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kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction

IOwnCalculus posted:

I've been geeking out hardcore on everything that's changed since I last raced. Looking on Tower (and I'm sure I can find it cheaper elsewhere), the Futaba 2PL looks like a really good way to get a 2.4GHz spread-spectrum radio so I can stop worrying about crystals (I'm sure some of my crystals are probably also 20 years old by now anyway). Anyone got it / any reviews on it? I've always been a Futaba driver anyway, started out on a 2PBKA and later upgraded to a 2PEKA.

I think my dad still has his ancient 3PG in the garage somewhere. That thing is a loving monster.

I'm looking to get rid of my 3PM 2.4gHz. I'll make you a good deal on it.

Tx, R603FF rx, and tx/rx trickle charger for $125 shipped.

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James Woods
Jul 15, 2003

IOwnCalculus posted:

Oooh, that's nice. :fap: If I get into this hobby again and stick with it, that's probably where I'll end up long term.

I must admit, though, I stumbled across this and I think for $30 I can't pass up turning an old school 2PBKA into a 2.4GHz set for shits and grins. Either that or I'll just take the lame route and make sure my 2PEKA works fine and just go with it for a while.

That's new to me and a pretty clever idea for those jumping back in on a budget. Spektrum also has an entry model spread spectrum Tx that just came out the DX3E. It has a lot of the features of the DX3S but no model memory and no screen interface but a lot of the same customability with the settings. They go for about $90 and come with a rx and servo. I plan on buying one as a second receiver for when I'm bashing with friends. The nice thing will be that the DX3E was kind of designed as a second Tx and you can quickly bind it to your existing models without unbinding them from the Dx3S or altering their settings. This way I'll be able to run any combination of two models at the same time without worrying about re-binding, readjusting settings, or swapping Rxs.
Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOic8-Y9Ab4

kuffs posted:

I'm looking to get rid of my 3PM 2.4gHz. I'll make you a good deal on it.

Tx, R603FF rx, and tx/rx trickle charger for $125 shipped.

If you have your heart set on Futaba, this is a pretty sweet deal.

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





kuffs posted:

I'm looking to get rid of my 3PM 2.4gHz. I'll make you a good deal on it.

Tx, R603FF rx, and tx/rx trickle charger for $125 shipped.

Oooh, that's tempting.

I need to talk to my friend at work tomorrow and see if he's going to jump back in and if so, what class, before I start making any actual purchases.

Just to add some more fun to the discussion, I dug through the stash at my mom's place and found about half of the R/C gear - my dad's original RC10 CE, his 3PG radio, my 2PBKA radio, two complete RC12is (and parts to build at least four more), a complete RC12L, a mostly-complete RC12LW, two Losi XX buggies, a box full of 1/12 wheels and tires, and a box full of old-rear end NiCds in the 1200-1700 range.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
I'm also getting rid of some additional receivers. I've got at least 1, maybe 2 R603FS (dual antenna, one internal). Goony goon price of $60ea shipped.

Frobbe
Jan 19, 2007

Calm Down

IOwnCalculus posted:

Oooh, that's tempting.

I need to talk to my friend at work tomorrow and see if he's going to jump back in and if so, what class, before I start making any actual purchases.

Just to add some more fun to the discussion, I dug through the stash at my mom's place and found about half of the R/C gear - my dad's original RC10 CE, his 3PG radio, my 2PBKA radio, two complete RC12is (and parts to build at least four more), a complete RC12L, a mostly-complete RC12LW, two Losi XX buggies, a box full of 1/12 wheels and tires, and a box full of old-rear end NiCds in the 1200-1700 range.

buy new batteries, and fix up everything else. nothing's more fun than restoring old stuff.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
IOC, Hypnolobster talked me into an FMA Direct CellPro Multi4 charger. If you really like geeking out, it's the charger for you. LiPo is its bread and butter, but it can charge pretty much every chemistry. No discharge function, though.

I'm very pleased with how customizable it is. And they have a rep on rcgroups.com that's very responsive to technical issues and comments.

http://www.fmadirect.com/detail.htm?item=2306&section=45

We were chatting more about it a few pages ago.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
For anyone wondering why I'm ditching my 3PM

http://www.kopropo.com/america/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=171



Not that the 3PM isn't nice, but my buddy has a Helios and it feels really great. Combine it with the wheel drop down and angle adapter and it's very very comfortable.

Hypnolobster
Apr 12, 2007

What this sausage party needs is a big dollop of ketchup! Too bad I didn't make any. :(

That's a drat nice looking radio.


I love my Airtronix MX3FHSS but goddamn are extra receivers expensive. Sorta makes me wish I'd gotten a Futaba.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
That's part of what drew me to the KO. Extra 2ch receivers are $55 new. I paid $65 used for Futaba 3ch ones.

I can stand to deal with 2ch on everything but my monster truck. I'll just need to make a Y-adapter for my personal transponder on the RC10GT.

Frobbe
Jan 19, 2007

Calm Down
what's the consensus on the HPI E-Firestorm flux? (http://modelsport.co.uk/index.php?CallFunction=ShowSpecification&ItemID=29950)

i've been considering this instead of the E-revo VXL, and it's currently winning.

EDIT: Also, how is the HPI blitz for actual racing? there's an attempt at getting a short course league started around here, and the blitz hits the sweet spot with regards to price/performance for me.

Frobbe fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Feb 22, 2010

Hypnolobster
Apr 12, 2007

What this sausage party needs is a big dollop of ketchup! Too bad I didn't make any. :(

kuffs posted:

That's part of what drew me to the KO. Extra 2ch receivers are $55 new. I paid $65 used for Futaba 3ch ones.

I can stand to deal with 2ch on everything but my monster truck. I'll just need to make a Y-adapter for my personal transponder on the RC10GT.

Holy poo poo that's cheap.

Airtronics receivers are around $90 brand new, and they don't exist used (as far as I can tell).

krushgroove
Oct 23, 2007

Disapproving look

Frobbe posted:

EDIT: Also, how is the HPI blitz for actual racing? there's an attempt at getting a short course league started around here, and the blitz hits the sweet spot with regards to price/performance for me.

http://www.hpiracing.com/kitinfo/104558/

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
Way to respond to demand! People have been scavenging FT T4's to make Factory Team SC10's for a long time now. My initial response to the color coding is 'gimmick' but there's no doubt that it will draw attention at the track.

FWIW, the stock Blitz is pretty competitive from what I've seen. It's the only other short course truck that has 'racing inspired' design. Slashes ride a little too high and the Losi truck is an absolute joke from what I hear.




That reminds me of a bit of an internal rant lately. I'm kind of disappointed with AE.

The SC10:
The aforementioned FT SC10. I know that they end up selling two kits this way but honestly, the FT SC10 is low-hanging fruit. They already fab all the parts, they just need a different SKU for the collection of them.

The Nitro TC3:
This thing is a joke from what I gather. All of the modern belt-driven designs are vastly superior in both layout and adjustability. Did they just give up on this product line after helping bring the class into its own?

The Monster GT:
After tearing mine apart to give it a tune up and replace worn parts I am convinced it is not an actual AE design. All of the parts are metric and don't seem to intersect with any other kits. I think they just bought a Chinese design and rebranded it. The manual is god-awful, nothing like any of the other AE kits. Fake piggyback shocks. 14mm hexes. Bizzare transmission.

krushgroove
Oct 23, 2007

Disapproving look

kuffs posted:

Way to respond to demand! People have been scavenging FT T4's to make Factory Team SC10's for a long time now. My initial response to the color coding is 'gimmick' but there's no doubt that it will draw attention at the track.

Yeah, it's something different that isn't just orange or purple bits on an otherwise black plastic heap, but the colors show the stiffness of the parts, etc.

I want one :) I have a Team Orion BL system designed for SC trucks that's itching to be dropped in something good.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
That leads to a good question. Why wasn't this marketed under the Hot Bodies brand? Blitz already established under the HPI name? Short Course not quite 'legit' enough (yet) to deserve a 'racing' brand?

SGT. Squeaks
Jun 18, 2003

Two men enter, one man leaves. That is the way of the hobotorium!
I'd love to pickup a blitz. That thing is dominating the local SC races.

Hey kuffs- Man that is a crazy looking radio. I wonder how the build quality is. Does it feel pretty durable? It looks like some crazy mass effect gun.

krushgroove
Oct 23, 2007

Disapproving look
The EX-10 has been around a while (Hara used one for a long time), I have one but something in the radio itself is busted, it needs to be sent off for repair. I tried different modules, crystals and receivers with it at a race in Holland and had to borrow the radio of this Bulgarian guy who was supposedly a mobster...then forgot to give it back to him and he missed a race the next day! I'm not dead though.

I think the Blitz staying as an HPI kit is like the Baja and Savage, it's not a hardcore racing class but among the best available in the class.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction

SGT. Squeaks posted:

I'd love to pickup a blitz. That thing is dominating the local SC races.

Hey kuffs- Man that is a crazy looking radio. I wonder how the build quality is. Does it feel pretty durable? It looks like some crazy mass effect gun.

I think they look kind of silly too. My buddy has a JR Z-1, one of the previous radios in the same housing. They feel really great though. Good balance and nice solid feel without being too heavy.

Frobbe
Jan 19, 2007

Calm Down

That certainly is something! i hope its out before May rolls around, any hints on price?

krushgroove
Oct 23, 2007

Disapproving look

Frobbe posted:

That certainly is something! i hope its out before May rolls around, any hints on price?

Don't know the price, but if it's in line with the Baja SS and Savage SS (and I think it will be), it'll be about the same price as the RTR version. It should be out by May.

Frobbe
Jan 19, 2007

Calm Down

krushgroove posted:

Don't know the price, but if it's in line with the Baja SS and Savage SS (and I think it will be), it'll be about the same price as the RTR version. It should be out by May.

Looking forward to it, glad i posted before buying, otherwise i'd probably have been mighty sad that i missed the chance to get an awesome piece of kit instead of a nice RTR, i already have a 15.5T brushless, ESC and a nice receiver, so all i'd need is the Servo!

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





Frobbe posted:

buy new batteries, and fix up everything else. nothing's more fun than restoring old stuff.

All of the 1/12 stuff went in a box to go to my dad, along with his 3PG. I think given the chance he might actually do the 2.4GHz conversion on it. The XX's aren't quite old school enough, but the RC10 could easily be cool as hell. Still got some 25-year-old AE tires on it, too.

I'm pretty much dead set on getting a SC10 at this point, though I'll be waiting a month or so for the revised kit coming out sometime next month. The Blitz looks good but it's not out as a kit yet, and my 1985-vintage AE logos would look a little out of place on the body.

One of my friends at work just ordered the DX2S with all of the telemetry for $159 shipped; when he gets it in I'm going to give it a feel because that is just a hell of a deal.

James Woods
Jul 15, 2003

Frobbe posted:

what's the consensus on the HPI E-Firestorm flux? (http://modelsport.co.uk/index.php?CallFunction=ShowSpecification&ItemID=29950)

i've been considering this instead of the E-revo VXL, and it's currently winning.

It depends on what you want it for. The Firestorm is a 1/10 Stadium Truck and the E-Revo is a monster truck designed to be the ultimate indestructible basher.

Frobbe posted:

EDIT: Also, how is the HPI blitz for actual racing? there's an attempt at getting a short course league started around here, and the blitz hits the sweet spot with regards to price/performance for me.


If I were in the market for a new SCT this is what I would get. All the hop up manufacturers that are worth a drat are all making parts for them already.

IOwnCalculus posted:

I'm pretty much dead set on getting a SC10 at this point, though I'll be waiting a month or so for the revised kit coming out sometime next month. The Blitz looks good but it's not out as a kit yet, and my 1985-vintage AE logos would look a little out of place on the body.

I wouldn't bother waiting for the new ones to come out unless you plan on racing stock in which case you should get a Blitz because it's the fastest of the three out of the box. The alterations they will be making, the A-Arms, Turnbuckles, axles, and Shock posts, are all things you'll want to replace with RPM, Lunsford, MIP, etc..

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
Oh whatever, I beat the piss out of mine and haven't needed to replace a stock turnbuckle. An RPM front-end just means that nobody at the track will be able to spot you a spare. (They use different hinges). And, a lot of guys use ball diffs, but I'm still competitive with my gear diff.

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





I need to find out what classes the local track runs the SC10s in. As far as I can tell, the only one they're legal for is Pro-2 which is 10.5 brushless; the only box-stock truck they run is the out-of-the-box Slash in a class by itself.

That said, I've never been one to go nuts on trick parts; I always ran the cheap version of the TC3 and never bought any major upgrade parts for it.

Part of it is my buddy is waiting for the updated SC10 as well, and I might as well wait for him since he's the reason I'm getting back in.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
Just cruising through the 'Hauler Bags' category on A-main and came up with the best example of Hudy being the most laughably overpriced poo poo http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_118/products_id/31017/n/Hudy-RC-Tools-Bag

$55 for the canvas case that cheap $15 computer tool kits come in.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
Oh my god this is ridiculous

Walmart tool bag - $20

Good enough. You could probably find a similar product with a better setup for RC.


Mugen Pit Caddy - $55

Really Mugen? I'll pay a bit more just because it has a slightly specialized arrangement, but $55 is too much.


Hudy Pit Bag - $128

ARE YOU loving DELUSIONAL? $130 FOR A GODDAMN CANVAS BAG?

Hypnolobster
Apr 12, 2007

What this sausage party needs is a big dollop of ketchup! Too bad I didn't make any. :(

A decent proportion of RC stuff sorta prays on retards.

I guess that mirrors normal car stuff as well, because I'm sure you can buy $700 Porsche toolbags and other useless things made out of anodized blue aluminum.

Frobbe
Jan 19, 2007

Calm Down
received my LRP 15.5T Eraser brushless motor and their A.I superduper ESC thingy, this thing rocks! and it being 100% waterproof certainly does help in the middle of all this drat snow.

EDIT: I now have skidmarks on the dining room table. oops.

Frobbe fucked around with this message at 17:02 on Feb 23, 2010

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction

Frobbe posted:

I now have skidmarks on the dining room table. oops.

This will have to be the title of our next thread

krushgroove
Oct 23, 2007

Disapproving look
haha yeah that is pretty funny :)

or:

RC cars: I can't afford a real racing car, but this toy one is really fast!

Somewhat Heroic
Oct 11, 2007

(Insert Mad Max related text)



kuffs posted:

That reminds me of a bit of an internal rant lately. I'm kind of disappointed with AE.

The SC10:
The aforementioned FT SC10. I know that they end up selling two kits this way but honestly, the FT SC10 is low-hanging fruit. They already fab all the parts, they just need a different SKU for the collection of them.

The Nitro TC3:
This thing is a joke from what I gather. All of the modern belt-driven designs are vastly superior in both layout and adjustability. Did they just give up on this product line after helping bring the class into its own?

The Monster GT:
After tearing mine apart to give it a tune up and replace worn parts I am convinced it is not an actual AE design. All of the parts are metric and don't seem to intersect with any other kits. I think they just bought a Chinese design and rebranded it. The manual is god-awful, nothing like any of the other AE kits. Fake piggyback shocks. 14mm hexes. Bizzare transmission.

It is important to remember: years ago (maybe about 8?) Team Associated was bought out by Thunder Tiger. Thunder Tiger is one of the largest manufacturers of hobby products in the world. The new facility is freaking massive, and has housing enough for something like 2500 employees. The factory is very clean and nice, and the housing facility even has a strip club ( :fry: ). The MGT, and subsequently a fair amount of other AE kits are simply Thunder Tiger kits marketed in the US as an AE car. As far as the NTC3 thing goes - that class is dead everywhere but in Japan, so that is why you see most Japanese companies still on that train (mugen, kyosho). What is funny is you will see these Japanese companies trying to steer the US Market from what they are seeing in their part of the world (where 1/8 off road is DEAD btw) and not understanding why people aren't buying their products. So - why would they put a lot of work and R&D for a class that brings maybe 20-30 people at a national event? Nitro itself is on the decline in serious ways anyhow.

The BLITZ ESE has an announced retail price of $409.99 USD. You will see it in the hobby stores and online in the neighborhood of 229-239.99. It is an interesting concept. The initial looks at it just made me think it was ugly, but the "color coded parts" look kind of cool now. I think that a body pained in a skeleton fashion would make the kit look sweet.

UPDATE: Spent effing HOURS this weekend working on my 5T. I took some good photos with my camera so I will take some time and resizing and get them posted up. I love that truck.

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
Holy crap, I had no idea that AE got bought out by Thunder Tiger. That explains the rebranded TT engine on these things.

krushgroove
Oct 23, 2007

Disapproving look
Yeah that was a while back, big news back then.

Losi was bought out as well but they went in a different direction, Horizon is using the brand name to sell things like RTR 1/36 scale trucks. It's been interesting seeing where all the race team budget has been going for these very big race teams and the kits they're running.

SGT. Squeaks
Jun 18, 2003

Two men enter, one man leaves. That is the way of the hobotorium!
I had no idea either. But now that I think about it, it does make sense. When I first got into this hobby I was a HUGE AE Guy. Wouldn't run anything but AE. But over the years I've noticed a big change. And now only have one AE car, my SC10. I'd look at other brands before I'd jump on anything AE.

krushgroove
Oct 23, 2007

Disapproving look
I guess I'm surprised that RC fans aren't aware of the sales of AE and Losi, but I guess since I've been around since it happened I'm pretty aware of it. At the big trade show recently the AE stuff is shown on the same stand as Thunder Tiger, and Losi is on the Horizon/Spektrum stand, it's been like that for years.

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





News to me, too.

For shits and grins - a good 1/3 of the 12th scale wheels in my collection are old-rear end HPI five-spoke wheels, in bright motherfucking pink. :smug:

kuffs
Mar 29, 2007

Projectile Dysfunction
I guess that really explains AE's ability to jump headfirst into 1/8th without much effort. TT was always kind of a mid-range 1/8th brand, but with AE's name behind it they were able to turn it into something.

Losi's move was better, though. Making 'nice' RTRs into BNDs with Spektrum technology is brilliant. Spektrum's pervasiveness made them a strong contender when considering my new radio. Just too bad they don't have tilt wheels or adjustable triggers.

I keep brand loyalty for the sake of parts commonality, but it didn't help at all with the MGT.

James Woods
Jul 15, 2003

James Woods posted:

I wouldn't bother waiting for the new ones to come out unless you plan on racing stock in which case you should get a Blitz because it's the fastest of the three out of the box. The alterations they will be making, the A-Arms, Turnbuckles, axles, and Shock posts, are all things you'll want to replace with RPM, Lunsford, MIP, etc..

kuffs posted:

Oh whatever, I beat the piss out of mine and haven't needed to replace a stock turnbuckle. An RPM front-end just means that nobody at the track will be able to spot you a spare. (They use different hinges). And, a lot of guys use ball diffs, but I'm still competitive with my gear diff.

You've really never thrown a turnbuckle? Are you driving it or just scooting it back an forth on the carpet with your hands making "Vroom vroom!" noises? With a brushless rig mine'll throw the stock turnbuckles in the air like party confetti in any serious front end collision. The stock ball cups are just made of too soft a plastic and the turnbuckles themselves are made of pretty flimsy steel. I originally fixed this with a Lunsford B4 titanium turnbuckle set and some RPM ball ends but I still lose the occasional turnbuckle after a big jump or hit. To eliminate this problem once and for all I'll be getting these;

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFRG8&P=FR

and this;

http://www.myatomic.com/catalog/viewsku?sku=LNS14016

to eliminate the ball cups entirely. The Titanium hinge pins are not only helpful but pretty much necessary at this point because I'll be directing all that torsional stress usually exiting the system via a failed ball cup directly to the front chassis brace. This is something a lot of people fail to consider when modifying their cars. If you replace one part that is prone to failure with a more durable part, that energy is still going to have to go somewhere and will likely break the next part in the chain. This is the reason I went with these;

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXRFW4&P=FR

Yes, the RPM arms need to use their proprietary bulkhead (which is provided) but these things are loving indestructible and at $12 a set you can buy an extra set for spares but trust me, if these things break you have bigger problems than a broken A-Arm. I went through two sets of stock and one set of Factory Team Carbon Fiber a-arms before going with these almost a year ago and they've held up without a hitch since. The RPM units also use captured hinge pins so you can eliminate the use for e-clips making track swaps like you mentioned a lot easier.

I'm going with the ball diff mainly because the gear diff seems to have a hard time handling the power of my motor coming out of a turn and all the guys i know who run Mod SCT swear by them. Not to mention I've yet to use a product from MIP that wasn't top notch quality with the exception of those capture rings they put on their CVDs but I figured out a cheap and easy way to eliminate those if anyone is interested.

Some of these modifications may seem like overkill but bear in mind I put 2-8 packs through this thing every night jumping on asphalt and getting in full speed head on collisions with other trucks, fire hydrants, brick walls, homeless people, etc.. After almost a year of zero failures (save the aforementioned lost turnbuckles) my buddy finally managed to land a 20' jump nose first on the concrete and broke one of the factory casters this week. So now I've decided that rather than dropping a wheelbarrow full of cash on building a new 1/8 brushless buggy I'm gonna spend $100-$200 on "finishing" my SC-10 and making it as strong and as fast as humanly possible. Expect a big rebuild post when my government cheese comes in.

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Owsla
Aug 31, 2003

Where are my bitches?
I've just recently been drawn back into the R/C world, my friend gave me his old Mugen MTX-3 with a field bag full of basically everything I needed to run it, I just had to buy a receiver/controller combo and I was good to go. I'm 32 and have had a few R/C cars (Bolink pan car, an RC10 team car around 1993, an HPI RS4 Rally, and a few years back a Hot Bodies Lightning nitro buggy) but this is hands down the most insanely fast thing I've ever laid hands on.

I'm not positive what engine is on this (he says it's a hopped up novarossi, I don't know the model# though) but it's just about uncontrollable past half throttle. I think I need new wheels and tires as the ones he gave me with it are worn very oddly from the severe camber he had it setup with.

As fun as the free car is, I think I'm probably more of an electric fan, nitro is kind of a pain in the rear end. I'll probably get a brushless/lipo something or other pretty soon, what's good right now in 1/10 2WD electric stadium trucks?

On a side note I've been occassionally trying to keep up to date with what's going on in R/C since the 90s, and I know at one point Tekin went out of business, kind of bummed me out. I always bought their ESCs back in the day over the Novak ones and it made my day to see someone say in this thread that they're back and at the top of the heap now :unsmith:

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