Best online hobby shop for new rtr

[BamaRuckus]

the one thing that has me offput is the plastic links and how hard are they to change out. On YT one person was able to flex it pretty good.

Its a toss up of what I would get if I had the money today.

I like the TRX4 but things "can" be expensive for it. (leading)
SCX10 3 Basecamp - Love the design.

 

[durok]

I love my Element Ecto, and enjoy my original Sendero as well.

However, I would not get the SE or budget versions with the bushings and plastic shocks, once you add bearings and decent shocks you may as well buy the better versions!

 

[high plains drifter]

the one thing that has me offput is the plastic links and how hard are they to change out. On YT one person was able to flex it pretty good.

Its a toss up of what I would get if I had the money today.

I like the TRX4 but things "can" be expensive for it. (leading)
SCX10 3 Basecamp - Love the design.

For durability and performance right out of the box I would recommend the TRX4 Sport. It's got everything that you need... nothing you don't ( metal links too btw) and the only additional expense would be the charger and battery if you use the Traxxas ESC and run Traxxas batteries. Or you could buy a $5 adapter that will allow you to run cheaper batteries with the Traxxas ESC. Chances are nothing is going to fail anytime quickly and if something does it's likely to be the servo. And if/ when it does... DS 25-35kg servo replacement on Amazon = $20-$30. Decent charger can be had for $30-$40.

So $329 for the rig + $25-$30 for a couple batteries + $30 for a charger + $5 for adapter and done for under $400. Just solely from a cost perspective I would still steer away from the Traxxas charger and batteries but I don't know what funds you have to work with so...

EDIT- Wanted to add that you're prob not going to be breaking much of anything on the TRX4 and aside from their electronics, other parts are reasonably priced and usually in stock.. just my experience. I don't think you can go wrong with anything suggested here.

 

[BamaRuckus]

At the moment I have trx4 sport and traxxas battery 2s Lipo and a charger in my cart at amain.

Is the One Power Cell 3000mAh 7.4V LiPo 2s battery decent or should I be looking somewhere else?

 

[surfishjoe]

Hi- I will play. My original and still my most abused thrashed and go to rig is my modified 10ii honcho great truck. 2nd truck I built - smaller tire Vs410 builders kit- awesome truck needs almost nothing to make it crawl awesome out of the box do to insanely low and forward motor mount, I personally like the switchable dig and overdrive for fun trailing! Both these trucks are brushed crawlmaster 13 turn 540s with 1080 escs. My latest truck is a 10iii builders kit that is freshly built so only a few runs but boy am I impressed. At first it honestly sucked because the ride hieght was super tall with stiff springs. I switched the 100mm springs to some 90mm springs from gt5 now ride hieght is better it sags the springs and crawls freaking great for how light it is. The dig works “better” subjectively than the vanquish dig in my opinion and was very easy to set up. It has plastic wheels on it so some heavier headlocks will be the first mod and maybe ssd brass knuckles. I am also super impressed with the 2 in 1 1800kv fusion se. has about same or more wheel speed than my brushed rigs and the foc is fantastic! I can’t see going back to brushed. Hope this helps! I order from rpp or Amain both have great customer service.

 

[cul8tr]

I have the battery beside the steering servo on both TRX4's. I use 1500-2200 3s lipo packs now days. The stock battery location and the lcg tray didn't give me the balance and weight distribution I wanted.
I would suggest a 3s lipo, in case you ever need the extra power.
I keep 3-4 lipos with me when I hit the trail/rocks.
eBay 2 pack of 1500-2000 mah 3s lipos for $25-30.
Changing the esc plug is an easy fix.

 

[BamaRuckus]

is the 1500-2000 better then the 5000s when comes to batteries?

Also why do I need a lipo charging bag?

 

[high plains drifter]

is the 1500-2000 better then the 5000s when comes to batteries?

Also why do I need a lipo charging bag?

Run-time between different brands and capacities tend to be fairly subjective... plus other variables like type of rig, terrain conditions, driving style, etc, etc. Obviously a 5000mah will typically give you more run-time than a 2000mah but that comes at a cost... main drawback to running larger batteries is the weight and subsequently diminished performance... mainly due to the weight. Batteries sit up pretty high so there is an advantage to using a lighter-weight battery both in performance as well as in handling due to the center of gravity and weight distribution. So a lot of people opt for smaller capacity batteries for a host of various reasons... cost, weight, etc.

A charging bag will give you peace of mind in regards to safely being able to store, charge/ discharge, and transport your lipo batteries. But with advancements of manufacturing/ technology, fewer people have the safety concerns that existed years ago. I have two bags although I only use them when transporting. At home I've never stored or charged a lipo in a bag or box. If you're mindful of the condition of your lipo batteries and charge/ discharge responsibly, a bag/ box is not an absolute necessity. More importantly, don't use or store lipo packs that have become damaged, swollen, neglected, etc.

 

[Col_Sanders]

Regarding online stores, amain and rpp hobby are my go to most of the time. Sometimes i order on ebay. With that said, prices are pretty fixed nowdays since most manufacturers dont allow them to do their own discounts. So if you have a local hobby shop, it is a good idea to buy there.

If you go with the trx4, go ahead and have the hobby shop solder in some XT60s for you so you have more choices in batteries and chargers.

Use caution ordering on Amazon. It is common that low life trash will order something like a quality motor, put a crap motor in the box, and return it for Amazon to sell again.

 

[89Industries]

I will also suggest 3s over 2s batteries. The extra power is good if needed and you will generally get a longer run time out of a 3s pack of you are only using a bit of the power most of the time, rather than lots of power most of the time using a 2s.

Kind of like having an underpowered car where you constantly have to floor it.

I use mostly Helios 3s 3700mAh shorty packs in my crawlers. I get lots of run time to do trails and crawling and normally only carry one spare battery on most drives. I'd estimate I get minimum of an hour of actual driving time per battery but hard to estimate as I stop, look around, help my son, etc so usually don't need to change batteries if I'm out for like then 2 hours. And I'm not particularly frugal with the throttle.

I've had some batteries come with an xt-60 battery to Traxxas esc adapter out of the box.

 

[BamaRuckus]

I’m looking at adapters and the Venom batteries as I have venom for the ruckus. They do well, not sure about Zee.

Spectrum is also on the list.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Im fighting with the price of it, its cheaper and a base to start building on. Plus I dont know what I like and dont like yet.

You either pay now or you pay later. Going for a super cheap kit with plastic links and bushings isn't getting you a truck that doesn't need upgrades right out of the box. Those plastic links will bend. Metal bushings are serviceable, but they do create increased drag which leads to shorter run times out of the battery.

 

[BamaRuckus]

You either pay now or you pay later. Going for a super cheap kit with plastic links and bushings isn't getting you a truck that doesn't need upgrades right out of the box. Those plastic links will bend. Metal bushings are serviceable, but they do create increased drag which leads to shorter run times out of the battery.

Im going with the trx4 sport, deceided last night.

Now I am just getting the kit from Traxxas of battery and charger from trax also for the moment and may add more batteries later. 2s 3000mah lipo. I have never done anything with lipo so this will be a small curve to learn more questions will be asked later.

 

[surfishjoe]

Im going with the trx4 sport, deceided last night.

Now I am just getting the kit from Traxxas of battery and charger from trax also for the moment and may add more batteries later. 2s 3000mah lipo. I have never done anything with lipo so this will be a small curve to learn more questions will be asked later.

Go 3s unless it’s for a kid and you want to limit power.

 

[surfishjoe]

3500 mah Helios is my go to battery lasts plenty long for trailing. I can go for an hour hike and still have juice.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Im going with the trx4 sport, deceided last night.

Now I am just getting the kit from Traxxas of battery and charger from trax also for the moment and may add more batteries later. 2s 3000mah lipo. I have never done anything with lipo so this will be a small curve to learn more questions will be asked later.

Great choice! You really need to find out what you need more in terms of batteries. Do you want one that lasts for hours or do you want a couple that last for an hour each? I still prefer getting my batteries from HobbyKing to save money. There are some cheaper brands you can get on eBay and scAmazon as well such as Ovonic and Zeee, but HobbyKing is almost always cheaper. I've always had great luck with HobbyKing batteries.

 

[high plains drifter]

I'll go out on a limb and predict that you'll be reeeaally happy with the Sport. It has a proven track-record and I doubt that you'll feel the need to make any upgrades or replace anything anytime soon. Again... servo will likely be the one exception and lord help me, when that servo starts glitching or dies, don't replace it with another Traxxas servo. Swapping out a servo is very easy too btw.

Not sure if this was mentioned or not but be sure to have a 2mm hex-driver on hand at the very least. Using hex-keys for basically anything will get old very quickly. Pretty sure the Sport comes with some basic tools and if so, the included nut-driver will come in handy for removing/ installing wheels.

Sounds like you're approaching this thing the right way though... not throwing a bunch of aftermarket parts at this rig before you've even driven it. Drive it and have fun with it. As you get more time with it, you'll begin to get a better feel for what you may at some point want to address... may want to play around with different springs, tire/ wheel/ foam combinations, etc... or you may feel like adding some low COG weight. But any/ all of that can be done down the road after you get more familliar with the performance and handling characteristics of this rig.

 

[BamaRuckus]

At the moment just getting everything together to make it run and go outside and run really.
HobbyKing looks promising!

 

[JatoTheRipper]

I'll go out on a limb and predict that you'll be reeeaally happy with the Sport. It has a proven track-record and I doubt that you'll feel the need to make any upgrades or replace anything anytime soon. Again... servo will likely be the one exception and lord help me, when that servo starts glitching or dies, don't replace it with another Traxxas servo. Swapping out a servo is very easy too btw.

Not sure if this was mentioned or not but be sure to have a 2mm hex-driver on hand at the very least. Using hex-keys for basically anything will get old very quickly. Pretty sure the Sport comes with some basic tools and if so, the included nut-driver will come in handy for removing/ installing wheels.

Sounds like you're approaching this thing the right way though... not throwing a bunch of aftermarket parts at this rig before you've even driven it. Drive it and have fun with it. As you get more time with it, you'll begin to get a better feel for what you may at some point want to address... may want to play around with different springs, tire/ wheel/ foam combinations, etc... or you may feel like adding some low COG weight. But any/ all of that can be done down the road after you get more familliar with the performance and handling characteristics of this rig.

I'll stand on that same limb and also predict he will be super happy with the TRX-4 Sport - except for the steering servo. But I haven't met any RTR with a good steering servo.

 

[cul8tr]

I goofed trx4 battery is in front of the steering servo not beside it. My bad, I have way too many trucks and got confused I guess.
I'm not a traxxass fan boy but the TRX4 Sport is a really good truck out of the box. You can't go wrong with it, I beat the snot out of 1 of my trx4 sports. I got some goodies today from Bowhouse for the 2 sports.