new guy

[brett 250r]

well I am looking at getting my 13 year old son into rc cars he seemsrealy interested. I am not sure if I want to go nitro or electric. this is our first rc and he will be using it for play at home on and off road. but also at a local indoor short track. is the traxxas rallyelectric car a good starter car for him and will It be a good car for racing shortbtrack not dirt but a carpet track and off road at home in the woods on some trails thanks for any.oppinions

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Are you looking at the 1/10 scale or the 1/16?

I would strongly recommend 1/10 or 1/8 for general use and bashing, as the smaller scales present many challenges, mainly with terrain negotiation. Just going across the front lawn can prove aggravating with 1/16 or 1/18.

Having said that, the short course trucks are more capable and tougher than a rally car, so you might give them some serious consideration. The Traxxas slash is popular, but my personal recommendation would be a Team Associated Prolite RTR, which can be had for $340 shipped on eBay (new).

It's not that Traxxas makes bad vehicles, but once you start talking amongst veterans in the RC crowd, you'll find the consensus is that Traxxas electronics are good, but the vehicles are over priced for what you get. Most people move away from Traxxas when they get more serious, going to Associated, Losi, Durango, Xray, OFNA and other companies that are more interested in winning competitions than advertising (very optimistic) top speeds.

 

[Non Crimen]

I would take a look at either the traxxas slash or the traxxas slayer. Both very durable and can be made into competitive trucks with the right amount of time and money.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

I'm new here and not trying to step on toes, but:

traxxas slash or the traxxas slayer. Both very durable and can be made into competitive trucks with the right amount of time and money.

...........Or you could start with a race-ready truck that costs the same or less and doesn't need durability upgrades out of the box, such as the Jammin SCRT10 or Associated SC10 4x4 (both under $400 RTR). Or the OFNA Hyper10SC or Losi TenSCT if he wants nitro.

 

[BillyC74]

The hpi blitz is good tough truck at a fair price.

 

[hamz9561]

For a first time I'd go with an electric. If you're using it on short grass or dirt/rock a smaller 1/16 or 1/18 wouldn't be too bad. My first hobby grade truck was a 1/18th scale. My favorite rig is my 1/16 Revo VXL.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

My favorite rig is my 1/16 Revo VXL.

They're not really 1/16, though. More like 1/13. About 2" longer, 2" wider and 1" more wheelbase than a typical 1/16 buggy/truggy. I'll admit that they seem to do pretty well for their size, and I'm no fan of TRX.

 

[Non Crimen]

and I'm no fan of TRX.

So then don't base your advice off of your dislike from traxxas. Just because you had a bad experience with them doesn't mean everyone will. My first hobby grade rc was a Traxxas slash 4x4, I never broke a part on it and it's was über fast. I took it to the track a few times and didn't do half bad actually. I don't own any traxxas vehicles anymore but they are great beginner rigs.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

So then don't base your advice off of your dislike from traxxas.

My dislike of TRX isn't warrantless or baseless. Believe me, life would be a lot easier if I did like them, as pretty much all the local hobby shops carry parts. But therein also lies the problem; these hobby shops stock all those parts for a reason.

I drive RCs very hard, and I demand a lot of performance. Traxxas vehicles just don't hold up as well.

Local track has a lot of Slash trucks running around at any given time, and I have yet to see one that performs as well as the SC10, Losi 10SCT, JamminSCRT10, etc. They don't fly or land as gracefully, they're awkward in the corners, and they break a ton of slider axles.

Traxxas caters to a crowd who buys into their speed claims and is enamored with gizmos like the telemetry.

So I say again, it's not that they make bad vehicles, but that they generally do not represent a good value.

I have no problem acknowledging when a certain manufacturer who may not be my preferred (or even liked) makes a better product in a given category. But with few exceptions, TRX is well down that list. The mini Revo stands alone as a very capable mini-scale, and nobody else has a factory offering that'll run with the XO1 at this time. But when it comes to stadium trucks, monster trucks, short course trucks and touring cars, there are many better options.

 

[tmaxxfreek]

My dislike of TRX isn't warrantless or baseless. Believe me, life would be a lot easier if I did like them, as pretty much all the local hobby shops carry parts. But therein also lies the problem; these hobby shops stock all those parts for a reason.

I drive RCs very hard, and I demand a lot of performance. Traxxas vehicles just don't hold up as well.

Local track has a lot of Slash trucks running around at any given time, and I have yet to see one that performs as well as the SC10, Losi 10SCT, JamminSCRT10, etc. They don't fly or land as gracefully, they're awkward in the corners, and they break a ton of slider axles.

Traxxas caters to a crowd who buys into their speed claims and is enamored with gizmos like the telemetry.

So I say again, it's not that they make bad vehicles, but that they generally do not represent a good value.

I have no problem acknowledging when a certain manufacturer who may not be my preferred (or even liked) makes a better product in a given category. But with few exceptions, TRX is well down that list. The mini Revo stands alone as a very capable mini-scale, and nobody else has a factory offering that'll run with the XO1 at this time. But when it comes to stadium trucks, monster trucks, short course trucks and touring cars, there are many better options.

As stated above, it doesn't matter what you like or dislike, if he wants a good all around car, then traxxas is the way to go IMO, very easy to get parts for, easy to work on, and tough as nails, You say you demand alot for a RC, did you think maybe you push all of them too hard? IF your breaking traxxas parts, i can promise you the trucks you mentioned above ARE NOT as tough as traxxas, they are made for racing not bashing, sounds like he wants to do more bashing a using it around home, I raced a Slash a complete season an never finished under 3rd place, racing against Losi,AE,Jammin, and even Durango.

 

[hamz9561]

Half the fun of this hobby is repairing/upgrading parts. Any rig out there will have its weak and strong points. The only problems I've had with my Traxxas rigs are:

Revo 3.3

Reverse shredded-Replaced with center diff kit and Forward Only Conversion

1/16 Revo VXL

Melted slipper (driver error)

I, too, drive my rigs hard but there is a difference between driving hard and abuse. In my experience a lot of repairs a caused by abuse or driver error. There are a few failures here and there but that is part of the process.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

As stated above, it doesn't matter what you like or dislike, if he wants a good all around car, then traxxas is the way to go IMO,

Do you not see the hypocrisy in this sentence?

I've been into RC for 25 years, I have 16 kits at present, and have owned & let go of twice that many. I've experience with just about every make of nitro engine and a pretty fair number of BL systems. Whether you agree with me or not, I'd say this experience lends some credence to the opinions I offer.

I never said the TRX offerings are junk, I have simply said they don't represent the best value. The Slash 4x4 RTR is $400, putting it on the higher end of 1/10 SCT RTR cost spectrum, and it does not include a LiPo battery. For the same money, you can buy a number of other trucks and a decent 2S or 3S pack.

ETA:

Half the fun of this hobby is repairing/upgrading parts. Any rig out there will have its weak and strong points.

Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. Where our opinions may differ is that I expect fewer repairs & upgrades made out of necessity as the kit price increases. This generally holds true, but TRX is an exception to the rule.

I, too, drive my rigs hard but there is a difference between driving hard and abuse.

Whether we call it hard use or abuse, the fact that some hold up better than others remains. Back when I was first getting into nitro, several of my friends bought the Traxxas Stampede RTR because it was (at the time) cheaper. I bought an RC10GT kit, which promptly received a Picco .21 engine. I ran mine more frequently and harder, yet still had fewer parts break, despite running an engine that makes almost 3 times the power of the TRX mills. In fact, the stock transmission with plastic gears in that 10GT lasted longer than the piston and sleeve in that Picco engine. I didn't have to upgrade to RRP metal parts until I shoehorned an OFNA Force .32 into the chassis, an engine meant to propel 1/8 4WD monster trucks weighing triple what the little GT does. And don't forget, the GT is a race-bred design, not especially beefy and not inteded for hard bashing.

Again, I'll give credit where credit is due. The TRX nitro engines, while about a 4 out of 10 perfromance-wise, are reliable and durable. The Velinion BL systems are about as good as you get in RTR stuff. Some other products are good, too; I actually really like the Talon tires as a general purpose AT skin. But I maintain that overall, at their price point, TRX vehicles leave a bit to be desired.

 

[BillyC74]

From what I've seen, I would have to agree. Most of Traxxas stuff is just not a good value. Even for beginners who also should get the most for their money.

 

[tmaxxfreek]

Do you not see the hypocrisy in this sentence?

I've been into RC for 25 years, I have 16 kits at present, and have owned & let go of twice that many. I've experience with just about every make of nitro engine and a pretty fair number of BL systems. Whether you agree with me or not, I'd say this experience lends some credence to the opinions I offer.

I never said the TRX offerings are junk, I have simply said they don't represent the best value. The Slash 4x4 RTR is $400, putting it on the higher end of 1/10 SCT RTR cost spectrum, and it does not include a LiPo battery. For the same money, you can buy a number of other trucks and a decent 2S or 3S pack.

ETA:



Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. Where our opinions may differ is that I expect fewer repairs & upgrades made out of necessity as the kit price increases. This generally holds true, but TRX is an exception to the rule.



Whether we call it hard use or abuse, the fact that some hold up better than others remains. Back when I was first getting into nitro, several of my friends bought the Traxxas Stampede RTR because it was (at the time) cheaper. I bought an RC10GT kit, which promptly received a Picco .21 engine. I ran mine more frequently and harder, yet still had fewer parts break, despite running an engine that makes almost 3 times the power of the TRX mills. In fact, the stock transmission with plastic gears in that 10GT lasted longer than the piston and sleeve in that Picco engine. I didn't have to upgrade to RRP metal parts until I shoehorned an OFNA Force .32 into the chassis, an engine meant to propel 1/8 4WD monster trucks weighing triple what the little GT does. And don't forget, the GT is a race-bred design, not especially beefy and not inteded for hard bashing.

Again, I'll give credit where credit is due. The TRX nitro engines, while about a 4 out of 10 perfromance-wise, are reliable and durable. The Velinion BL systems are about as good as you get in RTR stuff. Some other products are good, too; I actually really like the Talon tires as a general purpose AT skin. But I maintain that overall, at their price point, TRX vehicles leave a bit to be desired.

I can see you wanna turn this into a pissing contest, i could care less how many kits you have or how long you have been in the hobby, i gave my .02 and I'm leaving at that.

 

[Greywolf74]

While Traxxas admittedly isnt really considered race quality, theres certainly nothing wrong with them over all for bashing. I tend to like the race quality brands a little better than Traxxas but whatever weakness they may have, as a basher kit it is more than made up for by the massive amount of after market support you can get for them. They tend to be a little more budget friendly to the beginner as well at least in some of their kits not all. Some of it costs just as much as everything else or close to it. While I'm not personally a big fan of traxxas I dont dislike them and I certainly dont think theres anything wrong with buying one. To say that Traxxas isnt a good value I disagree to some extent. It depends on what you want out of your kit. If all you want to do is play around and bash then on that level they are just as good a value as anything else IMO especially when the amount of after market support is factored in. If you ever want to race though you will find traxxas quite lacking in that department.

As for the OPs original question Id say electric short course would do well for most of the applications listed above. Something like a Losi SCTE 2.0 or Durango DESC410R V2, Tekno SCT410 (forget the name right off but I think its called an SCT410) and associated has a good one called the SC10 4X4. If you want to start with something thats more budget friendly then I believe OFNA has a SCT kit for around $200. If you used budget electronics it could be a nice kit. Maybe not one Id want to race but its probably the most budget friend SCT option out there thats at least decent quality.

 

[Alan81]

traxxas is the way to go IMO, very easy to get parts for, easy to work on, and tough as nails

Ever since I replaced the front (aluminum integy crap) bulkhead on my rustler, I haven't had any broken parts. Today, when I was driving it in the lily field, I cartwheeled it twice. Multiple 360* rotations. Ended up on all fours both times, and bashed it for a couple more hours after that. Nothing is broken.

OP :

You can get an electric rustler or stampede on amazon for $212. It wont' go super fast, but it's easy to upgrade when the time for more speed comes. It's waterproof, and it comes with a battery for that price.

Again : Parts are readily available for these and they're pretty durable. Like others have said, there are higher end rigs out there, but you probably don't want to learn on one. Especially if you decide to go nitro.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

I can see you wanna turn this into a pissing contest,

No, not really. But I'm not going to keep quiet when someone basically says to me "your opinion is worthless, but my (opposing) opinion is gospel". It's rude, it's arrogant, and it absolutely should be called out.

 

[brett 250r]

thanks for all the oppinions I think I sm going to go with the slasher 4x4 with lipo batt and better shocks and tires and see hoe he dose and if he likds the rc hobby. I think hr csn bash with it and go to the local track to get a feel for rc racing hope o maid a good choice fot the situation ghanks again. also can most rc car be made competitive with upgrades or is that a wrong understanding

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

also can most rc car be made competitive with upgrades or is that a wrong understanding

Yes, just that some require a lot more than others. Traxxas would be one of the ones that has a long list of requisite upgrades. I've never seen anyone racing a TRX kit beyond club level.

The question was posed on another board "does Traxxas make a competetive truck?" One of the mods summarized it succinctly, saying "some of them, sort of, just barely, but generally, no."

 

[brett 250r]

no I understand what u are saying and it makes sense and if he likes the hobby we can get more cars that are better but for now with him.learning and both bashing and learning to race at a local small indoor track I think the slash will give him a good general feel for what a rc is and if he likes it and wants to do it for long term