New to RC

[mclarenmatt]

Hi all,

Am looking to get into indoor racing at my local club, they run 1/10 buggies on AstroTurf setup. My only previous experience is with 2x HPI Savages I used to run!

My plan was to buy a high quality chassis and start with maybe more budget/middle electrics whilst I learn. I bought a looked after HB D413 with a few upgrades for a good price.

What motor/etc would you recommend? The Tekin products look awesome but they are quite expensive and maybe advanced for a newbie?

There are so many I don't know what to avoid!

Thanks.

[HOTSHOT III]

If you want good electrics for an excellent price take a look at the Turnigy Trackstar range of batteries, ESCs and motors. I raced 1/10th buggies at TORCH for 3 years and they were all I ever used, I regularly used to beat people running other setups costing 3-4 times as much.

IMO this is the best ESC in the Turnigy range as it seems easier to solder up than the later GenII version and is still very adjustable. Over on the American RCTech forum there's a whole thread dedicated to this ESC, it's very popular:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=42772

The program box for it is also very competitively priced:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__42932__Turnigy_TrackStar_Turbo_and_Waterproof_ES C_Programming_Box_UK_Warehouse_.html

The Trackstar motors and batteries are good too but bear in mind if you want to do any more than club racing they're not BRCA legal (although they are ROAR legal in the states). I ran the Trackstar ESC with Speed Passion motors to do the regionals and it worked fine so you can mix and match if you want to do the bigger events :thumbsup:

[mclarenmatt]

Thanks for the advice, had a look on hobby King and they are a quality price! Hopefully in a week or two they will be off back order. :)

I will be going for a 7.5T motor as that's what the others run at the club, what battery size will I need? They are 5min races with a bit of practice before hand.

[buggy#0]

You'll need a shorty pack for the D413, any will have enough mAh to cover a race so it's not really an issue. The Turnigy nano-tech packs from HobbyKing are popular, Kev at Inside Line also has very good prices, that's where I got my Team Orion packs - he has some Absima LiPos coming in soon which are also very well priced. I'd suggest getting a couple of packs so you can alternate between each race, it just ensures you can get each pack fully charged with a little cool-down period after use.

Charger-wise, there are several capable ones that won't break the bank. I've had an Overlander RC-6S Pro for 3 years now and it's never missed a beat, the HPI Reactor 500 is the same I believe. Absima again have some decent mid-range units.

[mclarenmatt]

Thanks for the help so far guy's much appreciated! :)

Would a setup such as this be okay to start then?

2x Batteries (http://www.insidelinemodels.com/inside-line-shop/batteries-lipo-nimh-alkaline/lipo-batteries/intellect-lipo-5000mah-100c-2s-shorty-shv-p)

ESC/7.5T Motor (http://www.insidelinemodels.com/inside-line-shop/motors-speedos-brushless/speed-control-esc/reventon-r-esc-2s-comp-v3-0-7-5r-combo-p)

Charger (http://www.insidelinemodels.com/inside-line-shop/electrical-equipment-and-accessories/chargers-and-dischargers/charger-cube-4-you-lipo-uk-version-p)

Edit: Servos are also need for steering/throttle - metal gears for durability?

Would these be okay for a starting setup to get me going? Or is the ESC/Motor a bit OTT?

[andrewc]

For me the motor is good; you can go for a slower one if you like, 9 or 10 but a 7.5 will be good as you improve.

You only need a steering servo, throttle servos are for cars with an engine, your throttle will be controlled by your ESC.

Personally I'd go for the fastest servo you can afford...I like Savox and swear by them, but you'll get lots of people telling you their personal favourite brand! Try a Savox SC-1257 if you've got the budget...about £44.

[mclarenmatt]

Thanks for the help people. :)

Going to look around a bit more and decide on my final list.

[danDanEFC]

Don't forget to go to your local track, just point at stuff and say 'what's that?' We all love talking about our cars.