RC controlled cars....help

[Mark Grant]

I think I’m going to have a look round for a Ripmax after having a look on YouTube. They seem quick enough on a variety of surfaces.
Thank you for the input.👍

Ripmax are a distributor, they sell some stuff under their name but don't make it.
I've been a modeller for many years, my mate runs West London Models and I often pop in and help him ( I have done for years). I would definately recommend a Tamiya buggy, the Rising Fighter is the best starter, as in cheapest. It has a self coloured body so no need to buy paint. Tamiya have a good parts supply which will be invaluable when (not if) your kid hits a kerb or tree and you need new A arms.. Tamiya have been around for years and they work! Just folow the instructions and you will have a good R/C buggy. The only returns we get are due to customers mistakes.
As already mentioned do be aware that some reailers are taking out the Electronic Speed Control, removing the 'included' sticker from the box and selling at a slightly lower price. You then have to buy one for £ 40! We have had words with the rep but there is nothing that can be done.
In addition to the buggy the radio set with servo for the steering & battery will cost about £70, an extra battery is a good idea if funds will run to it.
Tamiya and other good makes are 'models' the stuff from Smyths are toys.
If you buy a buggy and radio set at the same time my mate takes 10% off the total, he is usually very keen on prices but I think he may be out of Rising Fighters, I'll check tomorrow.

 

[beepbeep]

I build 1/8th scale 4x4 racing vehicles and use a company called Modelsport in Otley West Yorkshire......great range of products and very helpful.

 

[classic33]

I bought the grandson one a couple of years ago, 7.2v battery, bought the whole kit, think it was around £150, but it did mean that if he broke any part you could buy spares, that's one of the problems with the cheaper ones if something breaks you have to throw it away.

Most of the parts are common to more than one car/buggy, within the Tamiya range at least.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I always wanted a Tamiya Grasshopper, might buy myself one for Christmas!.

My first R/C car, sometime in the early eighties. I also have the Rising Fighter as mentioned by @Mark Grant.

 

[xzenonuk]

I used https://www.wonderlandmodels.com they were very good

I bought a Tamiya Sand Viper to build with my son, he learnt a lot from it and really enjoyed it.

Add £75 on top of the kit price for radio, batteries and a fast charger, they do a kit called a Race Oack which includes everything you need. I remember only having a slow charger as a kid and it really annoyed me, having a fast charger is a must.

You should be able to get everything you need for £150 so long as you get one of the cheaper models. Wherever you buy it make sure it includes the speed control module, lots on eBay don’t so they look cheaper but end up costing more.

i can also recommend the tamiya sand viper dt-02 chassis, the kit version that is, just avoid the ready to run version as it is lower specced.

the sand viper is one of my favourite ones and i have a lot, it is decent enough on the stock motor to start with but can also handle faster stuff later if you upgrade the stock esc and motor, im running mine on a traxxas xl-5 esc with a 2s lipo on a brushed 17 turn motor and it is pretty fast, motor getting a bit to hot gonna gear it down :P

had it about 10 years and only broke both the shock towers in that time as far is i know, mostly used in the street, actually bought a second kit when i seen one cheap just for spares and hardly used any

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-sand-viper-dt-02-/rc-car-products/25688

grabbed a grass hopper about 6 weeks ago for garden use and it has dug up massive holes

very heavy use and abuse on the stock motor with a 4000 mah nimh batt that lasts forever and it has dug up the big hole in the pic :P

 

[icowden]

Take a look at Wheelspin Models. I found them to be really helpful. I'm sure if you e-mail them with your budget and desires they might be able to make some sensible suggestions (I resurrected my Tamiya Calsonic Skyline during lockdown!).

 

[classic33]

Take a look at Wheelspin Models. I found them to be really helpful. I'm sure if you e-mail them with your budget and desires they might be able to make some sensible suggestions (I resurrected my Tamiya Calsonic Skyline during lockdown!).

This one?
https://therailwayconductor.co.uk/s...uct/tamiya-24184-calsonic-nissan-skyline-gt-r

 

[xzenonuk]

wheelspin models and modelsport are decent, i have heard mixed things about wonderland models, a delivery guy came with groceries when i was working in the garden on a thunder tiger xxb and had a chat with him, says he recently built a tamiya monster beetle bought from wonderland, apparently he wasnt to happy with after sales support and not the first time i have heard that.

getting most of my stuff from model sport at the moment and just bought one of these https://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-lunch-box-black-edition/rc-car-products/370624 plus the full bearings for 9 quid to use in my garden, gonna dig bigger holes

 

[xzenonuk]

For a Tamiya buggy etc need the kit, a simple two channel radio, 8.4 battery pack, charger and two standard servos. You might find something secondhand locally on gumtree.
I used to work for Ripmax their shops are now closed but are online now. Seems like they now sell complete electric buggy kits:
http://www.ripmax.com/Category_List.aspx?Category=040-033
All are built up include the radio, looks like a slow charger is included but you might like a fast one to avoid the interminable wait. Good idea to get a second battery so you won’t have to wait while one is charging. They offer spares too which you’ll find is pretty useful.
A controller with a side mounted steering wheel might be easier for your boy rather than sticks.
Shame I’m not in the U.K. I have a lovely 1/12th scale Tamiya F1 car I could have let you have for a few quid.but might just be too fast even for the car park.
View attachment 532037
I see it’s priced now at $170 just the car, ouch.

mechanical speed controllers are no longer a thing, the esc replaces the 2nd servo for throttle, only need a steering servo now and the esc regulates the power so that there is no longer any need for a hump back battery for the radio gear unless your using a nitro one, every thing is powered from the main battery now

dang that is a nice looking car, hold on to it

a 8.4 pack is a 7 cell nimh or a fully charged 2s lipo, id go for a 6 cell nimh at 7.2 volts to start with

running 7.2 volts on these dad has the orange one

before any one asks, dad spray painted his wheels :P

 

[icowden]

This one?
https://therailwayconductor.co.uk/s...uct/tamiya-24184-calsonic-nissan-skyline-gt-r

That's the car, but that's the 1:24 scale model. I have this one:

https://tamiyabase.com/tamiya-models/58255

Although for reasons known only to me 16 years ago I painted it red rather than blue. Still a fun little car though.

 

[wafter]

If you're "serious" I think you can do a lot better than Tamiya, although they're still decent for casual use and have a lot of old skool appeal.

I went on a nostalgia bender a while ago and was surprised by how relatively cheap the kits are considering 25yrs of inflation have occurred since I last paid attention - I assume all the manufacturing's been off-shored to China and the tooling costs were recouped long ago.

There are some great videos of youtube of the older Tamiya models (which they still do select re-releases of) fitted with modern brushless motors and they're insanely fast (although in your case I'm sure the standard motor would be most appropriate; at least to start with). I considered one for a while but it would basically be an expensive exercise with no tangible practical application at all, so I binned the idea.

Were I to indulge I'd probably sidestep the total nostalgia bender and go for a later-type stadium truck; chassis-wise basically a buggy with larger wheels so more capable on less accommodating surfaces

 

[xzenonuk]

If you're "serious" I think you can do a lot better than Tamiya, although they're still decent for casual use and have a lot of old skool appeal.

I went on a nostalgia bender a while ago and was surprised by how relatively cheap the kits are considering 25yrs of inflation have occurred since I last paid attention - I assume all the manufacturing's been off-shored to China and the tooling costs were recouped long ago.

There are some great videos of youtube of the older Tamiya models (which they still do select re-releases of) fitted with modern brushless motors and they're insanely fast (although in your case I'm sure the standard motor would be most appropriate; at least to start with). I considered one for a while but it would basically be an expensive exercise with no tangible practical application at all, so I binned the idea.

Were I to indulge I'd probably sidestep the total nostalgia bender and go for a later-type stadium truck; chassis-wise basically a buggy with larger wheels so more capable on less accommodating surfaces

in ten years of abusing my sand viper.... i had it up a quarry and a hpi nitro savage ran it it over and knackered my front suspension tower, ten years later recently i was cart wheeling it a lot and having loads of awkward jumps at high speed and i broke the back one recently, was lucky i had the spruce with both parts from ten years ago lol

go sand viper

or just grab a bandit one of my other favs as it handles like a bath tub but is awesome fun https://www.modelsport.co.uk/traxxas-bandit-xl-5-id-rtr-blue-/rc-car-products/392844

bandit has bushings for the wheels so will cost a wee bit to get it fully ball raced.

i converted that to brushless and put its esc into my sand viper #


before any one asks the optional included pinion gear with bandit with 31 teeth has never been in anything i own, im not that mad, 10 scale 3s days are behind me

 

[icowden]

Also, if you don't read mandarin, the Tamiya instructions are pretty inpenetrable. I still have bits and pieces in a bag and *no* idea what they are for.

 

[xzenonuk]

Also, if you don't read mandarin, the Tamiya instructions are pretty inpenetrable. I still have bits and pieces in a bag and *no* idea what they are for.

i call total bull on that, no problem reading tamiya manuals while building, got a grass hopper,a tt-01, db-01and a dt-02 under my belt and just bought the lunch box earlier, they are among the best and most easy to read manuals you could hope for and btw tamiya is japanese so where are you getting a dialect of chinese from???????

just wtf.... if any one has bits and pieces in a bag left over it proves they cannot follow simple instructions wow.... or they missed the fact that loads of tamiya kits share parts and not all are needed depending on what kit you build....

just wow either way....

 

[xzenonuk]

Buggy?
View attachment 532027
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-rising-fighter/rc-car-products/31173
There's a few others on there.

that is basically a hornet mark 3, almost bought one earlier, hornet and grasshoppers bigger brother for a more modern one seriously get a sand viper kit