Beater 4x4 SC, stadium, or buggy

[biggman100]

I'm looking for a cheap 4x4 (less than $150, the cheaper the better) for some back yard goofing off. I've looked at the Redcat Blackout SC, but, they seem to be flimsy and break a lot. It seems there is also a company that sells on Ebay called HSP that is basically the Redcat vehicles with different bodies and wheels, so I'm thinking they wont be much better.

Anyway, what i am looking for is a brushed truck that i can take the electronics from my Racers Edge Pro 2 (which is brushless), since i already have an Arrma Fury that i would rather use for 2WD stuff, and put that into something fairly cheap just to bash on. I was looking at Slash's, HPI and Team Associated, but, in my area, even used with no electronics people are still asking upwards of $150 used.

I'm not looking for a monster truck, I'm looking for either a SC, a Stadium truck, or a buggy/truggy with decent ground clearance, mostly just to bash with in my yard (my Fury isn't the best in my yard, since it is beyond rough), so, any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I am also looking for suggestions on a cheap (as in, under $40) twin stick transmitter and receiver for my 9 year olds Redcat Volcano. She has a really hard time (due to really small hands) with the pistol grip transmitter, but, has a couple 1/8th toy grade cars that have smaller twin stick set ups, and she is able to work them fairly well, so, i am looking for something along those lines.

 

[WoodiE]

@Bigmanbrock07 honestly if it was me I would recommend saving a few bucks more and get a Traxxas Slash 4x4 for $199.

Parts will be FAR easier to find than any Redcat model and there are aftermarket parts galore for the Slash as well.

 

[chevys10zr2003]

@Bigmanbrock07 honestly if it was me I would recommend saving a few bucks more and get a Traxxas Slash 4x4 for $199.

Parts will be FAR easier to find than any Redcat model and there are aftermarket parts galore for the Slash as well.

For backyard bashing (assuming there is grass in the yard) I don't know how the 1/16 Slash would do, or if the grass would slow it down too much. I know it can noticeably slow down my 1/16 Revo.

I was kind of thinking save a little more and try the ECX Torment. I've never used it but I have heard good things of ECX being a decent quality basher.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/ecx-torment-1-10-rtr-4wd-short-course-truck-ecx03043/p468810

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Banggood has a 1/10 4wd stadium truck kit for about $100. Here is a thread from RCG on it. Seems decent, but as with most all of the china brand trucks, parts support will be mail order only (unless you are super lucky) and quality may be hit or miss.
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/sho...-Thunder-ZTX-10-1-10-4WD-Stadium-truck-Review
Kit -
https://www.banggood.com/ZD-Racing-...-1203131.html?rmmds=category&cur_warehouse=CN

Another option would be the FS racing 53910 desert buggy, $115 (Brushed) from USA warehouse. This one was rebranded by Hellion so there are RPM plastic parts and aluminum from a few sources -
https://www.banggood.com/FS-53910-1...-944304.html?rmmds=category&cur_warehouse=USA
Mega thread -
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2912145-FS-Racing-53625-Marauder-1-10-Brushless

I really like the look of this car, and very nearly bought the brushless version when it was on sale for $140 a month or two ago.

If you can stretch the budget a bit, the Habao TT-10 is supposed to be pretty good -
https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGHFT&P=SM

For a stick radio, there is the old classic Futaba Attack AM radio. AM, though -
https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGRM7**&P=SM

Flysky has the FS-i4, for $35. Air radio, though.
https://www.banggood.com/Flysky-FS-...S-A6-Receiver-p-1167850.html?cur_warehouse=CN

 

[biggman100]

@Bigmanbrock07 honestly if it was me I would recommend saving a few bucks more and get a Traxxas Slash 4x4 for $199.

Parts will be FAR easier to find than any Redcat model and there are aftermarket parts galore for the Slash as well.

Actually, there is a LHS that i just recently found that is only 30 minutes from me that has an entire section of the store that is all Redcat stuff. Cars, parts, even used vehicles, although they have been out of used Redcat vehicles, according to the owner, for over a month now. I am on a very strict budget, and, since this is only going to be strictly to beat on in my backyard until i break it, that's why I'm looking at the cheaper stuff. I already have 3 Redcat vehicles, but, one is a Volcano EPX monster truck, the other 2 are 2WD buggies, and I'm looking for a 4WD SC or stadium truck (Since trying to make the Volcano even mildly fast didnt really work out. Even with the racers edge parts in it, it still would barely go much faster than stock. I gave up trying to figure out why after a week of messing with it). I have actually had pretty good luck with the Redcat stuff i have. On the volcano, which i put a Traxxas 12t in, and then ran on a 2s lipo, the only thing i broke, repeatedly, were the a arms, so, i finally upgraded them with aluminum hobbypark parts i got locally. I spent less than $50 for all 4 a arms, the turnbuckles, and the aluminum mounts the a arms and diffs mount to. I actually burnt up 2 of the 12T motors running them in that truck. The 2 buggies are my daughters, and since they are still a bit young, i leave them alone. I am kind of leaning towards the Blackout SC and the Exceed Rally Monster knockoff, but, my neighbor has had very bad luck with his Blackout.

Now, about my backyard, it isnt really a yard as in, not nicely mowed, smooth grass. It is more like an off roaders paradise. My neighbors run ATV's out there, a pretty wide and deep creek runs at the very edge of it, and basically, it is very rough and pitted, with lots of ruts, which is why i dont run my Fury out there. I ran an older 1/10 SC truck i had out there, and the jumps are vicious enough that i snapped 2 chassis in half, and finally upgraded that one to an aluminum chassis plate (then burnt it up running a brushed/3s lipo, or, at least, tried to. The fire was kind of fun to watch though). The problem with that truck (another Redcat knockoff) is that because that area is usually soft, the tires just dig in and it gets stuck a lot, hence wanting a 4WD. My neighbors Blackout, when he hasnt broke it (he is also too cheap to actually upgrade anything on it, and just keeps buying the cheap stock plastic stuff) actually seems to do very well out there, but, i also dont really like the look of the Blackout body.

 

[Bri26]

Redcat is much better now than it was a few years ago. The Redcat Blackout SC is very solid. The most recent version comes with hardened diff gears and the truck as a whole is really durable. Sometimes when you read reviews, it from the earlier versions and also some users are extreme bashers which pretty much nothing will survive. A case in point, I have raced an ARRMA Fury for over a year and a half without breaking any parts. A thread on this forum by someone who also has an ARRMA Fury, has pretty much broken something every time he ran it. He has listed around 30 parts that he has replaced.

I wouldn't hesitate getting the Redcat Blackout SC. If you get the brushed version, I would for sure upgrade the servo to the Hexfly 15KG metal gear version.

Also, if you have a little more in the budget, the Redcat Caldera SC 10E is a little better truck than the Blackout SC but for whatever reason not quite as popular. I switched to SLASH 4x4 wheels & tires and it performs and looks awesome. Here is a review of the Redcat Caldera SC 10E - https://brshobbies.blogspot.com/2018/02/redcat-caldera-sc-10e-short-course.html

Did you try changing the gear ratio on the Volcano? Depending on the KV of the motor, you may need go to a higher tooth pinion gear to get more top speed.

Best regards,
Brian

 

[biggman100]

Redcat is much better now than it was a few years ago. The Redcat Blackout SC is very solid. The most recent version comes with hardened diff gears and the truck as a whole is really durable. Sometimes when you read reviews, it from the earlier versions and also some users are extreme bashers which pretty much nothing will survive. A case in point, I have raced an ARRMA Fury for over a year and a half without breaking any parts. A thread on this forum by someone who also has an ARRMA Fury, has pretty much broken something every time he ran it. He has listed around 30 parts that he has replaced.

I wouldn't hesitate getting the Redcat Blackout SC. If you get the brushed version, I would for sure upgrade the servo to the Hexfly 15KG metal gear version.

Also, if you have a little more in the budget, the Redcat Caldera SC 10E is a little better truck than the Blackout SC but for whatever reason not quite as popular. I switched to SLASH 4x4 wheels & tires and it performs and looks awesome. Here is a review of the Redcat Caldera SC 10E - https://brshobbies.blogspot.com/2018/02/redcat-caldera-sc-10e-short-course.html

Did you try changing the gear ratio on the Volcano? Depending on the KV of the motor, you may need go to a higher tooth pinion gear to get more top speed.

Best regards,
Brian

The Volcano i have is brushed, not brushless, which apparently is why i keep burning up 12t motors. I have not only played with gearing, but also changed the spur gear to a metal one, since i destroyed 3 plastic ones running the 12T with the Lipo battery. Right now its at 64/19. It started at 64/15.

Since i know going in i am going to be using the brushless motor, ESC and other components i have from a Racers Edge Pro 2 i picked up used, I'm looking at spending as little as possible. This is actually the truck i am looking at,
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9269807851/ref=ox_sc_act_title_9?smid=A385B2OBZAJZO4&psc=1 It is a knockoff of the Blackout SC. Except for my Arrma Fury, i bash my vehicles extremely hard, and have been known to break things that some say arent easy to break. Case in point, i completely destroyed the front end of a Team associated grasshopper 3 times years ago. When i say completely, by the time i broke it the third time, it could only be rebuilt with a new tub and all the front end parts. Just an FYI for anyone looking at cheap vehicles, Exceed RC, HSP, and MadGear/MadBeast are all Redcat knockoffs. I learned this from a Redcat forum. For example, the Exceed RC sunfire is a direct copy of the Redcat Tornado, and the HSP Brontosaurus is a direct copy of the Redcat Volcano, and the Exceed RC Rally Monster is a direct copy of the Redcat Blackout SC.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

The Volcano i have is brushed, not brushless, which apparently is why i keep burning up 12t motors. I have not only played with gearing, but also changed the spur gear to a metal one, since i destroyed 3 plastic ones running the 12T with the Lipo battery. Right now its at 64/19. It started at 64/15.

Since i know going in i am going to be using the brushless motor, ESC and other components i have from a Racers Edge Pro 2 i picked up used, I'm looking at spending as little as possible. This is actually the truck i am looking at,
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9269807851/ref=ox_sc_act_title_9?smid=A385B2OBZAJZO4&psc=1 It is a knockoff of the Blackout SC. Except for my Arrma Fury, i bash my vehicles extremely hard, and have been known to break things that some say arent easy to break. Case in point, i completely destroyed the front end of a Team associated grasshopper 3 times years ago. When i say completely, by the time i broke it the third time, it could only be rebuilt with a new tub and all the front end parts. Just an FYI for anyone looking at cheap vehicles, Exceed RC, HSP, and MadGear/MadBeast are all Redcat knockoffs. I learned this from a Redcat forum. For example, the Exceed RC sunfire is a direct copy of the Redcat Tornado, and the HSP Brontosaurus is a direct copy of the Redcat Volcano, and the Exceed RC Rally Monster is a direct copy of the Redcat Blackout SC.

Redcat and Exceed don't own any designs (that I know of) The designs are all by HSP or FS racing or HBX or some other far-east RC company. Many of the other 'budget' brands are the same way. These are not really 'copies' but rather rebrands - they come out of the same factory, bug HSP will put some in Redcat boxes, and some in Exceed boxes, and some in their own box (to sell at Banggood or Gearbest)

I am not saying this makes them bad cars. Rather, if you can be aware of who the OEM is, you can have a pretty good idea of the quality. Take the new Team Redcat TR-SC10E - it comes from Hong Nor. Hong Nor made cars for Ofna - more racers than bashers, and the new TM-SC10E is the old Ofna Jammen SC10E - which was a pretty good RACE truck.

There are some that are true clone/copies too, like those super cheap Slash4x4 clones. They are not out of a traxxas factory, just cheap copies...

 

[biggman100]

Redcat and Exceed don't own any designs (that I know of) The designs are all by HSP or FS racing or HBX or some other far-east RC company. Many of the other 'budget' brands are the same way. These are not really 'copies' but rather rebrands - they come out of the same factory, bug HSP will put some in Redcat boxes, and some in Exceed boxes, and some in their own box (to sell at Banggood or Gearbest)

I am not saying this makes them bad cars. Rather, if you can be aware of who the OEM is, you can have a pretty good idea of the quality. Take the new Team Redcat TR-SC10E - it comes from Hong Nor. Hong Nor made cars for Ofna - more racers than bashers, and the new TM-SC10E is the old Ofna Jammen SC10E - which was a pretty good RACE truck.

There are some that are true clone/copies too, like those super cheap Slash4x4 clones. They are not out of a traxxas factory, just cheap copies...

As long as they use the same parts, whether it is Exceed, or Redcat, or HSP, or whoever, i know i can now get parts for them fairly locally, but, now, its a moot point, since the guy at the shop called me about one he picked up earlier, that i am picking up on monday. I asked him to let me know if he came upon any decent deals, and, today, he got an Arrma Senton 4WD, that is complete, except for ESC and motor. It seems someone bought it on Amazon new, ran it twice, took out the ESC and motor, and then sold it to him. I'm getting it for less than $100, so, i went down and looked it over and put a deposit on it. It literally looks brand new. The body isn't even scratched from removing and replacing the pins. Since that same truck is on Amazon for $240, and I'm getting it almost RTR for the price I'm paying, i figure i made out really well, especially since i already have an ESC and brushless motor i can use in it. We even went and dropped my motor in it, and kind of set the ESC in it, and i ran it out back of his shop for a few minutes to make sure there was no other issues with it. Its actually rare in my experience over the years to find a LHS with that kind of service, especially since this is a fairly small, family owned shop, so, i think i really lucked out there.

 

[slick2500]

Redcat and Exceed don't own any designs (that I know of) The designs are all by HSP or FS racing or HBX or some other far-east RC company. Many of the other 'budget' brands are the same way. These are not really 'copies' but rather rebrands - they come out of the same factory, bug HSP will put some in Redcat boxes, and some in Exceed boxes, and some in their own box (to sell at Banggood or Gearbest)

I am not saying this makes them bad cars. Rather, if you can be aware of who the OEM is, you can have a pretty good idea of the quality. Take the new Team Redcat TR-SC10E - it comes from Hong Nor. Hong Nor made cars for Ofna - more racers than bashers, and the new TM-SC10E is the old Ofna Jammen SC10E - which was a pretty good RACE truck.

There are some that are true clone/copies too, like those super cheap Slash4x4 clones. They are not out of a traxxas factory, just cheap copies...

And there is another rebrand to add to this list, Maverick Racing https://www.hpiracing.com/?mv they are HSP rebrands with the chassis layout flipped.
HSP

Exceed.

Redcat

Maverick Racing

Amain carries the Maverick line of vehicles along with parts. https://www.amainhobbies.com/electric-rc-cars/c7601?fb=2640&lg=fb