Can this be repaired? Beginner Advice WL124018

[mabbs]

Hi All,

I very recently bought the Wltoys 124018. Charged the batteries over the weekend and got the car out for the first time today. Witching roughly three minutes my little boy had smashed it into a curb and a wheel had snapped off (see pictures). I wonder if any of you experts could be kind enough to advise me on the questions below.

Can this be repaired?
Can it be repaired by a fat idiot who has no experience?
What do I need to buy?
Is there a better alternative car which would withstand more of a bashing?

Many thanks in advance

Jamie

 

[Kimmie28]

Parts are available. I did a quick Google search and it looks like you can do an aluminum suspension upgrade for about 60 on banggood.

They aren't that hard to install.

 

[pug]

I would fix it and make a speed run car out of it. I heard the WLToys are not good for bashing, more for speed running. If you don’t have a proper LiPo charger, get one as soon as possible. After running the RC, and you aren’t going to be using it for more than a day, storage charge it.

 

[WickedFog]

Welcome to the forum. Yeah, it can be reparied. banggood.com should have parts for it. Just plan on a long wait to get them. Google searches for parts will often find what you need as well. Ebay is another good source for parts for the WLToys stuff.

How old is your boy?

 

[mabbs]

Thanks for the advice this far, that’s appreciated.

I just bought this charger, assuming it’s suitable to do a storage charge?

The boy is 6. I have a couple of those air hogs that him and his 2 year old brother use indoors and a Mario carrera, but thought my older boy was probably ready for a step up.

 

[pug]

View attachment 136764Thanks for the advice this far, that’s appreciated.

I just bought this charger, assuming it’s suitable to do a storage charge?

The boy is 6. I have a couple of those air hogs that him and his 2 year old brother use indoors and a Mario carrera, but thought my older boy was probably ready for a step up.

Yes, that charger has a storage charge option. Use it when you won’t be using the LiPo for more than a day. Never leave a LiPo fully charged for more than a day.

 

[mabbs]

Thank you. Do you know what the settings should be, it’s coming up with this as a default but from Google it appears it should be much lower?

 

[tntpoof]

3.7 volts a cell to me is a good voltage to store at but if its going to be any longer than a month id go with a higher voltage per cell like 3.85

 

[WickedFog]

View attachment 136764Thanks for the advice this far, that’s appreciated.

I just bought this charger, assuming it’s suitable to do a storage charge?

The boy is 6. I have a couple of those air hogs that him and his 2 year old brother use indoors and a Mario carrera, but thought my older boy was probably ready for a step up.

Sorry this is long winded, but hopefully it helps.

That car is a bit fast for a 6 year old, but my son was 6 when I stepped him up to buggies capable of similar speeds. He had the benefit of a big open field to play in though and has been driving RC cars since he was 2. It takes them awhile to learn control as fast as these RC's are today.

That charger will do storage mode. If you're unfamiliar with the hobby grade chargers, it is advisable to watch some videos on LiPo charging, care, and storage.

And to answer your other question about a better alternative car, what is your budget? There are lots of choices, but it depends on your budget.

There are lots of different styles of RC cars. Rock crawlers, SCT (short course trucks), buggies, truggies (buggy/truck hybrids), monster trucks, on-road racers, drift cars, etc.

There are 4wd and 2wd cars. The 4wd are easier to control, especially for younger kiddos. 2wd cars are tricky sometimes depending on the terrain and speed of the vehicle. My son is just now at 9 years old starting to learn throttle control.

Another thing to consider is scale of the vehicle. The bigger they are, the easier they are to drive. But also, the easier to break in some cases. My suggested scale would be a 1/18-1/12 scale, and try to find one that has a variable throttle adjustment, or D/R (dual rate) knob for the throttle. D/R allows you to adjust the maximum throttle of the vehicle. Some have a switch that gives you options like 50%, 75%, and 100% throttle. The D/R knob is better because you can slowly work up as your son gains experience.

As for durability:

The rock crawlers are probably the least likely to take damage. Most will only go a few miles an hour, and you get your enjoyment navigating the obstacles you try to climb with them. These will all be 4wd.

Drift cars would be a great option as well. But for a 6 year old, it will take some practice to be able to drive them. Probably a few years too early for these yet. Due to their lack of grip and low momentum though, they rarely take damage in a crash. These can be had in 2wd and 4wd versions.

On-road cars and SCT benefit from usually having a lexan body protecting the wheels to some extent, and therefore it is a bit harder to break suspension components. But just as you have seen, curbs make an exception to that at high speeds with this style of RC as well. The difference between on-road and SCT is the SCT likes to fly through the air over long sweeping jumps. These all come in 2wd and 4wd versions.

Buggies and Truggies would probably be next here. They are generally lightweight racers, meant for tracks, or open field racing (great at baseball diamonds!). But their open wheeled design leaves the suspension arms vulnerable to impact damage. The truggies will be more susceptible due to the added weight of the bigger tires. But like the SCT, these guys love long sweeping jumps. You can get 2wd and 4wd versions here.

Next up is the king of bashers. The monster trucks. These guys are fun on any terrain. They love jumps, and the higher the better. But these will get broke if you go to extremes because of their speeds and weight. These can also be had in 2wd or 4wd versions.

 

[mabbs]

They are both coming up with this low voltage message and a kind of warning sound

 

[pug]

They are both coming up with this low voltage message and a kind of warning sound

Because you are trying to storage charge a 2s on 6s mode. 2s is 7.4 volts, 6s is 22.2v

 

[mabbs]

Thank you. What should the A number be? Currently 2.0.

 

[pug]

Thank you. What should the A number be? Currently 2.0.

What is the battery capacity?
Also, never fast charge a LiPo, only balance charge it when you are going to use it.

 

[WickedFog]

To determin the charge rate, just to keep things simple, always charge at 1C, which basically, take the mAh of your battery and move the decimal 3 places to the left. So a 5000mAh, 1C charge rate would be 5A. A 2500mAh battery would be 2.5A. If you have a battety that falls in a spot your charger dosen't have, just go to the next higher or lower amperage setting.

 

[mabbs]

Sorry this is long winded, but hopefully it helps.

That car is a bit fast for a 6 year old, but my son was 6 when I stepped him up to buggies capable of similar speeds. He had the benefit of a big open field to play in though and has been driving RC cars since he was 2. It takes them awhile to learn control as fast as these RC's are today.

That charger will do storage mode. If you're unfamiliar with the hobby grade chargers, it is advisable to watch some videos on LiPo charging, care, and storage.

And to answer your other question about a better alternative car, what is your budget? There are lots of choices, but it depends on your budget.

There are lots of different styles of RC cars. Rock crawlers, SCT (short course trucks), buggies, truggies (buggy/truck hybrids), monster trucks, on-road racers, drift cars, etc.

There are 4wd and 2wd cars. The 4wd are easier to control, especially for younger kiddos. 2wd cars are tricky sometimes depending on the terrain and speed of the vehicle. My son is just now at 9 years old starting to learn throttle control.

Another thing to consider is scale of the vehicle. The bigger they are, the easier they are to drive. But also, the easier to break in some cases. My suggested scale would be a 1/18-1/12 scale, and try to find one that has a variable throttle adjustment, or D/R (dual rate) knob for the throttle. D/R allows you to adjust the maximum throttle of the vehicle. Some have a switch that gives you options like 50%, 75%, and 100% throttle. The D/R knob is better because you can slowly work up as your son gains experience.

As for durability:

The rock crawlers are probably the least likely to take damage. Most will only go a few miles an hour, and you get your enjoyment navigating the obstacles you try to climb with them. These will all be 4wd.

Drift cars would be a great option as well. But for a 6 year old, it will take some practice to be able to drive them. Probably a few years too early for these yet. Due to their lack of grip and low momentum though, they rarely take damage in a crash. These can be had in 2wd and 4wd versions.

On-road cars and SCT benefit from usually having a lexan body protecting the wheels to some extent, and therefore it is a bit harder to break suspension components. But just as you have seen, curbs make an exception to that at high speeds with this style of RC as well. The difference between on-road and SCT is the SCT likes to fly through the air over long sweeping jumps. These all come in 2wd and 4wd versions.

Buggies and Truggies would probably be next here. They are generally lightweight racers, meant for tracks, or open field racing (great at baseball diamonds!). But their open wheeled design leaves the suspension arms vulnerable to impact damage. The truggies will be more susceptible due to the added weight of the bigger tires. But like the SCT, these guys love long sweeping jumps. You can get 2wd and 4wd versions here.

Next up is the king of bashers. The monster trucks. These guys are fun on any terrain. They love jumps, and the higher the better. But these will get broke if you go to extremes because of their speeds and weight. These can also be had in 2wd or 4wd versions.

Thanks for the detailed response. In terms of budget, I guess around £200 all in.

I was considering a Flyhal F600 prior to buying wltoys. That’s 4wd and sounds like it would be less prone to damage?

I will have a more in depth look at the models you have suggested, guess I’d like a balance between speed and durability. Not so slow it’s boring but not at the expense of the car breaking every five minutes!

What is the battery capacity?
Also, never fast charge a LiPo, only balance charge it when you are going to use it.

This is the battery

 

[pug]

Thanks for the detailed response. In terms of budget, I guess around £200 all in.

I was considering a Flyhal F600 prior to buying wltoys. That’s 4wd and sounds like it would be less prone to damage?

I will have a more in depth look at the models you have suggested, guess I’d like a balance between speed and durability. Not so slow it’s boring but not at the expense of the car breaking every five minutes!

Arrma Typhon or Granite Mega if you can stretch your budget a little. It comes with all of the stuff needed to run. It’s super durable, and has a throttle dual rate selector that you can bring down to 50% speed.

 

[WickedFog]

Thanks for the detailed response. In terms of budget, I guess around £200 all in.

I was considering a Flyhal F600 prior to buying wltoys. That’s 4wd and sounds like it would be less prone to damage?

I will have a more in depth look at the models you have suggested, guess I’d like a balance between speed and durability. Not so slow it’s boring but not at the expense of the car breaking every five minutes!

This is the battery

View attachment 136769

That may be a good option, but what kind of repair parts are avalable for it?

There are better name brands out their that offer budget line RC cars, are more durable, and have an extensive range of replacement and hopup parts. Just about anything from Traxxas, Arrma, Losi, or Associated should have easily sourced replacement parts, especially Traxxas.

Do you have a local hobby shop nearby? If so, go in and see what they sell. Look at the walls behind the counter, and see what brand of parts you see hanging there. More than likely it will be mostly Traxxas. And Traxxas parts are dirt cheap.

I am not a Traxxas fanboy lol. It's just in your situation, their rigs are probably your best bet. Tough, fast, fun, and easily repaired with affordable parts galore.

 

[pug]

That may be a good option, but what kind of repair parts are avalable for it?

There are better name brands out their that offer budget line RC cars, are more durable, and have an extensive range of replacement and hopup parts. Just about anything from Traxxas, Arrma, Losi, or Associated should have easily sourced replacement parts, especially Traxxas.

Do you have a local hobby shop nearby? If so, go in and see what they sell. Look at the walls behind the counter, and see what brand of parts you see hanging there. More than likely it will be mostly Traxxas. And Traxxas parts are dirt cheap.

With Traxxas, I wouldn’t recommend the 2wd line, my Slash 2wd required tons of RPM upgrades to be slightly more durable than my Typhon 3s. Even then, the Slash is still weaker than the Typhon in terms of traction and stability. The 2wd line is terrible for beginners.
My Slash has brand new Duratrax Six Pack SCTs on and it never gains traction on grass or dirt, it rolls over a lot.

 

[mabbs]

To determin the charge rate, just to keep things simple, always charge at 1C, which basically, take the mAh of your battery and move the decimal 3 places to the left. So a 5000mAh, 1C charge rate would be 5A. A 2500mAh battery would be 2.5A. If you have a battety that falls in a spot your charger dosen't have, just go to the next higher or lower amperage setting.

Great thanks. It won’t go any higher than 2.0 so I’ve set it to that for the storage charge. Battery is 2600mah

Arrma Typhon or Granite Mega if you can stretch your budget a little. It comes with all of the stuff needed to run. It’s super durable, and has a throttle dual rate selector that you can bring down to 50% speed.

Great. Can I use my existing lipo batteries with these?

 

[pug]

Great thanks. It won’t go any higher than 2.0 so I’ve set it to that for the storage charge. Battery is 2600mah

Great. Can I use my existing lipo batteries with these?

No, the batteries are too small, you need at least a 5000mah 2s lipo with an ec3 connector. It comes with a 3300mah nimh but it has a bad wall charger. A LiPo like these would work, you would also need an ec3 charging lead for your charger.