Yes, i have the mind of a 5 year old

  • Thread starter Jondot
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Kent, UK
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Ok, i like rc cars, who doesn't? And about 1 year ago, i walked into T.K Maxx, and saw quite a few rc cars for reasonable prices. Being very stupid, and wanting an all singing all dancing one with opening doors and lights that work ect, i went for this crappy BMW Z4 that had every feature i could think of. 2 days later, it nudged the pavement in our street, and lost the ability to move. So, we took it back, and remembering tha the steering was useless, i decided to replace it with a bigger and faster tamiya style car. It was made by one of those brand names that you could have swarn you've seen before, but you probably haven't - "tech.art". So, i took it home, charged it up, and was amazed at the speeds that it could reach considering how little a payed for it. I loved that mini to bits, but last week, when a seven year old relative decided to try it out, it mysteriously lost the ability to move forwards. Great :irked:. I've tried everything, opening it up to check everything is connected, changing the batteries, and still, all it can do is reverse and turn. And because reverse isn't the fastest way to travel, and it's very annoying, i think it's time to replace it. I did some research, and discovered it's made by some useless company called New Bright. I've looked on their website, and i can't find this mini anywhere. Nor can i find it through google. So, i give up, time to replace.

What i'm looking for

1:10 scale or higher
Electric powered
Decent speeds of 15mph or higher
Must resemble a car that is in production (no dune buggy or monster truck crap. Can be a rally or touring car though)
Must be under or around the price of £60.
I'd like something reasonable quality


I've looked around, and i can't find a tamiya (:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:) for less than £150, which is a shame, and the only stuff i have managed to find in local stores aren't up to the same standards as a tamiya style one. Like this Lotus Exige from argos. Same scale, same speed, but i think it's glued together solid plastic. All the same, atleast i'd be getting a 1 year guarantee with it, and a 30 day no quibble return policy if i hate it. Plus, it drifts, and it comes from a company that atleast has a half decent website, that shows cars that they don't even sell anymore.
Possibility rating 9/10

That's the only decent thing from argos, but here's a site i found, that seems to be selling cars pretty cheap. Hobbytron.com. I had a look around, and clicked on "Electric rc cars". Here's the range.

There's a couple i've picked out that i liked the most.

1:8 scale chevvy corvette

It looks the part, reaches 20mph, has working headlights (meh), and costs less than the exige! Why don't i just put it on order immediately? Because it comes from the usa, and i live in england. I'll probably need a plug adaptor beore i can use it, and i'm not sure if they ship to the uk. Even if they do, i have no idea about the company that makes them. There's no name, no website, no phone number, nothing. And if i did have a problem and sent it back, it would cost me rather a lot in postal fees.

There's a couple more that i like, including this ferrari 360 modena, but they all boil down to the same problem - will they ship to the uk?


I've also found these
00006059.jpg

in Halfords. The mini is £29, and the mitsubishi and subaru £39. That's what i payed for my mini 1 year ago. By the way, that's not my mini - mine has different wheels. Does anybody know what make they could be? They look a bit like some cheap tamiyas, but they would say surely if they were tamiya.



Anyway, it's between the exige from argos, and the mitsubishi and the subaru from halfords (i don't like the wheels on that mini).

I'd like some advice on them, and if anyone can suggest a good place or them, i'd love to hear it


Thanks

Jon
 
Sorry I cant help you with Electric RC Cars, as I know very little of them. But if I was you, I would save up and get a Nitro RC Car, as they are 100 times better, for only 4 times the price. Then I can race you, cos I live in Kent too :sly:
 
My advice is to save up and get a Tamiya 1/10th.
It might be more, but a lot better bang for your buck... Possibly look around for a second hand one.

That Picture of the toys you have are a waste of time.. Get something half decent.
 
If you want something quality but cheap, go for a Tamiya. They are decent quality for beginners, and easy to repair. You may have to stretch to more than £60 though. Do not buy anything from Argos or Halfords, they are just toys. Here is a link to a model shop with a lot of tamiya stuff:

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=Category&ManufacturerID=53&CategoryID=1010

And don't bother with a nitro if you only want something to mess with, they end up more expensive and need more maintainence.

If you want an offroad, there are loads also made by Tamiya or other companies I could recommend. If you need any more info, just ask.

Alex
 
Thanks guys!

I've been admiring tamiya stuff for quite a while now, i just didn't think i could afford them :(

Thanks for the link amfn14! I'm having a look now, some of that stuff is within my budget, and is what i was after!

A relative of mine had this for his birthday 1 year ago. I had a go myself and i loved it, but i haven't been able to find another one for that price untill now. I'll have a look around, and will report back. :)
 
Ok, i've been having a look, and these are the ones that i like the look of. They fit my budget of less than £79 too

1. Ferrari 360 modena challenge http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=ShowSpecification&ItemID=12725
2. Nissan 350z race car http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=ShowSpecification&ItemID=15626
3. Another 350z http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=ShowSpecification&ItemID=12553


They're my favorites, but i wondered
  • how much assembly do they need - is it just put the top onto the base, or do they involve and wiring?
  • are they any good, and which one is the best
Thanks

Jon




Edit - just discovered this, is that an ok buy?

It's a website of a model shop near me. The website is flash based so i had to tak a screenshot. I might be willing to pay an extra £10 if it came ready made, and if i could get it the same day i buy it. I'm like that.
 
The best out of the ones you listed is the first 350Z race car. Is based on the TT-01 chassis, which is Tamiyas latest starter kit. This is a kit, which means building it from scratch from all the parts in the box (dont worry, it is very easy and fun to do, Tamiya are renowned for their build quality). However, you will also need a 2 channel radio set and at least one 6 cell 7.2v battery and charger. These can be gotten from the same shop (further down the page (the electric starter kits).

Overall, the TT-01 is probably the best beginner car in the hobby, if you dont mind building it. If you dont want to build, I'm sure many hobby shops will build it for you for a small cost.

Alex

Edit: That is just one shop which deals in Tamiya stuff. There will be shops near you that you can go visit, and get advice from the guys there. There is a list of all UK shops here: http://www.brca.org/shops/brca_shop.htm That website also explains a lot about RC cars. if you need any more help, just ask.
 
Ok, thanks!

The to channel radio set, i haven't got. 7.2v batterys? i haven't got. Charger? I haven't got. Good at electronics? I am not. I'd probably break it. So, by the time i've bought the accessories, and got the guy to build it, aren't i better off buying something qd?
 
The radio, battery and charger can be gotten from the same shop, as discount starter kits, however if you just want something Ready to Run, then go for a QD, but they arent really in the same hobby quality bracket as the TT-01/TL-01 you listed. But if you just want something to bash around, then go for one of the QDs.
 
I wouldn't say bash around quite, but that's the basic idea - basic drving, but i want a decent speed and steering responce.
 
Don't get me wrong, the QD's will give you decent speed and control, but they are just on the border between toys and proper RCs, however significantly better than anything from Argos or Halfords.

Also, Ebay can be a goldmine for cheap stuff, you may be able to save some money.
 
ok.

You don't mind me asking what the differences are? Because it's a £60 premium over anything from halfords, and my mum isn't too happy about it
 
Basically, the differences are the kits you can build yourself and work on them. You learn about the mechanics of the cars and basic electronics as you do so. You can strip it down, add hop ups and upgrades if you wish. You can tweak gearing, camber, shock setups and other aspects to achieve best handling. However, if this is not for you, just get the QD, it is better to get a cheaper one than buy a expensive one straight away and find out you dont really like it. Best thing to do is find a model shop near you and speak to them over the counter. They can explain everything better than I can here.

HTH
Alex

Edit: Just looked at Two-O-Two models in Kent. They stock Tamiya and will build kits for a small extra cost. If for nothing else, you could visit them to find out more:

http://www.two-o-two-models.co.uk/index.html
 
Ok, thanks for all the info! I'm going to do some shopping around and see what i can get for my cash.


Thanks Everyone!
 
Well, my mum was not happy with me paying over £50 for an rc car, so i went to halfords and gave the mitsubishi one a try - we had to go there to get somethin for our car in the first place, so i came along - and i couldn't believe how fast it was, and how many features it had for such a small price. The steering and throttle were both touch sensitive, and it simply flew around the deserted car park, and i managed to flip it over (didn't tell halfords that though). I loved it, and my mum said she was happy to let me buy it, so i did! Sure, tamiyas are fantastic, but for the ammount of space i have, and the things i'm using it for, this is a better option. If i break this one,it's just £40 gone. If i break a tamiya, it's £90. And i'll only use it once every so often. Thanks for the help all the same, i'll probably get a tamiya later in life, when i've got more spare time.

Thanks

Jon

Oh, and by the way, the company that make them are called Carisma, and i've found them on sale for as much as £90 online. Got myself a good deal there 👍. Here's the website if anyone wants to look at it. Mines the lancer by the way;) http://www.rebeltoys.com/cgi-bin/products.pl?product=1_10_M_01_Motorsports_Collection


EDIT

New pic
 
nIce car. Your journey to getting a R/C is likea feel good story. Nice to hear your happy.
I had a tamiya QD which I absolutely trashed everywhere and it held up goodgot good max speed out of it and I used to take it out in the rain and snow aswell. Sometimes if i went through too big a puddle it would malfunction for a day or two till it dried out.

My friend had a niko one from argos which was nearly as rapid as my tamiya but it didnt handle as well the turns it would to were sharp and the back end would just come out.

Hell I wanna go get another R/C car now but I cant risk some one seeing me playing with one.
 
Glad to see you are happy with what you bought 👍 I borrowed a similar one (think it was slightly more expensive) from a friend, it was a Subaru Impreza Rally Car. I was quite suprised at how quick it was, was quite fun to drive around too. But then I got my XTR, and now I can piss all over real cars and motorbikes :dopey:
 
I took it to a relative's place for the weekend, and it's been kicking up dirt in some car park in the new forrest, and i also took it to a hilly private road, where i repeatedly whacked it into large objects, and through mud and leaves ect. Just got home, and it still works great. That's what i love about it, if i'd spent £90 on a tamiya, it would probably we great, but would i be so happy to give the controller to one of my friends encase it smashed into a wall and died. The only problems i've had with this so far is the tires coming off, but the click right back on again. If i see a tamiya cheap enough one day, i'll get one, but untill then i'm extremely happy with my current one. Infact, i'm so happy with it i'm considering buying a second one. Well, i need something to race against :lol:
 
I probably won't get another in the end, but if i'm encouraged with a little cash i might be interested .... :lol:
 
Make sure the gears are not plastic, or a mix of metal and plastic.

I bought a massive RC car once, and one gear was metal with the other being plastic. After a few drives, the plastic gear was totally stripped and there were millions of little shards all over my gearbox. :(
 
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