Complete newb needs major help

[snapon boy]

What ever you buy set aside a few bucks because once your up and running something will fail. The advice about buying stuff from the classified section is good just be careful. If you get the new deadbolt make sure it has the tatic controller (supposed to be better than the stock flysky one) . Also drive and enjoy your rc before you jump in to the upgrades. If your going to buy from tower join the club first you get better deals and also on here.

 

[snapon boy]

Hit up u tube and watch a few videos of how the wraith proforms and the ascender and the scx10 (deadbolt /honcho etc). Also make sure the videos are rtr videos and not harleys upgrade ones. That will give you a good idea of what each rc can do out if the box! Then hit up harleys videos of what your rc can do on steroids! The stock electronics are good for for a while I've got a year out of my 27t stock motor with 1 to 3 miles a day on it however my son made a week. Holmes hobbies to the rescue!

 

[snapon boy]

All of the scx10 bodies will fit with some adjustments there basically the same frame transmission etc.

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

You might consider valuehobby.com for your batteries. I've been running their Gforce brand for years in my racers and crawlers and have had very few issues. Very reasonably priced too.

I don't know too many people that have been happy with their Venom lipos. Some of the guys I race with have had them, ran them a few months in their stock class short course trucks, then tossed them when they crapped out. The same with Duratrax.

 

[svt923]

You might consider valuehobby.com for your batteries. I've been running their Gforce brand for years in my racers and crawlers and have had very few issues. Very reasonably priced too.

I don't know too many people that have been happy with their Venom lipos. Some of the guys I race with have had them, ran them a few months in their stock class short course trucks, then tossed them when they crapped out. The same with Duratrax.

+1 on Value Hobby for batteries, great packs for the price. Can't beat their $3.99 shipping from within the US.

 

[Thechewmaster]

The venom batteries are just ok IMO. Nothing special for sure. The used parts came from numerous sources, mainly ebay, the classified adds here, craigslist, and from my brother who has tons of cars.

Now my situation was a little different, the wraith kit was purchased with the vp and ckrc parts for 300 on ebay because the poster spelled wraith wrong, so no bids. Ya just have to take your time and do research on here to find what people do with their rigs, they did all the trial and error already.

 

[Thechewmaster]

And you don't really 'need' the bec, but you will end up putting one in, will help your servo work better

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

And you don't really 'need' the bec, but you will end up putting one in, will help your servo work better

No, you'll need a bec. Not just because it helps the servo work better, but also because it'll keep you from killing the internal bec in the esc.

 

[snapon boy]

You can not by a bec if you want but you will end up killing your servo and esc. I learned the hard way I killed 2 ae5 esc's and 1 tatic 1 hitec 7950 and an airtronics. So about 250.00 later I have a bec on every rc me and my son have 7 total so far.

 

[jleverett]

so other than venom what batteries that towerhobbies carries would be better in your opinion for lipos and is the charger decent

like i said im new one of my hobby shops near me carries the venoms and the charger and he said they were good so i was basing it off of what i was told he said the venoms because of the universal clip ins

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

Always remember that a hobby shop employees job is to sell what they stock. Whether or not something is actually good is a question best asked to those who have no interest in the sale. Search the rc forums, see what is being said about the particular item.

I personally use Duratrax chargers. Very user friendly, and the ones I have have been super reliable. I've got one that I've been using for 5 years and has never skipped a beat.

Venoms multi-adapter they have on their packs is really just a gimmick. No matter what rig you are running, your going to want a good plug, and your going to want all your rigs to match. Deans have been the go-to plug for a long time, and xt60's are good too.

 

[svt923]

This is a pretty good option on the battery:
Value Hobby R/C Hobby Store (Addison, Illinois): GForce Elite Series 30C 5000mAh 2S 7.4V LiPO

As for chargers, most of the basic 50 watt AC/DC ones are pretty much the same. If you get a battery from Value Hobby, then you might as well grab a charger there as well:
Value Hobby R/C Hobby Store (Addison, Illinois): GT Power A606-D 50W-6A 6S LiPO Charger (Built-In Power Supply)

That is a battery and charger shipped for about the price of just that Venom charger you listed. More money for hopups. "thumbsup"

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

Pay attention to the batteries you pick from there, some have different plugs that may not be what you want. Most of the time the connector is plainly stated, sometimes its not.

 

[jleverett]

? the scx10 deadbolt vs the honcho vs the wraith what would be the better starter crawler and if its the deadbolt why the reason i ask is i have my heart set on either the honcho or the wraith spawn being more specific because of the looks but for me im willing to compromise for the sake of going cheaper at towerhobbies

 

[badhoopty]

not much difference between the honcho and scx deadbolt...

i also run valuehobbies lipos, and the charger from there doesnt look bad.

i highly advise you get an rtr, even a tower combo if you so desire. if the whole lipo thing is a bit beyond you right now there isnt nothing wrong with nimh packs and an older and cheaper nimh charger.

 

[THX_138]

? the scx10 deadbolt vs the honcho vs the wraith what would be the better starter crawler and if its the deadbolt why the reason i ask is i have my heart set on either the honcho or the wraith spawn being more specific because of the looks but for me im willing to compromise for the sake of going cheaper at towerhobbies

If your knowledge is basic, stay in the same genre with your new RC and grab a Honcho

Pretty basic and VERY usable bone stock

Like every RC you WILL find its weak points over time with abuse and pushing its limits.....

..... but, if you use it with respect and common sense until you can afford to do upgrades, I can with confidence say anything that might break with most likely have spare parts on the parts tree in the box
It might not be "upgrades", but your RC will not be down and unusable awaiting parts.

With common sense use you may break a steering knuckle or driveshaft universal... unless they changed... every honcho kit I've ever bought came with plenty of spares.

And as previously mentioned... You surely do NOT need a lipo right from the start. A nice luxury, but surely not needed.

Grab a Honcho Kit

 

[Thechewmaster]

I don't really have anything to add to honcho vs wraith debate, since the wraith I have is my first rc ever. But I really think getting the kit was very beneficial to me instead of an rtr. Sure the kit has a few upgraded parts, but the real benefit came with my hands on the rig, seeing every nook and cranny, assembling the diffs and tranny. Future work, which will be necessary at some point, will be very simple vs figuring out how to remove the tranny from the car. My last 2cents on the subject