So I came crawling back eh? - RC-Monster Forums

Marvin · **So I came crawling back eh? -** 07.23.2012, 03:57 PM

Hello everyone here, it's nice to have the RC/race buzz again. It's been over 2 years since my last post, and the forum seems to have become quieter. At the same time, 8th Electric is more mainstream and accepted, and there is even a national series in the UK based off my rules written about 2 1/2 years ago - 6S max, soft case accepted as long as the securing system is solid and passes checks.

I've still got a few R/C bits lying about that I never sold, but I'm more interested in starting fresh. Rallycross/1/8th buggy was always my bag, so would love to get back into it. However, clearly stuff has changed somewhat. Who's the new promising brand on the block? Who's hot and who's not of the older/established brands? What's the generally accepted 8th E setup (on here clearly. 3 years ago it was 5S & a Tekin T8 1700KV)? Has lightweight runtime been achieved (the holy grail) - something akin to 3.2kg and 20 min racetime?

Thanks for reading this wall - all and any answers would be appreciated

.

PS: Good to be back

magman · 06:14 PM

Welcome back! Let's see...for racing the Tekin sensored set ups are really hard to beat. Add the RCMonster Sliperential and you have a killer set up. On a 5s set up, even a 1400kv motor will still get you around 40mph. The Gens Ace lipos are the hot lipo these days. The 8th scale buggies have gotten even lighter it seems...a lot of the major mans are coming out w/electric kits/rollers from the factory which is sweet. Even the not so major brands...Hot Bodies for example, is putting out a really nice 8th kits for truggy and buggy and is cheaper than most.

As for the usual established brands go....they are all so good, it is personal preference IMO and support for parts. My personal choice is Mugen...own 4 and love them all.

Hope this helps!

Bondonutz · 07.23.2012, 09:00 PM

Hey Marv, good to see you back.

+1 what Magman said, Crawlers and Scalers have gotten hugely popular the last couple years as well.

magman · 07.23.2012, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bondonutz

Hey Marv, good to see you back.

+1 what Magman said, Crawlers and Scalers have gotten hugely popular the last couple years as well.

Forgot about the crawlers/scalers..

Bondonutz · 07.23.2012, 09:44 PM

Short Course Racing 2wd and 4wd is going strong as ever, especially since Losi threw their hat in the ring with the SCTE.

Marvin · 07.24.2012, 03:43 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

I was always tempted by short course, but in the end I just like buggies...

Also, crawlers/scalers (particularly scalers) always appealed, but a lack of good places to run them in my corner of the UK, as well as the lack of a local community means racing will remain my R/C fix I think.

Well, it begins...

Before I left, Joseph Quagraine was going to release a buggy that looked rather good - a cross between an Xray 808 (a car I got on amazingly well with) and a metric Losi 8ight. Now it has been released (well, 2 years ago really...) I just had to try it, that or the Durango (seems like Xray is being left behind a bit, much like Kyosho - decent, but the price isn't justified). I quite like Mugen, but spares are a bit funny in the UK as the distributor situation is somewhat unstable.

I also noted that Tekno-RC have come on a bit as well, now onto V4 of their conversions, including a rather nice looking one for "THE" Car. I'm not fully decided on this yet, my temptation is to go the homebrew/RC-Monster method as it'll allow me to place the battery exactly where I want it, but the temptation is there as it looks properly sorted, and doesn't use their nitro-esque motor mount which I never liked.

So, I've just ordered an updated "THE" Car kit, along with some spares, and I'll decide what to do conversion wise when it arrives. I'll be sure to get some pictures and post a log here.

A couple of other things. I've noticed that obviously a lot of companies are in on the 1/8th E game, including Orion, LRP, Speed Passion et al. My instinct in the past has been to avoid this lot like the plague, as the original stuff was either just a 540 but a bit longer with a different sticker, or poorly made rebadged Chinese stuff for 4x the price. Is this still the case? Also, I've noticed that Thunderpower now "make" motors (or source them...?), anyone had any experience with them? They're around the same money as the Tekins, but TP have always given me good experiences with batteries in the past, so I wouldn't mind going that route.

Oh, and back in my day, Hyperion's 35C G3 batteries were the shiz. I've noticed they've got a 45C range out, and there are many "manufacturers" with 65C cells, which I assume is overinflation by "racing brands" who specialise in hyperbole first, products second. What is the popular route nowadays? I don't give a toss about hardcase, and am quite happy to spend a bit to get good quality batteries if it means I need less of them.

Sorry for the second wall of text...

magman · 08:34 PM

The hyperion G3 line is great if you are racing...superior batteries IMO. Seeing as I only bash, my pick would be the Gens Ace line. Excellent quality at reasonable prices. However, if I was racing...it would be hyperions. As far as other 8th motors, I am a Castle and Tekin fan. Both companies are excellent...the Tekin motors ...8th scale, are all rebuild-able...and i believe some of the castle ones are as well. I have 4 castle motors and 2 Tekin, none of which have ever failed. There are a ton of others as well...even Novak has a 8th line of motors. My philosophy is simple....buy quality electronics once and be done...don't skimp!!

More from me later...

magman · 07.24.2012, 08:34 PM

The kit you ordered is not as popular here as some others. In saying that it has gotten good reviews and good rollers can be had at good prices as well. Tekno has come along way...their kits are very popular and well made.

The "racing brand" you are referring to is still up to its old tricks and receives no love at all from members here. Someone from that company recently came on to this site to announce a new product and to say it was a slaughter would be an understatement.

Marvin · 07.24.2012, 09:30 PM

I wasn't even referring to Maxamps, but I knew what you meant straight away (I read the thread in product reviews). I meant brands like Orion/LRP/etc, I know Maxamps suck ass.

As for the car, the designer is a European (and so hopefully well set for EU tracks), and it's an amalgamation of some of the best designs on the market and seems well received. Plus it was nice to go for one of the less established brands. Over the years I've had Losi, Xray, Mugen, Hot Bodies, Hong Nor/OFNA, Hobao/OFNA, so to try a new one feels refreshing. Having said that, I've never gone Associated or Kyosho, but the imperial-ness of the first, and the slow design/massive prices of the second put me off.