Hi, this is my first post. I have for the last 5+ years being following RC (planes and cars) closely by reading on the net and going to some hobby stores and flying clubs, without actually purchasing/participating in any, primarily due to budget reasons.

Now I guess, the time has come to jump in! So I was looking at some help at selecting a suitable model. My inputs are:

1. Electric not Nitro, am looking at spending limited time on this hobby, and electrics are plenty powerful from what I read
2. Looking for a truck (off roader) but not planning to really take it 'bashing' hardcore or do big jumps and stuff. Also not planning to run it at top speed, so something sort of 'medium' and capable of a bit of both would be interesting.
3. I love the way the e-revo 1/16 brushless looks, and I prefer the smaller size. Is that a good model to get? how about the breakages and parts?
4. Kapil Jolly recommended the F150 Raptor Slash 1/10 2WD rather than the 1/16 E-Revo, any comments on that? He said it is more reliable and suitable for my use.
5. Budget - not exceeding 20k

Any comments or help would be welcome!


On a side note, I came across a hobby grade 1/10 RTR RC car with battery, charger, etc (on road) at Hamleys store, Phoenix Mumbai. MRP was INR 10,000, and it was available at half price, so I picked it up for just INR 5000! The salesman told me it has a top speed of 35kmph, didnt really believe him at the time, but I have been using the car and its quite fantastic for something that cost 5000 bucks. I think 35kmph might well be the actual speed, maybe even more. See pics. I dont have any video unfortunately. Will try uploading one.
Might be interesting for someone starting off with a budget hobby grade RC car, I dont think any other brand available at that price for hobby grade. This, of course is unbranded except for 'BSL 6081' mentioned on the manual. Has anyone else also come across this car anywhere?

Details of the car:
4WD, independent suspension, rubber tyres with foam inside, Motor is supposedly 'High Performance RC-540 Type Electric Motor' from the manual. 1800mah nicad 6S pack and charger, 27mhz AM transmitter, with trim and %age limit settings for steering and throttle. Also has a cool feature that you can store and recall 3 settings for steering and throttle limits, and trims. So its like a customisable training mode.

Found the link on the net: http://www.toysbase.com/Wholesale-RC-Cars-China-Toys-Car.html which has some more specs

The construction is all plastic, but the car is fast, responsive and powerful. In fact, I have ordered a 5000 mah battery pack for it for extended runtime. This might be useful for beginners looking to start on a tight budget, of course I'm not sure about the continued availability, maybe I got lucky.

Cheers and hoping for some responses for my planned purchase! 

Welcome to Rc hobby As well as to Rcindia...
 

Thanks Arun

It looks reasonably good.

The 2wd slash will take some throttle control but it will be better than the MERV( Mini E REvo) in terms of handling rough terrain. The 2wd slash is super reliable and a good beginner car to go with. I'm not sure whether the slash he mentioned is the VXL version or not. I'd suggest going brushless from the get go.

Thanks iamahuman, point taken, but the MERV looks sooo much better in the vids! I really like the way it looks and it is 4wd and smaller
But agree, the decision should be based on the overall factors, so I'll wait to see what the experts have to say. I dont envisage using it on 'really' rough terrain but yes, don't want it to break too easily either.

The Slash 2wd is the brushed version. He mentioned that the BL is on the Slash 4x4. Or do you mean I get the Slash 2wd with the upgrade to vxl with it? I need to check how much it will cost for that upgrade, if possible will get that upgrade.

Will post some more detailed pics of the 'no name', 5000 Rs. RC Car in a few days. I noticed cracks on the shock mounts, need to improvise a fix. I thought of upgrading it to lipo, but I dont know what ESC it uses, possibly no LVC so staying safe and going with Nimh 7.2V. The NiCad lasts 10-12min and takes practically a whole day to charge. FYI I ordered a charger and nimh battery pack from amazon.com, and going to use MyUS.com to get it here. Lets see the effective price.

Seems like the 2wd VXL slash doesn't come to India.

The MERV has its share of problems.

Slash frame will be more reliable and robust as it is all covered with no wheels/arms exposed.
In my opinion go with mini slash 4wd vxl. Will prove tougher than merv & is based on same platform as merv.
Fills all your criteria (hope so  )
http://traxxas.com/products/models/electric/7009slash116vxl4x4
If it is not available in India, then get the brushed version & later convert to brushless.
Mind you this mini slash brushed comes with 550 size motor same as bigger 2wd slash. So, expect better performace than you expect.

It now depends on the scale you are looking for.
The 1/16s are more fun in tight spaces, like running indoors while the 1/10s are more fun running outdoors.
So if you plan on using it outdoors only I would suggest a brushed 2wd F150.
If you want one for both indoor and outdoor usage, a mini would work out better

Yes, apparently so. OK, in that case I guess MERV is avoidable.

Thanks firefly and rajathtv, looks like its down to 1/10 Slash 2wd brushed or the 1/16 Slash 4wd then.
The car I have now (posted pics) is 1/10 scale, length is about 16", and wheelbase 10". This is still too big for indoors but I can just about manage.

The 1/16 Slash 4x4 is 14" long, wheelbase (?") and the 1/10 Slash 2wd has a wheelbase of 14", length (?"). Since I have a smaller car already, I'm leaning towards going for the Slash 2wd for more outdoor fun.

Thanks all for the inputs.

My question is whether the 2wd is really difficult to control, how long will it take me to get used to it, and is it a lot less fun than 4wd outdoors?
Oh and is there any other brand other than Traxxas that I should consider for the given budget/requirements?

Hi,
More pics of the 'no-brand' car refered in the first post.
1. Chasis
2. Rear Shock mount (cracked, needs fixing)
3. ESC and Receiver
4. Motor

See, 2wd is more challenging to drive than the 4wd but it makes you a better driver later on.
Traxxas Slash is a good vehicle to begin with & has incepted the zeal of short course trucks in rc world, more or less, so full respect for it.
In India you will get better support for slash by many esteemed members here & if peace of mind is the goal, you cant go wrong.
But if you want to have an adventure  , then go for HPI Blitz or even Associated SC10 (both 1/10 scale 2wd brushed versions). They are in the same price range & something to reckon with

Hi human and other contributors to this post,

I just saw this post and got surprised.

Are you or other people on this post suggest, Erevo-1/16 VXL aka MERV has its own "share of problems"?

Instead, are you or others suggest Slash 1/16 VXL 4x4 to buy?

Please share your experiences, because I almost made up my mind to buy ERevo next week (http://www.rcindia.org/cars/buying-erevo-116-vxl-need-advice-on-charger-parts-and-batteries/?topicseen)

Thanks

MM

Well, the MERV is open wheeled and is more prone to damage. The Mini slash is more durable in that aspect. They're fairly small cars and you might end up thinking that going to a bigger car would be a good idea.

If you're running indoors and outdoors, the minis will do a good job. Kepp in ind, they're pretty fast and a bad crash will hurt.

It is not that the Mini Slash is miles ahead of Merv in durability. It's shape is such that the body of Mini Slash covers everything even wheels & takes beating before anything internal is struck. Both are same chassis. Also scale appearance wise Mini Slash scores. But Merv is stunning in its own right. Merv can possibly take on a harsher terrain than Mini Slash & be more stable.

In general, they are a bit different vehicles.
Buy what your heart says & you will not be disappointed by either

MM .. 1/16thslash has shorter arms and smaller wheels + full body putting less stress on parts than merv, but merv can wheelie and do flips.