Newbie Sand Scortcher Advice Please

[Van Rouge]

Hi Guys

I'm a long standing classic VW owner but I'm completely new to this great hobby. My lovely partner is getting me a 2010 Sand Scortcher for Christmas. Could you please advise me on which additional parts I need, what radio gear, battery, charger, servo etc I should go for as I want to buy once ad buy right! PS I am doing this on a budget. Lol.

Many Thanks

Nick

[tamiya monkey]

Hi there, great choice as your first car, i have a re-re scorcher and there great fun. right radio gear wise you first need to decide if you want a stick or wheel radio, i would try and get some that is 2.4ghz so no messing about with crystals etc, so stick type http://www.modelsport.co.uk/acoms-techniplus-2.4g-stick-radio/rc-car-products/38190 or wheel http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ansmann-racing-w5-2.4ghz-combo/rc-car-products/36914, as for batteries, i would suggest you look at lipo, as your new to the hobby its better to get something that is maintenance friendly, i use a turnigy 2200mah 7.4v lipo is mine, you would also need a lipo alarm or cut-off with a lipo battery but its worth it, lipo cut off would be better, search for lipo protector on ebay, or better still buy a replacement electronic speed controller that has lipo protection built in like one of these http://www.modelsport.co.uk/modelsport-uk-sniper-rv-12-assault/rc-car-products/37403 and sell your tamiya esc on ebay. servo wise any standard servo would do, anything really http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hitec-hs-311-standard-servo/rc-car-products/13907 or look on ebay. charger wise i use a imax b8 unit, maybe someone else could advise you better on the charger front, but make sure its a lipo balance charger with at least 2-5 amp charger rate. the product links are just to give you an idea of what to look for.

Hope that Helps a little.

[Zac_F83]

like TM suggested decide which style 2channel radio you want (I prefer the Traxxas TQ2 wheel/pistol grip radios as they come with a tiny receiver and they can be had CHEAP on eBay brand new)

If I was to upgrade the basic kit here is what I'd get-

Ball bearings

High torque steering servo

Traxxas XL-2.5 ESC w/ LVD (Low Voltage Detection) -water proof and will handle 7.2-9.6v Nihm (Nickel Metal Hydride ) or 7.4 Lipo (Lithium Polymer ) plus it's tiny as well

IF you go the Lipo batt route I suggest the Dynamite Vision Ultra #4067 battery charger and search for a balance charger on eBay (if you want to go NiHM get the #4069 charger(I just paid $35 for one)

I try to find a decent deals on Nimh 7.2's in the 3600mAh range

Tamiya torque tuned 23t motor w/ a Robinson Racing pinion 1-2 teeth larger than the kit

High current connectors for the batt and motor

Be sure to check out -

Junfac.com

rc4wd.com

rcchannel.com

for specialty parts that may interest you that aren't mentioned here

More on Lipo's they're VERY dangerous if handled/charged improperly and can explode if over heated

So if you go that route treat them with lots of respect- don't drop them, don't charge them on a metal surface, and don't let the voltage get to low

[Van Rouge]

Many thanks guys that's really appreciated. I'm not really looking to overly max performance I really want this to be like a tuned beetle light nimble, a 2 wd weekend warrior. Re transmitter I was thinking old school twin stick but are the pistol grip better?

[Zac_F83]

As far as tramsmitters (radios) it boils down to what you prefer - if you want a stick get a stick either will perform fine with the kit

finding a vintage system that works will be hard Futaba does still make a 2ch stick radio for pretty cheap

http://www3.omnimodels.com/cgi-bin/woi0001p?&I=FUTJ25**&P=7

[tamiya monkey]

Its what you prefer, i would rather have stick radio as thats what i grow up with myself, but each to there own, if you go for a nimh battery be sure its a hump pack type like the carson one or you will have to jiggle the radio around in the box to accommodate a standard stick pack.

[Van Rouge]

Stick it is then, any recommendations am tlhinking lights and maybe sound later?

[Zac_F83]

Plan now for the lights- you will need a multi channel receiver (radio receiver) to run lights w/o a separate battery pack for them

[Van Rouge]

Cheers Zac any recommendations on a transmitter? Quick q why are many transmitter receivers?

[Toykid]

For me I would strongly recommend a 2.4 GHz system. You can get sticks and you won't have to worry about interference.

Spektrum or Futaba are both rock solid choices, but if you want sticks try this:

Futaba: http://www.futaba-rc.com/systems/futk3010.html

Have fun.

James.

[Van Rouge]

Many thanks for the sound advice guys. Will be looking at a 2.4 gig stick radio, non lipo set up found these items at

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/large_packs.html

Its the 7.2v 3700 mah compact battery and the charger is

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/radio_control1.html

The 600 mah smart charger with the standard Tamiya connector

Are these components suitable, I certainly like the prices!

Cheers

Nick

[skywhelp]

I've been using the Component Shop large packs for years now given me great run times, in fact just got some more 3 hump and 3 stick, the other day they were super fast to ship and gave me an upgrade from 3700 to 4300 for free can't ask for more than that!

Cheers skywhelp

[tamiya monkey]

you might want to go for a different charger, but the batteries look good. the charger with 600mah charge rate would take a lifetime to charge a 3700mah battery like 6-7 hours at my guess.

[Percymon]

you might want to go for a different charger, but the batteries look good. the charger with 600mah charge rate would take a lifetime to charge a 3700mah battery like 6-7 hours at my guess.

Well 6 hours is how the maths tells it but when I used that type of charger on a 1900mAh battery it took 36 hours !

They are slow chargers which is fine if you only want to do one 20-30 minute run every few days, but not much use if you want a few runs in a day .

Imax B6 is a cheaper but versatile choice , you'll need a mains adaptor too to power it although some sellers bundle them or sell a mains wired version.

Stick with the kit supplied esc and motor to start with, they work fine and the scorcher doesn't need silly power, in fact it's charms the period speed and handling.

[Van Rouge]

Cheers once again guys, so I've found my batteries and good shout from both on the Imax. Re steering servo I found this on Amazon for 13 quid, any good?

HPI SF 10W Servo (Waterproof 4.5kg cm6.0v) 104105

Thanks

Nick

[Van Rouge]

Or this for a tender on ebay

Power HD Metal Geared High Torque Servo HD1501MG?

[Van Rouge]

Hi guys Any recommendations for a high torque steering Servo for my new Sand Scorcher.

Cheers

Nick

[speedy_w_beans]

Take a look at either Futaba S3305 or Turnigy 1258TG. I've used a few S3305s and they have been reliable, but I recently tried a 1258TG because it's supposed to have higher torque and faster speed at about the same price. So far the 1258TG has worked well with no issues for me, but I don't have the run time and number of units installed to declare it my new favorite servo. My ESC has a 6V, 5A BEC in it, so your mileage may vary depending on the specs of your ESC.

Edit: This assumes you even need a high torque servo. I've been using Futaba S3003s in several basic Tamiya kits with no problems. Usually the servo savers will give before the S3003 runs out of torque. I'm probably going to cross-shop for similar Turnigy servos in the future to either save some money or get better specs at the same price.

[GregM]

I use Futabas S3003 in my 1/10 scale 2WD buggies, and I assume this might be fine with the Sand Scorcher, too. I use stronger Savöx SC-0254MG servos in vehicles with monster truck sized wheels like the Mad Bull. I wouldn't call this a budget servo as it costs 30 €, but other cheaper metal geared servos I've tested before were just soooo slow.

[TWINSET]

Are you changing the steering setup - I dunno if its worth fitting a high torque servo with the stock servo saver?

[Van Rouge]

Cheers for that guys a lookingat gradual upgrades but have been told go for a high torque steering servo to start I wi have a standard issue Tamiya ETC

Cheers

Nick

[speedy_w_beans]

The standard Tamiya ESCs don't include a BEC (TEU-101, TEU-104, etc.), so you might want to check specs and ask around for any servo you're thinking about.

[Van Rouge]

Haven't got a scoob I'm a model train guy I'm on here to me educated!

[Van Rouge]

A big box arrived today from Hong Kong. Awesome, not bad for £235 inc the postage!

[Badboy]

No customs? Sweet!

Don't forget to post pictures!

Badboy