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12-17-2015, 09:23 AM | #1 |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 565
| Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
Why would the axial wraith spawn kit only cost $40 less than the axial wraith spawn RTR when the RTR comes with transmitter, receiver, esc, motor, servo etc? Seems like the kit should be much cheaper than $40? What am I missing? |
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12-17-2015, 09:43 AM | #2 |
Moderator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: PA
Posts: 13,918
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
You've already started multiple threads on the Wraith. You can and should ask all of the questions in that same thread to avoid cluttering the site. This is a rule that applies to pretty much any forum. Anyway, the kit includes aluminum upgrades, such as links, that the RTR does not include. |
12-17-2015, 09:49 AM | #3 |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 565
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
Different topics. One was difference in rc types and one is difference in kit and RTR. I used wraith as examples in both. In my experience on other forums, if I list all my questions in one post on different topics, I usually don't get answers to all those questions. Hence separate posts. Thanks for the coaching though! |
12-17-2015, 09:55 AM | #4 |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Corruptifornia
Posts: 12,107
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... X2, and RTR electronics are not expensive or high-end so they don't cost the companies as much money since they also buy in bulk. Kits's are fun, but sometimes I buy RTR because I'm short on time, want to try out the electronics, and/or like the factory painted body. Go with what you like, can afford, and don't forget to budget in for batteries, charger, some good quality RC tools, and possible repairs, spares and upgrades. |
12-17-2015, 09:58 AM | #5 | |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 565
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
Thanks for the reply! So to confirm, the kits do have better components than RTR as stated from first poster? As a noob, how difficult is a kit? I am fairly handy, but have never done model builds before. | |
12-17-2015, 10:11 AM | #6 |
Newbie Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Freeport
Posts: 42
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
The Kits aeren't overly complicated but you have to be able to pay close attention to the drawings / instructions. There's no words in Axial kits, just diagrams like Lego kits. I'm very experienced with building RC cars and more and I often have to undue and rebuild a piece or two because I was rushing and missed a detail. I've never purchased an RTR kit until this year and now I've purchased 2. Like the earlier poster pointed out, the painted bodies can be cool and sometimes you're just in a rush. My last one was the Bomber. I would have loved to purchased the KIT for the aluminum goodies but I just couldn't wait. Also mentioned above, a good set of RC tools is key! |
12-17-2015, 11:54 AM | #7 | ||
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Corruptifornia
Posts: 12,107
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
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12-17-2015, 12:29 PM | #8 |
RCC Addict Join Date: May 2011 Location: at home
Posts: 1,099
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
if you plan on keeping the car for a while and expect to do mods down the road, building up the kit will make you intimately familiar with the car and cause you to have a better understanding of how it all works together. a few hours of your time used to build the kit and experiment with the setup is not a waste. after all it is a hobby and meant to take up out time in an interesting manner. stock servos, escs, and motors are available from people who wanted better from the gitgo but the kit gives you the opportunity to get something better. you do have a choice. the cost of a tx/rx is probably the hardest to justify. again, you can get a stock one from ebay but it is an opportunity to get a radio that will serve you for a long time and many vehicles |
12-17-2015, 02:17 PM | #9 |
Newbie Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: FL
Posts: 31
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
Go with a RTR and upgrade whatever brakes. It's much cheaper if you are just getting into this hobby. I got an RTR rubicon and it's awesome. I've disassembled it several times to upgrade links and do some other minor upgrades and that's how I learned how everything works under the hood. Yes, the stock electronics are not top of the line, but they work just fine and the truck performs amazing right out of the box.
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12-17-2015, 03:38 PM | #10 | |
RCC Addict Join Date: May 2015 Location: Price Twp.
Posts: 1,291
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
Everything looks pretty straight forward and the instructions have lots of pictures. I wouldn't worry about it. I watch a couple of complete builds that where time lapsed and after seeing the instructions it was all pretty clear cut. | |
12-18-2015, 12:16 AM | #11 | ||
RCC Addict Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Sweden
Posts: 1,809
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
Just disassemble and then re-build it! You don't even have to scratch your head trying to figure out how the drawings are to be read, since you started with the answer! Quote:
Buying "better" from the start WILL fail by definition: Either you buy something that doesn't fulfil your needs, or you spend extra money on performance/features not needed. Even if you by some kind of miracle happen to pick the perfect match you can't tell until you've tried (and spent money on) something else... ... or feels inadequate. That's the best advice for beginners not having an urge to spend a few hundred bucks more than necessary. I started with a "pre-built kit" five years ago, and that has cost me quite a bit more than if I'd started with an RTR. By now I would then have had a slightly better rig at a lower total cost. | ||
12-18-2015, 05:14 AM | #12 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,254
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
I have to disagree and offer the counterpoint here. If you take the time to research before you buy (reading the stickies and other useful tech threads here, watching YouTube videos to see different rigs and setups in action, speaking with experienced builders/drivers in your area, etc.), you can hit the mark or get very close to it from the start. My first crawler/scaler build was a Wraith kit (built after reading Harley's stickies, multiple other stickies and build threads, and watching countless videos), and about the only electronics or hop ups that I no longer use from the initial build are the servo (waterproofed Hitec 7950 replaced by HH servo after a few months), CMS mount (Vanquish changed to STRC after a few months), and motor (ROC 412 replaced by HH Puller Pro after over a year). I sold the used parts I no longer needed and was out less than $100 total in resale price vs what I paid. Starting with the RTR would have cost me more up front and not produced any different choices on those three items (all of which would have been part of my initial build regardless given the weak factory servo and Hitec's reputation, my aesthetic preference for CMS, and the fact that the HH motor wasn't on the market when I built mine). My second build was an SCX-10, and the only electronics or hop ups from that build that I no longer use are the knuckles/chubs (switched from Vanquish to RC4WD for better clearance) and motor (switched from ROC 412 to HH Puller Pro), and it was the same story, as it has been on most of the rigs I've built since then. Buying an RTR and upgrading as things break or to improve performance makes sense for some, especially if your initial budget is very tight. But if you don't take the time to research upgrade options, you can just as easily make mistakes along that path just as you can when building a kit from the start. Building a kit after taking the time to research and ask good questions is a better fit for others, especially if you enjoy the build and assembly process, and it can (and often does) work out just fine. | |
12-18-2015, 06:24 AM | #13 |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 565
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
Wow! Some great responses and very informative. I am a little more unsure now on which way to proceed than before but that is okay since some things I didn't consider have been brought up. Ha. I am the type that likes to build things and does a lot of research on stuff I buy. I am also the type that like to tweak and upgrade so I could see wanting to upgrade things right away if I go with an RTR based on what I have read on these forums, however I have nothing to compare to since this is my first rc let alone rock crawler. So like one poster said I won't be able to know if what I upgraded really is what I want since I don't have anything to compare too. I think a kit would be fun but would certainly be more upfront cost to get up and running but might be cheaper at the end of the day than a RTR with gradual upgrades. My other problem is deciding what type of rig I want to build. I need something that will be fun in my back yard in the burbs (i.e. Not a lot of crawling terrain so I wouldn't it want it to be super slow) but I could see myself really getting into the pure crawling aspects of the hobby when the terrain was available. Seems like there is some skill and strategy to pure crawling which I like. I am a pure performance / technical type of person so the build would focus on that rather than scaler aestetics. I think I am hijacking my own thread now. Haha. |
12-18-2015, 07:06 AM | #14 |
Moderator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: PA
Posts: 13,918
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
If you want speed a scale crawler isn't a good option. That's why many RC fans (addicts!) have more than one RC. You get a go-fast rig then you have a crawler. And then it snowballs out of control and you have over 20 RC's! And I'm on the light side compared to some people in this hobby. A scale crawler is the most addictive niche of RC though. They're just awesome. Assuming you're going with a scale crawler I would suggest you start with a kit. Buying an RTR then upgrading it is more expensive in the long run and Axial RTRs need upgrades almost immediately because the rubber links will bend in half even with the stock motor. If you buy a kit you can start with inexpensive and reliable electronics. Here's what I use and it's never let me down yet. HobbyWing QuicRun 10 brushed, waterproof ESC ($20.99): HOBBYWING North America — QUICRUN 16 Brushed ESC RC4WD 35T motor ($9.99): TowerHobbies.com | RC4WD 540 Crawler Brushed Motor 35T Solar D772 servo ($19.95): Solar Servo D772 High Voltage 0.17sec@7.4v 64g Digital Metal Gear BEC - Optional if you want more power from the servo - ($7.20): HXT UBEC 5/6v output, 5.5~23v Input (AR Warehouse) Turnigy TS4G transmitter ($39.50): TrackStar D-Spec TS4G 2.4GHz 4-Channel Radio System (Gyro Integrated) (AR Warehouse) 2S LiPo battery - your choice, but we can help if needed. Anybody that tells you the above items are junk probably have not tried them and you shouldn't take their advice. Are these top of the line items? Of course not. They're made to be inexpensive, but they all have been bulletproof to myself and lots of others. |
12-18-2015, 08:11 AM | #15 | |
RCC Addict Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Sweden
Posts: 1,809
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
Wanting more finesse than power on a thin budget reading and watching others will only point you in the general direction. Driving yourself is the only way to learn what works for you. Given that there are other drivers nearby it's usually no sweat to get some hands on experience before deciding what to get. I wasn't that lucky and had no known other crawler driver within 200 miles. Even though I did do tons of research I made some bad decisions based on how I thought I would drive. (That looks cool! I want to do that too!) Once I began to drive myself the priorities shifted quite a bit, and NOBODY could have told me beforehand that's the direction I would take and what to use for it. | |
12-18-2015, 08:35 AM | #16 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New Port Richey, FL.
Posts: 2,545
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
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12-18-2015, 10:38 AM | #17 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,254
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
I was in a similar boat when I got back into the hobby last year. Started with faster and more capable rigs and came to really like slower and less capable (most of the time, lol). There's a fairly active crawling scene in and around Charlotte (including some folks nearby in that other Carolina), so don't assume that your locked into your immediate suburban terrain. My immediate neighborhood in the Triangle is pretty bland, but there are plenty of very nice spots in parks within 30-45 minutes of us. I'm sure you'd find the same in the Queen City. I'd definitely recommend hooking up with them (check out the NC and SC sections here) and meeting up once or twice to get a feel for what and where they run. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk | |
12-18-2015, 11:25 AM | #18 |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 565
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost...
Thanks for that list of value priced parts. I am leaning towards the kit direction. Those parts will help me get up and running on the cheap and/or I can mix in some higher dollar parts too. Then I will have something better than an RTR with fewer upgrades as I learn what I like. I hope. Maybe.
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12-18-2015, 12:41 PM | #19 | |
Moderator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: PA
Posts: 13,918
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
The ESC is the best brushed, budget crawling ESC out there. Nobody can touch it for the price. The radio is about the best budget system out there. I don't like the feel of FlySkys and their receivers seem to tend to go bad. | |
12-18-2015, 01:42 PM | #20 | ||||
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Corruptifornia
Posts: 12,107
| Re: Kit cost vs. RTR cost... Quote:
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