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Anyone here into RC hobbies?
We got my 6-year old son a little cheap $75 1/18th scale rc truck from Amazon for Christmas which is proving to be a costly mistake lol. The kids are getting way into it so I just picked up an older used (but supremely dialed for carpet) T5M as a way to spend some more fun time with them...I'm about to buy at least 1 maybe 2 Losi Mini-Bs for the kids as everyone is having a lot of fun with it and we have a local carpet track about 15 min away. These things are so much fun and even though our track isn't cheap what an awesome family Sunday it would be during cold winter months once I have enough batteries to get our monies worth for the day! Plus the tinker-factor is off the charts for anyone into messing about with stuff.
Who else here is into racing (or just bashing)? This thread can be about boats and airplanes too.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
I raced a Losi XX (1/10th scale 2WD electric buggy) a bit as a kid but mostly just tore around the backyard with it. It was a great tool for tinkering with a car setup on the semi-cheap and seeing what does what. I still have it. I brought the chassis into work to use as a prop for teaching vehicle dynamics stuff to tire designers. No idea if the electronics still work as they're sitting in a box in my garage. I'm sure the brushed DC motors are fine but those ni-cad battery packs have to be dead.
I can only imagine how good this stuff has gotten with LiPo batteries and brushless motors. My childhood experience was that you'd get a really fun 10 minutes of play time out of a battery charge but I could only afford enough packs and chargers to reasonably get about an hour of action after school.
My brother and I also had the Tyco RC Hovercrafts when we were kids. Super fun in the basement or our grandparents pool.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
I should also add that there's a public dirt RC track at the one park not too far from my house. I've been tempted a couple times to get some kind of RTR setup for messing around out there after doing a couple mtb laps.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
We're about 24 hours away from getting into it, as I bought a Traxxas Bandit 1/10 scale buggy for my daughter's 9th birthday. She tried a friend's car a couple months ago and was fascinated by it, so I figure this will be fun to play with together. I admittedly didn't do my usual over-the-top research on what to buy, but that model seems like a good one for outdoor use and somewhat varied surfaces.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
I got my kid a cheap $40 crawler for his 5th birthday after we saw this group of adults driving them on a gnarly shale streambed nearby. These things are so much fun, even the cheap one we got. If you want to spend more like $300 it’s amazing how capable the fancy ones are. My son has used his all over, on hiking trails, playgrounds, in mud and even snow. It’s been a great way to coax him outside this winter.
As my son’s skills have improved we’ve picked up a few more RC toys. It would be cool to find some indoor or outdoor tracks and races for him to progress with. I didn’t know those existed.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
zachateseverything
I raced a Losi XX (1/10th scale 2WD electric buggy) a bit as a kid but mostly just tore around the backyard with it. It was a great tool for tinkering with a car setup on the semi-cheap and seeing what does what. I still have it. I brought the chassis into work to use as a prop for teaching vehicle dynamics stuff to tire designers. No idea if the electronics still work as they're sitting in a box in my garage. I'm sure the brushed DC motors are fine but those ni-cad battery packs have to be dead.
I can only imagine how good this stuff has gotten with LiPo batteries and brushless motors. My childhood experience was that you'd get a really fun 10 minutes of play time out of a battery charge but I could only afford enough packs and chargers to reasonably get about an hour of action after school.
My brother and I also had the Tyco RC Hovercrafts when we were kids. Super fun in the basement or our grandparents pool.
Those vintage cars are worth a bunch of money these days! I had a RC10CE (gold-pan) back in the early 90s as a kid and remember the 10 minute run-times well. This T5M is blowing my mind how good the setup is with a sensored brushless motor and LiPo battery. Has lots of titanium, a small fan blowing on the motor, and even genuine Kashima coated shocks. The Losi Mini-B is taking the micro racing class by storm (it's 1/16th scale) and only costs $150 as a complete RTR out of the box. I think the small platform is going to be great for teaching them to drive as they are so light and not superfast out of the box (though there are plenty of brushless conversions that make them insanely fast).
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
I have an Axial Deadbolt 4WD 1/10 crawler that is soooo much fun! I love it and it's amazing what it can do. We drive it all over the yard and take it on the local trails. I also have an older Tamiya Wild Willy II.
Attachment 117969
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jason Musgrave
Those vintage cars are worth a bunch of money these days! I had a RC10CE (gold-pan) back in the early 90s as a kid and remember the 10 minute run-times well. This T5M is blowing my mind how good the setup is with a sensored brushless motor and LiPo battery. Has lots of titanium, a small fan blowing on the motor, and even genuine Kashima coated shocks. The Losi Mini-B is taking the micro racing class by storm (it's 1/16th scale) and only costs $150 as a complete RTR out of the box. I think the small platform is going to be great for teaching them to drive as they are so light and not superfast out of the box (though there are plenty of brushless conversions that make them insanely fast).
yeah, it looks like the XX's are going for $100 for a basketcase to $400 for something complete and nice. maybe I should sell it and trade it in for something a bit more useable. something to think about.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
cbiker
I got my kid a cheap $40 crawler for his 5th birthday after we saw this group of adults driving them on a gnarly shale streambed nearby. These things are so much fun, even the cheap one we got. If you want to spend more like $300 it’s amazing how capable the fancy ones are. My son has used his all over, on hiking trails, playgrounds, in mud and even snow. It’s been a great way to coax him outside this winter.
As my son’s skills have improved we’ve picked up a few more RC toys. It would be cool to find some indoor or outdoor tracks and races for him to progress with. I didn’t know those existed.
What did you get and how is it holding up? Would be a fun toy for my son when he turns 5 this summer.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
i was into a phase about 10 years ago...built up a jammin chassis with a pico engine...that thing hauled butt, but i sucked at driving it and crashed it a bunch...and those little parts are pricey!!
during the pandemic, built up a traxxis stampede with my 12yo as a project...the battery powered ones are much more practical...he loves bashing it around
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
sailor
What did you get and how is it holding up? Would be a fun toy for my son when he turns 5 this summer.
I can confirm the Haiboxing 1/18th trucks on Amazon are great beginner trucks for $75. Miles hasn't broken anything yet and the nice thing is the remote has a "slow mode" with a flick of a switch so he can learn nice and easy.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
sailor
What did you get and how is it holding up? Would be a fun toy for my son when he turns 5 this summer.
We got this one: https://www.amazon.com/DOUBLE-Dual-M...dp/B07SZ77VV2/
I see the price is higher now, but it looks like the same company has other models that are functionally similar. Some may have smaller batteries, not sure.
It has held up amazingly well through puddles (although I would NOT let it get submerged in water the way you can with some of the more expensive ones), stairs, jumps, drops, and other abuse. The axles got a little bent, and I'm currently waiting on replacement parts for the steering servo, but the customer service for replacement parts has been good.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
i raced a RC10 back in the day. Drove that thing all over the local streets. loved jumping it, crashing, and repairing. Every engineer should build a car from scratch, race, and repair it. So much real world knowledge about engines, torque, suspensions, tires, transmissions, etc etc.
Bought a team associated 1/32nd scale rtr. Thought it would be fun but its not. Definitely looking for something more robust.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
I have been into model aviation since I was a kid. I am 59 now. I never got into the RC car or boat thing. I have a full shop to build RC aircraft, control line stunt and racing aircraft and powered free flight aircraft. It’s a blast but the old time hobby shops are gone and I mail order 99% of the stuff I need. Balsa wood has become extremely expensive since wind turbine blade cores are made from balsa (and once the blade reaches end of life, which is sooner than you think, it ends up in landfill). Model aviation fuel is becoming more difficult to find as well at a decent cost point so mixing myself is in my future.
I encourage young folks to give it a try - whether aircraft, cars or boats. Maybe that will encourage the development of problem solving skills while they are having fun.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
^^ wow, that looks like a mint condition Tamiya Grasshopper. That was the one to buy as a kid if you couldn't mow enough lawns to afford a Hornet or Frog.
I was a total RC car nut as a kid. The Tower Hobbies catalog was my bible. Over the years, I've owned a Kyosho Pegasus (my first as a kid), an Associated RC12i (1/12 scale carpet racer), Kyosho Ultima II, and HPI RS4 (1/10th 4wd nitro touring). The HPI was by far the fastest and most fun, but nitro engines are messy and loud.
Every now and then I still get the itch to drive an RC car, and half considered getting back into it. I would go with a 1/8 scale, 4wd touring car, preferably shaft driven (had a lot of problems with HPI belt drive). I like the power of nitro, but these days I assume there are no down sides to electric. And I think the 1/8 scale parts would be a little easier to tinker, with my aging eyes and clumsy fingers.
I don't have kids but would highly recommend it as a hobby-- so many lessons to learn, not least of which is saving up for an expensive toy and then taking care of it. But you also learn a ton about cars, especially if you get the kit and build it yourself.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
gggross
I have been into model aviation since I was a kid. I am 59 now. I never got into the RC car or boat thing. I have a full shop to build RC aircraft, control line stunt and racing aircraft and powered free flight aircraft. It’s a blast but the old time hobby shops are gone and I mail order 99% of the stuff I need. Balsa wood has become extremely expensive since wind turbine blade cores are made from balsa (and once the blade reaches end of life, which is sooner than you think, it ends up in landfill). Model aviation fuel is becoming more difficult to find as well at a decent cost point so mixing myself is in my future.
I encourage young folks to give it a try - whether aircraft, cars or boats. Maybe that will encourage the development of problem solving skills while they are having fun.
We need some pics of your airplanes!!! 🤓
I used to fly control line some - what a hoot! I haven't looked for about 10 years but I couldn't find fuel for my Cox Black Widow any longer. Tell me about mixing your own?
P.S. As an aviation buff I've always wanted to get into flying and have always had intentions of building a big sailplane to hang in the garage/man-cave (~10' wingspan)...someday!
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
gt6267a
Every engineer should build a car from scratch, race, and repair it. So much real world knowledge about engines, torque, suspensions, tires, transmissions, etc etc.
Couldn't agree with this more! The rtr stuff is missing such a huge piece of the big picture for this reason imho.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
Kinda the same but different.
This beauty just arrived yesterday and I have to show it off:
Attachment 117973
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
cny rider
Kinda the same but different.
This beauty just arrived yesterday and I have to show it off:
Attachment 117973
what scale?
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
HO.
Just getting back into it; loved it as a kid.
My mom still insists on sending me a check for my birthday every year so this year I turned it into a fancy locomotive.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
cny rider
HO.
Just getting back into it; loved it as a kid.
My mom still insists on sending me a check for my birthday every year so this year I turned it into a fancy locomotive.
Nice. I had an S gauge layout as a kid (my grandfather had a small business doing S gauge mail order). The trains were great but the availability of in-scale buildings meant that I was repurposing a bunch of HO stuff.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
I race on road and off road. Raced at the World Championships last year.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
I used to race 1/10th electric buggies back in my mid-teens before I discovered bikes. Club champ 3-years in succession. Kyosho Lazer ZX-R was my weapon of choice - always with a custom painted shell that I had done myself (usually a new one every few weeks), and usually with a set of wheels that matched in some way (as long as those wheels had the right tyres glued onto them).
Thinking back, this was probably the start of my predilection for taking a custom approach - very little on my car was standard...
I see the occasional Insta or FB vid of it and it makes me want to have another crack, but I doubt I'd be any good these days!
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
We have two of them. Loads of fun a reasonably priced considering what it can cost to get into these things. However, they aren't super durable. Get yourself a small toolbox with spare screws, linkage, etc. Upgrade to bearings in the wheels and get a spare battery. Have fun!
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
I'm currently building an antweight combat robot which uses many RC components, but I have been looking at crawlers and thinking they would be a really fun hobby. Living in black dirt Iowa I can't think of any rocky outcrops save river beds that I could crawl around in, though.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
AntLockyer
some videos of me racing
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Pretty amazing driving skills on display here. Few people really comprehend how hard it is to drive at that speed with that precision, as well as adjust the car to handle that well on that particular track, which is a completely different skill.
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
bcm119
Pretty amazing driving skills on display here. Few people really comprehend how hard it is to drive at that speed with that precision, as well as adjust the car to handle that well on that particular track, which is a completely different skill.
^^ Gets it, fantastic driving AntLockyer!
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
cny rider
Kinda the same but different.
This beauty just arrived yesterday and I have to show it off:
Attachment 117973
Impressive level of detail there. How long is that, approximately?
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Re: Anyone here into RC hobbies?
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Originally Posted by
darkmother
Impressive level of detail there. How long is that, approximately?
It's just over 9 inches long.
It is very impressively detailed, even makes cool engine and whistle sounds while in operation.
It was a crazy amount of money (relatively speaking) but I always feel rotten just taking money as a gift from my mom and not doing anything with it.
I feel really good about buying this with her gift money, and having it to use with my kids.
