Buying Advice

[WickedFog]

Ohh...that's a smart battery. So there is a normal one too..

Yes. The smart chargers and batteries are meant to make it easy for people to get into the hobby. But they are just a bandaid trying to fix a bigger problem. People just don't take the time to learn how to care for LiPo's, and burn their house down. And having a smart charger doesn't fix that.

One reason is they don't allow you to read the internal resistance of your battery cells, so the only way to know when your LiPo is going bad is when they puff, or start to perform horribly. And by that point, you are already way past the point of risking a fire while charging your batteries. The smart chargers remove all the necessary info your charger will tell you about your battery condition. With a regular LiPo charger that can read internal resistance, you will know long before you reach that point that your battery needs to be disposed of.

If you're only going to buy one RC, and a couple batteries, sure, go ahead. But when you decide you are hooked on this hobby and want another RC to play with, there you are, stuck with a proprietary battery and charger, and your new RC might not even work with that technology unless you change the plug out. Traxxas batteries don't work in other branded RC's, the same way the Spektrum smart battery crap doesn't work in Traxxas RC's. Stay away from smart batteries.

You're MUCH better off buying a decent charger NOW, rather than later. That way you are not at all limited to what brand batteries you buy, and can get much cheaper, and better performing batteries.

 

[TeknoJ]

When I was new to this hobby like you @entroxx , I had the same budget and thought $400 was too much for a good car. WRONG. That is fairly cheap. $200 limits you, I started with a little scx24 for maybe $150ish then got a Losi 22s for about $250-285. Not worth it really, I should have gone up with my budget for 1/10 scale. Factor in a good charger, some tools, and some parts you may need if you hit the right tree (or the wrong one).
A Traxxas sets you up for proprietary batteries, they have a plug that can only be used with their chargers. There are adapter plugs available though.
First read up on what lipos are all about.
For your budget range I would say Arrma GROM lineup, The new Traxxas mini Maxx, a micro crawler, or the 2wd brushed furys. I'm sure theres some others but I think you are looking at a smaller scale vehicle at this $200-$300 price point. Another $75-100 for a really good charger that reads IR's- internal resistance. This is very important right out the gate to take care of your batteries and understand how volatile they can be.
Thats all my opinions for now, Welcome in and feel free to ask us more questions but dont be afraid to search!!

 

[RustyUs]

@entroxx I know its fun to shop but before you buy a battery, you need to figure out which truck you will buy, then, which batteries fit THAT truck.
Shop while trying to educate yourself right now.
Ask us whatever...
READ THIS... https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/with-an-800-budget-what-would-you-get.143480/
Its a HUGE (still active) thread.
This guy started with questions and now owns 4 trucks!!! Its got a LOT of "noob" q & a in it. GOOD INFO!!!...

Yep. Part II coming up.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Yep. Part II coming up.

@entroxx seems like another on the path to righteous r/c'ing!
I was thinking about how funny that post is... @PainKiller didn't even own an r/c and prob had as much knowledge as ANY noob r/c owner and likely MUCH more!
Its the perfect "Guide to happy r/c'ing"!

 

[PainKiller]

Yep. Part II coming up.

Yesir , 4 and counting. I’m dying to get a Tekno next. Me and my kids looove our RC trucks. So
much fun to drive even solo. And it won’t be long before I have another plethora of noob questions for everyone. Stay tuned.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Yesir , 4 and counting. I’m dying to get a Tekno next. Me and my kids looove our RC trucks. So
much fun to drive even solo. And it won’t be long before I have another plethora of noob questions for everyone. Stay tuned.

Your's is a success story! Its even better that its a family/extended family thing!!!
Can't wait to start heckling...errrr answering your noob questions!!~

 

[PainKiller]

Your's is a success story! Its even better that its a family/extended family thing!!!
Can't wait to start heckling...errrr answering your noob questions!!~

Haha , heckling is welcome. I encourage any fellow noob to ask any and all questions here. You guys have been an outstanding source of info and knowledge. Finding this forum has proved to be invaluable

 

[entroxx]

Guys…is this good? If so, what else should I get besides it? Like some cables, charger?

 

[WickedFog]

Guys…is this good? If so, what else should I get besides it? Like some cables, charger?

The Mega stuff is just brushed, budget friendly versions of their brushless RC's, and comes with a NiMh battery pack and charger. The run time will be maybe 10 or 15 minutes if you're lucky I'm guessing? But the charger that comes with that truck is fine for NiMh packs. If you just want to get an RC to see if you're interested, the Mega might not be a bad option.

 

[CertifiedMike]

The Mega stuff is just brushed, budget friendly versions of their brushless RC's, and comes with a NiMh battery pack and charger. The run time will be maybe 10 or 15 minutes if you're lucky I'm guessing? But the charger that comes with that truck is fine for NiMh packs. If you just want to get an RC to see if you're interested, the Mega might not be a bad option.

This is true. A brushless set up will be more efficient (have longer run times)but will cost more also.

 

[RetroThutmose]

Guys…is this good? If so, what else should I get besides it? Like some cables, charger?

Anything from arrma or Traxxas will have decent support at you local hubby shop. Have you driven any vehicles to get an idea of what speeds you want and driving dynamics? Different cars handle extremely differently.

 

[entroxx]

Anything from arrma or Traxxas will have decent support at you local hubby shop. Have you driven any vehicles to get an idea of what speeds you want and driving dynamics? Different cars handle extremely differently.

I drove an older Slash. It was great.

 

[RetroThutmose]

I drove an older Slash. It was great.

If you like to tinker and work on stuff RC trucks are a great place to start. You can modify a slash with stock or aftermarket parts to do so many different things. You can race on all surfaces, you can bash everywhere, you can set it up for drag racing, oval racing, etc. you can find used stuff on CL and FB all the time and tons of crazy support from more durable replacement parts to crazy modifications like mid-motor layouts and stretched chassis for drag racing.

Arrma senton is also great. I have one and it's a very durable truck my 6 yo has crashed into everything and after a rubber bumper support of Etsy I've only had to repair a broken camber link, but they are cheap. Senton is easy to work on and probably has better shocks out of the box and is a bit more durable. Lots of aftermarket support as well. A brushless upgrade really levels up the fun when you're ready for 3s.

I would also add that working on the truck is a big part of the hobby. If you drive it hard and put it away dirty too many times you will have issues. If you plan to use it regularly you will want to learn how to rebuild shocks, replace parts, replace bearings and general maintenance stuff.

 

[entroxx]

Hey guys! New update. I will buy the F-150 from Traxxas, brushless motor with 2x5000mAh batteries. It will cost me $400.

 

[CertifiedMike]

If you like to tinker and work on stuff RC trucks are a great place to start. You can modify a slash with stock or aftermarket parts to do so many different things. You can race on all surfaces, you can bash everywhere, you can set it up for drag racing, oval racing, etc. you can find used stuff on CL and FB all the time and tons of crazy support from more durable replacement parts to crazy modifications like mid-motor layouts and stretched chassis for drag racing.

Arrma senton is also great. I have one and it's a very durable truck my 6 yo has crashed into everything and after a rubber bumper support of Etsy I've only had to repair a broken camber link, but they are cheap. Senton is easy to work on and probably has better shocks out of the box and is a bit more durable. Lots of aftermarket support as well. A brushless upgrade really levels up the fun when you're ready for 3s.

I would also add that working on the truck is a big part of the hobby. If you drive it hard and put it away dirty too many times you will have issues. If you plan to use it regularly you will want to learn how to rebuild shocks, replace parts, replace bearings and general maintenance stuff.

Tinkering and maintenance is part of the hobby.
You need to have tools and be willing to try and to learn.
Either that or have a great big bank account to buy a new r/c each time you break it!!!
Tinkering is part of the fun!

Hey guys! New update. I will buy the F-150 from Traxxas, brushless motor with 2x5000mAh batteries. It will cost me $400.

That's great news!!! Welcome to R/C!!!

 

[RetroThutmose]

Hey guys! New update. I will buy the F-150 from Traxxas, brushless motor with 2x5000mAh batteries. It will cost me $400.

charger? that sounds like a decent deal.

 

[entroxx]

charger? that sounds like a decent deal.

I don't remember it's name. I got 2 RC Cars shop who do only Traxxas near my house. They will tell me which charger I should get.

 

[9x19]

I don't remember it's name. I got 2 RC Cars shop who do only Traxxas near my house. They will tell me which charger I should get.

Sounds like a plan! Enjoy and let us know how you like it!

 

[entroxx]

I will also put a GoPro on the car. I hope it stays there and doesn't fell off when I'm driving

 

[CertifiedMike]

I will also put a GoPro on the car. I hope it stays there and doesn't fell off when I'm driving

I know very little about Romania. I CAN'T WAIT to see it by R/C!!!
I'm very happy that you've found your way to a kit that makes you happy!
I look forward to your videos too!