Returning to Hobby

[SolarSR]

Hi

After more than 2 decades looking to take up the hobby again as I have spare time. A visit to Silverstone on Tuesday only reaffirmed my desire to pick it all up again, and as such just looking for pointers or counter-advice to anything below.

I’ve noticed other similar threads but I thought I might as well add my own which I can keep adding to with additional queries as I go through the purchase / build process.

While I do not have a specific budget to adhere to I have certain soft boundaries that reflect my inexperience such as purchasing optional vehicle parts that only highly experienced / professional drivers can leverage.

Schumacher KF2 or Yokomo YZ-2

I think I have narrowed it down to either of these cars. Conscientious that both are competition-level vehicles which seems a big step for a beginner, but I figure it is more cost-effective to spend the money upfront on a decent car. Preference is to buy a new kit since I reckon building it from scratch will teach me more about how everything fits together for maintenance, repairs & future upgrades – even if it does take me 3-4 times longer than a more experienced builder.

I noticed the KF2 seems popular at the club and with the alternative motor positions seems flexible for alternative track types. The YZ-2 seems to get positive reviews both in handling and durability and reading around it seems capable to handle some different track surfaces. I know I spotted at least one YZ-2 on Tuesday’s track and from my inexperienced-eye it looked on par with the KF2.

Motor / ESC / Servo

Initially thinking 13.5t motor but after speaking to a club member it was recommended that I run a 10.5t as it would offer greater performance as my experience improves. Initially thinking Speed Passion (combo) but now considering increasing that budget to something like LRP/Reedy/Orion coupled with a separate more expensive ESC since the latter should last a long time.

For servo I was looking at something like a Savox since most buyer reviews are generally positive.

Transmitter/ Receiver

Not sure whether to go for stick or wheel, while I originally raced with sticks that was over 20 years ago. For wheel-transmitters there seems to be a good diversity across the price-range while stick-transmitters seem to jump from the cost-conscious Core RC Code (3-ch) to far pricier models. Another consideration is that I am left-handed and thus uncertain how well I would take to a wheel-controller.

Batteries

As batteries can involve quite a substantial upfront cost, I was considering something along the lines of Core RC – either saddles or ‘shorty’ depending on car/set-up choice. At £29 to £33 it would allow me to budget for a few sets to get me up & running; minimising downtime and maximising practice time.

Other

Other gear I am aware I need:

• RC4 transponder
• Lip charging sack
• Shock protectors (need more information on where to get them or how to make them)