ThePanda

iTrader: (68)

New to R/C electric 1/10 racing? This thread lists Kits from most major manufacturers, and a little about each class the cars are run in, as well as basic information about electronics. Don't see a car or tidbit of info that you think would be good in this thread? add a post, and I will try to add it when I check back in.


~ 2wd buggies
~ 4wd buggies
~ 2wd stadium trucks
~ 2wd short course trucks
~ 4wd short course trucks.

Electronics

Motors

Motor turns: the "turn" of a motor refers to (in brushed motors) how many times the wire was wrapped around the armature. The concept is very much the same in brushless motors, but now it is wound around the stator, not the armature. The lower the turn rating, the more rpm's the motor will achieve, and the less torque it will have at a given voltage.

For Racing, a sensored motor is what most racers are using. The sensored operation makes them very smooth with little to no cogging. If you pick up a sensored motor make sure to use it with a sensored ESC to get the most out of it.

For 2wd vehicles such as 2wd Buggies, 2wd Stadium trucks, and 2wd SCTs you want to use a 540 size 2 pole brushless motor. Here is a general Motor Choice guide to get you going in 2wd.

4.5-total overkill/ magic smoke
5.5-overkill
6.5-pro status/ tons of grip
7.5-common/ high grip
8.5- most common
9.5- common/ low grip
10.5-common/ low grip/ skilled beginner
13.5-super stock/ beginner
17.5-stock/ novice beginner

~Thanks to Speedo711 for the motor choice chart~

for 4wd buggy you still use 540 motors, but you can use considerably faster motors. Common to see in 4wd buggies are anything from 5.5-10.5 turns depending on skill level.

In 4wd SCT is where things are different. The trucks are so large and heavy, they require 4 pole 540 can motors at a minimum.4 pole 550 cans are the most popular choice though. The other common choice is a 2 pole 550 can. For racing anything from 3000-mid 4000's is a good choice.

ESCs

You will want to use a sensored capable esc, if you have chosen a sensored motor. Make sure to check the turn limit on the esc, and make sure it is lower than the motor you plan to run. for example, a 5.5 turn motor will not run well on a 13.5 turn rated ESC. You will be putting too much strain on the ESC.

in 2wd vehicles running stock 17.5 anywhere from a 50 amp, all the way up to well over 200 amps is acceptable. Just make sure the ESC is designed to take the load of hard racing, as even at the same amperage, not all ESCS are built to the same specs internally. in MODIFIED classes an esc rated 120+ amps is best to deal with the higher loads from the faster motors.

Higher current escs are required for 4wd buggy. 120+ amps, with a generous heat sink is ideal, and the use of a fan is but needed.

For esc choices in 4x4 sct you are pretty limited to something with a 150+ amp rating. make sure the esc has a large heatsink, and a fan. Some people have gone to using ⅛ escs as well. The tekin RX8 series of esc are very popular, as are the hobby wing SCT and ⅛ escs.

2wd buggies

2wd buggies are light and nimble, they are generally the most inexpensive kits to build, and the easiest to work on. Their simplicity makes them great for new racers, however, they can be harder to drive, not as forgiving, and a bit more "twitchy" than other 2wd vehicles.

2wd buggies come in two formats:
~rear motor (RM)
Rear motor has the motor and gearbox off the end of the car, past the rear axles. This is suited for low traction tracks such as dry dirt or clay. Or something with a loose top layer, as it puts more weight over the rear wheels. These come in 3 gear layouts

~mid motor (MM)
Mid motor has the motor and gearbox in front of the rear axle. This works better on high traction tracks such as astro, carpet, and damp clay since more traction is available on these surfaces. This means you don’t need as much weight on the driven wheels, and you achieve more steering with more weight on the front wheels from MM. these come in 3 or 4 gear layouts

A new generation of mid motor kits use no gearbox, but instead have begun to transfer power to the rear wheels with the use of a belt or shaft. The advantage is you can have a more centralized weight and a lower center of gravity at the expense of rear traction. These are almost exclusively used on carpet, astro turf, or very high bit clay tracks.

2wd buggy kits that are only mid motor

Team C TC02C EVO Team
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...gy-thread.html


Kyosho RZ6
This is a chassis conversion that creates a longitudinal motor placement in Kyosho's popular rb6/6.6 buggies. If you want to run this car you will need a donor front end rear arms and shocks from the rb6 buggy.
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...ltima-rz6.html


HB D216
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...2wd-buggy.html


Schumacher Cougar KF2 MM
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...her-kf2-4.html


Kyosho Ultima RB6.6
Thread:http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...ar-thread.html


Team Durango DEX210F
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...10-thread.html


Serpent SRX2 MH Hybrid
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...gy-thread.html


Yokomo YZ-2 dirt and carpet editions
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...mo-yz-2-a.html

carpet edition pictured

TLR 22 3.0
Thread:http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...it-thread.html


Tamiya TRF211 XM
Thread: trf


Xray XB2 dirt and carpet editions
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...gy-thread.html

carpet edition pictured

Team Associated rc10 B6 and b6D team kits
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...6d-thread.html

B6d pictured

Tamiya TRF201 XM (rear motor with optional gearbox)
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...wd-thread.html (same as standard TRF201 thread)


Team C TM2 V2
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...eam-c-tm2.html


2wd buggy kits that are both rear motor and mid motor

Kyosho Ultima RB6
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...b6-thread.html


SWorks S12-1R
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...2wd-buggy.html


4wd buggies

Fast and powerful, 4wd buggies are more for the experienced racer, over the new racer. Many kits can be quite price as well. A 4wd buggy in the wrong hands can quickly lead to broken parts.

They come in either belt or shaft drive. The belt cars are more maintenance vs. the shaft cars. It comes down to which you want in the end though, as there isn’t a major performance advantage from one to the other.

Belt drive 4wd buggies.

Serpent Spyder SRX4
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...r-srx-4-a.html


Schumacher Kat K2
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...4wd-buggy.html


Yokomo YZ-4
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...mo-yz-4-a.html


TLR 22-4 2.0
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...-thread-3.html


Tamiya TRF503
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...03-thread.html


Tamiya DB01RR
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...ya-db01rr.html


Shaft drive 4wd buggies

Team DurangoDEX410 V5
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...-thread-4.html


SWorks S104 EVO
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...vo-thread.html


AE B44.3 Factory Team
Thread:http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...am-thread.html


Kyosho Lazer ZX6/ Lazer ZX6.6
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...wd-thread.html


Hot Bodies D413
Thread:http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...4wd-buggy.html


X-Ray XB4
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...b4-thread.html


2wd Truck kits (stadium trucks)

Very much like buggies, stadium trucks are usually based off a buggy platform, with a longer chassis, and longer arms. They have larger tires, and since they are larger, overall, they don’t get tossed around as much as a buggy would. They are often thought of as easier to drive, and smoother driving than a buggy.

2wd trucks come in two formats, rear motor, and mid motor (abbreviated RM, and MM)
-Rear motor has the motor and gearbox off the end of the car, past the rear axles. This is suited for low traction tracks such as dry dirt, clay, or something with a loose top layer, as it puts more weight over the rear wheels.
-Mid motor has the motor and gearbox in front of the rear axle. This works better on high traction tracks such as astro, carpet, and damp clay since more traction is available on these surfaces. This means you don’t need as much weight on the driven wheels, and you get more steering with more weight on the front wheels from MM.
Many 2wd truck kits nowadays are made to be convertible from RM, to MM, and from MM to RM. This makes one kit serve dual purposes as one kit has both configurations.

2wd truck kits that are only mid motor

Xray XT2
Thread:http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...ck-thread.html


AE T5M
Thread:http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...iscussion.html


2wd truck kits that are rear motor and mid motor (convertible)

Kyosho Ultima RT6 (doesn’t come with body)
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...yosho-rt6.html


2wd truck kits that are only rear motor

Hobby Pro PRST1
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...ium-truck.html


2wd Short Course truck kits

Based off of buggies as well, sct kits in 2wd are much like 2wd stadium truck kits. They are easy to drive, easy to work on, and some come in MM, as well as rear motor.

AE SC5M
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric-off-road/878524-offical-team-associated-sc5m-thread.html


Kyosho Ultima SC6 (needs body and wheels tires added)
Thread:http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...6-thread.html?


Serpent Spyder SRX-2 SC
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...ct-thread.html


TLR 22 SCT 2.0
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...ct-thread.html


Team C TS2TE Team
Thread:http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...te-thread.html


Proline PRO-2
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...faqs-info.html


4x4 scts
The tanks of the 1/10 world. Often based on the much beefier 1/8 buggies from the same brand, they can be paired with the most powerful motors and escs to create a brutal force on the track. Their advanced drivetrains and high power make them not idea for beginners.

Tekno RC SCT410.3
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...-3-thread.html


TLR TEN SCTE 3.0
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...e-3-0-new.html


Team Durango DESC10
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...go-desc10.html


Traxxas Slash 4x4 (Ultimate or Platinum roller from eBay, or your choice of aftermarket LCG conversion)
Thread: http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...x4-thread.html


~Thanks to 30tooth for the used section information~

Used Market: discontinued platforms.

Team Associated:
"Titles, aftermarket and wear, lots of it."
Cheap parts and good support, expect to change some worn plastic parts. One of the best drivetrains.

Mid Motor
B5M - Great car all round. Well designed (as is the B4/5 series), drives very well and durability is tops. The front end needed the hub height bushings out of the box (same as the B5R)! Steering mechanism is old school and hampers a bit, still drives fine. Head to head against the my modded B5R (25 kick up and -5 caster bushing) is a wash at my local track (open-mixed track). Shares some parts with the B6. Do not mention turnbuckles, sticky ball ends and where the diff nut should face in the B5 threads!

Centro B4 conversion - stopgap measure, dedicated parts weren't plentiful so watch out. SAE hardware.

Rear Motor
B4 - Drives very well with wear but wears quickly. Durability a tick above the XXX and bellow the 22/B5. Still competitive except on higher grip tracks. SAE hardware, parts getting scarce.

B5R - Drives very well, wear pace has slowed since the B4 but still has too much of it. Durable and cheap. Still competitive except on higher grip tracks. Shares some parts with the B6. Do not mention turnbuckles, sticky ball ends and where the diff nut should face in the B5 threads!

4WD
B44 Series - most complicated car to change a diff, not durable (flimsy front arms, use RPM instead of AE), change ball ends to B5 ones. Drives a certain way (front collapsing on turns) but should be fixed with higher front roll centre or hub height. All versions are OK but the 44.3 is the one to get obviously, between the .2 and the .1 choose the .1 as the .2 is a performance upgrade unworthy to get. SAE hardware (for bonus comedic effect mention this on B44 threads like it's a bad thing), the 44.3 is a SAE and metric salad. Chassis slap is a major feature. Shares some parts with the B4.

Team C:
Cheap to own until you start upgrading them, wear rate is on the high side but starts more tight than the B4. Parts support is on the rise (was always good on EU). So-so drivetrain, expect to change axles and/or diff outdrives.

Mid Motor
TM2 - same front end as the TC02 and has the rear end of the Team C T4 4WD buggy (not to be confused with the AE T4) if V1 or TM4 if V2. Very liked car on high grip (astro, carpet) albeit with some flaws like spur gear in the V1 which was weak and plastic parts are weaker than the norm on the front end (only happens with the 2WD parts, the arms aren't bad but bulkhead, kick plates and caster blocks are), there are aluminium replacements but you end spending tons of money. Shorty battery needed.

TC02C - same weak front end as the TC02 and a 4 gear rear end. Very good car to drive on every conditions, the stock setup is a great base and a change or two is all that's going to be needed in varying conditions, really loves staggered shock piston hole diameter front to rear. Has the traits of a 4 gear tranny. Durability wise has a weak front end and so-so rear end. Try to get one with aluminium upgrades. Shorty, saddles and even takes a stick if you use the RTR chassis. Very versatile, only downside is the motor/tranny area is difficult to work on because the strengthening is done in the chassis and not by a brace.

Rear Motor
TC02 - Old school car, would be a great match to a B3. Broke caster blocks regularly, the diff gave me fits to adjust and the slipper is sensitive to adjustments (same deal on the MM version). Once that and the shock setup was taken care of the car came alive much more than "recent" cars. Sensitive to rear tire wear. Good to work on but the MM version works as good or better (to me, better as it is as good as a B5m). See it as a badly designed Team Losi XXX.
4WD[*]The T4 (Not the AE T4) is very close to a Yokomo B Max4 II, the parts quality is better than the 2WD cars and stronger, it was like two very different persons designed the 2WD and 4WD cars. Any version is good but aim to get the V3, has gear diffs (V1 and V2 came with ball diffs) and BB shocks (introduced in the V2). Drives as good as any 4WD car albeit lacking a few adjustments. I'm modding mine to accept a shorty sideways like the Schumacher K2. Good car to get used.[*]The TM4 is an improved version, regarded as a an underdog it can perform above expectations.

Team Losi/TLR cars:
"I blame it on the team."
Likewise Team AE, good support, parts are cheap and plenty of aftermarket. One of the best drivetrain but wears a little faster than AE and Kyosho.

X series all Rear Motor
Don't mention the XX and predecessors, people tend to get watery eyes and for good reasons. Vintage tracks only.
The XXX had 3 major revisions, the Kinwald 2, the CR and on the closing stage the team ran a CR with K2 rear end, the best of both worlds. Weaker car than the norm as the car had to be lightweight to offset the weight of the heavy batteries. More than a match to the B4, unfortunately let down by lack of setup strategy and that created the myth of the Losi push. The car can steer as much as the B4 (have both) and still be competitive on Stock class (lightweight allied to good driving manners). Well designed. Parts are difficult to get but worth the hunt to have this buggy. SAE hardware. Can use 12mm rear wheels by using the B4 hex adaptor. Use with caution on tracks with big jumps. Wear is better than the B4 and for all I see the 22 too...

22 series
Radical old school designed buggy (wait what 30T? Let me explain, it drives old school but looks futuristic) let down mainly by the lack of setup strategy (rolled too much and it destabilized in transitions, *HINT*), grab one definitely! The RM drives less nimbly than a XXX but makes for it with durability and "stability" the MM needs more grip to shine. Lots of bang for your buck. MM rear end a mess to work with, electronics placement bleh without exo22 chassis. The best one to grab is the 2.0 but the 1.0 like I had isn't bad at all (cursing the stock diff nut, get one M2.5 from your regular hardware supplier). Hope this doesn't raise prices on the used ones Oh also has a nice rack.

4WD[*]X 4 series
Nice cars to look at. Vintage tracks only and don't crash. SAE hardware.[*]22-4 series - An updated XX4 so you can keep breaking hinge pin holders. Ball diffs on the first gear diffs on the .2, both belt drive. More than a match to the B44, both on durability and ease of working, to be fair people break much on the 22-4 front end because you can get away with bad driving, the car drives it's own way like the B44. Some like, some don't. Some things you have to keep an eye on, check the thread.

Kyosho:
Expensive but worth it. They aren't more expensive per se, the prices is adjusted to how they wear and how good they work. One of the best drivetrain, parts wear is very good only drawback is support on the low side.

RB5 series
Fine driving car, the rear hubs with 3 holes for the outer hinge pin provide the best geometry for the rear end if you use the middle hole (going to need the original long rear shocks to retain droop, or not depending on your situation), this is like the B6 rear hub height adjustment. Drives as good as the B4 but was on power traction biased, the stock shock setup is golden even in other cars. Durability on par with the B4. Parts not plentiful and can get confusing all the rear wide and narrow pivots and hubs and arms and whatnot. I prefer this one to the B4, only thing it lacked was a longer chassis.

RB6 series
Great occasion to grab one. With the new laydown tranny from the RB6.6 you can run RM-MM3-MM4-LD3-LD4 in the same car, now that's something. Very tunable and off course drives very well, between this one and the B5m or TLR22 I would get the RB6 if the price was close. Most say the plastic rack isn't nice . Yaiba had red aluminium parts for this beast (I'm a sucker for glossy red parts). Neat electronics placement (search for iMarky's RB6). There is a lower quality RTR that uses different metal than the kit, same plastics though, maybe avoid it as it would need parts to be replaced.

4WD
Optima series - How cool would be getting the Re-release and race it?
ZX5 series - More durable than a TC02 front end that's for sure but use it on the 13.5T wheeler class if you don't want to stock on spares and it will do fine. Mine has all the "weak" bits replaced (rear CF shock tower, aluminium shock tower holders, suspension holders and rear hubs), drives very well (first version with the long arms all round, not the SP front end), can't think of faults to say mine was cheap and was loaded with goodies and spares. Oh uses different offset on the front than normal. Long wear, good to work on.
ZX6 - same as the RB6, it's a good time to get one of these. Good car that has durability concerns.

Team Durango:
"Another one bites the dust." Well almost. Good cars though.

2WD
210 series - The adjustacar.
4WD
410 series - The tank.

Serpent:
"Nice line-up with some good cars"

2WD
SXR2/SRX2MM - Nice cars overall. Many adjustments. Funky front arms.
4WD
SXR4 - see YZ10. Re-released under a different name to avoid PETA hounds.

Precirotate:
"Meh"

2WD
S1 series - Meh.
4WD
SB401 - Meh.

Sworkz:
"No to be confused with S-works bikes?"

2WD
S102 series - Front aluminium shock tower, WildCat1971 would love it. See RB6.

4WD
S104 series - On par with the best 4WD buggies, I mean there aren't bad cars on this list but this gets many things right.

Xray
"What luxury did you expected, comrade?". Support is there, parts price on the very high side and sold in singles.

2WD
XB2 - Expensive up front, avoid one the needs parts replaced. Durability concerns fixed with more threadlock. Carpet and dirt editions available.

4WD
XB4 - Expensive up front, avoid one the needs parts replaced. Very liked car and a mature design.

Schumacher:
"British engineering."

2WD
Old Cougar series - technical marvels, flat screwdriver and attention to manual needed. Drive medium well. Durability concerns on nowadays tracks.
New Cougar. series - technical marvels, funky to the max. Drive medium well.

4WD
Old C.A.T. series - technical marvels, flat screwdriver and attention to manual needed. Drive well to boot. Durability concerns on nowadays tracks.
New C.A.T. series - technical marvels, attention to manual needed. Drive well to boot, sort of like the 22-4.

Yokomo:
"No Masami, no titles."

2WD
Bmax 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 ver. I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII-IX RS/Non RS - I think I got the name right. Parts quality up there, good wear. Prices similar to Kyosho but low availability. Support is you're on your own, specially with older cars. Old school RM and MM too.

YZ-2 - Trendsetter. Carpet and dirt editions available. Car to get if the price is right and you buy the edition that fits your track.

4WD
Dogfighter versions - banned by PETA. Expensive! Nostalgia. Very scarce parts.

Bmax 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 ver. I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII-IX RS/Non RS - I think I got the name right. Parts quality up there, good wear. Prices similar to Kyosho but low availability. Parts are scarce.

Hot Bodies/HPI
2WD
D216 -
4WD
D413 -

tedstryker

iTrader: (88)

Make it a sticky please

huzzler

iTrader: (1)

How is the B4.2 not available new? Heck you can still buy the B4.1.

ThePanda

iTrader: (68)

good point, i was thinking not new from retailers i guess. Will add b4.1 and .2 as new.

ThePanda

iTrader: (68)

any others i can add, please tell me.

spunkysandoval

iTrader: (125)

Talk about a flooded market! Glad there are so many choises though

ThePanda

iTrader: (68)

My goal with this thread is to give new racers, that want a kit a little easier time tracking down and looking into cars. This way we have fewer threads on the same subject about "which is better?".

Woulvesbaine

iTrader: (12)

I'd add the Team C EVO and the new TM2 V2. Now that they've signed Honigl you'll probably see a little bit more activity around that brand. Also they have a new distributor and more stores are stocking their kits.

chillindrdude

iTrader: (7)

what about the Kyosho Ultima SC-R? damn good 2wd sct imho.

mydudrevo

iTrader: (1)

Great work panda thank you for taking the time to put this together for the new guys this should help them out big time!

STICKY!

huzzler

iTrader: (1)

Yeah you really did do an awesome job Panda. You pretty much covered all the top of the line stuff.

ThePanda

iTrader: (68)

Added the tc02 evo. I could not find a thread on the new v2 version.

Added.

thanks guys.

theblitzkidd

iTrader: (11)

Tlr 22 at the top, its the way i like to see it panda
I agree.....STICKY!!

wittyname

iTrader: (4)

Good work .

Mike in Bama

iTrader: (1)

Did you mention the Hobby Pro PRS1?