I've been looking around for another hobby since we decided the loft was a bit on the risky side to build an epic scalextric track, and by hobby I mean another 'mans toy' thing.

RC seems the good way to go; I'm very tempted by cheap Syma indoor helicopter for now but I'm more interested in the RC buggies for outdoor off road abilities, I just don't know where to start, so I'm hoping that you guys can help me or at least point me in the right direction. What I've got so far is that beginners should really go for electric since they are easy to maintain and easier to use than nitro/petrol.

I was looking on various RC shops online, then realised that some of them aren't complete ready to run kits, I really like the look of the Ansmann Mad Rat, thought £50 was a good deal then it said needed a controller, a battery & charger and an ESC, so it bumped the price up considerably, so whereas this could be a project I would be willing to enter into as a first, it means I have to research each individual component I will need, and considering I had to research what an ESC was...you can tell that I have no idea about these, however I'm willing to learn.

So really looking for recommendations? If you are into RC's, what was your first one? All help appreciated.

My suggestion would be

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/hp ... ue-/rc-car-products/28745

HPI are great for both new/advanced users. The documentation they come with is great, and they have a large stocklist for replacing broken parts/pimping yo ride'

I have HPI E10 Drift with 15T Tunderbolt electric motor and new ESC with fan (to cool it off).
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php
Look in this forum.There is a section for Cars (off-road or on-road) and view what and from where to buy your RC hobby model.And also look for site with repair parts.

If you want an entry level off-road buggy then go for an HPI Brama perhaps. They are farely quick and easy to maintain.

1:10 is suitable for most people(not saying that the Brama isn't), so I suggest a Firestorm. They're durable and challenging as they're RWD. Or, you can buy this... dno about the price of it though.

http://www.hpieurope.com/kit-i ... partNo=103421&lang=en

Or this... http://www.hpieurope.com/kit-i ... partNo=100703&lang=en

This is a bigger brother of Brama so to speak. However, it's a kit meaning you have to assemble it on your own.

My first car was... I mean is an HPI Nitro 3 Evo. I went for 'bigger and faster is better'. Great fun in the parking lot though.

I've had countless rc cars in my life so far. The most reliable and good performing buggies i ever had were the inferno models from kyosho. I think they offer them with brushless systems these days.

Bottom line for this hobby... it's gonna cost you in the long run, a lot. That's why i stopped a few years ago.

first of all you definitely do want to buy a kit and not an rtr because especially if youve never had an rc car building it will teach you so so much about how it works and what you need to do if anything breaks
secondly and this is a general thing but especially true if youre going offroad... youll want a 4wd car for the start

as for the rest preferably dont buy anything that looks plasticky or flimsy cause itll just break a lot and also dont buy anthing that comes with a brushed motor or nickle batteries

as for equipment ive heard good things about the flysky gt3b which is a really cheap and by the looks of it quite good car transmitter
generally speaking other than the kit itself buying everything you can from hong kong is quite a good idea actually

Quote from jibber :

The most reliable and good performing buggies i ever had were the inferno models from kyosho.

those are competition quality chassis though... i believe thats a little outside the price range hes looking for atm
that said you could probably pick up one from ebay in decent condition for 100ish euros

I have the HPI RS4 Micro Drift, the only "proper" 1:18 RC drift car at the time I bought it. They come prebuilt, don't know if they're still on sale though...

Traxxas Slash. Fully water proof, available in 1/10, 1/16, 2WD and 4WD, take a shit tonne of abuse and cheap replacement parts. Just YouTube Traxxas Slash to see how much shit these things can take and keep on rocking.

I have a buggy for sale, if you are interested?

It's a XT2 X-Terminator 2. I've put a link below.

I've had the buggy for about 3 years now, and have used it a few times. I've really enjoyed having it, but I don't use it anymore so I'm getting rid of it. It's in great condition, with only minor marks on the body shell (No Cracks!). The Engine is a peach, and runs really well. The drive-train is also in great condition, as are the servos and brake discs/pads. It has many aftermarket parts available, should you ever feel the need to modify it.

If you do buy my buggy, all it would need is a set of tyres (There slightly bald, and need re-glueing.) and some fuel. About £50 should be enough for the fuel and tyres. The buggy will come with the controller and batterys for both the controller and the buggy itself. I will also include some RC tools and some spares.

£100 and you can have it. I can do delivery, providing you pay for the courier charges or you can collect if preferred.

Click Meh!

Shoot me a PM if you think you might be interested.

ATM I have two monster trucks (one a Traxxas T-Max), and a Nitro TC3 car.
The cars are great if you have a bunch of guys to run with, but the trucks and buggies are just super awesome.

I say get a Truck from Traxxas, and the EZ-start system is nice. The Traxxas Jato is super fast.

I really started racing R/C's with Kyosho Mini Z's because of the small 1/28 scale and cheap parts compared to 1/10 cars.

However, I think a 1/16-1/18 scale car would be great to start with as they are small enough to be driven anywhere but also big enough to handle some outdoor tracks. A Team Associated RC18T is probably cheap now that the new belt driven T2 has come out and that is a very proven platform to play on.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

Traxxas Slash. Fully water proof, available in 1/10, 1/16, 2WD and 4WD, take a shit tonne of abuse and cheap replacement parts. Just YouTube Traxxas Slash to see how much shit these things can take and keep on rocking.

That, i have one and i like it.

The 2wd slash is pretty good and cheap starter car and can be upgraded to go really fast and to be really uncontrollable.

I wouldn't personally bother with the 4wd slash though. It has some design flaws and if you buy it you need to invest at least 40$ to some basic upgrades immediatelly to make it last. Imho if you like 4x4 sc cars buy the hyper 10sc or the jammin/hongnor scrt-10 kit. Do not buy the rtr versions for those cars as they have useless electronics. For about 400-500$ total you can get relatively reliable and cheap electronics and radios for it.

For a kit you need:
- one servo for steering
- radio transmitter and receiver
- speed controller
- motor
- battery
- recharger
- some connectors for the electronics

And also some hex drivers, locktite and aa batteries. And be able to solder.

Looks like your budget is really low so I'd try to find some used 2wd slashes... you could also post this to some real rc forum and get more responses...

Where do you drive? Sand, gravel, asphalt, river? The type of terrain kind of limits your car range too.

Quote from Hyperactive :

For about 400-500$ total you can get relatively reliable and cheap electronics and radios for it.

the important thing is to buy pretty much everything other than the car itself from china... youll save a ton and stay way under the price you mentioned there