Cheap RCs are fine... Used RCs might be better!

While it is very tempting to buy cheap RCs, like the UDI & Pinecone models, these budget, Chinesium products are not necessarily your best-value options. The used RC market can be a goldmine. Keep an eye out for bargains!
#rc #cheaprc #brushless #rccar #rcbuggy
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[@mmiikkee169]

Absolutely love my Mad Rat. My first RC and always makes me smile.

[@TheRCScotsman]

Good man!

[@liamchilver1691]

I very recently baught myself an original hpi wheely king 4x4 off Ebay. I was worried about part support but hpi still stock basically every single part for it, minus the HD option parts. I really hope they don't stop making parts for it as I've fallen in love with the wheely king

[@TheRCScotsman]

I love the Wheely King! I wish HPI still made it.

[@Ghazghul]

Always wanted a Clod Buster, finally bought one used on eBay because : Bearings installed, an extra basher body, over £100 of ukmonsters upgrades (and the ones I was planning to get) , servicable radio gear and the hard body painted to box art better than I ever could. Much happier with it than the FMS Smasher + upgrades I bought new a few weeks earlier... Also if you are worried about spares, just buy two used ones?

[@TheRCScotsman]

Yeah, you can certainly get a lot more for your money, that's for sure! the risk of buying another one for spares is the old "Hmmm... but I COULD just have two of them..." You know how it is!

[@teinspringz]

Thanks for the video. Here's another perspective. I have the Pinecone Brushless model that you have in the video and totally agree about the delay in the ESC throttle, the sometimes sketchy controller issues. I found mine to be seriously coggy with the 3500KV motor and throttle control quite terrible. It got shelved, and I purchased a UDIRC1604 brushed, which behaved much better on the 380 brushed motor and ESC, I found it was terrible when used outdoors onroad, grass, dirt etc as the suspension travel is non-existent. Therefore I have been driving it indoors on carpet on the drift wheels, and it is perfect for it. Sliding on carpet on drift wheels is a revelation, gymkhana motorkhana sessions indoors on rainy days, being a 1/16 it is small enough for indoor bashing. The UDIRC1604 were so cheap I bought another for spare parts. Then I purchased the ZD Racing Rocket S16 brushless expecting it to be the best, due to some glowing reviews from some UK YT reviewer who shall remain nameless, and it was incredibly disappointing - the shocks are horribly unpredictable grotesque design, the steering mechanism stiff and terrible, the wheels do not fit the 1604, the only good thing about it was the alloy chassis. So I removed the ESC receiver and placed it in the Pinecone brushless, and what a difference that made! No more cogging, smooth controls, I could drive on concrete and slide and drift it with full control. I lost control of the lights though, as the voltage from the ZD racing ESC receiver is higher than the LED could handle. Shame the tyres are too soft, I chewed through a set in one session, it was that good! So then I thought, if the ZD Racing ESC did wonders in the Pinecone, what if I paired the 3300KV motor from the Rocket S16 to the Pinecone ESC? The end result is perfection for the Pinecone, no cogging, smooth controls and even the braking is smooth. I can use the stock lighting system again - which brings another element - nighttime indoor carpet bashing! Amazing! I've not had this much fun with R/C before, drift wheels on carpet is very low impact so no need to replace wheels often, if a wheel nut falls off it is easy to find, and cleaning the car is very easy with a vacuum. So now I have 1x brushed indoors slider, 1x brushless indoors slider with a 3300KV motor, and 1x brushless outdoor concrete slider with a 3500KV motor. I have had these cars for about a year, I have yet to buy spare parts given how they're drive and not bashed, I chose the kits that came with 1 or 2 batteries so now I have a few 2S in my collection, and I am thoroughly happy with my purchases. Would I need a preloved 1/10 2WD buggy in my collection? Probably not, especially if like the buggy you have has limited parts availability, though if I do I would go brand name Losi Kyosho Tamiya Associated based on spare parts availability like you said, but then I would be paying a premium over the price of a new Pinecone so it is not a fair comparison.

[@TheRCScotsman]

Great work! That sounds like an absolute blast and very happy to hear that you've got the Pinecone driving and responding, properly! Of course, context matters, massively. Your indoor setup sounds amazing. However, not everyone has access to that environment. Of course, there is no right, or wrong, answer. Gives us plenty to discuss! Cheers.

[@mathiassroke8911]

Hello, if you need spare parts for the Ansmann Mad Rad, then take a look at the LRP Twister. The vehicles look almost identical. The LRP Twister is currently still being sold and supplied with spare parts.

[@TheRCScotsman]

I can certainly check that out, because my brother-in-law has a Twister!

[@LukazRC]

Im all about used RCs or used cars in general rarely buy new anymore i get the best deals an buy and sell RCs every week

[@TheRCScotsman]

Always fun to wheel and deal in used RCs!

[@alantaylor353]

Agree wholeheartedly.! I've recently begun getting into used Tamiya RCs.

[@TheRCScotsman]

There's plenty of good stuff, out there! Used Tamiya stuff can be a goldmine.

[@alantaylor353]

@@TheRCScotsman I know,my eyes have been firmly opened.. I've just had a newly build but never driven M06 Beetle delivered today.. He's done a proper job too, alloy shocks, rubber sealed bearings, 21 turn Absima motor, 1060 ESC, rally tyres & the body backed in silver.! He's made a clean job of cutting the windows out & installing an interior roll cage to make it into a Baja bug.! All for £80.!!!!

[@GhostRyderFPV]

I was _thiiis_ close to commenting on how an Alfa Romeo without a warranty is like a ticking timebomb... Until I saw the silver Alfa during then Losi Highroller clip. Ummm, yes, everything is perfect. Nothing to see here, carry on. lol But back to the point, I was skeptical about a Chineseum RC truck I had bought for FPV duty, an Eachine EAT04 (rebrand of a Feiyue FY03H brushless), but to my amazaement the truck is still on sale 4 years later, with ample Chineseum parts support to boot. I guess it is a gamble, whether you go name brand or not. Unless you go Tamiya, where the cahnces are they'll re-release your model every other year, with ample parts in the interim. Which begs the question: have you taken advantage of their (and Integy's) sale on T3-01 parts? I've bought so many super cheap hop ups for mine that the stack of cardboard parts cards weighs more than the trike lol

[@TheRCScotsman]

Haha, well that silver Alfa is actually my red Alfa, which I use as my daily driver! To be honest, despite the reputation, that thing has been extremely dependable! I have mapped-out all of the sensors, though... People seem to give Integy a hard time, but I've had (almost) entirely good experiences with their parts. I guess some Chineseum is good Chineseum!

[@justindurand9110]

For a beginner you really can't beat a rustler/stampede/bandit. You said their ancient like it's a bad thing lol. BTW, they're even more ancient than you said. IIRC that chassis was released in 91 or 92. The first new hobby grade kit (yes, they came in kit back then) I ever bought in 1993 was a Rustler. There's a good reason they're still around and that many people still buy them, and of all the rc's out there they are probably going to be the easiest to find parts for far into the future, even if Traxxas did decide to stop making them. Are they the best? Absolutely not! But they are over-all very good for the money, especially if you value the assurance of parts availability, because they probably cannot be beat in that regard. On top of that Traxxas ha s very good warranty program too. For the record I am not really much of a Traxxas fan at all, so please don't think I'm fanboying here. The only Traxxas I still own is a T-maxx, but I only keep that around for nostalgia. That POS breaks every time I drive it lol. This is just my opinion on that specific model, based on personal experience from over 30 years in the hobby. All that being said, there are some really good "toy grade" stuff these days too. I just recently picked up a second WLtoys K989. I bought my first one when they came out 6-7 years ago and haven't had to replace a single part on it. I just picked up the newest model with th cool truck body and all the lights, completely ready to run with battery and charger for less than $50 shipped to my house. Even though I've never had to replace anything, spare have always been available and still are, and there's even a fairly large aftermarket support with all kinds of hop-ups available. They are awesome little cars, better than many hobby grade cars.

[@TheRCScotsman]

Very good points and, as I said, there is no right answer. I simply could never bring myself to buy such an ancient RC at such an inflated price. Especially when you can pick up used ones for dirt cheap. It kind of negates the need for a warranty, when you can just by spares and replacement parts for next-to-nothing. Great to hear you're enjoying the WL Toys. There are some proper bargains out there. However, you do roll the dice a little bit on those cheapo, Chineseum products. Cheers!

[@joshuacomben02]

Hi mate another great video with some very good points used rc cars are so cheap. I’m absolutely shocked about that man scamming you I remember watching the video. You don’t deserve stuff like that to happen to you you’re such a decent guy. Keep up the great videos 👍

[@TheRCScotsman]

Hello there. Thank you. Yeah, it was a bit crap, but no point in worrying about it. You just move on! Cheers!

[@pocketfuloducks1062]

Good points, sir! 🍻

[@TheRCScotsman]

Thanking you!

[@thobianvandijk3753]

I bought a used e revo brushless edition for €120,- only thing i had to do is reglue 2 tires and solder on ec5 connector and i have had tons of fun without any trouble….. used rc cars are a great deals most of the time

[@TheRCScotsman]

Perfect example! Well done.

[@gigglehurtz3167]

yes but...if youre like me the fun is in the build.

[@TheRCScotsman]

True! Although, you can always strip it down, clean/fix and rebuild.

[@Curious_Skeptic]

I have to say, the RC airplane market has gone to the crooks! Horizon sells FOAM junk for $300 and up. RC car market has become MUCH better by offering very inexpensive great options! Not to mention, your car will last for ever. Just needs a new part. Your foam plane is trash once you break it. LOL. Those shocks are awesome! The used market for RC is really amazing! Peeps buy them, run them a few times, and go to market. :) I don't mind the massive discount importers though. They are cheap enough you through them out if they break, LOL.

[@TheRCScotsman]

Interesting to hear that. I have a foam plane and it's been in half, on several occasions! I just used UHU glue to melt it back together! You're right, though. The used RC market is great.

[@Curious_Skeptic]

@TheRCScotsman you can mend, but they will break again. Have a glider and ended up giving up repairs. New fuse. Old balsa planes, repairs would be as good or better than new.

[@beandean356]

Love my 88 pound Holiday Buggy with a HPI brushless system on Nimh Batteries at the moment. Apart from that Senton and Bigrock 3s HPI Jumpshot flux is all the cars i need and i have time for.

[@bratwurstmaxxehaxxe5315]

Bro still on NIMH😅

[@beandean356]

@@bratwurstmaxxehaxxe5315 How much faster will a 2s lipo be over a NIMH?

[@bratwurstmaxxehaxxe5315]

@@beandean356it depends how many cells you get with nimh but even with brushed motor lipo is awsome its less weight and better punch more discharge rate

[@beandean356]

@@bratwurstmaxxehaxxe5315 But same top speed on 2s so?

[@beandean356]

Biggest plus is i dont burn my house down.

[@Zed32_Customs]

For the casual runner/basher, used rcs are only good if they are fairly new. Older or more used ones WILL burn you. I got a used hornet and spent double what a new one would have costed to get it going again. I got a used rc10gt and then found out the OS .12 engine was pretty much blown. Ive sunk over $250 into the damn thing and hours of wrenching. I love fixing rcs more than driving them, so i dont care. But, just get a new car unless your goal is to tinker.

[@TheRCScotsman]

While that is certainly something to consider and you may well be right, a lot of the time. You can find very good conditioned older RCs that need nothing done to them. It's luck of the draw, combined with a bit of research. I enjoy that aspect.

[@keithhawkins9319]

Every time I buy a used rc car. I spend more money repairing it. I will never buy second hand rc cars again. Most parts are worn out on used rc cars.

[@daylightdies7194]

That’s part of the fun for me

[@TheRCScotsman]

It can happen, but that is a generalisation. Some used RCs are in great condition.