New to Nitro RC, is this a good buy?

[Jake949]

Since i am new to nitro RC i would like to see how the cars work and that before racing them... was wandering if the Condor Self Build Nitro Buggy Kit was a good choice? Heres the link...
http://www.nitrotek.co.uk/A3001.htm
any help and advice would be apriciated.
Thanks
Jake

 

[colesizemore57]

What is a good buy?

Since you are new to RC I would suggest that you don't go straight for the nitro RC portion of the hobby. It would probably be best to get an RTR or (ready-to-run) for your first RC. The link that you have posted seems like a nice beginner for nitro RC'ers but, once again, new to the hobby?, Go electric. And, if you would decide that you want to run LiPo batteries on an electric car, TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT, or it will destroy itself by smoking, melting, or just catching on fire. So, Electric or an RTR is your best bet fo your first kit.

 

[mungo310]

as someone who got into rc not so long ago, i made the mistake of getting an off brand truck as my first and its been problems ever since. mainly because of the cheapness of the product and the replacement parts are very hard to find and they are costly when i do. since that truck i have bought several others that are awesome. (my favorite being my ofna buggy, i've beat the thing constently with very little problems.) i would recomend getting something name brand so when you break it........and you will.....trust me.... replacement parts are easy to find ......... on a side note maybe someone can tell me why people say nitro is so hard to start with......i for one have had so much fun with nitro i dont think that i will ever buy anything electric

 

[volcanix]

nitro engines in my experience suck to start specially with a pull start but if u get an electric starter you should be sweet

 

[hamz9561]

I would recommend starting with an electric, RTR and name brand truck to start with. It will hae the advantage of letting you get to know how to control and maintain the vehicle without the hassles of nitro break-in and clean up. Another good idea is to check and see what brand of RC vehicle parts your local hobby shop (LHS) carries.

 

[Scrogg]

As long as you buy a good brand, do your research on nitro engine tuning and breakin you will be OK. No need to start electric just because your new.

 

[asphaltburner]

I to got a xxx speed nt 3.4cc for my first car after a few years research i would never get an electric i mean who does not like the smell of nitro and the raw power batteries belong in chik toys

 

[Metalhead Matt]

You better do some home work. Electric passed up nitro, as far as raw power, ease of operation and run time, quite awhile ago.

 

[Justagamer76]

I'm sorry to say but nitro will always be nitro. Granted the new lipo/ brushless systems are the way to go. But that takes all the fun out of the sport. If i can't hear it,smell it and even burn my fingers with it I don't want it.Its like telling someone with a 69 Chevelle to go Hybrid.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Your right. Batteries belong in hybrids, chik toys and the most powerful RC vehicles.

 

[sandiegan]

Your right. Batteries belong in chik toys and the most powerful RC vehicles.

LOL most powerful? Maybe for the first 5 mins!!! Electric cars are like the two-pump chumps of the RC world!!! I run my nitro all day lonnnnng

oh and my chick dont need no toys :San_Diego_Chargers:

 

[Scrogg]

Uh, I've seen 1/8th scale electric buggies run 30 minute mains on lipos. They will kill any nitro from zero to top speed. Some lipo packs will go longer than 30 minutes and produce speed and torque that is uncontrollable and just stupid fast.
I'll run nitro until they make it illegal......love my engines. Anybody can bolt on a motor and batteries. Only a few can make an engine sing. I'd say 7 out of 10 nitro owners I've seen, do not know how to tune.

 

[hamz9561]

I'd say 7 out of 10 nitro owners I've seen, do not know how to tune.

And some like me just hate tuning an engine before every bashing session. Also the mess after running isn't a lot of fun to clean anyway. I still prefer electric or gasoline.

 

[CaptainMTM]

I'm new to the hobby. Decided to pick up a 1/8 nitro buggy a little over a month and a half ago. Decided that since it was going to be my first toy I figured the cheaper the better. Got a chinese brand for $250 and it was a big mistake. I wish I had made a more educated decision, invested a little more to start, and not have to pay for it later. First off, I didn't know that when you buy the cheaper no-name brands the parts are almost impossible to find. With that said after a few days of bashing I took a moderate jump with it and the whole front busted up. Turned out to be just a small part that broke and got lost. Took it to a local hobby shop and guess what the guy told me. If you had a name brand I would be able to get you the specific part you're looking for for under $10 but since I don't know what buggy this is if you want this fixed we have to replace 20 parts all together and I will charge you $100 to get it running again. At this point, I said forget it and my $250 worth of fun lasted about four days. Gave that buggy to my cousin to work on and picked up an RTR RC8 Associated for which I made sure there are parts. Guy at hobby shop told me I can get any part I want right there in the store should anything go wrong. Also, after looking at my no-name buggy he told me it was not worth the investmet as all the parts are just too fragile. He told me that they tried to make the buggy really light because they wanted to use small .18 motor and therefore used cheap weak parts. I know I don't have much wisdom in RC as a beginner but I hope it's one mistake you avoid that I didn't. Educate yourself well on what you're getting, make sure there are replacement parts readily available and always better to front a little extra to get the quality you're looking for.

 

[hamz9561]

+1 on the previous post! Make sure you can get parts for whatever vehicle you decide to buy. If not you're going to have an expensive pile of parts that will sit around as an expensive lesson.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

LOL most powerful? Maybe for the first 5 mins!!! Electric cars are like the two-pump chumps of the RC world!!! I run my nitro all day lonnnnng

oh and my chick dont need no toys :San_Diego_Chargers:

I love my nitros too. I'm just not willing to make an ass of myself by arguing that nitros are more powerful than electrics. This is an old debate. We all know the truth. Electric is faster and more reliable. I won't quit burnin' nitro until it's illegal either.

 

[sandiegan]

yup my buddy for some stupid reason, he bought a Kyosho nitro (he said its a high quality brand) but everytime he orders parts, it takes a month to get to him from Japan.

When my Team Associated breaks, its usually a matter of simply going to the store and spending a few bucks... if the store doesn't have it, then i order online (which is even cheaper) and i have parts within 3 days.

All of the good brands will have dismantlers on ebay, who take brand new cars apart and sell them piece by piece. I just bought an original servo for my buddys HPI for $10 brand new off ebay, the cheapest servo in the store is $40 (aftermarket)

 

[Scrogg]

your buddy needs to look on E-Bay. I have the Kyosho ST-RR and once you install good quality screws in it, it is very durable. They designed a great truggy, but pot metal phillips head wood screws is the last thing ANY R/C needs. I get my parts new and cheap from the Bay. This truggy can run the same set of upper arms 10X longer than a Jammin, The plastic arm holders and plastic pills for the suspension keep it flexing as a whole unit. Instead of bending al. parts and high dollar hinge pins. The diffs can be a pain in the ass to shim. i just ordered Hot Bodies LSP pro diffs to install in it. Two new complete diffs with pinions, 4 bearings all shims, whole nine yards for 50 bucks! Much more durable and not so finicky on the mesh. Biggest pronlem I have found with it is the center driveshaft cups cannot be butted tight to the pinion gear. You have to leave .5 to1mm of play, otherwise it overheats the pinion bearings and melts the diff housing. That one through me for a loop. I also use some 5x8mm ofna shims to help the pinion to driveshaft issue.
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