put a GoolRc brushless motor and ESC(previous ESC was 2s compatible but I got a deal on a GoolRc combo). That second guy was an butthead. You are "trying" this with your kids. They might treat this as a passing fad. Makes no sense to buy high end when there are plently of cheaper good models that can be upgraded cheaply, if they take to it. However the point above about 3s was true. You can always get a brushed 3s-brushless-ready model. I believe the ARRMA ones are the "Mega" models. Slightly more than the ECX or Redcats(which cap at 2s unless seriously upgraded). Good luck and ANY choice wouldnt really be wrong. I COULD have been a Traxass if the the first cordless rc I was given was a...ugh...Traxxas

 

[olds97_lss]

I know it seems expensive to start with the brushless options, but in the long run, it's a bit of a wash and you save yourself the headache of upgrading every single thing in the drivetrain.

Considering the size of the RC's your looking at, I'd get the maxx 4s for you, then if your really set on the brushed versions, then get those as you see fit for your kids. I'd skip the stampede (and hoss) though and go with the maxx 4s. It's the better truck. Throw $100 at it to upgrade the axles to steel cvd's and you likely wouldn't need to do much else to it down the line.

I have a brushless converted jato that I run 3S on and a heavily modified stampede 4x4 that I run 4S on. Out of the 2, the stampede gets the most wheel time because it just gets around better for general bashing. I run in grass 90% of the time, so something that sits a little higher and is 4wd works better for me.

Either in brushed form just wouldn't have the speed/power I would want. It doesn't take very long to get bored with something that's slow. Unless your into crawling.

 

[Primarrma]

I cannot believe how good the Arrma 4X4 BLX Big Rock Crew Cab V3 is, it is fast, fun, and so tough. It has to be the best out of the box basher I've ever driven, I honestly haven't broken anything and it has taken a lot of abuse. My 6s and 8s rigs are faster jump higher, but cannot take the hits that the BRCC can. Make sure you grab the black one that's the V3. The radio is excellent too. It will run on 2s and 3s you get long run times with stock gearing and it has a throttle limit switch on the radio for when you're starting out. The way this truck is controllable in the air is amazing!

 

[Mikyll1969]

So, after doing some research and looking, on the internet and at stores here, I took the kids in and bought their cars today.
We ended up with The older one getting a Bandit, the younger decided on a Rustler, and I ended up with a 2wd Slash.
I was pleasantly surprised at the local guy, unknown to us until after the sale, ringing a 10% discount for the total purchase; ended up costing less, even after tax, than it would have ordering straight from Traxxas' site. He also recommend 2 small part changes to help the robustness of the boys trucks. Definitely will be going back to them for our parts and upgrade needs.

 

[tntpoof]

?

 

[Primarrma]

I wish you all the best with your new toys, enjoy.

 

[Mikyll1969]

One week in... and already had to go to the store to get some parts, as my older son broke the front bulkhead and Camber link on the right side of his bandit... 45 monute round trip, and 12 bucks or so in parts... plus 20 minutes to get them swapped later... and he's up runnin again.

Next item is gonna be new tires, at least on the rears... for both the Bandit and Rustler, as they came with knobby ones that are already wearing down smooth, because most of our running has been on the street. my Slash came with tires that seem better suited. Not sure what to get for the kids' ones... any suggestions of decent ones for general street/yard use, that won't break the bank?

 

[D3MON]

i would look at the duratrax options for wheels and tires, decent pricing, and decent quality, for the higher power 3s/4s brushless, I've heard mixed reviews, but brushed and semi-tame brushless should be more than sufficient.
i really recommend getting RPM anything as it breaks, especially A-arms, and hub carriers.
turnbuckle links i would get the traxxas VXL ones, stay away from aluminum a-arms specifically, it will start to destroy the rest of the chassis. a-arms make a cheap weak link, and the RPM is flexible enough they shouldn't break easily and will just flex and bend out the way.