anybody into remote control cars?

[flamey]

hi.. would like to embark on a new hobby but i dont know where to start looking for advices... anybody care to share any webbies or shops that a newbie like me can ask questions?

just got back frm sc games and hobbies at tekka mall.. saw the track there.. was pretty impressed.. but i a bit paiseh to ask dumb questions.. any webbies to recommend?

[SpiderOne]

start another tank .

[BFG]

My rc experience has been on 1/8 on-road n off-road car and 1/10 on-road car. All my car are using nitromethanol. I will help you with any question you might want answered. Start the ball rolling.

[AlfaRomeo]

Which is a good site to learn the basics of a Nitro RC Car?

[BFG]

My humble suggestion is to learn with an rc enthusiast. You will 1st need to choose what type of car to get, an off-road or an on-road. Both are completely different in handling wise. But as a 1st rule, treat this mini car as your own real car. This is not a toy mind you and if you lose control of it, you can take out someone leg, thigh or any body part depending on the situation.

The 1/8 on road car are mainly for racing and may achieve speed of 100km/h. Not an exaggeration but there are World Race where the best from each country will participate. These car require constant monitoring when it is on the move. It has 2 speed gear and is expensive to start with. Only people with enough experience and deep pocket might want to start with. With high speed comes high speed crashes. The 1/10 version is about half the speed of the 1/8 but there are more models to choose from.

The 1/8 off-road car are mainly buggy that takes to the grass or dirt. Quite boisterous and tough ( but not very tough ) and can do jumps too, like an off road bike( scrambler). Top speed is around 40-60km/h as it is a single gear platform.

[flamey]

My humble suggestion is to learn with an rc enthusiast. You will 1st need to choose what type of car to get, an off-road or an on-road. Both are completely different in handling wise. But as a 1st rule, treat this mini car as your own real car. This is not a toy mind you and if you lose control of it, you can take out someone leg, thigh or any body part depending on the situation.

The 1/8 on road car are mainly for racing and may achieve speed of 100km/h. Not an exaggeration but there are World Race where the best from each country will participate. These car require constant monitoring when it is on the move. It has 2 speed gear and is expensive to start with. Only people with enough experience and deep pocket might want to start with. With high speed comes high speed crashes. The 1/10 version is about half the speed of the 1/8 but there are more models to choose from.

The 1/8 off-road car are mainly buggy that takes to the grass or dirt. Quite boisterous and tough ( but not very tough ) and can do jumps too, like an off road bike( scrambler). Top speed is around 40-60km/h as it is a single gear platform.

u noe of any local websites that i can refer to? wouldnt want to piss off old birds in the hobby with dumb2 questions.. prefer to read up a bit more before asking..

hw bout the ones i see at east coast near mcdonalds? dat is battery operated eh?

[roidan]

used to be into RC cars in my student days....

started electric at first and then got frustrated with bringing so many batteries and ending my runs after the batteries go flat.....nitro versions can just keep going with small intervals to let the engines rest and cool abit...hehe

that time i was using Kyosho V-oneS, V-oneRR and Tamiya TG10R

check out one of my frequently used RC bodies

if u saw me at fort road carpark at nights and some early mornings about 5-6 years ago with this trueno86....the person was me

[roidan]

different compound tires for different track conditions? sounds serious hor...

but be prepared, it's another money draining hobby..and another one to keep your lady bored while you play.

so i did what i could do best at that time...

let her play one of the cars also

but be prepared to do more repairs on that one

[roidan]

u can even go into F1 electric if you want....

those days it was mika vs schumacher

here's my McLaren....too pretty to place it down on the roads/tracks to play

I think I also did a Ferrari F2000 or F2001 stacked somewhere in the storeroom

anyway, here's one of the sites i remembered...the rest forgot liao...

http://www.nitrorc.com

[framerunner]

wow! trueno, u watch too much initial D...

[roidan]

wow! trueno, u watch too much initial D...

time flies man..that time 5-6 years ago, all i wanted was a trueno to drive to campus... but only had an old SBJ corolla to make do...

now thinking back and seeing some wannabes on the roads, pasting the same words on Levins....I realised I have moved on

have fun in your RC hobby guys......

[flamey]

u can even go into F1 electric if you want....

those days it was mika vs schumacher

here's my McLaren....too pretty to place it down on the roads/tracks to play

I think I also did a Ferrari F2000 or F2001 stacked somewhere in the storeroom

anyway, here's one of the sites i remembered...the rest forgot liao...

http://www.nitrorc.com

i saw ferrari 2003 at nikko suntec... very chio..

i guess even if i buy that it will be more for display than for playing on roads/tracks.. even the controller is red!

[BFG]

Hey Roidan, didn't know you were into rc too. I started with 1/8 off road. The car brand was Ofna Pirate. Then upgrade to a racing kit Mugen Seiki MBX4. It was great playing with a bunch of friend. Then we decided to play on-road and bought Kyosho Super-Ten, a 1/10 car. That one consume a lot of money with the constant hop-up or upgrading of parts. I wouldn't even ask a noobie to go into it. Then I decided to try the 1/8 on-road. That was a big mistake but it was a 2nd hand car. I just couldn't handle the insane speed. That car can chase a real car and overtake it. Tried it before chasing a taxi. Not at full throttle and I was under the taxi. Then I downgrade to a 1/10 Kyosho V-One RR. Now this car was nice. But the amount of tire needed as spare was a bit turn-off.

We also sometimes spent our weekend running these car to the point that we didn't came home for 2 days at a stretch. Once we can find a big carpark that was free of vehicle, that was our hangout. It also helps that one of us owns a pickup and sometimes go around Singapore looking for other rc'er to race. Man that was the great time. Nowaday, all my car are sitting on shelves as decoration. No time to play due to work commitment. Roidan, what happen to yours?

[roidan]

yo BFG,

yeah those were the days man....burning the blue nitromethane that the cars ran on.....I too had a 1/8 Picco but it was insanely fast as you said....just feel shiok hearing the pitch of the engine as it spun up into the higher gear....

but became more boring after a while as it was not as nimble as the 1/10 counterparts on tight and twisty circuits.

Most of the cars I sold already...but i still had hell of a lot of spares like springs, gears, nuts and so on around chucked away somewhere....

Kept only some of the nice bodyshells I bought just in case I wanted to make a comeback as well as the electric F1s.

I also remember using the Futaba digital controllers, quite cool...can make digital adjustments to the steering and braking so on..hehe

better not type anymore otherwise I get back into the hobby and make my lady cross again...hahaha

[BFG]

Hahaha...I too have the Futaba digital radio, Futaba 3PJ. This radio has ABS brake and some other safety issue built in like if the car went over the radio range, the receiver will instruct the servo to engage the brake and hold it until the receiver receive the signal again. This is important fact to know for newbie. Roidan, if you look into this hobby again, Futaba has a new digital radio out now but there is another American company that made an accessories for digital radio. All I can say is there is no need to buy crystal again for the radio. Save money and hassle of changing crystal to change the radio frequency.

You got a Picco 1/8! Mine is the Serpent Vector. Yeah I really miss listening to the car engine as it engage the 2nd gear too. I played at PA East Coast campsite for this car as it is the only track available in Singapore for this scale car. If I want to make a comeback into this hobby, I'll start with 1/8 off-road. Lesser equipment needed to run it than on-road. Setting wise, an off-road is more forgivable if your suspension setting is off a bit, not like an on-road car.

Here is some link to other forum and rc shop in SG-

www.daddyhobby.com/

www.rc-action.com/

www.hobbybug.com/

www.hobbylink.com.sg/

Hope I got the link right. For beginner to start, get somebody who know about the hobby. If you going nitro, you need someone to tune the engine as this is the most important part of the setup. Also most of the kit are not assembled and you need to purchase equipment. Fixing up one is not that hard. There may be a few parts that could use more arm muscle but on the whole won't break you. If you don't want to spend more on upgrading, I suggest getting a racing kit. Easier to sell off if it is not damaged. Don't go for high end engine if you just started. You end up damaging it and it is costly. For exhaust pipe, I suggest getting one that most racer use. Not all exhaust pipe are the same. Some have high back pressure while some have lesser. To find out what most racer are using, go to a race. I know that there is a monthly race being held. If you guys need more info, just post it here. I'll be glad to answer.

[kelstorm]

if u saw me at fort road carpark at nights and some early mornings about 5-6 years ago with this trueno86....the person was me

can deliver toufu... and train driving skills at the same time.. kekeke

[aong]

Hmm, in what sense is RC car money draining... if you don't...

1) keep upgrading

2) keep buying new cars ;pp

3) keep breaking parts

4) keep seeing other pple's cars

haa

I gotten myself a 1/10 nitro touring (RTR -- ready to run) recently... pretty fun! Only problem was I broke some parts that needed me to dismantle most of the car ;p but that was good and fun (except when paying $$$ lah)!

Lately saw this drifting thingy using rc -- nice! those guys at SGDrifters are amazing!

Roidan, where in fort road is the car park u talking abt ah?

is that the vehicle park by ECP? or? hmmmmmm

[BFG]

Hi Aong, what model and brand car did you get for the RTR?

[aong]

Hi BFG,

Gotten the kyosho fw-05T rtr model. ~S$500.

juz needa to get 12 x AA batt (for transmitter and receiver), and glow starter. The nitro is complementary from shop, one gallon....

seems like htere's a cheaper GP one, 390 or so.. hmm

oh well

[BFG]

Are you playing in a group? Just keep trailing the car in front of you and give way to faster car. You gain more experience that way. Use the stock engine until there are no more compression and then dump it. Before that happens, look around for the best engine and exhaust pipe configuration other people are using, NOT the best engine and exhaust pipe.

What part of the car you broke? Sometimes it isn't necessary to take out other car parts in order to replace the broken ones. To save money buying AA batteries every weekend, get those rechargeable ones for your radio and the receiver. Choose Nimh battery over NiCl ones. Nimh last longer. The higher the number (forgotten what it is called) the better.

[aong]

Urm, nope, bought as a lone wolf, altho' I'm playing with the strangers at the track (usually go marina south one)... and yea, i try to give way to EVERYONE (yea.. i think i'm that slow ;p haaa) and will try to tail them.. follow their lines and stuff

exactly how i feel abt the engine! besides, i'm too slow witted to handle the current speed leow ;p haaaa

i'd broke the manifold, the rear wheel axle.. the fuel tank... haaa.. diasterous but it's fun... haa

yhea, using rechargable when i'd changed my radio system also ;p haa boh pian.. aa drains too quickly for my liking ;(

u still playing now?

[BFG]

Oh, Marina South track, yeah, that was my port about 5 years ago. I use a FW-04 there but now not playing due to work schedule. Don't worry about handling the speed, you get used to it.

When you play at a track, you need to have certain spare parts ready. When I was playing mine I have a few spare parts already fix together like the right and left arm both front and back. If I am involved in an accident, I just disassemble the whole arm linkage and hub and install the new ones. Save time. Also don't forget to tie your dog bone with a cable tie. During crashes, this may popped off and you lose power to 1 side of the wheel whenever you accelerate. You also need a couple of spare tank just in case. Do not peel off the price tag coz you might need to sell it as there may be situation whereby another driver may need one and the shop has already closed. Same goes with the dog bone, get some spares in case you lose yours.

When running your car, please use the body shell. The body shell will absorb some of the damages and lessen the damages to your engines and exhaust pipe. Also running the car without a body shell is just plain silly because you need to familiarise how the car handle running complete. Trust me, it handle differently with a body shell than without one.

[aong]

Lol, so u'd not been playing for long uh? ;p u also on nitro still? 1/10 still? or 1/8?

hv a nitro monster truck also ;p so yup, trying to up the engine..

yea, good to have spare parts available but where got so many place to hold these parts? not driving.. damn jialut right?

well, lost the dog bone before.. piang, keep turning in circles when i turn one direction but it's fun finding out the cause of the problem and fixing up..

lol yep! shell is MOST impt!

wait, this whole forum only roidan, u and me into this so far only? the rest?

[BFG]

For me, I have bought the Stanley tool box. It has 4 compartment and is able to be separated from each other when needed. The lower compartment has 2 wheel and has a handle to pull the entire setup. But I use only the 3 compartment and leave the last compartment behind at home. I place my starter box and the battery to run it with tools and spare part in it. The radio and the car manual I place it in a bag which I carry over my shoulder. The car I will carry it with the other free hand.

Aong, just mix around with other player there. I previously have a group of malay friend who uses that track too. Sometimes problem may crop up with your car that you yourself are unable to rectify and you may need another player assistance. Start with small talk or sometimes small gesture also helps like flipping their car over when they overturn. You could learn more tips from experienced racer.

Yeah, I think only 3 of us in this forum.

[aong]

Found a toolbox to house the spare parts already, but i don't have the luxury of a pre-assembled rear wheel or something ;p

As for ur fuel, how much did you bring along?

Anyway yea, they're a friendly lot, somehow everyone is kinda friendly maybe cause the community's really small ;p

How abt the others? tot someone was also asking abt this rc car thingy?