the ever fading kit

[werks21]

in my hunt for a budget buggy i found that rtr was the cheapest way to go, and besides, it seems like unless you want to buid a top notch racer that it was the olny way to go. so i set my sights on the ultra mbx pro. but while shopping around i got a little pissed. sights filled with rtrs. what happend to kits? although they used to be the majority they are now the minority with some companies like ofna not even making kits for certain vehicles (1/8 buggy). top notch asembly my a$$. if you too like your RCs to start out in 1000 pieces then sound off. it feels good......damn good. oh and by the way any one who knows of a well priced (cheap is probably the word) buggy kit. lemme know.

 

[Ryan with savage]

Buy a rtr, get a mate to take it apart and put all the bits at a random manner into lots of small clear bags, then throw the instructions away. Not only do you have a kit to build you also have a thousand piece puzzle. Twice the satisfaction.

I agree with your sentiment though, it is somewhat unlikely that some chinese fella who earns £3.00 a year building your car is going to put it together with the same care you will. Plus if you've built it yourself you will also know how to tear it down and repair it better when the need arises.

 

[vbgagnon]

The rtrs are put together fairly well, obvously not as good as you would, but good none the less. I don't have any complaints with my 2 rtr cars. Taking it apart isn't that hard because you still get the same instructions as though it was a kit. I guess it all comes down to what you want to do.

 

[flash]

thats funny ryan. i may try that someday when I'm really bored.

while many companies are seeing higher sales with rtr's they are in fact loosing sight of the true "hobby" aspect of this hobby. if we were to all buy nothing but rtr's it wouldnt be a hobby, it would be a sport.
ofna does make a kit and for a pro level kit it is well priced (hyper 7 pro). seems like my lhs sells them for around $450 but noone around here races them. buy a decent radio and motor and you can be racing a competetive buggy for less than $750.

if it were me and i were going to get an ofna i would just get the hyper 7 pcr/pbs/rtr and tear it down to build it so i knew everything was right. then of course upgrade the radio, starter box and motor when time/money allowed.

just my

 

[jon2]

I don't know any rtr that is pretty much race ready and you won't upgrade anything. I have had a few kits and have upgraded all of them one way or another. BUT a rtr is great starting point for someone new to the hobby or to that class. I bought the PCR PRO kit cause I like to make sure that everything is done right and any thing messed up Ican blame no one but my dumb self. If there was a defect then yes exchange or return it. MY MGT was a rtr and it is a great truck. I upgraded what I wanted and still runs great. The Kits available are cool so the user can apply the motor/radio, etc to the kit of his choice.

 

[ToRqUe]

I Want More Kits !!!!!

Is the PCR PRO kit a good buggy kit , jon2 ???

 

[jon2]

Yes IT is a very competitive kit. Ask Josh Wheeler as he makes sure of this.

I don't race as I have no time but I have gone up against a K2 and a Mugen MBX5 and I was very happy running right along side them ..sometimes in front. Don't know whoch is best but for me the PCR PRO is great for my style

 

[dgrobe2112]

any RTR buggy.. will need upgrades.. and the stuff you will be upgrading.. is the stuff you need for the Pro kit.. with the exception of the PCR RTR.. it has a very descent motor.. but the radio and servos.. gotta go..

One good RTR buggy is the Mahem.. it has a good radio.. and good servos as well.. so check into that.. it is called a Sportwerks. But is is made by Horizon hobbies.. and has good components too it..

Personally.. i would rather have a kit.. my friend bought the PCR RTR.. first thing he did.. was take it apart somewhat.. not all the way.. but he pulled the diffs.. and changed the oil in them.. and some other stuff as well..

 

[flash]

hmmm... i was just thinking and realized that mugen does not even offer the mbX-5 in anything but a kit. come to think of it I've never seen an xray rtr. could it be that these are the only two maufacturers that make 8th scale buggies in kit form only? maybe there is a future to this hobby after all. it seems like every other manufacturer has jumped on the rtr bandwagon except these two.

i know there are other companies that offer nothing but kits, but they usually only offer one type of car like the picco 8th onroad, smp slide 8th onroad. what are some others if any?

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

RTR's reigning supreme is a sign of the growth with this hobby. The T-Maxx brought a lot of people in, and then the explosion in the MT market brought even that much more. RTR's are a sign of the time and I myself probably wouldn't have started out if I had to buy a kit. I started RTR and have no shame in it. RTR's have brought a lot of money to these RC's companies and that does nothing but help the RC hobby as a whole.

 

[flash]

so true. i started 8th scale w/ a storm rtr just to try it and learn a little before jumping in with both feet. i just think its funny how certain companies refuse to let themselves become a part of the norm. I'm not saying rtr's are all bad. what i dont like is how some r/c's out there are available in nothing but rtr form. imo hpi did it right when they started offering the savage ss as a kit with better quality parts. I'm not down on rtr as it may seem, but c'mon- more kits would be nicer. id have a lot more r/c's around if some of these trucks were offered as kits.

 

[ToRqUe]

As well started w/ RTR but know tryin 2 find a buggy KIT and it has took a while cause i would find 1 i like and it would only be offered in RTR.

 

[cvec7]

Ya, I started rtr also, if I had to start kit, I probably wouldn't be in the hobby either. But now I try to buy a kit version of the car I want if at all possible.

 

[Mr Burns]

I bought a Kyosho Mad Force on monday and that was a kit, seems to be the only cheap one that is. Tell ya what is it a laugh, and its built like a brick s**thouse.

 

[Rex2342]

I started off with a kit. The Rs4 Type SS was my first real Rc car. I wanted the faster car and the RTR just didn't cut it without the 2speed and the better engine so I saved my pennies and bought the kit and a decent radio. I actually learned allot more about the car because I had to assemble it. I think in the long run it saved me money because I knew how to fix it and didn't have to take it to the Hobby shop everytime I broke it.

 

[flash]

my first two r/c's were kits. in 1995 it was an associated rc10 worlds buggy and when i got back into it in 02 i got a ke xxx buggy. two weeks later i got a gs storm because there was noone else (competitive) racing electric and the most competition i could find was in the 8th scale class. i didnt even want one! from now on its nothing but kits for me although i can see why some others would buy rtr.

there are a lot of opinions on this subject and angles that it can go, but I'm sure i speak for a lot of us that it gets old showing up at the track only to be confronted by people needing work done to there rides because they dont know jack about what they're doing. why can't they just look at the freakin manual and figure it out?! ok...I'm done venting...thanks.

 

[ToRqUe]

so people dont want 2 take time an learn it or some people it is just hard for them 2 do or others have no patience. I still get help from my friend @ the LHS on tunning my truck casue i could never seems 2 get it right but ever time I'm learnin, its only my 2 engine tunning. but some people dont want 2 do nuttin they just want everthing 2 go perfect and have the best vechical, but it doent work like that...

 

[DarthRacer]

I love kits. So rewarding. My first R/C was a kit. A Tamiya Lunchbox. I was 12 I think at the time. I learned a lot. I actually put it together right the first time and ran the piss out of it. The only things I bought new RTR was a Traxxas Nitro Sport because I wanted a second truck so a friend could run with me, and a Storm ARR because there were no 1/8 kits in my price range. I had a Kyosho Outlaw ST, Losi XX-T, Kyosho Super Ten, Trinity Street Spec, HPI RS4, HPI MicroRS4, Tamiya TLT-1, and a Savage SS. I can build just about anything I guess. My next kit will be a TC3 racer.

I do have to add that RTRs make it easier for people to give R/C a try. A lot of them move on to better RTRs or kits and some probably start racing. I think that the success of my LHS was due in part to the Traxxas RTRs, the Stampede and T-Maxx. I have no problems with people who buy RTRs and I'm glad to help answer questions from those people. The more you help the longer they stay in the hobby.

 

[FastEddy]

I have no problems with people who buy RTRs and I'm glad to help answer questions from those people. The more you help the longer they stay in the hobby.

Good attitude!

The most rewarding part of this hobby for me is building. If I had to make a choice of building or driving, I would choose building. I know others that can't stand to build or wrench but they are great drivers. There is a place in this hobby for everyone. RTRs are popular for a reason. Not everyone that is into RCs "Geek Out" on them like many of us do. They just want to have fun driving. If it brakes they bring it to the LHS and get it fixed. If they want to try and do it by themselves they can come to a place like RCNT and find answers.

RC Geeks ROCK!

 

[Rolex]

I'm with FastEddy on this. I'll build anything rather than buy off the rack. I've got thousands of hours into building airplanes. What a joy to see it take shape on the bench, and then actually see it work the way it's supposed to.

GEEKS UNITE !!