drcarlos 57 Posted March 6, 2017 A couple of years ago we dabbled in RC Racing, my boys kind of enjoyed it but didn't really spark and I found it all a bit too serious for what basically is a load of big kids mucking around with toy cars, so we've left it for a while (I sold My Cougar SV2 as it was just soul less beyond being a race machine). With the Bigwig re-re it's made me think that Classic racing (with less of the seriousness and more of the having a laugh) might be fun so i've been looking at cars again. I raced the Bigwig back in the day but it's such a heavy beast that it wasn't very good, my Egress while looking lovely is a shelf model (as it's an expensive bit of kit) and occasional field runner, plus it would need serious changes to make it stop power rolling, so I don't want to ruin it. So I was thinking about a Top Force re-re they look good and still fit with Classic, but how do they stack up against things like the CAT XLS and Optima, can they hold their own (I realise it's getting a bit serious but I don't want to be left right at the back)? I haven't built any RC cars in a couple of years but the small collection I have was fun to build and look great on my shelf (plus all provide fun out on the field behind my house in the summer without fear of damage). I was thinking of adding the Bigwig for sentimental reasons and the Top Force this spring, but I don't want the Top Force beyond it's perceived closeness to the CAT and Optima. If it won't serve the purpose of historic racing i'd prefer to spend my limited budget on something like a Super Hotshot or Novafox that do have a serious want factor. Carl. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boomerang_kid 18 Posted March 7, 2017 The Top force Re-re would not be in the same class as a Cat XLS, that was a pure racer. The Top Force Evo would be a closer fit to the Schumacher and Optima. The price also shows you get what you pay for. The Top force is £174.00 and the XLS £330 including the upgraded gearbox for brushless setups, the Optima classic is about the same £299. But if its about having fun and not being serious then the Top force, but you might get addicted to upgrades trying to keep up with the faster cars to an Evo spec so would be spending the same kind if not more money for the XLS or Optima. I'm saving for a CAT Xls as well as trying to get my Egress/avante 2001 running for vintage 4WD racing. I'm using a Tamiya Super Astute for 2wd and got dusted in a vintage open class. But its probably my driving and the fact that I am not driving an RC10 worlds with a brushless setup. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StrokerBoy 772 Posted March 7, 2017 So you don't want to take it seriously but you still want to be competitive ? I don't think you're gonna find an environment that balances those two requirements. Apart from this : 2 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildwillhappy 15 Posted March 20, 2017 Now that's racing lol wild Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadInventor 3884 Posted March 22, 2017 On 06/03/2017 at 1:57 PM, drcarlos said: A couple of years ago we dabbled in RC Racing, my boys kind of enjoyed it but didn't really spark and I found it all a bit too serious for what basically is a load of big kids mucking around with toy cars, so we've left it for a while (I sold My Cougar SV2 as it was just soul less beyond being a race machine). With the Bigwig re-re it's made me think that Classic racing (with less of the seriousness and more of the having a laugh) might be fun so i've been looking at cars again. I raced the Bigwig back in the day but it's such a heavy beast that it wasn't very good, my Egress while looking lovely is a shelf model (as it's an expensive bit of kit) and occasional field runner, plus it would need serious changes to make it stop power rolling, so I don't want to ruin it. So I was thinking about a Top Force re-re they look good and still fit with Classic, but how do they stack up against things like the CAT XLS and Optima, can they hold their own (I realise it's getting a bit serious but I don't want to be left right at the back)? I haven't built any RC cars in a couple of years but the small collection I have was fun to build and look great on my shelf (plus all provide fun out on the field behind my house in the summer without fear of damage). I was thinking of adding the Bigwig for sentimental reasons and the Top Force this spring, but I don't want the Top Force beyond it's perceived closeness to the CAT and Optima. If it won't serve the purpose of historic racing i'd prefer to spend my limited budget on something like a Super Hotshot or Novafox that do have a serious want factor. Carl. If you want to race vintage and win then save up and buy a CAT XLS. Not much else vintage will touch it except for maybe an Optima Mid. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drcarlos 57 Posted March 28, 2017 I've already ordered the Top Force now as although I've owned a couple of Schumachers they just don't really do anything for me, they are just a bit clinical and sterile. Judging by this video in the correct hands a Top Force can compete On that evidence I will give it a whirl and see what happens, it's more for me to have a go non-seriously after the kids have had their fun on the 2WD buggies. I don't care about Winning. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mman2005 443 Posted March 28, 2017 5 hours ago, drcarlos said: I've already ordered the Top Force now as although I've owned a couple of Schumachers they just don't really do anything for me, they are just a bit clinical and sterile. Judging by this video in the correct hands a Top Force can compete On that evidence I will give it a whirl and see what happens, it's more for me to have a go non-seriously after the kids have had their fun on the 2WD buggies. I don't care about Winning. Watching the first racing video through (the 5 min 40 second one) not sure what happens at about the 5 mins 25 sec mark. Does something break on it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drcarlos 57 Posted March 29, 2017 21 hours ago, mman2005 said: Watching the first racing video through (the 5 min 40 second one) not sure what happens at about the 5 mins 25 sec mark. Does something break on it? A screw backed out of the the front suspension mount apparently. He was comfortable to that point wasn't he. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racer1 117 Posted March 15, 2018 Some years back we had a track at a local park here that ran various classes. It was all geared toward Low dollar racing so you had a bunch of entry level classes. My favorite was the 2wd straight axle buggy class. The class was about 95% Grasshoppers and Hornets from back in the day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yalson 514 Posted June 5, 2018 On 3/7/2017 at 3:09 PM, StrokerBoy said: So you don't want to take it seriously but you still want to be competitive ? I don't think you're gonna find an environment that balances those two requirements. Apart from this : There is a precedent for this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeekSpeed 3 Posted March 5, 2019 And here I am all excited about getting a re-re BigWig to be my runner/vintage racer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites