Im new...please dont laugh at me...

[rookieracer]

Especially if this is in the wrong forum.....I want to race 1/10 electric buggies...is one called an Ansmann Mad Smacker any good?

[Hyper-1983]

Welcome. Not familiar with the ansam but if you look further down the forum there is a section for ansamm and I am sure someone there will be able to help you better.:thumbsup:

[DCM]

it is ok for bashing, but racing, you may find it a little hard to keep going.

[rookieracer]

it is ok for bashing, but racing, you may find it a little hard to keep going.

Whys that? Is it hard to drive?

[DCM]

It isn't very reliable, we had a chap buy one, a regular racer, and on a track, it just wasn't very good at all.

[rookieracer]

It isn't very reliable, we had a chap buy one, a regular racer, and on a track, it just wasn't very good at all.

I'll give that a miss then...Ive had a look online at some Tamiya models....if anyones got any suggestions for my 1st car please let me know...Im looking at 1/10 electric buggies

[racdeaf]

I'll give that a miss then...Ive had a look online at some Tamiya models....if anyones got any suggestions for my 1st car please let me know...Im looking at 1/10 electric buggies

ideal first car for u would be
For 2WD Team associated B4 easy to get parts elsewhere
for 4WD Team associated B44 again easy to get parts elsewhere

but there is still fair few cars to look at but just take your time and pick up all details which best option to go for

worth to look at
losi xxxcr 2wd
losi xxx4we 4wd
kyosho RB5 2wd
kyosho lazer ZX5 4wd

[Richard Lowe]

An Associated B4 RS RTR is a very good first car. Pretty much everyone will have had some experience of a B4 over the years, so plenty of help/advice is available and spares are very easy to get :)

[ConceptRacing]

I would have to disagree, the Mad rat is a good enough car to race, ok you need to do a few things to make it work to its best ability but then what car doesnt need some thing doing to it, for the price you cant get much better than that and also when you consider the X-PRO is now £100 retail, you cant go far wrong.

[DCM]

I have had both, and for the beginner, the B4 is the best bet, plenty of spares, help, advice, and is almost bullet proof.

[rookieracer]

Ive also seen on called an HSP XSTR ??

[Si Coe]

Avoid anything by HSP!

The Associated B4 RS is a very good choice. Associated have literally just announced a B4.1 RTR to replace the RS, fitted with a number of features that make it more appealing to bashers (a geared diff especially) and available with brushless. The thing is the older B4 RS is fine, and since its being replaced the price might come down.

What is quite interesting if you are very short of money is the Step-Up Stinger. The brushless version is just less than £150, comes with a 2.4ghz radio and seems to be pretty bulletproof. Certainly Johnny's one can take a hammering and bounce back, but it handles pretty well. His is the truck (I think only this comes brushless) but there is a buggy too.

[alexb4]

Ive had a b4 since i started racing great car and evryone nows about one and most have had one so will be able to help you the best car you can get if i was you i would get one with all electrics of ebay when your starting. But it is a good idea to buy new and lern about the car and how to fix it when you build it.

Best first car is a B4 !!!

[RogerM]

The best bet to get going is one of the RTR packages.

The two that stand out are the Associated B4 RTR (2wd) and the Kyosho ZX5-RTR (4wd).
A 2wd car will be easier to look after and cheaper to run (usually less complicated and thus less likely to go wrong / need parts).

There are others and everybody will ahve their favourites but the two cars above will prove good for a first car. If I had to advise one over the other I'd say get the B4 RTR as learning to drive with 2wd then going for a 4wd is much easier than learning with a 4wd and trying to get on with a 2wd.

[blue_pinky]

+1 for a B4 if your thinking about getting into racing at clubs etc :thumbsup:

Cheap and easy to maintain, loads of knowledge to share, great to start out, grow and develop with, and win major competitions with if your thumbs are up it later on! None of the madrats etc have that pedigree so far!

If your not sure about competitive racing at all then maybe one of the cheaper options is more economical.

[Battle_axe]

+1 for the madrat if you are really tight on cash but i am sure a b4 would serve you well aswell to be honest they are both as quick as each other so it really depends as to what you want spares with the B4 trackside are easyer to get but the madrat is so cheep you could have another one just for the spares

[Smartalec]

+1 for the madrat if you are really tight on cash but i am sure a b4 would serve you well aswell to be honest they are both as quick as each other so it really depends as to what you want spares with the B4 trackside are easyer to get but the madrat is so cheep you could have another one just for the spares
You mean you'll NEED another one just for spares :p
Go for a second hand B4, there are loads for sale on here or ebay usually and you can get a decent one for not much more than the price of a new Madrat. There's no comparison in quality and the B4 is bombproof in comparison :thumbsup:

[mark christopher]

yup b4 rtr. and maybe another battery and quick charger, the B4 IS a proven winner and it the same geometry etc as the top guys use, learn to drive it then look and getting better electronics as the car will still be good

madrat IS a CHEAP toy

[budgio]

One of these is what i,d recommend, they are due out soon.
http://www.redrc.net/2009/12/team-associated-rc10b4-1-rtr-buggy/

If you are on a budget then get the X-PRO.

[sparrow.2]

+1 for the Associated B4RS and even more so the new brushless RTR one, which has the very desirable bulletproof gear diff and a bunch of other nice features along with decent electronics.

If you're just starting out and want to get into racing 2wd is a lot easier to work on and run without requiring as much maintenance.

Best bet is to get what the majority of the people at your club run and which you can get parts for locally. This is usually Associated stuff.

[coolcars782]

+1 for B4 :thumbsup:

[Ben.G]

if anyones got any suggestions for my 1st car please let me know...Im looking at 1/10 electric buggies


I personally would recomend the HPI Cyber 10b as a starter 4WD .

I know 5 people who run them and all love the car :thumbsup:

http://www.hpieurope.com/kit-info.php?partNo=100703&lang=en

[Col]

Unless cash is really tight I'd avoid anything RTR if racing is gonna be it's use. Sooner or later nearly every single part on the car will need replacing as they are made with inferior quality parts, so when more power is wanted/needed not only do all the electrics need replacing but most of the drivetrain as well.
The new B4.1 does go someway to sorting this problem out, though.

For my 2p I'd but everything secondhand.

[mattlynch]

after reading some of issues reported about the mad rat/ x-pro cars on this forum i was gonna sell mine, but after beating the c##p out of mine with a 5.5 brushless system all is fine at the moment ,no shock cap issues , no broken T plates , no broken shock towers, spares back up seems good at the moment too but chances are the b4 bits will be easier to get trackside, if you are gonna be racing stock class the ansmann cars are the ones to go for, if you are gonna go for mod class then the b4 will save some snears, if that sort of thing matters to you, just take your time with the b4 shox ( they can be a pain)and search the forums to get a better picture of both cars potential weaknesses, nowt is perfect and you pays your money, good luck

[rookieracer]

OK....just to confuse matters more...Im looking at Nitro cars too...is this the right thing to do or would I be better sticking with electric?

[peetbee]

You'd be better off sticking to electric if that's what your local club runs, all depends on if you want to go racing or not.

[rookieracer]

OK...electric it is...based on advise on here and my budget Ive narrowed it down to 2 cars, the step up stinger or the Madrat...I know that neither are the ferraris of buggy racing but I can always upgrade as I go along.....anyone agree/disagree?

[Si Coe]

Both do represent an excellent starting point for racing.
The Stinger is tougher but cruder, and as yet the promised range of hop-ups haven't been released. If you can stretch to the £150 for the brushless version and don't mind that its a truck not a buggy I'd get that.
The Madrat is a cheaper version of an X-Pro which is a full on race buggy. It has a few weak points (rear t-plate) but to some extent this is beginning to be addressed and newer ones seem to be stronger there than the first kits.

[rookieracer]

Ive also seen the Ansmann Master Smacker in my budget...is that suitable?

[MikePimlott]

it is ok for bashing, but racing, you may find it a little hard to keep going.

It isn't very reliable, we had a chap buy one, a regular racer, and on a track, it just wasn't very good at all.

Posts from this thread

[Adam F]

Personally its got to be the B4, its a great car and bits/set-ups are dead easy to get, plus it will be worth something if you decide racing is not for you!

I have seen people trying to sell madrats etc on ebay, but they go for peanuts, a B4 will always be worth a few quid.. :)

[jhammond]

+1 for a B4.

Your best bet it to buy one second-hand and then dismantle and rebuild. This way you'll know every component and you'll find it easier to perform maintenance.

Again, spares are more easily sought, advice on setup is also in abundance.

Any slop can be shimmed out: I find this really helps. Ultimately it will also decrease the acceleration of wear.

If you're looking to spend money on anything in particular my advice would be to invest in a good ESC, in my opinion this is the one thing that needs to be reliable and it's also the thing that provides most of the performance.

Don't waste your money on shiny things, rather springs and tyres. And just go and have fun racing.


Julius.

[Adam F]

Its good advice, if you rebuild a second hand car you will be able to get a basic set-up on the car before you get to the track, plus if something does break you will already have some experience of how it all goes together..

I have seen second hand RTR B4's on ebay for as little as £100-£150, so they are not overly expensive and give a good base to add bits as you go.

[peetbee]

Personally I would consider the Thunder Tiger Phoenix 2 as an alternative to the the Stinger & Madrat
http://www.fusionhobbies.com/Thunder-Tiger-Phoenix-BX-II-Yellow-p/tt6540f32.htm

It's basically a rereleased Associated B3 and there are many hop ups available.

However, it's hard to argue against a secondhand B4, it depends what your budget is.

[blue_pinky]

The only time I've seen a smacker was at a Cobra event in Cardiff...when it's electrics went up in smoke!!! Was a while ago, and not a 'master' smacker...from memory it didn't really compete with the other cars that day and looked to me to be more of a toy/bashing car than a racing car.

What's the budget? If you don't mind us asking?

And how much racing do you want to do?

The answers to those questions will really help us to help you :thumbsup:

[rookieracer]

The only time I've seen a smacker was at a Cobra event in Cardiff...when it's electrics went up in smoke!!! Was a while ago, and not a 'master' smacker...from memory it didn't really compete with the other cars that day and looked to me to be more of a toy/bashing car than a racing car.

What's the budget? If you don't mind us asking?

And how much racing do you want to do?

The answers to those questions will really help us to help you :thumbsup:

Budget is up to £200 thats including everything....Im looking at racing at club level every 1 or 2 weeks

[MikePimlott]

Budget is up to £200 thats including everything....Im looking at racing at club level every 1 or 2 weeks

You Really do need to wait for the RRP on the Associated B4.1 RTR with brushless and 2.4Ghz radio. This will be the best starter package ever been offered.

[rookieracer]

You Really do need to wait for the RRP on the Associated B4.1 RTR with brushless and 2.4Ghz radio. This will be the best starter package ever been offered.

Any idea on a date for that RRP?

[MikePimlott]

Any idea on a date for that RRP?

Suggested retail is $389.99 on AE website so thats £245-ish.

But when shops here in the UK have them in the price may be better than that. :thumbsup:

[blue_pinky]

In that case it sounds like your reasonably serious about giving it go :thumbsup:

£200 is a tight but dooable budget to get going on...and with some careful purchases you'll find some good fun and competitive racing too!

I'd suggest you visit the club your going to race at BEFORE you buy anything...see it first hand...ask to see what people are running...ask the people there for their opinions, see what it's like in the flesh...websites and spec's on paper are one thing...but seeing the real thing first hand is another completely...you'll get what we're talking about a bit more then, and might even meet some people with some bargains while your there...:)

IMO the 2nd hand B4 suggestion is much closer to where you should be looking than the annsman stuff...except maybe the X-Pro which looks to be more race spec than any of the others. That would then allow you to grow into it. Racing regularly you might out grow the smacker in a few weeks and be looking for another car that goes better and is tougher, you'll be breaking stuff to begin with!

I started out with a simliar budget, a B4 and entirely 2nd hand bits and bobs....and gradually spent more money as I got better!

Mostly though...enjoy!!!!

[rookieracer]

All I need to do is sell my RC plane to help fund this....anyone interested?

[dbizzle5]

Budget is up to £200 thats including everything....Im looking at racing at club level every 1 or 2 weeks

My 9 year old nephew wants a car for xmas to start racing and I have put together a 2nd hand b4, sanwa gemini 2 40mg radio, nosram dominator speedo, new 20t motor, scanner fast servo and 2 new batteries for £200. With this he will be able to use for a long time and as he improves all he will really need is maybe a better motor. Id deffo advise 2nd hand.