Thursday, July 15th, 2010
If you are thinking of buying your first remote control truck, here are some things you need to keep in mind. I would advise you pick yourself up an RTR (ready to run) kit to begin with. These RTR RC trucks often come fully assembled, or require only minimal assembly like gluing the tires to the wheels. Most of these models now also include a 2 channel radio and the servos pre-installed, saving you the hassle of trying to match a radio to servos.
Ready to run kits may be slightly more expensive than their basic unassembled kit counterparts, but if you do not have the building experience, it will save you weeks of work in assembly time, frustration and errors.
Imagine being able to bring home, or have delivered to your door, your brand spanking new RC nitro truck, removing it from it’s packaging, inserting some batteries and filling with nitro fuel…..and being able to hit the dirt track straight off! This is the beauty of RTR RC truck kits.
Some more experienced racers, or even some very adventurous newcomers, may want to build their RC monster truck from scratch, so that they get to know all the components and how they are assembled. But even with a RTR model, you will gain this knowledge anyhow by maintaining, modifying and tweaking your truck once you start to use it. If you do plan to build your own truck then allow yourself 3-5 days to put it together.
You can expect to pay $50 - $100 more for a ready to run RC nitro truck and you will probably be looking at paying $300 - $500 for a good level reliable RC truck.
To fully get going right off the rails, you will need some extras which you should remember to add to your order, or you won’t get your truck out on that first day! You will obviously need some nitro fuel and a fuel bottle is a better option for refuelling to avoid any fuel spillage. As well as this you will need a glow plug heater and you may need an electric starter pack if your truck does not have a pull cord start. It is also recommended to have some oil for routine lubrication maintenance after its first run. All in all these extras should not cost you any more than $50 - $100.
Most major manufacturers now produce fully ready to run monster trucks including Traxxas, CEN, Tamiya and Team Associated.
Yes, this can be an expensive hobby, but weigh this up against the adrenalin pumping action of these RC monster trucks and there is no contest! After all – it’s only money!
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Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
It doesn't matter if you are eight or eighty, if you love cars and enjoy tinkering about, then racing radio controlled cars can provide you with endless hours of fun and excitement. But there are hurdles that you have to cross before you get to the race track and, if you are a newcomer to the world of radio controlled cars then there are a number of things that you will need to think about.
Many people are amazed at just how exciting the world of radio controlled car racing has become in recent years with modern hobby cars reaching speeds of 60 mph and featuring complex suspension systems that can be tuned in much the same way as those of a real car. But perhaps the best feature of today's radio controlled cars is the wide variety of different vehicles available.
When the time comes to buy your first radio controlled car you will need to begin by considering three things:
1. Do you want to buy a ready-to-run vehicle or to build your own car from a kit?
There is no doubt that building your own car has many advantages, not least the fact that you will find it easy to maintain the vehicle and to make alterations to it if you choose to, but this is certainly not an easy option for the beginner. Although they are a little more expensive, for younger racers and to get you up and running quickly, you would probably be best advised to start with a ready-to-run car and then move on to building your own radio controlled car at a later date.
2. Do you want an on-road or an off-road vehicle?
On-road vehicles (on-road here refers to a smooth, paved surface rather than the road itself) are designed for speed and are clearly the option if you wish to race your car.
If, however, you are not principally concerned with racing then there are a wide variety of off-road vehicles available including trucks and buggies which can provide immense fun negotiating rough terrain, obstacle courses and even jumps.
3. Do you want an electric vehicle or a nitro powered car?
Electrically powered vehicles provide the simplest option and use rechargeable batteries. They are both clean and quiet but, for many hobbyists, they lack the realism that gives radio controlled car racing its true excitement.
Nitro powered vehicles, on the other hand, offer the sound (tuned pipe), sights (smoke) and smell (exhaust) of a real car. They do however require considerably more maintenance than their electric counterparts and this is something that the novice needs to take into consideration. Although the quality of nitro powered cars in the past left a lot to be desired, in recent years they have been greatly improved in terms of not only their performance but also their safety and reliability.
Having considered the options of ready-to-run or kit cars, on-road or off-road and whether you want an electric or nitro powered car, the next step is to visit your local supplier and take a look at the huge range of cars available.
Then its time for some practice before you head off to the race track.
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