whats the crack these days???

[Thargor]

hey guys.. i stumbled upon your forum while looking for something else but it got me thinking.
i used to race years ago in the 90's. i got a mardave meteor for one christmas (when they were competitive) and i used to race in horwich every sunday at bolton buggy club...we modded the mardave so much i think it was the quickest one in exsistance at one point with the original chassis and silver star speed controller!!!! haha. i moved on to schumachers and i think ive still got a cougar 2 works somewhere in the house. i stopped going and the club closed eventually. i had a spurt a bit later at 1/8th on road as they sounded nuts.. didnt last long and i went to uni and discovered booze and girls...
i was just wondering what is the equipment to have these days? and could my old schumacher even come close to the pace of the new 1/10th buggys?
things i can remember being good from when i used to race electric are:
13 double motors that used to pretty much melt most mid priced speed controllers
SCR nicads? i think they were the best battery's
ha, a futaba attack transmitter on 40mhz (it was dated then when i owned it)
schumacher yellow spot tyres
an oakley sticker on your back wing
slipper clutches were coming in
and i think the last car to come out i knew about was the cougar 2000

i was just wondering where the technology was at these days and if the races were still 5 mins or if technology had advanced so that you can run longer races? when i last raced the cars would run out of power crossing the line most of the time and the really quick 4wd's would not usually finish the race haha...

cheers for any info

steve.....

[Bungleaio]

It's moved on so far it's unbelievable.

The essential parts of the cars are the same but the electronics are so different. Motors no longer have brushes and are ultra efficient. Batteries are all Lipo's now really, massive power and able to run for 15 mins + if you want to.

Races are generally 5 mins still as it's a format that works but dumping is not an issue.

Have a look at one of the shop's websites and have a look at the kit available. www.rccarshop.co.uk

[Thargor]

cheers yeah i will......

not sure where this "start the clock post has come from" :eh?:


brushless motors? how do they work? does that mean no more skimming??? i remember that being a pain... i used to run a 15 x 3 motor i think.. i had a 16 x 6 somewhere too....

do you thinkk the old chassis / gearbox could handle the power?
i know the old girl could get through the corners (probably) but would the diff / spur gear hold on??
i think another problem would be seals for the shocks.. but i bet some new shocks are the same length.... you still run 2.2" tyres??

[bigred5765]

i would say leave the old cougar as it worth a few quid now its a vintage class car spares will be hard to get hold of,and fare from competative,

[Thargor]

are old cars becoming collectables?? ive got some sick old sleds stashed away in my loft...
yes i think it would depend on the spares really... would be cool to see a quick cougar 2 again tho....
whats the grid sizes like nowadays? i remember at bolton back in the day we used to have finals all the way down to G at a club race....i remember going to somewhere in bury a few years ago and the turnout was really poor.... i supposedthe kids like playstation now instead....

[Si Coe]

You can run it, and its better than you'd think, but given how cheap a Madrat kit is (£50) I suspect you'd be better off with that.

Anyway - I've PMed you more, but now this thread is tidied up I'm happy to post here.

Bury's typical club turnout these days tends to be around 30, Roundabout slightly less. Southport gets a little more, but 50+ is rare for a club meet.
The indoor series at Chadderton sometimes pulls in 100+ drivers though.

[Bungleaio]

People will pay good money for the right old cars, dig them out and get some photos in the vintage section and the guys will be able to help you with some prices.

Some meetings go down further than G finals but club days it won't be that busy.

[JCJC]

cheers yeah i will......

not sure where this "start the clock post has come from" :eh?:


brushless motors? how do they work? does that mean no more skimming??? i remember that being a pain... i used to run a 15 x 3 motor i think.. i had a 16 x 6 somewhere too....

do you thinkk the old chassis / gearbox could handle the power?
i know the old girl could get through the corners (probably) but would the diff / spur gear hold on??
i think another problem would be seals for the shocks.. but i bet some new shocks are the same length.... you still run 2.2" tyres??

Brushless motors are almost fit & forget, no skimming, are faster & have more power (windings on the rotor, electronics in the can cause it to rotate, only a bearing at each end to worry about), mostly an equilivant to a 9 turn is used (lower in TC), motors need a matching speed control, these can be programmed with different profiles.

Batteries are easy to use lipos, a lot less weight, always lots of power, without extra weight in the car they are too fast. Controls are 2.4g - auto picks a free channel (no crystals) always locks on to your car, switch on and go. Makes for more time twix heats for a wander & a chat, a nicer day for most ( not sure whats upset captainlip) cars all have slippers, still run yellow spot tyres etc. if the races were longer then we would not fit the heats & finals into a day. Big changes in the last couple of years, get down to a club a look around.

[Thargor]

just looking on that website now
yes those batterys/motors look very different...
cant believe after 20 years tyres are the same price!!!!!

[Thargor]

yeah i was pretty young when i started racing but i remember being totally busy between races tyring to get the car sorted for the next heat....
wow sounds awesome... no crysatlls??!!! amazing. you could get basic program speedos when i stopped. bet the cars weigh nothing... i suppopse charging the batterys is better now too.. i remember i had a special set of slow charge scc's i had to save for the final. i spen so much time messing with those things.. i had car headlights to plug them into to make sure they were discharged the right ammount before putting them oon charge at the exact time on sat night for them to be peaking in the morning before setting off...
are there any local indoor clubs racing in the evening in the mcr area??

[Si Coe]

As you are a Manc, I'd suggest JE Spares (http://www.jespares.com/) or Roundabout Toys (http://www.roundabouttoys.com/store/) depending on where you are in town.

Bury's club president and font of all Ansmann knowledge Stu Wood works at JE Spares.
Dave at Roundabout runs Roundabout Raceway.

Pop to either shop and talk to the guys there and they will fill you in on all you need to know to slot straight back into the racing scene.

[bigred5765]

bury are still up and running, southport are still racing,and round about raceway is a newish one
horwich is long gones and leigh to, shame i used to be able to race almost every day of the week,

[Si Coe]

yeah i was pretty young when i started racing but i remember being totally busy between races tyring to get the car sorted for the next heat....

are there any local indoor clubs racing in the evening in the mcr area??


Roundabout races every other Wednesday in Denton. They've got a proper, decent indoor offroad setup these days.
Stockport (http://www.stockportmcc.org.uk/) races on Thursdays in Cheadle. Its really more a TC club, and the track is tiny, but its still good fun, and very cheap.

Also a bit more of a haul, but Ribble run on Fridays in Leyland.

And yes - Bury and Southport still race Sundays.

[bigred5765]

lol forgot about leyland sorry guys and i only live 1 mile away from the track,didnt know stockport were still about,

[Si Coe]

You hadn't noticed that Terry pops up every time classic RC's are mentioned?
Mind you, I can't see Matty racing at that track!

Actually Thargor - Take your Cougar to Stockport. Their race director is a classic RC nut and will likely try to buy it off you there and then!

[Thargor]

if i can find it and blow off the cobwebs.. as i remember its in pretty good nick...
ive also got a serpent vector 1/8th ic an origional mardave meteor that has seen better days tbh and a 1/12th mardave stock car somewhere too....:D

[Thargor]

whats a madrat???
if i was going to race again and the cougar was not up to it i think i know what car id get......:woot:

whats the best current 1/10th buggy..?? jut name one dudes, see if im right :)

[Si Coe]

TBH, if you've got exactly no modern gear, I'd get an RC10B4.1 Brushless RTR. Its not perhaps the very best, but its £200 for a competitive 2wd chassis, 2.4ghz radio and a brushless system. Not national level for sure, but good enough for a season of club racing.

[Daryl]

In the same boat mate

Ive dug out a load of my BOSSCAT spares and found all my old race batteries and speed controller box and servo

its been about 16 years since i last raced competatively and the club i raced at no longer exist, I wish I had kept all my old cars now :(


Still looking forward to getting back involved :)

[Thargor]

so thats the full package????
there supposed to be quite good?? and i did always want an rc10
i cant drive with those wheel things though :thumbsup:

[Thargor]

looks like its wheel things or nothing at all.... does anyone still use sticks???

ahh the old bosscat.... didnt they have the snap back wishbones???

[Si Coe]

There are a few sticks still around - but wheels are much more common. I switched to wheel myself when my old Sanwa Gemini died, because I realised it was over £200 to replace with sticks, but only £80 for a wheel.

[Richard Lowe]

are there any local indoor clubs racing in the evening in the mcr area??
Welcome back!

If you can make it this Sunday there's a round of the Chadderton winter series on which will be a decent turnout, you're in for a shock when you see how the cars have changed :drool:

To sum up...
Lipo batteries - 1 pack all day (just top it up), no discharging or balance trays or any of that nonsense.
Brushless motors - No more comm lathes, just bolt it in and leave it.
2.4Ghz transmitters/recievers - No crystals to worry about, turn on whenever you like.
Personal transponders - Fit and forget, no need to wait for/return the club transponders each race.

Runtime and power are no longer an issue, though the extra grunt we have now is quite a bit harder on the drivetrains - diff's need a little more looking after than they used to. Stay sensible with your motor choice and you'll be almost maintenance free, a 10.5 turn in a 2wd will be nice and easy to drive yet still have way more power than you ever thought possible compared to your 15 triple :)

[Richard Lowe]

There are a few sticks still around - but wheels are much more common.
Stick transmitters are still more widely used in 10th in the UK, more people are using wheels than they used to but are still in the minority.

[Si Coe]

True - but new sticks?
I would still be running sticks if my decade old Sanwa hadn't broken - good radio gear lasts a long time. And I could convert my old Esprit to 2.4ghz, but that cost as much as a new EX-5UR and two receivers, so I went for that!

For new radio's wheels outsell sticks.

At Bury and Southport its 50/50 if not more in favor of wheels, and the newer the drivers the more likely they run wheel

[Thargor]

ha wow... sanwa gemini... i always wanted one of those...and balance trays.....
sounds like now you get loads of time to mess with set up....(the best bit)

dunno about this sunday.. would love to come to a big turnout event but the girlfriend works away and i aint seen her in three weeks so i might (will definately) get in trouble if i go watching rc racing on sunday....:thumbsup:

[Thargor]

yeah thought it would be the kids wanting those horrible steering wheel things...im surprised you cant get xbox shaped controllers.. now theres an idea.....

[qatmix]

Cheadle (Stockport) is a good laugh. Yep they also run everything from TC's to Buggies but a lot of guys have both. Infact some guys are still racing an old cougar along with a mardave cobra.

I wouldnt buy anything until you've been down to a couple of clubs to get a good handle on things. If you bought a B4 and most run 4wd at your local club it will be a waste.

Hey you might even fancy the dark side... TC's are actually brilliant fun. (And I used to be a hardcore off roader)

[terry.sc]

are old cars becoming collectables?? ive got some sick old sleds stashed away in my loft...
There are some of us who have quite large collections of vintage r/c cars.
Depending on the car and the condition it's in, they can be worth a lot (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SCHUMACHER-COUGAR-2-/250771267281?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item3a6321ded1) but they do need to be in good condition. I prefer to collect used racers, because it's good to know they have actually turned wheels and have the scars to show, but more importantly they cost a fraction of buying mint examples.

looks like its wheel things or nothing at all.... does anyone still use sticks???

As for stick radios there are plenty about. For a good spec mid range radio look for the Futaba 3GR in either 40mhz or 2.4Ghz. For a bargain basement set there's the Etronix Pulse EX3G Pro, although I'd personally spend the extra on the Futaba. At the opposite end of the scale there's the KO Esprit 3 Universe if you've got deep pockets.

[terry.sc]

didnt know stockport were still about,
I've been running it for 18 years now and we're still going strong, 20+ drivers every week.:thumbsup:

[Thargor]

i wish id came across all this 2 yrs ago when i was living in stockport and working in stockport :o

yeah my old cars are all in good nick...when i was i teenager i was obsessed with the car being perfect for the next race...

ill come along to a club day/night for a watch if nothing else.... i might be moving to Canada soon so was looking to see if i could carry on racing out there but it does not look good for 1/10th off road..it does not look good for any type of small racing out there... just the big stuff that you sit in that tends to be a bit more expensive.

[Thargor]

what night is stockport on?
are there any local (to bolton) 1/10 indoor buggy nights tomorrow night???

[singin pete]

Ribble in Leyland is only 20 mins down the road for you if you fancy a look. We normally have between 30 - 40 drivers on a Friday night mainly buggies. I'm sure if you come down you will get lots of help and info from everyone.
Doors open 18.30 first race 19.30.

Peter

www.rvrccc.co.uk

[Thargor]

sweet, yeah ill see if i can make it.....
i still have not found my cougar :confused:
i have found a couple of my brothers 1/12th stockers and a load of my batterys and other electronics he must have stolen and the box for the cougar plus instruction manual but no car????!??!?!?? :)

[Thargor]

what car you running pete ill look out for it....

[singin pete]

I run a brushless B4 with Lipo's and Mardave if I've got time to have a go.

Come and have a word with me on race control and I will show you around.

[Thargor]

cool i will doo....

[dodgydiy]

thargor, what part of canada, had a look at a track in edmonton when on holiday out there, they ran 1/8 and bigger. they also ran 1/10 and smaller indoors in the winter... just like us really

[Thargor]

thats the trouble with Canada, its so damn big.
im moving to vancouver and then vancouver island. i know there is a club in vancouver but it would be too far to travel to from the island. i also know of a very small club on vancouver island but im not sure if they still race.

[terry.sc]

what night is stockport on?
Thursdays, full information here http://www.stockportmcc.org.uk/


i still have not found my cougar :confused:
i have found a couple of my brothers 1/12th stockersWell there's always Urmston http://www.urccc.co.uk/ :lol: