For a Neophyte: Neo Scorcher v. Nova Fox v. Others

[Grastens]

Hello everybody:

Today I was very pleasantly surprised by my cousin's announcement that he was set to enter the world of radio-controlled vehicles. As his only known RC car resource, he agreed to meet me at my local hobby shop in order to purchase a new car. He is, unlike a number of people I have seen around the store lately, genuinely interested in actually building a kit and tinkering with it. With a good knowledge of mechanical items, it seems a good fit for him.

My local hobby shop features two vehicles that came to mind when I asked him what kind of kit he was looking for. They are, as the title suggests, the Neo Scorcher and the Nova Fox at $150 and $200, respectively.

My question is: which would you recommend for a beginner with reasonably-good building skills? I am tempted to recommend the Nova Fox for when we visit the store in a week, not only because it performs well and has plenty to tinker with but is also a classic, and I have heard that the original Fox it was based on was a good beginner's car... Admittedly, the idea of having a Nova Fox in the family is playing around in my head! However, for the driving side of things, the Neo Scorcher would appear to be a better bet with plenty of spares support, unless the Nova Fox will have many parts available...

As outside shots, at $200 the store also has a re-released Mitsubishi Montero Wheelie, which may be fun for stunts but may not have the technical complexity my cousin would be seeking. A CC-01 Landfreeder is also selling at the same price, but the buggies seem to be better suited to more general tastes.

What would you suggest? I would like to hear what you think.

[mongoose1983]

If the neo scorcher goes for $50 less I'd say that's a good one. It's a new chassis, and you can always change bodies or you can customize the looks of the one that comes with the kit.

On the other hand, any CC-01 vehicle would provide lots of fun, too. They are the most scale RC vehicles in the market to day and perform excellent both, on and off road. I think your cousin is headed for lots of fun.

By the way, don't forget he'll also need all of the electronics to go with whatever kit he gets, a radio, charger and batteries.

One more thing. Don't forget to share some pictures of the car and the building process!

[qatmix]

Neo scorcher absolutely is the best. The TT02 is very capable and strong and this will be a good introduction to RC. The neo fox is an old car, and good for nostalgia and some gentle runs and then putting on the shelf to lament on bow much RC cars have come developed.

The neo scorcher will also have many hop ups to help him on his way as he develops. It would be tantamount to abuse to recommend the fox over the neo scorcher

[waterbok]

+1 on the neo scorcher if he likes it a little faster, loads of tuning and hopup possible, 200$ for the Pajero wheelie isnt cheap, cc01 only realy work if they have a hard body.

[biggamehunter]

neo scorcher easily ,

[GregM]

I think the same, Neo Scorcher all the way. 4WD will help against the car getting stuck on surfaces like tall grass, which can be pretty annoying when driving a 2WD buggy. The overall construction of the Neo Scorcher chassis is a good introduction into the R/C car world. The body is easy to paint. Just add a set of ball-bearings, and you're ready for action.

The Novafox is kind of an overcomplicated build in my opinion. Being a non-standard construction from today's point of view, it will be hard to customize it later on, if necessary. I'm not sure if it likes powerful motors without additional modifications on the gears or diff.

I won't go for the Pajero Wheelie and the CC-01 Landfreeder as introduction vehicles. Especially the Pajero seems overpriced, they usually sell for 110 € (US $ 140) at local hobby shops where I live.

[XV Pilot]

Another vote here for the Neo Scorcher. If he likes tinkering, the 4WD drivetrain will give him more to play with. Plus, if the TT01 is anything to go by, we should be seeing plenty of interesting hop-ups being released for the TT-02B chassis. Whereas the Nova Fox is interesting from a historc/nostalgia point of view, the Neo Scorcher looks to be a practical modern beginners' car with plenty of potential.

[Grastens]

Thank you for the input, everybody! I shall steer him towards the Neo Scorcher when I get the chance, then - it should make for some fun bash sessions whenever he is in town, for sure!

I too am excited now to see a TT-02B in person...