Which R/C for backgarden?
Discussion
I am wanting to buy a couple of R/C 'cars' for the back garden / front garden. We will build a course on grass / over jumps / etc. for nephews / nieces (and of course all adults of an appropriate age!)
Wanting:
- electric
- RTR (don't mind assembly but doesn't seem to be any cheaper)
- including battery / charger / controller / etc.
- robust enough for children 6+ to use and to take some jumps of maybe up to 12inches etc.
Not wanting to spend a huge amount, so as low as possible, but potentially between 70 -> £120 ish per vehicle and for 2 vehicles... if I can get lower, then that would be great...
Was looking at:
- Carnage 2 at £119.00 - https://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-carnage-2-0-1-10-...
- Maverick Phantom XT at £110.00 - https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=...
but both are 1/10 scale which may perhaps be too big for a back garden? (garden is about 170ft long, so reasonable size)
- FTX Tracer at £53.99 so under half price https://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-tracer-1-16-rtr-t...
is the price mainly because it is much smaller, or are there other reasons?
Any thoughts would be very welcome!
Wanting:
- electric
- RTR (don't mind assembly but doesn't seem to be any cheaper)
- including battery / charger / controller / etc.
- robust enough for children 6+ to use and to take some jumps of maybe up to 12inches etc.
Not wanting to spend a huge amount, so as low as possible, but potentially between 70 -> £120 ish per vehicle and for 2 vehicles... if I can get lower, then that would be great...
Was looking at:
- Carnage 2 at £119.00 - https://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-carnage-2-0-1-10-...
- Maverick Phantom XT at £110.00 - https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=...
but both are 1/10 scale which may perhaps be too big for a back garden? (garden is about 170ft long, so reasonable size)
- FTX Tracer at £53.99 so under half price https://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-tracer-1-16-rtr-t...
is the price mainly because it is much smaller, or are there other reasons?
Any thoughts would be very welcome!
The_Jackal said:
Anything from the FTX range will be perfect.
Spares are easy to get and cheap. Most of htem are built on the same chassis, so just pick up a couple of what you like the look of, or want to spend
Thank you - which size should I be going for?Spares are easy to get and cheap. Most of htem are built on the same chassis, so just pick up a couple of what you like the look of, or want to spend
I don't want cars that are:
- too big for the garden and tricky to use
- too small and therefore struggle with grass / obstacles / etc.
If that FTX 1/16 model is okay - then the price is fantastic in comparison, but if it will be too small, I would rather spend a bit more...
1/10 sounds like the perfect size for your garden!
1/16 will struggle with highish grass and jumps, and you won't be able to see it properly when it reaches the end of the garden.
If you can, go for brushless motor and LiPo for speed and battery range, otherwise you will want to upgrade quite soon enough.
1/16 will struggle with highish grass and jumps, and you won't be able to see it properly when it reaches the end of the garden.
If you can, go for brushless motor and LiPo for speed and battery range, otherwise you will want to upgrade quite soon enough.
Nothing really likes long grass.
They are all the same to drive, trickiness is not an issue.
You want something like the vantage or carnage.
Forget brushless as price just keeps creeping and it just makes people crash into things faster.
Just get a couple and use them. Listening to a hundred suggestions will just confuse you, as they will end up suggesting you buy a 300 quid model.
Doing a track is most important as it will give you a purpose, rather than running around randomly in a circle.
They are all the same to drive, trickiness is not an issue.
You want something like the vantage or carnage.
Forget brushless as price just keeps creeping and it just makes people crash into things faster.
Just get a couple and use them. Listening to a hundred suggestions will just confuse you, as they will end up suggesting you buy a 300 quid model.
Doing a track is most important as it will give you a purpose, rather than running around randomly in a circle.
Vandenberg said:
Wonder how long it will take for the RC manufacturers to emulate the Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit tech for tracks, that would be great.
Hadn't seen that - brilliant, now... if they could make the missiles real it would be a lot more fun - tie this into RC cars into the technology in RC tanks and we have a good combined solution! 
sgrimshaw said:
PushedDover said:
Watching with interest .... and I wonder what would suit a one acre paddock...... 
1/5th Scale Petrol 
Two obviously
matrignano said:
Ok, was keen. Then saw price.
A little creep......
PushedDover said:
Watching with interest .... and I wonder what would suit a one acre paddock......
The size of the field makes no difference.Things have moved on a lot since the old 80s Tamiya days.
Your only problem is setting yourself a limit money wise.
Whatever you buy will be fine. If you go big with Traxass or Arma, the cost of the truck will be the cheapest part once you start buying batteries.
The_Jackal said:
The size of the field makes no difference.
agree - we are on c. 1/4 acre - but beyond that - either you want something you ride on (go kart type thing), or actually you won't use all the field - there will be as much fun from building jumps and ditches etc. in a smaller part of the field - suddenly you are at 1/5th - 1/10th of the price of that rather nice one listed above!The best thing about modern RC is run time, Get a decent capacity battery (I exclusively use LiPo) and you're looking at an hour or more!
I remember my Tamiya R/C models as a child with a 7.2v NiCad which would struggle to give 5-7mins!
You get bored before the battery runs out in my experience. Son has an RTR Carnage - perfect for back garden bashing. He got it when he was about 7 IIRC, so robust enough for learners
I remember my Tamiya R/C models as a child with a 7.2v NiCad which would struggle to give 5-7mins!
You get bored before the battery runs out in my experience. Son has an RTR Carnage - perfect for back garden bashing. He got it when he was about 7 IIRC, so robust enough for learners
PushedDover said:
Ok, was keen.
Then saw price.
A little creep......
I have no knowledge of how good these are, but Nitrotek has been around for sometime, maybe someone has personal experience :Then saw price.
A little creep......
https://www.nitrotek.co.uk/rc-cars/nitro-petrol-ca...
Noise level ?? should be no worse than a petrol strimmer
ETA ... 4wd conversion kit is only £99
Edited by sgrimshaw on Wednesday 11th November 10:33
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