Got The Bug Again, And Just Joined Up..

[OrangeSport 0]

Hi, just a quick first post to say hello.

I used to race back in the 80s (Mardave Mini-Stock, Mardave Apache, Grasshopper (modded) & Hornet). The recent re-releases have awakened my interest again. I bought a new Mini-Stock a couple of years ago, but now have a brand new Holiday Buggy 2010 waiting to be built up. My 3 1/2 year old daughter seemed pretty interested, so I have also got a Rising Fighter for her and while I was ordering that I couldn't resist another for myself. Went for the Hornet, after much swapping between that and the Grasshopper (which I think is prettier). I suspect a Grasshopper will soon be joing the new stable somehow....

First build will be my daughter's Rising Fighter, followed by the Holiday Buggy. It will be fully ball-raced and the idea is to keep it with the 380 for long run times as I will be playing, not racing. If I want I bit of speed I'll have the Hornet. How do the HB's go with the standard 380? I remember the Grasshopper I used to have went better than I expected before I uprated it.

I'll put some pictures up as each one is completed. Three new kits in one week is some going to get me started again. Can't wait!

[blakeatron 16]

Suprisingly I think the HB is fine with the 380 - slow (ish) but predictable and perfect for kids/newcomers!

And you best get some overtime in, it is only going to get more expensive - welcome to the club.

[OrangeSport 0]

Ha, I remeber when I could claim overtime!

Yes - I suspect the costs will rack up. Still prefer the older buggies in many cases, but that leaves plenty of choices!

[30cms 7]

Hey OrangeSport

Now is a good time to be back into RC

There are a whole heap of great cars to catch up on!

Not just the new Tamiya stuff, but the re releases have been plentyful too.

Now you can buy a Sand Scorcher, a Frog, a Hotshot, a Boomerang . . . and soon . . . an Avante

Happy days!

[blakeatron 16]

You will soon get bored of the older buggies 'charms' and get a modern design - which will then be made faster/stronger/lighter and then you will get bored and revert back to the vintage in a never ending cycle of laughs,tears and expense...

Just kidding (or am I....)

One thing to make sure is that you buy some decent batteries (li-po are the way forward) and a decent charger, a properly charged battery can bring a model to life.

[OrangeSport 0]

Thanks all - I best get off-line and start building!

[Arcticfox 0]

First build will be my daughter's Rising Fighter, followed by the Holiday Buggy. It will be fully ball-raced and the idea is to keep it with the 380 for long run times as I will be playing, not racing.

First up, good on ya mate, sounds like the old feeling never left the blood to want to play with these buggies.

If it isn't too late, I would say to try the 380 motor in the Rising fighter with the adaptor off the C sprue. The one that says not used in the constructions.

That 380 motor is pretty good for a young child as initially for a split second it's as quick off the mark as a 540. But after that there miles apart imo.

Just built a Rising fighter and a Holiday buggy for my boys (4&6). The Rising fighter is way more aggresive in terms of speed than the Hol Bug. Ok could be down to gearing but I haven't looked at the ratios of either two cars, also the Rising Fighter seems smaller overall and definately lighter so that helps a lot.

But run times on a 540 with a 2000mah battery with a modern ESC is still good for like 20-30 mins run time almost continuous. Often more.

So having a Rising Fighter with a 540 for your daughter and a Holiday Bug with a 380 in for yourself, may have you thinking twice as soon as you compare em on the living room carpet. Or better still, try the RF on Lino and watch those new tyres leave dirty great twin darkies (I know not exactly pc but my reference is not racist) along the floor. Don't ask how I know and how long to clean off before the Wife came back home

Of course if your like me, you will just want to get them built asap and fettle them after the fun has started (thumbs up)

Good luck and enjoy.

Oh and let me know if you too find that the nearside front wheel on the Rising fighter steering rod fouls the chassis on full lock, stopping that wheel reaching it's full turn. I had to cut out approx 8mm of chassis to let the steering arm travel it's full movement. Likelyfault that the servo connector is too shallow. Cheap car, so cheap fix I thought

Should have taken a pic, but all boxed away now and hidden from curious kids looking for early Santa drop offs

[Will16 45]

If ever you want to make the HB 2010 faster, Modelsport UK do a 540 motor upgrade for the HB 2010.

Will

[OrangeSport 0]

Hi, thanks for the replies and suggestions...

The RF is now built and has had its first two runs (one inside and one in the garden) to check all is well before we take it to a big empty field for my daughter to learn to drive it.

First impressions are:

It's quick - quicker than I expected. It wheelies off the throttle on the carpet.

Run times seem very good with a 3000 / 7.2 pack

It is fun off road. Feels much like my old Grasshopper, but it seems to understeer. That is probably a good thing for the little 'un for now, and it helps to keep it the right way up!

I'll try her with the 540 as I think that on open fields she'll be fine. We'll see....

I'll probably keep the 380 in the HB and use the Hornet when we go out to race each other. I expect it'll perform in line with (if not better than) the RF.

Let's hope the rain holds off tomorrow so she can have a play. She's very excited!

[mike_o 35]

I wouldn't use the extended run-time as argument for the 380. A 540 will have plenty of runtime with a good LiPo.

But it's probably better for a kid :-)

Consider getting a featherweight 1800mAh LiPo - the reduced vehicle weight will also greatly reduce risk of breaking anything.

[OrangeSport 0]

Arcticfox - just seen you question. No, no problems with anything catching the body.

By the way, does the 380 from the HB go straight into the RF (with the adaptor) or did you need another pinion (and if so, which size)? Do you know off-hand if the RF's 540 has the right pinion for the HB? Just wondering if it's a straight swap...

Not yet sure what to do. She has driven the RF with the 540 & is fine on an open field, but indoors is a real no-no. She is learning to control the speed though (sometimes)....

Had the HB running indoors last night. Handles very nicely, and fully ballraced with a 380 it goes pretty well & ran for over 45 minutes!