Jon Mopar Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Just curious if anyone here was into the Radio Controlled stuff....I just getting into it now. Bought a Tamiya Jeep. It's stock, with the exception of a Lipo battery upgrade (I still have to wire up a module to shut off power when the voltage gets low). Have yet to get it going, but hope to soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-man Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I bought my son a Losi Mini 8ight for Christmas. Its 4WD, has a brushless motor, and we upgraded to LiPo batteries. Due to some 'roadbumps' in his learning curve, we have also added some CNC milled billet aluminum suspension parts, and real carbon fiber chassis stiffners. When it was stock, it was supposed to do 63mph (that is the 'real' speed, not the scale speed). With our upgrades, I'm guessing it hits about 80mph. The only problem is that at 80mph, if you hit something, the damage can be significant. Last time out he took 4th place in his class. The class is determined by the car, not age , experiance, or skill level. Had he finished in 3rd place, he would have actually won a cash prize. We work on the car together, and he is learning about suspension set-ups, shock/spring rates, tire alignment, electronics, etc. After we work on his car, I take him out in the gartage and show him the same parts and adjustments on the Shelby. In fact, his Losi has coil-over springs/shocks, and my GT500 doesen't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HyperStangs Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I was actually the Vice President of ROAR for a period in the early 90's and wrote a column for Car Action Magazine (Nitro News) for several years when 1/8th On-Road was popular. Gad, it seems so long since then but frankly I learned quite a bit of my suspension-craft from that experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I still have my RC-10 and a Clod Buster. Used to do lot of racing when I was young but our area is really dead now to the RC car world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010KonaBlueGT Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I've got a stable of Nitro RC's. 3 Team Losi trucks, 1 Revo, 1 Traxxas, 1 IRC (POS) AWD, a HPI street car and a HPI Baja 5a buggy. They're such a pain in the ass to maintain I rarely run them. I should'a gone electrick but noooooooo, I had to have a motor so screw with! Phill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 When I bought my Raptor I looked into one of them gas buggy trucks, liked it untill I seen the price lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Mopar Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Yeah, I can relate. I wanted to go gas, but the prices are too steep...and nitros are too much of a pain for me. I wanted something that is ready to go whenever. When I was a kid, me and my friends all went in on a nitro truck. It was expensive to run, it needed regular tuning, and before you put it away, you had to drain the fuel, put after-burn oil in, clean/oil the filer etc. It was a lot of work. After it took a bad tumble one day, we cut our losses and turfed it. Recently, the very last hobby shop within 200 miles closed, so even if I had one, I wouldn't have anywhere to buy the fuel or parts. Other than my brief brush in with the hobby, I haven't been very into R/C. I've had a couple of pocket Helicopters, that's about it. These Tamiya 4x4s are $250-300 (non-Jeep versions are less), and there's an endless array of hop-up parts to modify them with. You still need a battery & charger, remote, FM module and esc, which will add another $200+ to the price, but I got it everything I needed for $300. It was new, only built and test ran apparently. I couldn't complain about the price. If you already have a remote, and battery, then it's a cheap way to go. if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably look at an Axial SCX10 Jeep. They're $300-450ish, ready to go and very capable out of the box I'm already thinking I need a Shelby drift car now....??? haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViperNC Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I was into the RC planes for about 3 years and heavy into warbirds with LiPo setup. Cleaner than gas planes and less restrictive on where you could fly them, but the batteries for the big planes cost a small fortune. Had a nice 55 inch wing span P51 and F4U Corsair: both of which would top out at about 75 mph in a dive. It is an addictive hobby and one I found myself dumping a ton of money in. I went cold turkey and sold everything after I realized I had dumped about $5000 in one year into flying RC planes. Haven't flown since and really have not missed it too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Mopar Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 ^ $5k??? wow...that's up there. I believe it though, I know a guy who has about $15k wrapped up in a F14 Tomcat w/functional sweep wing. Not that the plane itself was worth that, but just over the years, parts etc all adds up. I have a question for you LiPo guys. I will be running a basic Gen Ace 3500mah Lipo. The charger I have is a Hyperion that is apparently Lipo capable, but doesn't have a balancer. Is balancing really needed for occasional use? if so, can I do it with this charger, or do I need another one? I heard that when LiPos first came out, nobody balanced them....because they didn't know any better. Ultimately, I just want to safely charge my battery, without burning my house down haha. I was going to buy another charger, but it didn't seem worth it for a battery worth under $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViperNC Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I balanced my LiPo batteries on every charge. They say the battery will last longer if you balance the cells when you charge . When you're talking $250.00 per battery and each plane took two batteries, and then you wanted to fly for more than 15 minutes so you had to buy 4-6 batteries... it's an evil cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Mopar Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 That's what I hear. I didn't think it was worth buying a new charger w/balancer for $100+, was worth trying to extend the life of a $30 battery, which will probably last long enough as is....but it's something to keep in mind I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denstang65 Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I have a clear body of what else, a 65' Shelby Mustang. One day when I have extra play money for it, I would like to get the chassis (electric), controller and have some fun with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDTAIL Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 i designed this plane a few yars ago scratch built . made the fuse out of fiberglass foam core wing . it ended up in 2 magazine's . P51 B . tuskgegee airman colors . and one of my power planes JIM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HyperStangs Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 It seems pretty common place that scale racers eventually move into full-scale.... if possible. All the physics and geometry apply. Many of the best F1 and Indy drivers have roots in cart and scale racing..... humble, but solid roots in understanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Beyond Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Hey guys, I have this Mustang Cobra R kit for sale if anyone is interested. http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/tag/3701932676.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmor Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 I'd love to be into RC stuff...unfortunately my wallet is not agreeable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondo Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Hey guys, I have this Mustang Cobra R kit for sale if anyone is interested. http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/tag/3701932676.html How does it run? All that for $100? Regarding R/C planes, yeah I bought a starter kit for my kid that we just started flying for the first time yesterday, it was a blast! I'm more into the cars but enjoy both. Maybe Captain Beyond can help me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010KonaBlueGT Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 How does it run? All that for $100? Regarding R/C planes, yeah I bought a starter kit for my kid that we just started flying for the first time yesterday, it was a blast! I'm more into the cars but enjoy both. Maybe Captain Beyond can help me out. That's a REAL good price. It's a Timiya which is a GREAT quality product (my first RC (Ford F-150) was a Timiya). It's also Ready to Run/Race (RTR) where as mine came in a kit I had to build. Phill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Beyond Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 How does it run? All that for $100? Regarding R/C planes, yeah I bought a starter kit for my kid that we just started flying for the first time yesterday, it was a blast! I'm more into the cars but enjoy both. Maybe Captain Beyond can help me out. It's been a few years since I've run it. I think I only used it once or twice over the years. I loved building them, but I found out that I couldn't drive. You have to imagine yourself behind the wheel of the car, something that I struggled with. It took all the fun out of it, so I just put it back in it's original box and put it away. I forgot I still had it until I saw this thread. I'm sure it still runs fine. I'll charge the battery today and try it out. Yes, I'll take $100 + shipping for all of that. Like the ad states, It's in great condition with only a minor scrape on the front bumper of the car. I hit a curb the first time I tried to learn to drive it. There is no other damage to the chasis, electronics etc. It also includes a Futuba 2 channel/2 servo transmitter, 7.2V battery and charger. Keep in mind that this is battery powered and not gas. It is all ready to run. OK I recharged the battery. It still works great and hauls ass. If you have any more questions, you can email me fordshelbygt500@att.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Beyond Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 sorry double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Beyond Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 That's a REAL good price. It's a Timiya which is a GREAT quality product (my first RC (Ford F-150) was a Timiya). It's also Ready to Run/Race (RTR) where as mine came in a kit I had to build. Phill Yes, it's a great price for everything that is included. IMO Tamiya makes the best quality battery powered R/Cs. Mine was not the ready to race version. I had to built it. I remember seeing both versions when I bought my kit. But, it is all ready to race now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Beyond Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 It's just like this one, but I painted mine black. http://www.ebay.com/itm/271186393673?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Mine includes an upgraded electronic speed control, Futuba 2 channel/2 servo transmitter, a 7.2V high capacity battery and charger. It is all ready to run. Here's a ready to run version. http://www.ebay.com/...ht_11025wt_1018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010KonaBlueGT Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 IMO Tamiya makes the best quality battery powered R/Cs. Without question. They were also the innovators who brought the RC market back to life with their Frog and Grasshopper! Phill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Never new of the Frog but th Grasshopper was one of my first and stll have a very mint one. Was my backup after I ran the first one in to a dumpster at full speed lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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