Monster Trucks

[Eliot]

I'm new to this place and have a few questions. First off I am planning to build a custom monster truck (for fun, not real racing). I have limited money for this project (about $200-$300, because I'm paying for a new car)What I want to do is buy an inexpensive stock monster truck from a local RadioShack or Toys"R"Us and tune the heck out of it. What accesories (electric motors, gears, decals, etc.) do you recommend??? :confused:

[Inferno Runner]

Recommendations: 1. Read RC Car Action cover to cover. 2. DON'T buy RC at Radio Shack or Toys R Us. 3. Go to your LHS (local hobby store) and look at some "real" RC monster trucks, accessories and other goodies. Selecting the right truck for your experience level will have a huge effect on your enjoyment factor and the success of your project.

[JayJ]

I agree. Buy a monster truck from your LHS or order one from one of the suppliers in R/C Car Action, such as Tower Hobbies. But just for the record, not all R/C cars sold at Toys "R" Us are junk. If for some reason you must buy a "cheapie," then don't buy anything other than Nikko. (Tyco cars are pure junk.) Nikko really makes good quality stuff. I used to have a Nikko Night Rage (it's now called Thor) 4WD monster truck, and it was very solid and practically indestructible. It was certainly a big truck, and it had thick metal driveshafts with locknuts on the wheels so you could take them off (hint: change tires and rims) and it also had big shocks with metal shock shafts. These would be very easy to replace with oil-filled units. After that, you could try to gut it and put your own ESC, receiver, motors, etc. in there and you'd have a respectable monster truck, IMO. In fact, even though I have a T-Maxx, I wish I still had that Night Rage. It was so cool, and a ton of fun! (Not to mention virtually maintenance-free.) So I think you should buy a truck from your LHS or from Tower Hobbies, but if you must build up a Toys "R" Us truck, then try to find the Thor. It's by far the coolest R/C vehicle I've seen that doesn't fall into the hobby class.

[Street gp]

I have to agree with Jjay on this one, i had a non hobby R/C vehicle(dont remember) and it was as big as the t-maxx with badder tires and was totally awesome, i still wish i had it....

[The Real Maxxter]

If you'd like to get your hands on a HIGHLY upgradable R/C, go ahead and spend the $220 collars on a Tamiya Clod Buster (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p.pgm?Q=1&I=LXGA82&P=7).

THe kit I gave you a link to will not get you running right away, but you'll thank yourself in the long run when you see the massive number of aftermarket parts available for the Clod. It's been around for years, and that's for a reason :)

[Orange Pedeanaut]

Well, clod is a little more advanced in the hobby. I suggest a Traxxas Stampede, 2wd, lightweight, fast, durable, cheap, very upgradeable, etc. Just an all around good truck, nice for bashing, and with 200$ rtr painted body, all electronics, chrome rims, bbs in the tranny, slipper clutch, etc. You still have some cash to spend on more hop ups, drive it stock for a while first. The clod is 220$ but, you need radio, battery, charger, paints, etc. to run it. I highly recommend the stampede :D

[ 05-22-2001: Message edited by: Orange Pedeanaut ]

[WhoKnowsWho]

Anything you get from Radio Shack and Toys R Us will be all plastic, no real suspension, and almost no upgradability. You can probably hack in a new motor, but will fry the speed control and the battery will die faster, so you can put in a new speed control and batteries, and then the axles and/or wheel mounts will break. You can specially modify and cut parts to fit in one of the cheap cars, but if you want any sort of performance, and upgradability without going out and spending a ton, pick up a good electric RTR at a Hobby Shop. If all you want is a novelty type car (like the Tyco big wheeled flipping one or something) then go ahead and get it but don't expect too much from it, especially when a part breaks.

[RC_EAGLE]

if you buy something from Radio shack, you are going to have like have junk!! those things go so slow you can run faster than them (and you don't have to be a fast runner.) I mean those Radio shacks cars are JUNK! (LIKE REALLY JUNKY!)