With an $800 budget , what would you get?

[PainKiller]

It hurts your wallet...

That much I have figured out

 

[Littlemotor]

Anything that you guys wish you knew when you first started out that you could pass down to me as a beginner?

Kit over RTR. But it depends highly on your mechanical ability, and overall interest in staying in the hobby.

 

[KnowAir]

Kit over RTR. But it depends highly on your mechanical ability, and overall interest in staying in the hobby.

I definitely agree, problem is that hardly anything is sold in kit form these days. Race rigs are about it. These days that's really all I'm interested in. I mean yeah, I like my Xmaxx and K8, but if there were kits available for them I'd be all about it.

 

[PainKiller]

I definitely agree, problem is that hardly anything is sold in kit form these days. Race rigs are about it. These days that's really all I'm interested in. I mean yeah, I like my Xmaxx and K8, but if there were kits available for them I'd be all about it.

Back in the 80’s it was 99% kits on the market with very few RTR’s. Now it seems like the complete opposite.

 

[Littlemotor]

I definitely agree, problem is that hardly anything is sold in kit form these days. Race rigs are about it. These days that's really all I'm interested in. I mean yeah, I like my Xmaxx and K8, but if there were kits available for them I'd be all about it.

Back in the 80’s it was 99% kits on the market with very few RTR’s. Now it seems like the complete opposite.

Yep. I bashed race kits for years. Hell-technically still do. When I tried to put Mrs. Littlemotor into an RTR to make sure she was gonna stay interested, I grabbed a Talion EXB, and the first thing to go was all the electronics. Then plastics, and BS that it didn’t need imo. Then Wheels, tires, etc.. Turnbuckles, M2C chassis, M2C standoffs, towers, braces, blah, blah, blah..

I had more time and money wrapped up in an inferior vehicle than if I had bought a kit.. So I sold it for $1500, and snatched up a killer condition, used Tekno trugg, as it would share a lot of the same parts as what I already run. I’ve got less money in the Tekno than in that silly Talion, it’s faster, handles, jumps, and stops better, is more durable, and she loves it. It’s absolutely what I wish I’d have done from the start. Just my personal experience.

 

[KnowAir]

Yep. I bashed race kits for years. Hell-technically still do. When I tried to put Mrs. Littlemotor into an RTR to make sure she was gonna stay interested, I grabbed a Talion EXB, and the first thing to go was all the electronics. Then plastics, and BS that it didn’t need imo. Then Wheels, tires, etc.. Turnbuckles, M2C chassis, M2C standoffs, towers, braces, blah, blah, blah..

I had more time and money wrapped up in an inferior vehicle than if I had bought a kit.. So I sold it for $1500, and snatched up a killer condition, used Tekno trugg, as it would share a lot of the same parts as what I already run. I’ve got less money in the Tekno than in that silly Talion, it’s faster, handles, jumps, and stops better, is more durable, and she loves it. It’s absolutely what I wish I’d have done from the start. Just my personal experience.

I agree with your philosophy. Though, I am still running several rtr truggs for 3 years now without changing much besides bearings, tires and maybe a servo or two. The Arrma has had a couple new diffs thrown in, was cheaper to replace the whole thing than rebuild them from kit breakers. Lower perf, but I have no real complaints about either the Arrma or TC rtr's. Traxxas either. Can be written off as "low expectations" I suppose, LOL.
By comparison, neither of my 2 Tankno's have needed any parts aside from breakages.. though, I did have a set of front arms on my MT410 that just warped for no apparent reason. One was really bad, the other not that noticeable. They were hogged out at the inner pivots anyway, so replaced both.

 

[PainKiller]

I agree with your philosophy. Though, I am still running several rtr truggs for 3 years now without changing much besides bearings, tires and maybe a servo or two. The Arrma has had a couple new diffs thrown in, was cheaper to replace the whole thing than rebuild them from kit breakers. Lower perf, but I have no real complaints about either the Arrma or TC rtr's. Traxxas either. Can be written off as "low expectations" I suppose, LOL.
By comparison, neither of my 2 Tankno's have needed any parts aside from breakages.. though, I did have a set of front arms on my MT410 that just warped for no apparent reason. One was really bad, the other not that noticeable. They were hogged out at the inner pivots anyway, so replaced both.

Tekno continues to be a favorite. Does it have any real competition in the truggy world?

 

[Littlemotor]

I agree with your philosophy. Though, I am still running several rtr truggs for 3 years now without changing much besides bearings, tires and maybe a servo or two. The Arrma has had a couple new diffs thrown in, was cheaper to replace the whole thing than rebuild them from kit breakers. Lower perf, but I have no real complaints about either the Arrma or TC rtr's. Traxxas either. Can be written off as "low expectations" I suppose, LOL.
By comparison, neither of my 2 Tankno's have needed any parts aside from breakages.. though, I did have a set of front arms on my MT410 that just warped for no apparent reason. One was really bad, the other not that noticeable. They were hogged out at the inner pivots anyway, so replaced both.

Yepper-sounds legit af to me.

I look at common wear items as consumables.. very strange about the arms warping out of nowhere though. That was just a kick in the nuts from the ol’ RC Gods for sure..

Tekno continues to be a favorite. Does it have any real competition in the truggy world?

That’s a tough question to answer in all honesty, as there is no way to compare as apples to apples in points, finishes, trophies, etc..

This is due to the fact that nearly ANY pro driver has the ability to win against an average Joe if the Joe had said Tekno race vehicle, and the Pro was driving an F’n TONKA dumptruck with a Mabuchi 540 motor from 1986 lol..

What I can say about them is this, the Tekno’s are not the most expensive out of the race grade kit buggies, and truggies. Their parts are not the most expensive either. They also have a rebate program, where if you break a part; you send it into them, and they sell you a new, or updated part at 50% off.

They are also EASILY the most durable, and reliable. Next in line in this category would be Mugen. Mugen is also much more pricey for the kit, not quite as current of a vehicle, and parts are more expensive overall as well. Also Tekno parts are EVERYWHERE, but where as Mugen Seiki are not.

The “out of the box” setup for the Tekno vehicles is also second to none. Build it to kit specs, and it’s incredibly capable, competitive (if you’re racing it), and very easy to drive. This is not the case with MOST other offerings/manufacturers. Also Tekno’s REALLY excel in rough track/surface settings, and big jumps. This is why they do quite well as a basher too (coupled with their durability/reliability). The harder you drive a Tekno ANYTHING, the happier they are. It does what you tell it, while being extremely forgiving at the same time. This is a rare quality in RC.

Another HUGE bonus for running Tekno, is that as they release updated, or new models, the parts support/availability for YOUR model does not suffer. It’s very common for manufacturers to stop producing parts for vehicles that are no longer produced because a revised, or new one has taken their place. Tekno is still producing parts for their buggies, truggies, and monster trucks that are SEVERAL generations old.. Literally 6, 7, 8yrs old.. You don’t have to go out and spend money on a new kit every year or two just to be able to maintain what you run.

Tekno’s hardware, and plastics are very high quality. In 1/8 RC, this is HUGE. They Are designed/intended to take an absolute BEATING. You WILL be doing maintenance. Screw heads WEAR. It comes with the territory. So having hardware that’s not made out of play dough is always good to have right off the bat. Plastics need to be flexible enough to absorb impacts, and flex, without allowing other parts to fail, or come apart. They also can’t be so hard that they snap due to a bad landing, or a light hit just because it’s not 80deg outside that day..

There are a LOT of things to take into consideration with multiple hundred dollar RC’s, and there’s a wealth of solid info in this thread, as well as on this forum. It’s gonna boil down to preference imo, and picking out the right vehicle for your intentions. I’m not gonna piss on anyone else’s suggestions, or experience(s), just laying out what my own personal experience has been, and answer your questions to the best of my ability so that it makes sense to you, and also point out some things you may not have thought about.

 

[332_RC]

Anything that you guys wish you knew when you first started out that you could pass down to me as a beginner?

Don't go upgrade happy. As needed is fine.

 

[PainKiller]

Don't go upgrade happy. As needed is fine.

Gotcha. I’m sure I’ll be replacing broken parts before too long. I need to relearn how to drive.

 

[RustyUs]

Yep. I bashed race kits for years. Hell-technically still do. When I tried to put Mrs. Littlemotor into an RTR to make sure she was gonna stay interested, I grabbed a Talion EXB, and the first thing to go was all the electronics. Then plastics, and BS that it didn’t need imo. Then Wheels, tires, etc.. Turnbuckles, M2C chassis, M2C standoffs, towers, braces, blah, blah, blah..

I had more time and money wrapped up in an inferior vehicle than if I had bought a kit.. So I sold it for $1500, and snatched up a killer condition, used Tekno trugg, as it would share a lot of the same parts as what I already run. I’ve got less money in the Tekno than in that silly Talion, it’s faster, handles, jumps, and stops better, is more durable, and she loves it. It’s absolutely what I wish I’d have done from the start. Just my personal experience.

Yep, I seek out kits to build. "Race bred" kits make the best bashers for me. The only reason I have a Kraton EXB is because Tekno took too long to release the ET48 2.0 platform. I waited, and waited... then Arrma played with my emotions, and present the Kraton EXB Roller to the world. The EXB basically had all that I was going to do to a ET48 2.0, and it being a roller, I got to decide what electronics to put in the monster truggy.

 

[Littlemotor]

Yep, I seek out kits to build. "Race bred" kits make the best bashers for me. The only reason I have a Kraton EXB is because Tekno took too long to release the ET48 2.0 platform. I waited, and waited... then Arrma played with my emotions, and present the Kraton EXB Roller to the world. The EXB basically had all that I was going to do to a ET48 2.0, and it being a roller, I got to decide what electronics to put in the monster truggy.

“Two weeks!”…

 

[9x19]

Having started way back when, I prefer kits to RTRs as well, sadly they aren't as common these days.

I've built three Tekno kits and they are nicely made. I find my MT410 2.0 to be more demanding on batteries than the other bashers I have of the same size (Hoss - Rival MT10). They all have similar motors, but the Tekno drains the battery much quicker than the other two. Don't know if it's the weight, or...?

Haven't broken anything on any of them yet, so can't really compare that point. I do like seeing Associated offering more kits, and hope others will follow. I also like that Team Corally offers their models as rollers so you can choose your own electronics.

 

[WickedFog]

I would suggest not losing sight of what you're after. A couple cars for you and your son to run. The kits discussed in here are awesome, for sure. But there have been a number of suggestions to get you guys going with good RTR stuff, that will have you guys enjoying the hobby. You did mention you're not mechanically inclined. So a good, jump in and get your feet wet with decent stuff kinda start will ease you into working on them. And as you can see, there's PLENTY of help here.

Anything that you guys wish you knew when you first started out that you could pass down to me as a beginner?

1. Don't listen to hobby shops, unless you get to know the folks running it and trust their opinion. You need to go in there knowing more than they do about what you're buying, if possible. If not, have questions ready. You did your research as best you could. See what else they know.

2. Buy a good charger NOW. Not later, after suffering through 3 or 4 mistakes. Stay away from smart battery technology. It's just not worth it.

3. Buy a quality metric hex driver set now. Not later after you've mangled screws in your kits.

4. A Good soldering gun/station is important. Learn to use it! It's not rocket science.

Boy, I could go on and on. But I'll shut up.

 

[PainKiller]

I would suggest not losing sight of what you're after. A couple cars for you and your son to run. The kits discussed in here are awesome, for sure. But there have been a number of suggestions to get you guys going with good RTR stuff, that will have you guys enjoying the hobby. You did mention you're not mechanically inclined. So a good, jump in and get your feet wet with decent stuff kinda start will ease you into working on them. And as you can see, there's PLENTY of help here.


1. Don't listen to hobby shops, unless you get to know the folks running it and trust their opinion. You need to go in there knowing more than they do about what you're buying, if possible. If not, have questions ready. You did your research as best you could. See what else they know.

2. Buy a good charger NOW. Not later, after suffering through 3 or 4 mistakes. Stay away from smart battery technology. It's just not worth it.

3. Buy a quality metric hex driver set now. Not later after you've mangled screws in your kits.

4. A Good soldering gun/station is important. Learn to use it! It's not rocket science.

Boy, I could go on and on. But I'll shut up.

Words of wisdom. I will take all of the above to heart. I was watching some vids on soldering. Pretty interesting.

 

[PainKiller]

I would suggest not losing sight of what you're after. A couple cars for you and your son to run. The kits discussed in here are awesome, for sure. But there have been a number of suggestions to get you guys going with good RTR stuff, that will have you guys enjoying the hobby. You did mention you're not mechanically inclined. So a good, jump in and get your feet wet with decent stuff kinda start will ease you into working on them. And as you can see, there's PLENTY of help here.


1. Don't listen to hobby shops, unless you get to know the folks running it and trust their opinion. You need to go in there knowing more than they do about what you're buying, if possible. If not, have questions ready. You did your research as best you could. See what else they know.

2. Buy a good charger NOW. Not later, after suffering through 3 or 4 mistakes. Stay away from smart battery technology. It's just not worth it.

3. Buy a quality metric hex driver set now. Not later after you've mangled screws in your kits.

4. A Good soldering gun/station is important. Learn to use it! It's not rocket science.

Boy, I could go on and on. But I'll shut up.

Is this the right charger and the right adapters for Traxxas batteries and vehicles?

 

[9x19]

The adapters are correct. Either charger will work. I use the Hota D6 Pro

 

[WickedFog]

Correct charger, but too high on the price. The top adapters, yes. Not the EC5's to TRX. You don't need those of course.

Order the charger from RaceDayQuads, HeliDirect, or GetFPV.

 

[PainKiller]

The adapters are correct. Either charger will work. I use the Hota D6 Pro

Which connectors should I get? The top ones in black or bottom ones in blue?

Correct charger, but too high on the price. The top adapters, yes. Not the EC5's to TRX. You don't need those of course.

The charger has a $20 off coupon. But is that still too high in price? And I want the top connectors in black , right? Traxxas connector to XT60?

 

[WickedFog]

Which connectors should I get? The top ones in black or bottom ones in blue?


The charger has a $20 off coupon. But is that still too high in price? And I want the top connectors in black , right?

Oh, $20 off ain't bad then. Yes, the yellow and black connectors. XT60 is the yellow connector port on your charger, and those adaptors. The black end is the Traxxas, or better known as a TRX connector.

Also grab these.
4Pcs JST-XH Balance Cable 2-6S 3S Lipo Battery Balance Charger Extend Expansion Plug Leads Adapter Conversion Line for RC Vehicles Lipo Battery Charging https://a.co/d/6IHEM3s