Rc Buggy?

[Rally Man.]

I interested in getting into RC buggys but am not sure which one to get, can someone help? Oh and electric only.

thanks, Chris

[matisse]

err, big (ish) question, 2d or 4wd, oh and bash or race, oh and tamiya or anybrand?

oh forgot, budget?

my two penneth,

if your sticking to Tamiya, go DT02 for 2wd, DF03 or DB01 for 4wd

[Eddystone]

Hi Chris,

That is a big question. What are you planning on doing with this buggy - serious racing, fun racing, bashing, etc. And where's your budget, they'll be different answers for each case ( but expect me to quietly say "Traxxas Bandit" in answer to at least one! )

Richard

[Rally Man.]

thanks for repling,

Just fun racing and bashing is what I plan doing. As for the make, Tamiya only. Budget is £150 and I'd like the power of a 4wd, somting that can handle rougth bumpy terrian.

[Eddystone]

Well - the budget and the requirements don't quite tally to make an obvious answer to me I'm afraid. If you're starting from scratch with RC cars and buying new you're going to be needing the Tamiya kit, Radio Gear, Battery, and charger. Based on that you'll be needing to buy one of the cheapest Tamiya 4WD buggies to get near budget for the lot so it'll be a Rising Storm or Plasma Edge. These don't have the best ground clearance for a buggy but will cope with most of what you're likely to actually want to run the car on. Better capable buggies would be the Keen Hawk, Dark Impact but ofcourse cost more. Don't be fooled into thinking 4WD is superior to 2WD for bashing and racing - many of us find we prefer running 2WDs for both jobs. Are you sure it's a buggy you want anyway? - truggy type trucks make great bashers and fun racers and offer greater ground clearance for rough bumpy terrain.

[Rally Man.]

Thankfully I already have the Radio Gear and Battery, ect as I got into Tamyia 2 years ago, I was having a look around ebay at Keen Hawk and Dark Impact and they both look like what I want and I should be able to afford one of them, £150 is only rough, I can waver one way or another if needs must. Out of the two which one has the most Hop-up parts? My first Tamyia car I bought was a big mistake as it does not have many hop-up parts, and I woukld like one that has quite a few.

Out of the two I would prefer the buggys to truggy trucks.

Thanks for the info & help

[matisse]

keen hawk, dark impact and avante mk2 are all the DF-03 chassis,

hop-ups are not a problem as they are well served by both tamiya and the major asian brands like 3-racing and GPM.

if you want a more detailed review check Ooples build review here

clicky

its a pretty popular little car, with loads of ability.

mat

[Jonny Retro]

No "what should I buy?" thread would be complete without a recommendation for the Midnight Pumpkin or Lunchbox ... I know they're not buggies, but bear with me ...

They have a much greater "go anywhere" ability than buggies - they can go places and on surfaces where buggies will struggle and/or dig themselves into a hole;

They're cheap (Time Tunnel Models has the Lunchbox sans ESC for £50, & chrome pumpkins {again without ESC} for £70);

They're popular - any TC bash with more than a few people will inevitably involve a "Lunchkin" "race" {I've always wondered why Lunchbox/Pumpkin is abbreaviated that way, why not the other way round? ... oh ... that way it would be "Pumpbox" };

They're fun - the ludicrous handling means you'll be laughing so much you won't get annoyed by the ... ludicrous handling;

If modifications are your thing, the "3rd shock" mod improves the back end, oil shocks all round help, CRP make bits that let you convert the front end to double wishbones, and thanks to the plethora of Mardave/Kamtec 1/12th scale bodies, you can make a monster (almost) anything

[Rally Man.]

Thanks for the info Matt, the Ooples build review is great.

wow Jonny Retro they are cheap, I was watching a vid of one of them, they do look great fun!

[nakedsv]

No "what should I buy?" thread would be complete without a recommendation for the Midnight Pumpkin or Lunchbox ... I know they're not buggies, but bear with me ...

+1 to that. I started with a Traxxas Stampede, which is easily twice as fast and competent. But oddly, it is not more fun. (not less either) I got mine on ebay for $75 shipped. (that's 47 lbs. for you Limies) Included a Futaba radio, **** paint job, and the tire treads installed going random directions.

But this car is the PERFECT basher. It is invincible with the 540 motor. Very torquey; wheelies are easy. It handles any terrain short of rock-crawling. Very low center of gravity due to Tamiya's low battery mounting.

The drivetrain is completely sealed, so I don't pick up rocks and sticks in the axles. (like I do on my Stampede)

Here's the icing on the cake: on a cheap 6 cell 3600 mAh NiMH battery pack, I get 40 minute run times with 80% of it at full throttle.

The Lunch Box is Tamiya's biggest masterpiece of the 80s.

[taliesin]

If you already have a battery + charger, and radio gear I would recommend a DF-02 like the Rising Storm or Gravel Hound. Both 4wd and really solid. Just add 8 bearing to the wheels/axles and you are good to go [for some completely unknown reason the kits come with all the bearings but those... ].

If you prefer a 2wd the DT-02 Sand Viper or Desert Gator [or several others - same chassis different shell] would be a nice choice. Solid and very fun, just need some spikey tires up front to cure the understeer.

Either of those choices gives you a pretty solid basher with potential for mild upgrades. The DF-02 will handle a brushless pretty well as is. The DT-02 might be a handful with brushless; at least it was for me. Either will tolerate a lot of thrashing. Neither will be great for grass that is knee high, or for racing against competitive racers with the latest top-shelf buggies, but that isn't what you seem to be asking for. For the backyard / dirt lot / skate park / bmx track /front street / driveway they are a real hoot.

If you want something for knee high grass or the racetrack ... well, disregard this post.

[phantom photon]

Buy this - only £75 posted and leaves you plenty left over to go brushless

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=50912

[twisty]

Buy this - only £75 posted and leaves you plenty left over to go brushless

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=50912

Very poor form.[where`s the spam smillie?]

[phantom photon]

Very poor form.[where`s the spam smillie?]

Just trying to help a fellow member make the right decision and save a few £££'s in the process