What kit to build with $900

[JerreThijn]

Hello everyone, this winter I want to build another kit, but I'm not sure what kit to buy...

What am I looking for in a kit: I really want a kit that is unique and with some cool mechanical features. Like a gearbox with multiple speeds or a unique complex suspension system or something like that.
Something where you can really appreciate the engineering that has gone into it.

My skill level: I have build 1 kit before, but I have done a lot of rebuilds on my rtr's, so the building part of a kit shouldn't be an issue for me I think
I am not that familiar with detailing yet. I have never painted a body before for example. I'm not afraid to learn though! But a kit with a body that requires 20 different paints to be applied is not gonna be a good idea for me.

My budget: I have a maximum budget of around $800/ $900 for the full finished build. So that is including the electronics, paints and al that stuff. And that $900 is the maximum I can spend, not the amount I want to spend. If there are cool kits for cheaper that would be prefered.

So, with all this info, what kits would you guys recommend to me? I would love to see!

 

[WickedFog]

I love my Kyosho Legendary cars for their design. But if you really want to appreciate some good engineering, you should probably look at a race grade kit. A Tekno SCT or MT would make for a great basher.

But being a retired machinist, I just love these Kyosho kits.

 

[WoodiE]

@JerreThijn - my first recommendation was going to be a Tekno kit. They are top-notch kits and their MT410 and several others could easily be built for under $900 total.

Then I noticed you want something with a bit more challenge and detail, such as unique and mechanical features. This got me thinking of more of a scale RC would be right up your ally. Something like the Tamyia High-Lift or even a RC4WD Trail Finder 2. Both offer some neat suspension, transfer cases and transmissions.

 

[paytonimusrex]

those are some cool kits wow

 

[KnowAir]

How about a Losi LMT? Not a "true" kit per say, but a unique truck that can be pretty heavily customized.
https://www.amazon.com/Losi-Monster...4&psc=1&mcid=487f2d22f6cf3e3eb3404539a29320b3

 

[Chubaka]

What scale and type are you looking for? I've seen scale crawlers, 14th scale semis, snd even 1/10 touting cars made scale. And as posted above even scale monster trucks.

Below is one of 11 videos from a company called xxxmain about painting. Xxxmain has decals, paint masks and stencils. Look it up on amain hobbies or as one word.

Tamiya high lift is a 3 speed shited by servo. The lower 2 hears are 4x4 and 3rd it pulls it into rwd.

Traxxas tmaxx is an auto 2 speed and tge hpi savage xl is an auto 3 speed. Both are nitro monster trucks and not too scale.

Traxxas revo line has cantilever suspension.

Vintage kyosho i belive had a chain drive.
Some tamiyas have a mono shock suspension. There's also a discontinued one with like 8 or 10 shocks. The name has slipped me.

I'm actually a week or two away from one of these.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963844172...-84f1-fa477423b3e0|iid:1|vlpname:vlp_homepage

There's also this suspenny......

 

[JerreThijn]

I love my Kyosho Legendary cars for their design. But if you really want to appreciate some good engineering, you should probably look at a race grade kit. A Tekno SCT or MT would make for a great basher.

But being a retired machinist, I just love these Kyosho kits.
View attachment 205640
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View attachment 205642
View attachment 205641

I see the Kyosho Legendary cars have a lot of metal parts on them? I do really like that. I'm not much of a vintage style car fan, but I might look into it a little and who knows, maybe I'll change my mind

 

[WickedFog]

I see the Kyosho Legendary cars have a lot of metal parts on them? I do really like that. I'm not much of a vintage style car fan, but I might look into it a little and who knows, maybe I'll change my mind

Yeah, they do have a lot of metal on them.

I like the previously mentioned ideas. The Losi LMT would be a great kit if it were not so ridiculously priced.

The stuff Woodie mentioned would be cool too. With the crawlers, you can have 2-speed transmissions, locking diffs, dig servos (to lockup an axle to "drag" it, lights, snow plows, winches, you name it.

One if my favorite builds to date was the Axial Axial Ryft kit. They discontinued the kit unfortunately though

 

[KnowAir]

Yeah, they do have a lot of metal on them.

I like the previously mentioned ideas. The Losi LMT would be a great kit if it were not so ridiculously priced.

The stuff Woodie mentioned would be cool too. With the crawlers, you can have 2-speed transmissions, locking diffs, dig servos (to lockup an axle to "drag" it, lights, snow plows, winches, you name it.

One if my favorite builds to date was the Axial Axial Ryft kit. They discontinued the kit unfortunately though

I agree the Losi LMT kit is quite pricey, if it matters it has CF chassis plates and aluminum hubs, trailing arms and such. However, after I posted I started digging a bit and found people having QC issues with the kits. Such as countersunk holes for flathead screws drilled from the wrong side of the CF plates, rear sway bar interferes with the rear frame extension, warped molded parts.. Gil Sr must be rolling in his grave. Shame.

Though the RTR versions didn't seem to have the same problems?
I have always been a fan of the LMT since I first say them online, Big Merica has the most inspirational vids..

 

[JerreThijn]

@JerreThijn - my first recommendation was going to be a Tekno kit. They are top-notch kits and their MT410 and several others could easily be built for under $900 total.

Then I noticed you want something with a bit more challenge and detail, such as unique and mechanical features. This got me thinking of more of a scale RC would be right up your ally. Something like the Tamyia High-Lift or even a RC4WD Trail Finder 2. Both offer some neat suspension, transfer cases and transmissions.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been thinking about a Tamiya High-Lift aswell. I like that it has a 3 speed transmission, but I'm afraid that it is going to drive terrible with all it's weight and the leafsprung suspension with friction dampers. Besides the car being cool, I want it to perform somewhat decent aswell.
The RC4WD is also a cool suggestion. I didn't know they made the Trail Finder as builders kit aswell. I thought they were only rtr's. That's definitely a car I'm going to look into!

 

[CertifiedMike]

Tamiya Avante has the most over engineered ever, to my knowledge.
It mugh% be something to consider.
That said,
35ish years ago, I built an Optima.
Then I built an Optima Mid.
Then I half built a Hot Trick Optima.
I have just recently unboxed my mid and hot trick optima. I just ordered more parts for the hot trick.
So... I bought another 30 year old Optima Mid about 2 months ago and am building it with intent to run new electronics on a carpet track.
I just bought a LOT of parts for that.
While I was looking for parts for the Mid I came across a Kyosho Peugot 405 (Optima mid nitro).
I bought that.
Are you seeing a pattern here yet???

They are expensive and not always easy to find parts for but they are AWESOME cars.
Schumacher also makes cool belt drive cars with a fair amount of funky engineering and they are TOP performing track racers!
Your budget is healthy enough for a resto if you opt to go that way. You just need to buy smart/spend smart and you'll have a unique and fun car when you're through!

 

[JerreThijn]

What scale and type are you looking for? I've seen scale crawlers, 14th scale semis, snd even 1/10 touting cars made scale. And as posted above even scale monster trucks.

Below is one of 11 videos from a company called xxxmain about painting. Xxxmain has decals, paint masks and stencils. Look it up on amain hobbies or as one word.

Tamiya high lift is a 3 speed shited by servo. The lower 2 hears are 4x4 and 3rd it pulls it into rwd.

Traxxas tmaxx is an auto 2 speed and tge hpi savage xl is an auto 3 speed. Both are nitro monster trucks and not too scale.

Traxxas revo line has cantilever suspension.

Vintage kyosho i belive had a chain drive.
Some tamiyas have a mono shock suspension. There's also a discontinued one with like 8 or 10 shocks. The name has slipped me.

I'm actually a week or two away from one of these.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196384417285?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=777008&algo=PERSONAL.TOPIC&ao=1&asc=275104,274843&meid=1c080d22264e44b3a7b0ffc00d2eb4bf&pid=102055&rk=1&rkt=1&mehot=pp&itm=196384417285&pmt=1&noa=1&pg=4375194&algv=RecentlyViewedItemsMobileV2WithMLRPboosterDiversityShuffling_BP&brand=Axial&_trksid=p4375194.c102055.m146925&_trkparms=parentrq:95b797081920a56d3f250029ffffd500|pageci:670ca009-8bca-11ef-84f1-fa477423b3e0|iid:1|vlpname:vlp_homepage

There's also this suspenny......

I'm not looking for a specific scale or type, I'm more looking for an interesting building experience with a decent driving car as a result. I would prefer 1/10 I think. Just the sweetspot between big enough for cool details, but also not too big that it becomes awkward and impractical. But if there is an awesome kit in a smaller or bigger scale, I wouldn't mind.

I do actually have a 1/16 E-revo VXL. Just trying to get the shocks setup to my liking for multipurpose driving. Enough damping for some jumps in a skatepark, but also trying to maintain highspeed offroad stability.

Yeah, they do have a lot of metal on them.

I like the previously mentioned ideas. The Losi LMT would be a great kit if it were not so ridiculously priced.

The stuff Woodie mentioned would be cool too. With the crawlers, you can have 2-speed transmissions, locking diffs, dig servos (to lockup an axle to "drag" it, lights, snow plows, winches, you name it.

One if my favorite builds to date was the Axial Axial Ryft kit. They discontinued the kit unfortunately though

I have been looking at the Axial Ryft as well. I can still buy a new kit here in the Netherlands. It is a unique concept of car and with 2-speed transmission.
You said you have/ had one, what motor and ESC did you use? I was thinking I could maybe use the sensored Hobbywing Max10 combo from my rally car since I want to put a slightly slower, unsensored system in that car since it is too fast, and I can't gear down. + it doesn't really need a sensored system which would be nice for the Ryft. I think that a Max10 combo might be a little overkill for the Ryft as well though...
You mentioned that it was one of your favorite builds. Why is that? What stood out on this kit?
And also I was wondering if, besides rock bouncing, it can actually crawl decent as well.

I agree the Losi LMT kit is quite pricey, if it matters it has CF chassis plates and aluminum hubs, trailing arms and such. However, after I posted I started digging a bit and found people having QC issues with the kits. Such as countersunk holes for flathead screws drilled from the wrong side of the CF plates, rear sway bar interferes with the rear frame extension, warped molded parts.. Gil Sr must be rolling in his grave. Shame. Though the RTR versions didn't seem to have the same problems?
I have always been a fan of the LMT since I first say them online, Big Merica has the most inspirational vids..

Sounds like I'm not going to get an LMT... Especially not since I can't find them in stock here in the Netherlands, and I'm not going to pay $300+ in shipping and import...

 

[JerreThijn]

Tamiya Avante has the most over engineered ever, to my knowledge.
It mugh% be something to consider.
That said,
35ish years ago, I built an Optima.
Then I built an Optima Mid.
Then I half built a Hot Trick Optima.
I have just recently unboxed my mid and hot trick optima. I just ordered more parts for the hot trick.
So... I bought another 30 year old Optima Mid about 2 months ago and am building it with intent to run new electronics on a carpet track.
I just bought a LOT of parts for that.
While I was looking for parts for the Mid I came across a Kyosho Peugot 405 (Optima mid nitro).
I bought that.
Are you seeing a pattern here yet???

They are expensive and not always easy to find parts for but they are AWESOME cars.
Schumacher also makes cool belt drive cars with a fair amount of funky engineering and they are TOP performing track racers!
Your budget is healthy enough for a resto if you opt to go that way. You just need to buy smart/spend smart and you'll have a unique and fun car when you're through!

Ah yeah, the Avante. No idea how I forgot about that one haha. It is definitely on my list of kits to consider. I had a quick look where I could buy one here in the Netherlands, and I can actually get a Black Special for slightly cheaper than the regular 2011 re-release. Which version would you guys choose? I'm not really sure. The Black Special is cool because it is a special edition and comes with some upgrades, but I don't like that they got rid of the iconic Cam-Loc wheels. Is there a way to put the Cam-Loc wheels on the Black Special?

 

[WickedFog]

I agree the Losi LMT kit is quite pricey, if it matters it has CF chassis plates and aluminum hubs, trailing arms and such. However, after I posted I started digging a bit and found people having QC issues with the kits. Such as countersunk holes for flathead screws drilled from the wrong side of the CF plates, rear sway bar interferes with the rear frame extension, warped molded parts.. Gil Sr must be rolling in his grave. Shame.

Though the RTR versions didn't seem to have the same problems?
I have always been a fan of the LMT since I first say them online, Big Merica has the most inspirational vids..

The original LMT had issues with weak plastic axle housings, due to the fantastic Horizon engineers designing the most ridiculous axle housing ever used in RC. That removable center section they did to the driveshaft side of housing completely ruins any rigidity they could hoped to have in their design. And the sharp corners they created there will create stress points. Just a terrible design that should have never made it past the idea stage. The engineer that designed it should be relegated to only being allowed to design toilet brushes for a janitorial supply company.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Ah yeah, the Avante. No idea how I forgot about that one haha. It is definitely on my list of kits to consider. I had a quick look where I could buy one here in the Netherlands, and I can actually get a Black Special for slightly cheaper than the regular 2011 re-release. Which version would you guys choose? I'm not really sure. The Black Special is cool because it is a special edition and comes with some upgrades, but I don't like that they got rid of the iconic Cam-Loc wheels. Is there a way to put the Cam-Loc wheels on the Black Special?

https://mciracing.ca/products/1-10th-tam-avante-wheels-rear-wide
I don't own the kit but these guys could prob tell you just what is needed to make those cool old wheels fit.

 

[Snotbottom]

Someone was mentioning the Nemo Agama N110 in another thread. Unique suspension and steering. The 1/10 scale is still in pre-release (although it should be out any day now, according to the website), but should fit within your all-in budget pretty nicely.

Otherwise, I'll also suggest the restoration option. I've got a couple of those planned for this winter myself.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Someone was mentioning the Nemo Agama N110 in another thread. Unique suspension and steering. The 1/10 scale is still in pre-release (although it should be out any day now, according to the website), but should fit within your all-in budget pretty nicely.

Otherwise, I'll also suggest the restoration option. I've got a couple of those planned for this winter myself.

I am thinking about buying an N110.

They aren't released yet.
Agama is 1/8 scale and they look good.
I'm willing to try!

 

[paytonimusrex]

it’s only $24 shipping to the US too