Which kit for a returner to RC - Help Please !

[G2510]

Hi Everyone,

I am returning to RC racing after 20 odd years and things have changed a lot which I am getting my head around. I used to run a Schumacher Cougar and Pro-Cat and I am wondering whether I should be looking for a 2wd or 4wd kit?

My local track is Mendip Raceway and I will be looking to join the club from Jan 2015. I also want to inspire my 7 yr old son to get involved. I thought I would start off with off-road as I used to really enjoy this, I also got very good and quite into the Mardave mini stocks at one point too.

Kits I am looking at are:

2wd
Team Durango DEX 210v2
Schumacher Cougar SV2
TLR 22 2.0

4wd
Team Durango DEX 410v4
TLR 22-4
Team Associated B44.3

Any help, advice and pointers much appreciated.

If I can get going for Jan then I hope to enter the winter series too

Thanks all :D

[neallewis]

You need to look at the Yokomo Bmax2MR and Bmax4 III kit.

[G2510]

I hadn't considered the Yokomo range, thanks I will take a look. Why do you recommend them out of interest?

[cutting42]

As you might imagine this is a frequent question. The answer is down to practicalities rather than a specific car.

What cars are run at Mendip so you can swap setup advice and spares in an emergency?

What makes do your local shop stock, and support in general?

With 2wd currently there are two main types used, mid motor such as the SV2, 22 and the DEX210 in your list and forward motor sometimes referred to cheater cars. Schumacher KF, Team C TM2, and various conversions from XFactory (X6-S) Cobra and Rudebits.

If you are on med to high grip these forward motor cars are very popular but they are not very good when wet or very low grip.

All the cars of your list are great, I just built a B44.3 for my son and it is a great update to the B44 platform and probably the most configurable 4wd out there with the choice of gear or ball diffs, centre diff or slipper, shorty or saddle and some are running the servo swapped over to tweak balance. I have also seen people running the rear shocks behind the arms as well.

[neallewis]

I hadn't considered the Yokomo range, thanks I will take a look. Why do you recommend them out of interest?

Because they are a good solid quality product, excellent design and performance, and durable.

You want something that lots of people run at your local club, proven to work well at the track, and to help with setup and spares if you break something you don't have.

[G2510]

Thanks Appreciate the feedback so far.

[cornishboy176]

Look up South West RC in Yatton, Rob should be able to help with info and kits, electrics etc

HTH

[blue_pinky]

Hi,

(As posted on your other thread...) I'm Andy, I'm one of the committee at Mendip...welcome back to things!!

Much stuff to get your head back around at this point so we'll start with some of the basics...

We'd suggest going for 2wd...that's the most popular class at Mendip, followed by Short course trucks, which also always get a heat at club days.

4wd's seem to be a bit thin on the ground right now, although a few of us do run them when we know there's going to be a few turning out.

The Durango cars you've mentioned, particularly in RTR (Ready to run) form are a great starting point. Still going cheap (while stocks last) but possibly only in stock with MB models now I think, but a big number of our members have them or have run them so can help with advice on set ups etc. A good few drive the Yokomo too, and the Schumacher KF makes appearances sometimes as well.

Best bet...come along to one of our club days and see us and the cars in the flesh before you commit any actual money!

Beyond the cars there's new school electrics to get your head around as well....brushless and lipo...both massive improvements to the sport, and easy enough once you've seen it in action.

Next race day (Round 3 of the Winter series) is on Sunday 14th December...so feel free to come along and take a look!

In terms of Juniors, we've a had few younger ones showing interest lately, so we are looking at ways to help promote that locally, and get them more involved, and possibly run a junior/newbie class to take some of the pressure out of racing alongside some of the more seasoned racers. We've already got a few racing with us, so growing the ranks of juniors would be fantastic!

We look forward to seeing your trackside in Jan, if not before hopefully.

[G2510]

Thanks Iain, I will give Rob a buzz soon

[G2510]

Hi Andy,

Thats great, we have been down a couple of times on a weekend to see whats going on and it seems like a very friendly club hence the interest.

I also saw the caldicot track online and see you may have an association there too? Looks good

I think I am swaying toward the Durango but then I get tempted by the look of all the CF on the KF !

Probably best to see whats running well first eh.

Anyway, I can't waiti to get back into things and look forward to meeting the guys down at Mendip and anywhere else I end up racing.

[CARB]

I have a dex210 v2 unpainted shell only tried it a few times, loads of spares new and some from my v1 tyres and wheels £175 cash

[G2510]

Hi CARB,

Thanks for the offer but half the fun is building the kit.........

Why are you selling, didn't you get on with it?

[Whoopner]

I have to admit Mendip RC raceway are a very friendly bunch. I met Andy a few weeks ago when i turned up with my 4 month old boy to watch what was going on and ask a few questions. I am also gonna be joining up in January.

I have recently got a DEX210 and think its a great kit. Now i just need to get time to head to the club and join in on race days although id imagine people should avoid me for a while as my buggy will cause carnage on every bend haha :p

Matt

[G2510]

Excellent, we can cause mayhem together then Matt !!! Out of interest, what made you go for the dex210 in the end???

[Whoopner]

Excellent, we can cause mayhem together then Matt !!! Out of interest, what made you go for the dex210 in the end???

Well a big factor for me was parts and cost. Im more than willing to spend good money on a model. But i knew the reality was this model will take a hammering until i get used to driving it.

You can pick up a RTR version of this kit for £150-£180 all you need is batteries and parts are fairly cheap. Also you can use parts from the V2 version it seems for certain parts. Plus from looking at Mendip RC website and speaking to people there they recommended the model as quite a few use it so its easy to get setup tips.

Once I'm feeling happier and feel a little bit more competent i will then maybe move onto to other models and maybe some a little more exotic but not while i have my L plates on :lol:

[alex97]

Don't rule the b5m out, I really like mine and parts support is great and its an extremely robust.
I have no idea how it will go around your local track so you would need to ask.

[lovechild]

Get all your equipment now and a cheap second hand kit and wait for the new cougar kf to come out. You will not need to buy a new kit for a very long time after that.

[G2510]

Sounds interesting, do you have a link to some info on the new KF? Would be well worth waiting for. Thanks

[/tobys]

Only rumoured, nothing confirmed officially afaik.

[Wacker 3]

I have got to agree with Neal, don't rule out the Yokomo range of cars. I have run Yokomo cars now since the B-Max2 MR was released and I have to admit it has a great base set up. Parts are long lasting, very strong and readily available.

[Ashlandchris]

I have got to agree with Neal, don't rule out the Yokomo range of cars. I have run Yokomo cars now since the B-Max2 MR was released and I have to admit it has a great base set up. Parts are long lasting, very strong and readily available.

Also the ability to switch from rear to mid and vice versa is great

[Yachty]

I would look for a secondhand car with upgrades on here, decent cars go cheaply. In regards to brands I would see what everyone else is running as being able to share information and parts makes the learning quicker. But I would be tempted to stick to your final brand for example an upgraded SV2 would be my suggestion fun but when change to say a KF there a chance some of your spares bin will remain useful.

[archtech]

The B5M is a very robust car, good for getting back into racing and letting 7yo have a go with speed turned right down. The Yokamo (parden spelling if wrong) bmax 2 is also a serious car and has advantage of being convertable mid ,rear motor setups. As probably been said already see what others at your local track use , they can prob give a more focused view on whay runs well on that track. Although is still up to you remamber that, personaly ignored everyone and got b5m myself mainly because i liked the styling. Whatever you decide to choose im sure you will enjoy it . Let us know you decision in the end and why you chose the car.

[dwp102]

havent neil cragg and ben jemmison been running a hybrid b5m of various forms recently? which would surely indicate that they clearly feel there is room for improvement with that chassis?

[cutting42]

havent neil cragg and ben jemmison been running a hybrid b5m of various forms recently? which would surely indicate that they clearly feel there is room for improvement with that chassis?

Yes they are running a combination of B44 rear end with B5 front end. This is to compete with the front motor cars such as the Schumacher KF that are for use predominantly on very high grip astro.

I don't think it is a reflection on the B5M being deficit anywhere, just that it is a traditional mid motor car and a front motor is needed for may tracks now.

[G2510]

Thanks All, I really appreciate your comments and advice. Lets see what the next couple of weeks "Research" brings to light and I will of course update this thread with my final purchase. Cheers Guys

[G2510]

Hi All

As promised here is an update. Today I opened a shiny new kit in the form of the TD dex210 V2.

The kit looks amazing so far . Very high quality .

I look forward to seeing all the Mendip club down there as soon as I am built and ready!

Thanks to everyone for their advice. It was invaluable. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[CARB]

Good choice, I think you will like it

[keenbutkrap]

ben jemmison was running a schumacher kf at york indoor maybee he has had enough of building a car out of bits and running something finished

[The Joker]

Hi All

As promised here is an update. Today I opened a shiny new kit in the form of the TD dex210 V2.

The kit looks amazing so far . Very high quality .

I look forward to seeing all the Mendip club down there as soon as I am built and ready!

Thanks to everyone for their advice. It was invaluable. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

I had my shortlist down too Team Durango and Team C, in the end I went for Team C, it should arrive tomorrow so I can start building.