redcat shockwave

[1mtx1]

Oh no there is a few part upgrades that will fit just fine and the few that hsp/redcat has are far better over the rtr parts. Oh yea an there is a lhs that sell redcat rtr's and parts, sure there not sold in ALL lhs but when i lived in upstate Ny i had 2 lhs and one was a redcat dealer so its not out of the question to find parts locally. An buying online is not a big deal rc planet ,ebay ,amazon and so on you can buy parts for a few bucks to ya door and if you wanna buy from a overseas seller on ebay you can buy parts nxt to nothing to ya door. I just been at this and have looked in to redcat a few times even making threads a few years back on this very forum . I tend to agree there is some good options in rtr forum but the 150.00 ish shipped you better have close to double that to make what you guys call a better buy. I just wish more people would use more common sense and try to brake there old ways and stick to what they have HEARD and just pass along bad info. I guess not knowing is worse then passing a long the same old boring forum posts. Or is it idk?

 

[hamz9561]

In my case it is from hanging around a few different shops and seeing failures in the Redcat line that happen. Also the parts situation: I have never seen an RPM upgrade for a Redcat vehicle. Rpm makes upgrades for every reputable manufacturer. The only place I've seen that can get you Redcat parts is their store online. My favorite LHS cannot even get an account to carry their parts as "they do not have a dealership network or support one." This is what I heard on the speakerphone when the LHS tried to get parts for a customer.

 

[1mtx1]

I have no issue using the internet for parts as we are using the internet right now lol. I had a Lhs that was a redcat dealer. I rather base my info on first person reviews an in this case i have a shockwave on its way. Its as entry level as it gets when we talk about rtr nitro buggies. I guess ill keep at watching videos on youtube, checking out forum threads/posts and checking out ebay for some upgraded parts that hsp sells at a super low price. I can't wait for my new buggy to come and from what i can tell it will be by Sat this week. I will treat this rc like any other, a good once over, glue where needed, seal where needed and the front dog bones ill use at worse some tubing to fix the issue many have faced. I know if i went with a 300.00 rtr buggy etc i am sure l will find a issue many have faced and i would treat that said rc like the redcat shockwave. I do agree they need to update there line, i can see the .16 motor being the weak link. Not cause it is a problem just cause i would want more power, so the aftermarket options would be limited that would be a good point to argue if one was to say the redcat line has no part support etc. I would at best have to get the upgraded header/tune pipe and keep in mind my prices are give a take a dollar or two but 9.00 to my door for a header an tune pipe upgrade is not bad.. I do understand at that price point i would have to shop ebay and hit one of the MANY ebay stores out of China. I am not about the bling i like to upgrade the common areas that are weak. The shock tower there is a upgrade the pull start can be had for like 8.00 to my door but the issues i have read i am going to say is do to new people to this great hobby flooding there new engine. I love to use a blow dryer to heat up a new engine threw its first 1/4-1 gallon. It really does help start a new engine that is very tight i guess these NEW guys/kids just do not know. I learned this do to trial an error i had a true passion going in to this hobby. Even thought my FIRST nitro rc was a tower hobbies nitro st-15 talk about a pos it was and by far one of the worst nitro rc i have had. So i can speak on my exp and tbh i have many questions for redcat owners the ones that have real life exp with the redcat brand. Sure there all re branded HSP rtr's i just hope someone who wants to get there feet wet do not get turned away cause when some one makes a thread and boy is there a lot out there well i have like 200.00 and i found a redcat an there turned away from this hobby cause they get flamed cause its not Traxxas,hpi,losi, etc etc. Please lets keep a open mind when we yes i group my self with the haters when we say do not buy redcat. Why not offer help? Like watch for a flooded motor, heat it up for the brake in at least. There is mass info that can be used on a 150.00 rc an a 500.00 i mean i would start a 300.00 motor the same way i would a 60.00 motor. I call it like i see it and for some one to show up on a forum that is geared towards rc and you see they have a few posts or maybe this is there first thread/posts why not offer the years of learning we have in to this GREAT hobby instead of saying what you been looking at is crap.

 

[craig911]

my god space out your paragraphs no one wants to read a wall of text ever heard of using enter after a full stop,

also it seems you are posting to get a reaction why?

this post is my opinion and some experience, bit of a long post sorry

as many people have said the quality is not there and parts support at most hobby shops is lacking due to them not really being worth the hastle
I could probably go to 90% of the hobby shop websites or stores and find they stock parts for a traxxas or HPI

also there is nothing wrong with buying a used rig, people just need to be aware that things may need to be fixed or replaced and ask questions about what they're buying, again buying used people need to look over what they're going to hand their cash over for if, i don't think people would go to a used car lot and just buy a car without asking questions and trying to haggle a better price

i bought my savage used roughly 2 years ago all it needed was a new rear diff case cost of truck less radio gear £60 cost of diff case £12 radio FS GT3B £30 all in £102/$150
since then i have upgraded the truck as i see fit converted it from a savage 21 to an X then XL

i ran the engine that came with it hpi .25 had nothing to give and it still lasted 2 gallons with the abuse i gave it while getting used to the truck

my biggest expense was getting a replacement engine i settled on a hobao mac star .28 used on ebay got it for £20 replaced the piston and sleeve £30 essentially a new engine for £50 but a new good quality engine can be found for around $150

i remember crashing my truck into a concrete pillar in a carpark when out with some friends, this was a 40 mph impact the only thing i broke was a steering knuckle £12 and 48 hours later i had a 4 replacements,

i hit a lamp post only thing happen was a tie rod pop off from the steering linkage

when it came down to upgrades i spent a total of £120 to bring the truck up to date from a 2006/8 savage 25 to 2015 XL

i almost bought one of those cheap and nasty redcat clones if i did i would have probably quit years ago instead i got a reputable model that needed a little tlc

my first ever nitro was an ansmann kryptonite (ofna clone), then a thunder tiger ST then a kyosho DBX 2.0, then a thunder tiger EB4 then my savage all bought used well the ST and DBX where allegedly used once and were immaculate when they arrived,

yes used can be a gamble if you blindly buy without checking things out, i would rather drop $200 on a used known good quality brand model than on a shiny new redcat that are known for bad quality from the get go

you may not agree with me and i accept that i just don't feel that having a low budget means you can't get a good rig buy all means preach about the fact you bought a new nitro truck for $200 or whatever it cost but don't get upset when people give you their opinion

whats wrong with telling someone what they were looking at is junk and providing better alternatives especially if it saves them lots of hastle in the process

when $460 gets a brand new RTR savage i would rather hold that little bit longer to save and get a reliable truck than a brittle little toy
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXEDVY&P=FR&gclid=COK97bOL08wCFRFahgodMwkHrg

 

[1mtx1]

I do not see the i had a redcat anywhere in ya post. I guess people tend to just re post things or jump in to what they have had over the years etc etc. I just want to see the truth behind redcat is a waste of money/time? I can speak on my exp and how i feel . I would rather stay happy and look towards my package to come. I think with some common sense and understand its not going to be easy i think i will just fine with my new rtr. I think i better stop or i will get the life time ban etc. I know this site has pushed away a few guys who did not fall in line to the masses. Its sad when i run in to know it all's when i am out playing with a rc. I tend to think its more sad when people jump in saying i am looking for a fight i know that was not ya words but ya might as well said i am looking to word battle. I just want the nxt guy who is in a tough spot and comes across all the neg reviews they can take a second and say to them self i will use common sense and go about the brake in with the help they got an get threw the brake in with ease. I know how this will go its like this on every rc forum. Some one is gonna name drop all the rc's they have had and just blast me for not falling in line. I wonder if i go threw the nitro threads and chime in and really get in to HELPING fellow rc freaks with there said issue will i get a response ? It's easy to be dumb but it's harder to keep on trying to prove why one is right . I rather just say i am dumb and not go on with why i think redcat should not be ruled out.

 

[craig911]

i mention redcat as this was a topic about them, i was not assuming anything

also talking of break in, my advice to someone new would be to read some of the guides on the net for guidance, if in doubt ask at a hobby shop about breaking in a new engine, and always always read the manual

most people have problems with engines when they don't read the manual or don't breakin the engine and just fuel up and rev the balls off and wonder why the engine is toast so soon or end up breaking things

also you mention some one having problems then finding negative reviews if they did there research before purchase they would probably have come across them sooner and avoided any headache, the worst offenders are hobby shops that sell junk and don't care about the customers experience, too many companies only care about profit and not reputation

also more people are going to be able to provide support for a popular brand over ones that are known to be essentially a throw away model
there may be some good cheap nitro rc brands out there but the damage has been done due to allot of them using cheap brittle materials and a lack of parts/customer support,

some do provide upgrades and replacement parts but they are usually not much better than the stock part, eg HSP they sell aluminum upgrade parts yes there stronger but they will bend and also break something else along the way in an impact or crash

the thing people also have to think of why would a brand new nitro cost under $250 then other brands be retailing around $500 there would be a good reason for it and its quality, yes everything is built to a price but some things more than others

its not that we and i mean most people in the hobby are trying to be jerks or anything (some are)

we just want people to be happy with the hobby and not give up, yes it can feel or seem like people are berating you or insulting you when you buy a cheap model or if someone says they are thinking of purchasing a particularly known bad quality model, its not that its done on purpose sometimes its just how things come across, we try to advise to buy a better model that will last be that hpi/traxxas or otherwise or if they have a set budget buy a kit and build it over time


its nothing against you I wish you luck with your purchase, its just we see it all too often that some hobby shops sell people cheap junk or people don't do any research and think, wow $200 what a deal then end up with something that breaks within a week of ownership or a low speed impact well just about anything, then think all models are like that and never return to the hobby

or people ignore the advice and wonder why they then get told, i told you so etc

yes i did mention the vehicles i have owned i did forget a tamiya TGS from 2002 that i owned until last year, to this day i has parts available floating about albet rarer now

i got in the hobby roughly 5 years ago, and all i can say with everything i owned i haven't had a bad experience yet

the ansmann i owned yes was a cheap brand people knew they were cheap but they had good parts availability and from what i read most problems with them were due to plastic geared servos stripping, with the cheap brands its not necessarily the models that are the issue but a lack of part support when things do break and a lack of customer service

as i said i wish you good luck


excuse my log posts, sometimes i ramble on when talking about certain subjects(aspergers)

 

[hamz9561]

I have had many different brands of RCs and each had its own benefits and short comings. The reason (as we have tried explaining to you) that we do not recommend Redcat is that they are not really as well-supported parts wise as the brands that they are not as well-made as the others (as evidenced by their much, much lower prices). This is while I'll also recommend against the 1/5 Scale HPI Baja Clones.

If you like your Redcat rigs, fine. We're not telling that you can't. What we are saying is that in our collective opinions, that they are not worth the hassle.

 

[alpinehyperlite]

I'd much rather wrestle a naked greased up drunk guy who is also on PCP then get into another argument with someone about the quality of redcat RC. I'm out.

 

[hamz9561]

Can I borrow your LiPo powered stun gun, then, @alpinehyperlite?