Jonathon Gillham

The TA08R would be my pick. Every club will have a touring car class so that will always have a place to run. The inclided hopups are well worth the extra over the Pro. Unfortunately that hasn't been my experience. Running 30min on grass witg no collisons can cause the problem. It never used to be this way, so hopefully we get some arms that are made properly!

I think that the PowerHD stuff from Aliexpress should be fine, the ones I would be wary of are when they have brands like Futaba which seems really out of place on that kind of platform.

Thats rough pointing put that 2007 is 16years ago! You could have just said an old thread, way to make us all feel old But also, yes easy to convert a DB01 to 12mm hex, have done it with Tamiya parts. Only Tamiya parts work unless you want to drill out the hexes though, the axles are weird.

I tried some banggood solder which appeared to be the right spec but it was terrible. Splashed out on loctite brand solder and its night and day difference. Cost heaps, but will last years and is well worth it. I got it from a local shop who recommended the right one for the job. Its loctite 511 5C https://www.synergyelectronics.co.nz/store/multicore-60-40-crystal-511-solder-wire-0.91mm

If you go brushless then see if you can pick up the high speed gearset. This will allow you to gear properly for 13.5T and 17.5T motors which would be plenty fast in a Top Force. The handling is good enough for an 8.5T motor (basicqlly that suits the stock FDR) but I'm not sure its durable enough and you could end up breaking a lot of stuff...

It seems to only be an issue with the later batch as the previous runs of rere and original cars didn't have the issue. So hopefully Tamiya fix the plastic and produce more like the earlier ones

I've had this same problem with an F103. In the end I used little spacers to raise the top deck so I could fit a shorty NiMH - the biggernthe capacity tye bigger the cells. A 5000mah NiMH wont fit. Around 3000mah and smaller should, but I dont have a Group C chassis and the batteries are probably different across brands. Lipo - i have the gensace 4000mah round case lipos. The only measurement that is the issue is the length. They are a few mm too long, but the other dimensions fit. I'm pretty sure the Core RC CR293 fits though as its a couple of mm shorter than most. @TurnipJF will be able to confirm if I have that model number right. Those gensace batteries fit my other rere - they are a little long but still fit. This is Boomerang, Novafox, Lunchbox, Monster Beetle, Super Astute, Top Force so a reasoanble range. Also obviously fits the modern stuff too.

Couldn't you get a chassis plate cut out of carbon fibre to give whatever wheelbase you want on your F104?

I have no idea if this will help, but will be following this thread. I just replaced a front arm on each of the St Dragon and Fire Dragon yesterday (along with fixing the FireDragon steering thanks to Twinfan). A simple fix like above would be ideal, and I'm pretty sure I already have the brass tube

You are a carbon cutting ninja! Wow your work is amazing. I have the same tools as you but could never hope to get that kind of finished product!

I've tried loads of servos and generally stuff like the SPT4412LV is fantastic. There is one outlier which performs so well it should be twice the price, the Savox 1258TG. It is properly fast, strong and also bulletproof. I've had loads which lasted years of abuse until a flood took them out. I suspect they are USD70 so outside of the OG posters range, but they are genuinely good. They are the one servo which I have gone out of my way to buy new The one limitation is 6V, so if you have new esc with 7.4V BEC it could be a problem. Otherwise they are amazing

The M17 comes with a 1S lipo but the MT5 doesn't. However, it can take one (the Sanwa branded one is actually reasonably priced) and then can be charged with a USB cable. Here the MT5 is NZD499 and the battery NZD69, so its getting up there. It takes 3 AAA batteries otherwise which is much better than the 8 AAs from years ago!

I suspect he moved to follow the crowd. His initial setup was at the cheaper end (Sakura onroad chassis) so I guess he upgraded everything once he established he liked it. Actually those Sakura kits are a great example of buying cheap and it ruining the fun - they broke all the time. My M17 is charged through a usb port, just like the FS GT3C. I assume the MT5 will too as its a new model? Thats one downside about futaba - pretty sure they take life batteries which are near impossible to get. Sanwa takes lipos and there are plenty of options available even if the don't all charge with a USB

Don't Futaba also make the 10PX in sticks too? Of course it will cost the same as the Exzes ZZ...

I think the Futaba 4GRS is a midrange stick radio. I'm pretty sure its a 4PLS in stick form, and about hakf the price of the EXZES ZZ I know 2 people who bought the NB4. One now has a Sanwa (not sure if MT5 or M17) and the other raves about the NB4 BUT he is lefthanded and its the only radio you can just flip the wheel around on. I doubt you can go wrong with any of those 3 though

A SkyRC motor analyser turned up today. Have a few new brushless motors to setup so this should be fun. Got lucky and one turned up secondhand

I agree with your point that a basic completion kit is adequate. It will get the car going, no question. Bear in mind this thread was started to discuss higher end tx so as not to derail a beginner thread too, so all the answers are in that context. I made so many mistakes when getting back into the hobby which were through inexperience and I wished I had known a few things. Its worth spending the extra on the FS GT3C over the GT3B or GT2 models. It has a battery included and a few key functions (epa and multi models) its 10s of dollars more but the extra value is huge. The FS GT3C is the radio I would recommend as a first radio (unless the person os loaded!) There is also an issue with going too cheap and ruining the experience. In rc the most common thing would be servos which are too slow or break, and obviously the kit breaking. Another point to this thread is the subjective part of it - what feels better in the hand. Anyone can offer an opinion based on the stated specs, but its not until you've used them that you really get it. Thats where people like @Wooders28 experience is invaluable as you can't get that from a spec sheet. Also the comparison between a Jaguar and Toyota is relevant. So for a beginner, the FS GT3C is great value for money. For an experienced RCer, a Sanwa MT5 or Futaba 4PM (the 4PV looked better but has been superseded) is the better recommendation which is what this thread is about. You've raised another issue though - chargers. A decent dual charger is worth its weight in gold!

I've used the Futaba clones and they work fine. The only issue with them is they don't make (well, I havent found) one with out an antenna. But they cost less than half what a 203 (i think) rx cost

RCTech has a thread on the clone rx and some have issues but they seem to get fixed quickly and released as a v2 or similar. They are also usually issues with the SSR mode rather than whether they work as a budget rx too. I have a couple of types (Das Mikro and ARX?) and both work fine. I use them in my backyard cars rather than racers. I don't have the FH5 ones yet as it makes more sense for ke to get FH4 which will work on both tx. I also just grab any secondhand rx that pop up on marketplace. Strangely they are now the 493 with the antenna that no one wants. Your other point about learning to drive again. I had driven my sons ebuggy with his 3PV and it was fine, sort of like my nitro (needs to build revs so delayed response). Put my new ebuggy on track and missed every jump landing by a couple of metres as it was so much more responsive I wrote that in another thread in response to BuggyDads question. Good move starting this one though as the other thread was about a new person starting out so suggesting the MT5 to them wasnt really appropriate! @Sogogi good choice on the 4PM. I'm in the Sanwa ecosystem but only because a lightly used MT4S came up secondhand a few years ago. I always recommend the MT5 or 4PM as the sweet spot and Futaba rx are a bit cheaper, although with thr clone rx thats noy such an issue now.

Once you get to a certain level then it becomes very subjective. Comparing the FS GT3C, Futaba 3PV, Sanwa MT4S and Sanwa M17 is useful since they go from cheap to high end and I have them all. I'm using them as represntative of their spot in the low/mid/high end and would assume a Futaba 10PX will be as good as the M17. All have the basic features you need (basically multi model memory, trim and EPA) Ergonomics matter if you use them for a long time (nitro mains are 30mins). Both Sanwas are more comfortable in the hand somehow. All perform well enough for backyard racing, you don't notice any difference in the actual performance of the car when racing Tamiyas with silvercans against friends. On a race track I do notice the difference between the Futaba and Flysky vs Sanwa though, they feel less responsive somehow. This is without setting up the Sanwa servos to take advantage of their programming too, its just woth the same gear (savox servos, 17.5T motors). It feels like you need to anticipate when the car will turn in and turn earlier compared to the others whcih are instant. I don't think there is really any difference between the MT4S and M17 though. I got the M17 as its backwards compatible with all my old rx, but the MT5 only works with the newest FH5 rx. If I was starting fresh then the MT5 would be my pick, especially since there are now clone FH5 rx for reasonable money. So its very similar to why some people drive a BMW/Mercedes/Jaguar and others are happy with a Toyota

@TurnipJFis onto it (hes well smart). I can give options from budget to top end and also reasons why, but really need to know your budget and end game. One piece of unsolicited advice - spend way more on your transmitter than you expect to!

I would get the F104 and just give it a go. I've found they run fine on unprepared surfaces and are a lot more fun to take out than a touring car which handle so well. Run a 21.5T or silvercan geared around 2.5, soft rear tyres with med or hard fronts and have a play. If its uncontrollable then pick up a gyro, but you can get them running really nicely even on unprepped surfaces.

I think the same fans get rebranded and they're all the same. Mine are surpass branded as I bought them off Banggood. I recommend aluminium as plastic ones can flex and break. Its probably not a big deal in your application if the fan breaks as things shouldn't be getting too hot, but if you are pushing a motor to its limits (eg racing in stock classes) and relying on the fan to keep temps acceptable, if the fan breaks then you can cook the motor.

I haven't done much of the bigger stuff, but recently soldered up an 8th eBuggy with 10awg wire and that was very similar to the smaller wires. I try to aim for the 3 sec rule but these may have been 5 secs? It was still quick. I'm worried about ruining motors and ESC's if I leave the iron on too long. ESC's have heat sinks which can get really hot if you aren't quick. There is a really good rundown on RCTech about soldering. I started with a cheap iron and solder from Banggood and always struggled. Then invested in a Hakko FX888D and loctite brand 60/40 solder with flux and then was 1000 times better. I recently had to borrow someones iron at the track and despite being 80w it was rubbish compared to my Hakko. Based on my limited experience that is my main recommendation - don't go cheap on the gear.

This could make an interesting thread - "I've got 4,500+ posts and still too scared to attempt painting the sand scorcher body that I've had for 18 months"