The RC (remote control) Raptor from Birdman's sig

[bfr]

Well I by no means fall into the "somone that is into this RC stuff" category...however I've owned a Traxxas E-Maxx or something for a while (high bidder at some fundraiser) and have had some fun with it over the years...and no wrecks requiring parts or knowledge so that's good. Anyway...

These in my book are the easy options:

The link I listed for the $199 RTR (ready to run) is what I'd call the LOW version. That comes with the charger and the truck, etc. All you'd have to do is buy, paint and install (a couple clips is all it takes) the Raptor body, charge your battery and you're ready to rock.

The MID level could be the $399 Traxxas Stampede 4x4 VXL RTR. That comes with the 7 cell Traxxas Power Cell 8.4V NiMH battery. Again add the body and you're hitting 35mph+.

The HIGH would be the $399 Traxxas Stampede 4x4 VXL RTR but also buy a high end LiPO battery setup. I don't have the part number right now and I don't think the Hobby People site carries them...but something in the 11.1V upwards of 5000maH that fits. You may have to solder the Traxxas charging end on it too. I'll figure it out and post back...unless someone who actually knows this stuff does it first. That will get you 60mph+ range.

 

[bfr]

So here are some higher end LiPO batteries to look for:

SMC LiPo 11.1V 8000mAh 20C

MaxAmps LiPo 11.1v 6500mAH 3-cell

Venom LiPo 11.1V 5400mAh 20C

all can be had with the proper Traxxas plug connector installed or come with the appropriate adapter.

More mAH usually means longer run time. Some may require a battery hold down strap as they might be a tad bigger than the original.

Some of these guarantee 70mph+.

 

[bfr]

...and my take only, the car that started this discussion, the one in Birdman's signature pictured above...IMHO is the best looking of all the Raptor RC bodies I've seen. (Plus all the pics are of it in black!!!!) Some of the others just look wimpy and cheap...ie I don't care for the Proline's.

I may have just talked myself into throwing down the debit card....

 

[mblgjr]

Traxxas Slash all the way!

Not best for general bashing in tall grass or serious dirt; though the SCT/Corr platform offers the best in scale looks with the body covering the tires. The Slash 4x4 is a fair basher; but be aware that the JConcepts Raptor body is molded with racing in mind, not scale looks. The Proline SCT Raptor body is much more scale in this instance.

For racing, that's a separate discussion altogether; but the Associated SC10, Losi ***-SCT or HPI Blitz are better options by far.

BFR: I agree with your general list for hi/med/low baselines.

I don't think the Proline bodies are inferior to the JC; but a few of the guys @ JC (the owner of JC in particular) are Ford-fans. A lot of the looks has to do with how they're painted.

Everyone keep in mind the RC bodies are all molded in clear-lexan and must be painted on the inside with a laquer-type or RC-specific (Pactra) paint. It's tedious and time consuming to paint an extremely scale looking body with fancy details, only to go destroy it bashing around or racing. PM me if you want a list of a few painters. All the decals you see for head/tail lights are printed peel/stick decals. You have to cut them out and place them on the outside of the body, but they're tough, good looking and easily placed.

Best deal under $500... would be a close tie between the Emaxx VXL and the newer Stampede 4x4 VXL setup. Either has aftermarket support and you can get scale looks with either. The Emaxx would be my choice though.

High-powered brushless systems in a 2wd, on 3S Lipo (11.1V) is pretty useless offroad. Great for ripping up/down the street though. But you can't possibly put that kind of power down with 2wd in dirt.

Lipo batteries have become the norm for both bashers and racers. Higher Mah does equate to more runtime, but physical pack dimensions must be considered for your given vehicle. Higher Mah packs are physically larger.


Also, 5000mah is a gracious plenty and you'll have no issue with runtimes in excess of 10mins or more if you're just driving around. But, with brushless systems you must also pay attention to the "C" ratings; not just Mah and Voltage. In basic terms, the higher the C rating, the better the pack is at delivering the amperage efficiently and the truck will feel stronger/faster and have more punch.

For Lipo you MUST *MUST* have a balancing type charger. There are literally tons on the market now, many are budget friendly and most all are easy to use. A good charger will make your life a lot easier and keep you running longer; both from proper pack maintenance and being able to safely fast-charge the packs.

Most NiMh packs are able to be trickle or fast charged very easily. Most RTR kits will come equipped with 6 or 7 Cell NiMh packs.

A 6cell 7.2V NiMh is equivalent to a 2S 7.4V lipo; but the lipo will be considerably more powerful and deliver longer runtimes (even with equal Mah ratings).

To add to the battery mfg. list; ThunderPower, SpeedZoneUSA and Intellect should be considered. Most Amain Hobbies store-brand packs are Intellect cells and are excellent. Team Trinity was also using Intellect at one point. One group likes MaxAmps because they make the packs easy to buy and you can tell what fits what; but for the money do your research and you can find similar packs for 1/2 the price.

For budget setups; HobbyKing USA has several, but the Zippy branded packs are quite good; though not hard cased (which isn't a necessity).

Most of my information above won't make sense to some of you until you start researching your purchase. Don't go in blind because most people spend about double the money they should have trying to be "cheap" and/or just buying the wrong things that they don't really need.

For those that want to look for used equipment, go over to RCTech.net and scroll down the the classifieds section. It's a forum with trader ratings no different than any automotive forum. Great source of information (and plenty of misinformation too).

Magazines: RC Car Action; RC Driver; Xtreme RC Cars.

 

[mblgjr]

Also keep in mind that Traxxas owns the RTR and basher market. Most people in RC are in the 'hobby' for fun and that's what drives the RC Car Action reader's choice awards for the most part.

What I've seen for a long time is that guys eventually get tired of playing by themselves and decide they want to go racing. They come to the track expecting to race their backyard monster truck and are usually surprised and sometimes disappointed (or excited) at how different the race platforms are.

So if anyone has racing on the brain, stop and visit your local track to see what classes have the largest turnout before deciding on your purchase.

Sorry for being a bit long winded.

 

[CineSLR]

Not winded at all, that is some good info and great advice!

 

[WannaRaptor62]

thanks for all the info...I will reference this post if and when I decide to buy a Raptor RC truck. BTW, I just looked on ebay and you can get many pre-painted Raptor bodies for RC trucks.

 

[RPG]

here is my slash with the Pro-line raptor body. Love this thing, keeps me busy on my day off

 

[mblgjr]

^

And there you see why the 1/10 SCT class has taken off.

Reasonable performance and great scale looks.

Some companies have also released realistic (or licensed) tire tread patterns even. (HPI and Proline).

 

[peppercorn]

That thing looks huge, what are the approximate dimensions, length and width?