Cheapest kit build - for a school Engineering club

[Lmow20]

Hi all,

I live in the UAE. I want to run an Engineering club where students build and tune their own RC cars in teams against each other.

I think 1/10 scale short course or touring will do. Any ideas as to the cheapest possible kit to do this with? And which websites would you say? I think I have a budget of about 1400 US dollars and I'll need 5 teams.

I myself am new to the hobby and I have 3 nitros - no electric cars in my stable just yet, except a mini-z. I guess I could go with atomic MRZ 1/28th scale...

Any advice is appreciated - just trying to do something to show these kids that a playstation isnt the only way to have fun...

 

[TheOneTrueMorty]

I think you should go for Tamiya vehicles
They got plenty of reasonably priced touring cars and 4WD/2WD buggies kits

 

[TurboChargedHonda]

1400/5= 280 budget per car
For touring cars, Tamiya's TT02 platform is pretty good (around $130 depending on the specific model). For Short Course trucks, the only kit that's within budget is the Traxxas Slash 2wd kit ($200).

The Tamiya touring cars do not come with transmitters, receivers, batteries, and chargers so you will need to put those into account. The ESCs the Tamiya cars come with also do not have low voltage detection for LiPos, so the next best option is to run NiMH (or change the ESC).
Link to Tamiya Touring Cars (there are also many other options):
https://www.amainhobbies.com/tamiya...t02-electric-touring-car-kit-tam58645/p633111
https://www.amainhobbies.com/tamiya...ctric-touring-car-kit-tt01e-tam47451/p1269866
https://www.amainhobbies.com/tamiya...-tt02-electric-rally-car-kit-tam58631/p488203

The Traxxas Slash has everything except the battery and charger, and it can run a 2s LiPo.
Link to Slash 2wd Kit:
https://www.rcsuperstore.com/traxxa...tQuGTIYesnKlc-hU3EgKf4UoGlYb-iogaAqObEALw_wcB

As for the charger, the Venom Quad 4 can charge 4 batteries, but do a little bit more research, as I do not have much experience with different chargers. $265

As for the batteries,
for the Tamiyas (probably get three 2 packs so each car has one, and an additional one for backup):
https://www.amazon.com/Zeee-3600mAh...ld=1&keywords=nimh+pack&qid=1615400524&sr=8-5
$90 total for batteries for Tamiya

for the Traxxas Slashes (probably get three 2 packs so each car has one, and an additional one for backup):
https://www.amazon.com/HOOVO-5000mA...words=lipo+traxxas+plug&qid=1615400658&sr=8-7
$90 total for batteries for Traxxas

Both cars require paints for the body and each car probably requires a little more than a can of paint, so $50 for around 7 cans of paint (Tamiya polycarbonate paint cans). I think Duratrax polycarbonate paints are a little cheaper.

As for the Transmitter and receiver for the Tamiyas (the Traxxas Slash already comes with a transmitter and receiver), the Spektrum SLT3 is the only one that I can think of that doesn't feel overly cheap for the price ($180 total for 5):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Spektrum-S...315-Receiver-Traxxas-Arrma-Axial/273787100864

In Total, the Tamiya requires (130x5) + 265 + 90 +180 + 50 = $1235 (leaves a bit of room for taxes and other parts)
In total, the Traxxas Slash requires (200x5) + 265 + 90 = $1405 (is over budget, but you can cut costs if you get the none-kit version of the slash which cuts $50 from the budget, and you can probably find a different charger for less)

Hope this helps!

 

[TurboChargedHonda]

You might also need battery charging bags for additional safety when charging the batteries. And if you are going to get LiPos, definitely do more research on how to use and take care of them.

As a general rule of thumb for LiPos, always balance charge, so that the cells in the battery remain at the same voltage, and save fast charge for only situations where you need it (race starts in 30 min and you still haven't charged the battery or something). If you are not going to use the LiPo for more than 3 days, then charge it on "storage mode", which is basically at 50% charge to give it more buffer zone when the voltage fluctuates. If left fully charged for long enough, the voltage may exceed the max voltage the cell can take, and the battery will become damaged and puff. If left fully depleted for long enough, the voltage may drop below the minimum voltage, and the battery will become damaged and puff. At that point, the best thing to do is to put it in a charging bag and bring it to a local recycling station or hobby shop.

NiMH requires less maintenance and generally can be left fully charged. Leaving it fully discharged for a couple of days won't hurt it, but if left completely depleted for too long, the battery may lose its charge.

 

[Lmow20]

You might also need battery charging bags for additional safety when charging the batteries. And if you are going to get LiPos, definitely do more research on how to use and take care of them.

As a general rule of thumb for LiPos, always balance charge, so that the cells in the battery remain at the same voltage, and save fast charge for only situations where you need it (race starts in 30 min and you still haven't charged the battery or something). If you are not going to use the LiPo for more than 3 days, then charge it on "storage mode", which is basically at 50% charge to give it more buffer zone when the voltage fluctuates. If left fully charged for long enough, the voltage may exceed the max voltage the cell can take, and the battery will become damaged and puff. If left fully depleted for long enough, the voltage may drop below the minimum voltage, and the battery will become damaged and puff. At that point, the best thing to do is to put it in a charging bag and bring it to a local recycling station or hobby shop.

NiMH requires less maintenance and generally can be left fully charged. Leaving it fully discharged for a couple of days won't hurt it, but if left completely depleted for too long, the battery may lose its charge.

Hey TCH,
Thanks for the reply - that's fantastic help, cheers. Lipo seems quite scary! We'll give it a go because we're going to be racing it at some meets in the future and need to upskill pretty quick. I'll get a bit more budget to accomodate the inevitable dead batteries. We'll go with the tamiya I think because we have to be touring 1/10 to enter the meets. The scene is nascent here in Dubai, but there are green shoots appearing. Cheers dude - appreciate the detailed reply