RC Vehicle Buyers Guide

     Welcome to Hobby Central's buyers guide.  If you are buying your first hobby level radio controlled (RC) truck or car this guide will provide you with the basic information that you need to make an informed purchase and will enable you to get the most from your hobby and the best bang for your buck.

 

    The first decision you need to make is whether or not you want an off-road or an on-road vehicle.   This is an important descision as it will determine where you can run your vehicle and may determing how much you can use it.

 

On-road vehicles are usually cars.  There are several sub-categories of on-road cars including  1/10 4wd touring cars such as the Traxxas 4-Tec series, oval cars such as the Team Associated L10 series, 1/18 scale electric cars such as the Duratrax Vendetta Rally car.  On-road cars are designed to be run on smooth asphalt, concrete, carpet or foam tracks.  These cars are usually very fast and have a very low ground clearance.  Some oval cars are run on clay oval tracks that are smooth.  Nitro (commonly called gas) cars usually require a large area to get them up to full speed (more than 50mph).  Supermarket parking lots are real common areas to use.

 

Off-road vehicles are usually trucks, buggies or truggies.  These are the most popular choice as off-road vehicles can be run almost anywhere by simply changing the type of tire used.  There are various scales (sizes) with 1/10 and 1/8 being the most popular.  Usually the first decision you need to make is which type of vehicle to buy.  A short description of the types follows:

 

Buggies

The 1/10 Buggy is the original rc vehicle that made the hobby what it is today.  These vehicles were originally scale models of full sized buggies.  The most popular buggies today are 1/8 scale nitro buggies.  The 1/8 buggy is large, 4wd and powerful.