Thinking about buying an Arrma Senton 3S BLX

Welcome to RCTalk

Come join other RC enthusiasts! You'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Springer14

RC Newbie
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
Concord NH
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
  2. Racing
Ok so looking for a lot of help. Last time I owned an r/c car was back in the 80’s had a fox lol. Looking to get into it again with my 10 year old son. We really like the short course. Was leaning towards this

1/10 SENTON 4X4 V3 3S BLX Brushless Short Course Truck RTR, Red. So much has changed not sure what brand stick with this or traxxas slash or losi don’t want to break the bank at first. But what else should I get as far as battery charger tools etc. is this truck to much for beginner. Looking to do it as a Christmas gift to both of us but want to get everything I need also. Oh mainly will be using around house grass pavement etc but we do have a track near by. Amy advise would be great
 
Welcome in. The RTR "ready to run" version usually comes with everything but AA batteries for your transmitter. I think 3s would be a good start because you can also run it on 2s and it will be somewhat easy to control. Amazon sells took kits but I recommend MIP Drivers.. Have fun with it...
 
you will need this to be able to run your new truck...
Needed to Complete:
  • 2S LiPo or 3S Hardcase LiPo Battery with the battery plug arrma uses.. arrma has a ic5 plug
  • Compatible Charger( the chargers of today are just great compared to the 80's... fully digital with many options you will need a 12v power supply that has a few more amps that what you will be charging at...)
  • LiPo Safe Charging Bag(always a good thing to have)
  • (4) AA Batteries
 
The Arrma Senton 3s is a Nice SCT, It Shares many of its components with the Big rock, & Typhon. The 3200kv motor is a beast The Esc BLX100 is okay the low voltage cutoff comes in a bit early and is not adjustable, otherwise it works well.
I wouldn’t recommend going higher than a 20t pinion. The Later Newer models with the Spektrum Firma Esc and Motor offer you the Same performance. If your a Savy shopper there’s a Few Typhons lurking around slightly cheaper as they need to clear the NoN Firma ESC models .
modelsport are offering a blue big rock 3sBlx
For £289.
I did see a few typhoons for around £259. New
Out of them all I think I’d have the Big Rock
Think of it as a Thyphon with Granite wheels.
The Traxxas Slash 4x4 LCG is expensive
But it’s a Nice SCT with A lot more Upgrades on the Shelf, and Losi Eek very expensive.
Arrma offers best bang for buck
Traxass and Losi offer Quality Build.
i.m.o.
 
Ok so looking for a lot of help. Last time I owned an r/c car was back in the 80’s had a fox lol. Looking to get into it again with my 10 year old son. We really like the short course. Was leaning towards this

1/10 SENTON 4X4 V3 3S BLX Brushless Short Course Truck RTR, Red. So much has changed not sure what brand stick with this or traxxas slash or losi don’t want to break the bank at first. But what else should I get as far as battery charger tools etc. is this truck to much for beginner. Looking to do it as a Christmas gift to both of us but want to get everything I need also. Oh mainly will be using around house grass pavement etc but we do have a track near by. Amy advise would be great
I know a lot arent going to agree with this, but, this is just my 2 cents. I wouldnt start with a 3S truck that takes LIPO's, especially since you have been away from the hobby so long. LIPO's are a massive learning curve compared to NIMH batteries, NIMH batteries are pretty much plug them in and wait for them to charge, but, with the stock supplied charger, can take as much as 8 hours to charge, but you can get fast chargers for NIMH batteries that will charge them in an hour or so. LIPO's on the other hand, you need a compatible charger, a LIPO fire safe bag, as well as knowing C rating and MAH so that you can correctly set the charger for the LIPO. Figuring that out can at times be very confusing, and, if not done right, can have some major issues. LIPO's have been known to burst and catch fire if charged wrong. If you are absolutely set on a LIPO, be sure to do as much research as you possibly can, so you know exactly what you are going in for.

As for the truck, since it is for a 10 year old just learning, my recommendation would be this one: https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...brushed-short-course-truck-rtr/ARA4203V3.html
Its a brushed motor, so it would actually be slower, and therefore better for him to learn on as a new driver. It is just as durable as the 3S version, and would allow him to grow with it as he gets better at operating it, and, in the future, when he starts looking for more speed and power, can be upgraded to fit him as he grows. Just starting out with a truck that is that fast, even though there are ways to slow it down, such as throttle settings on the remote, the speed of a 2S/3S means when, not if, he crashes, the damage is more severe, which then means larger repair bills until he learns to control it. I have 9 and 10 year old boys, and last year we bought them their first, as they put it, real RC trucks, and, even though i have been in the hobby for years, and have taught them how to control a vehicle, i learned the hard way just how much damage a young boy can do to a new RC truck, especially showing off to friends. Another issue i learned the hard way is just how much more a faster truck hurts when you get hit with it.

As for tools, Dynamite RC makes a decent, very reasonably priced starter tool kit that comes with all the necessary tools, and you can add as needed after that. This is the set i have: https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...MIw474pNCs7QIVrYpaBR0CtgZUEAQYASABEgJKA_D_BwE I have had it about 6 years, and, although its not one of the better, more expensive sets, it does the job fairly decent. MIP drivers are really good, but, i dont see the extra expense if you arent using them much.

As for batteries, whether you stick with NIMH or LIPO, i recommend the ones from Gen's Ace. These are the NIMH's i get: https://www.amazon.com/5000NiMH-7-2...nector&qid=1606821785&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-2
They come with Tamiya connectors, so if you dont want to have new connectors soldered on, you can look for them with EC3 connectors, or just get these style adapters: https://www.amazon.com/OliRC-3pcs-N...rnid=1249177011&rps=1&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-6
 
Last edited:
Ok so looking for a lot of help. Last time I owned an r/c car was back in the 80’s had a fox lol. Looking to get into it again with my 10 year old son. We really like the short course. Was leaning towards this

1/10 SENTON 4X4 V3 3S BLX Brushless Short Course Truck RTR, Red. So much has changed not sure what brand stick with this or traxxas slash or losi don’t want to break the bank at first. But what else should I get as far as battery charger tools etc. is this truck to much for beginner. Looking to do it as a Christmas gift to both of us but want to get everything I need also. Oh mainly will be using around house grass pavement etc but we do have a track near by. Amy advise would be great
 
Springer ,

I'm new , I spent a couple of months just reading and youtubing and my
first draft choice was exactly the same as yours , in red . I didn't get much
driving in before winter , but it seems fine . The general concensus was
it's fast and it's tough . It also appears to be easier to work on than most .
I went with a 2s Spektrum smart battery and their S1100 smart charger .
The care of Lipo batteries can seem a bit complicated at first , but the smart
setup automatically charges your smart battery properly . When and if I
want to try a 3s battery I'll decide if I go " smart " again or save some bucks
and manually enter info into the charger . To me the Senton seems fast on
2s and the controller has 50 , 75 , and 100% power choices if your son , or
you needs some restraining . To me the V3 BLX Senton is a great first choice
that would be hard to outgrow . ShortShift
 
I e always had nitro trucks but just this week I bought the same truck and two spectrum 3s Lipo batteries. I just got the throttle, brake, and steering end points set, and ran it today. It’s a great truck yes it’s fast but it handles very well, and it seems to be built like a tank, not to mention it’s really a good lookin truck. I’m really happy with my new truck and I think you will be too.
Paul
 
This thread is a year old guys, and the guy never came back after his initial post 😉
 
Back
Top