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The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 4:47 pm
by 32wildbilly
1/8 scale Delta Manufacturing RC car, 0.21 engine, rear wheel drive only, adjustable ball bearing differential, disc brake rear axel only, flat fibre pan chassis, 25" long 5.5#s. Top speed @ 70 mph actual. Total cost kit @$300, engine-clutch-heat sink-carb @$200, clear body @$20 and radio with two servos @$150. Circa 1978. Cheap and fun! Hell radios cost that much these days!
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Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 6:29 pm
by gnat
Nice.

My 1/8th monster truck was about $1200 with batteries and charger. Picked up a 1/10th for my oldest at the start of the summer for $400 ready to run (it's NiMH and brushed though).

When I got my first monster truck in the late 80s it was $300 by itself, all the electronics were separate, and you had to assemble everything.

Here are the two together as well as one of mine with it's alternate body :mrgreen:

Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 5:33 am
by 32wildbilly
gnat wrote: Sat Jan 05, 2019 6:29 pm Nice.

My 1/8th monster truck was about $1200 with batteries and charger. Picked up a 1/10th for my oldest at the start of the summer for $400 ready to run (it's NiMH and brushed though).

When I got my first monster truck in the late 80s it was $300 by itself, all the electronics were separate, and you had to assemble everything.

Here are the two together as well as one of mine with it's alternate body :mrgreen:
Very cool extra body. Do you guys run them much?

The youngest kid(40) has a buddy with an 1/8th scale truck. He drove it and is over the moon for one. He said it is FAST. Brushless motor middle of the road battery pack, yet would pull a wheel stand any time you buried the throttle. I think is an Arrma brand. We went to Hobbytown and it is around $500 plus $200 for battery pack and charger. I like the Traxxas truck better another $100 but seemed to be built better and that brand has been around forever. I dunno I think I would miss the engine noise, but then again clean up would be easier without all the spilled nitro so there is that plus.

Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:10 am
by gnat
Not as often as I'd like as there isn't much near the house so it gets boring quick.

Mine is an HPI Savage Flux. It's a brushless with twin 2s batteries. The claim with a different gear and twin 3s bats it will do 65mph and I believe it. It's much better to drive after I replaced it's controller with a tunable Traxxas model. The supplied seemed to have a small window between stopped and "gonna break a leg".

His is a Traxxas and it can be upgraded to brushless and LiPo when I'm convinced him (really his friends) won't cause damge with it (10lbs at 40mph is not something for the careless/inattentive...). Even better, they actually discount the new electrics with a trade in plan so it's not that crazy to upgrade.

His setup reminds me when I'm glad I listened to the shop and went with brushless LiPo. It runs for maybe 10 minutes before a noticeable power fade and then it can't move in another 10. I've never run my set up down as I get bored before any power drop. I've done 2 hours over a few sessions on a single charge! I went in looking for nitro due to remembering the crap NiCad and NiMh run times. They convinced me to go LiPo with big packs (both are 8300s) and they were right.

As far as the brands go I'm very happy with my HPI. Unfortunately they have been plagued with supply problems since day one and you can read about people being down for months looking for parts. That said, however, it's about 5 years old, has about 40 hours on it, and I have done zero maintance or repairs too it. The thing is a bloody tank!

Traxxas is much easier to get parts for, but so far his truck is standing up to abuse well too (like a 15lb truck broadsiding it around 30mph). So I'd definitely recommend them.

I did see the E-Maxx in person when I bought his. It's actually closer to 1/5 scale and makes mine look small. I still haven't figured out how to upgrade yet :lol:

I guess in a few years I can give mine to Thing 1 and he can give his to Thing 2 and then I can get that monster :twisted:

Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:15 am
by gnat
Oh yeah. My wife just reminded me about the biggest difference between the two.

His is waterproof and mine is not :(

Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 12:27 pm
by 32wildbilly
gnat wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:15 am Oh yeah. My wife just reminded me about the biggest difference between the two.

His is waterproof and mine is not :(
Well good thing yours is a truck and not a boat!

Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:42 pm
by FRUNKenstein
Not radio controlled, but we just got back from the Girl Scouts Pinewood Derby where my daughter and her JoJo Siwa themed car got 4th. I think the JoJo Bow mounted on the rear may have hurt the aero profile a bit - and she finished 3/1,000ths of a second out of 3rd place.
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Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 3:03 pm
by gnat
Well with a gaudy string of lights and ostentatious "wing" on the rear I think we certainly know which parent she takes after. Poor girl :lol:

Tell her congrats. Don't recall that I ever came close to placing with mine, but I did enjoy working on them with my dad.

Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 5:41 pm
by 32wildbilly
FRUNKenstein wrote: Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:42 pm Not radio controlled, but we just got back from the Girl Scouts Pinewood Derby where my daughter and her JoJo Siwa themed car got 4th. I think the JoJo Bow mounted on the rear may have hurt the aero profile a bit - and she finished 3/1,000ths of a second out of 3rd place.
I do not believe this is your daughter's car! I would think a good Dad like you would have talked her into painting the car that disturbing color of red...

Re: The Good Old Days of Radio Control before Drones

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 5:43 pm
by FRUNKenstein
Oh, that car was gonna be pink. There was zero doubt about that, no matter what dad said.