Newbie Help

[bomboms]

Originally Posted by JCJC

is that true ?

Rumoured by one of the ansmann sponsored guys at my local club

[mattybucks]

Originally Posted by bomboms

Rumoured by one of the ansmann sponsored guys at my local club

There's nothing like representing a brand to the max.

[Col]

Originally Posted by bomboms

Dont get a ansmann as they may not be making parts or cars anymore

Originally Posted by JCJC

is that true ?

Nope. Utter rubbish.

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91225

[VintageRacer]

Originally Posted by bomboms

Rumoured by one of the ansmann sponsored guys at my local club

Soon to be an ex-sponsored driver possibly?

It's exactly what you said, a rumour.

[ShaneyB]

OK,
My preferred choice is........

Associated B4.1

1 x Associated B4.1 £209.00
1 x Overlander 3000ma LiPo battery £28.99
1 x Core RC UAC50 Fast Charger £45.99
1 x Set Alkaline Batteries £2.00

Total £285.98

This is based on information over the phone from Modelsport but will buy the car from DMS. I'd love to go for the kit but to get I want will be out of budget. If anyone can advise on better alternatives for the B4.1 feel free to let me know.

Thanks again all, I love forums wife thinks I'm weird.

[Col]

That's the RTR, then?

Not a bad choice, but be aware that all the electrics will need replacing as you progress in skill level.

[ShaneyB]

Yep RTR as I can't get anything I like for sub £300.00 as a kit.

Remember I will race but we're both completely new so may (doubtful) give it up in a couple of months. Also the Parmiters meet on a Thursday night is very late for me to get to with an 8 year old so will have to travel to Taplow for earlier racing but not sure I can get there much before 6.30pm.

[VintageRacer]

Originally Posted by ShaneyB

OK,
My preferred choice is........

Associated B4.1

1 x Associated B4.1 £209.00
1 x Overlander 3000ma LiPo battery £28.99
1 x Core RC UAC50 Fast Charger £45.99
1 x Set Alkaline Batteries £2.00

Total £285.98

This is based on information over the phone from Modelsport but will buy the car from DMS. I'd love to go for the kit but to get I want will be out of budget. If anyone can advise on better alternatives for the B4.1 feel free to let me know.

Thanks again all, I love forums wife thinks I'm weird.

Looks to be a decent starter set-up. I'd be inclined to spend a bit more and get rechargable AA's for the transmitter, they can probably be charged with the Core charger (I say probably as I don't know that specific charger).

As I've said before though, for about the same money as the RTR B4.1, I got a new Mad Monkey kit and used electrics, which should out last the car and be more sale-able when/if I decide to upgrade.

Mad monkey - £65
Novak GTB esc - £45
LRP X12 motor - £35
Etronix 2.4GHz stick tranny and rx - £50
Savox servo (needed some wires patching up) - £25

Don't forget to budget for a set of wheels and tyres for racing. Don't know about Associated but the standard tyres on the Ansmann cars are not the best for most racing tracks.

[ShaneyB]

Thank you.

So you'd suggest going Mad Monkey kit over B4.1 RTR? Could I get that set up from DMS?

I wish someone would just put one on my desk and ask for the money - far easier!

[VintageRacer]

Originally Posted by ShaneyB

Thank you.

So you'd suggest going Mad Monkey kit over B4.1 RTR? Could I get that set up from DMS?

I wish someone would just put one on my desk and ask for the money - far easier!

Having never driven a B4 I can't comment on that, and you couldn't get that full set up from DMS as most of it was 2nd hand, which is the point I was trying to make. Buying second hand carefully chosen items one-by-one should get you a better overall set-up for about the same money.

If you want an all-in-one solution, I'd say go for the RTR but be prepared to upgrade more of it in the future.

[ShaneyB]

Cheers

[lovechild]

ill probably get slaughtered by the model shops...but if you are after cheap batteries then these work perfectly fine....i used them all last year....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KingMax-ba...item19cc40d359

[Andrew Twigger]

If you're thinking of going down the route of second hand electrics, you may as well also consider a second hand car. There are tons of fickle folk on here who buy the flavour of the month one week and sell it the next at reduced prices, so you could bag a bargain. Better still, you may be able to find someone selling everything you need. The problem is, since you're not dealing with people face to face and whom you've never met, you won't necessarily know whether they're trustworthy or not. Which will always be a problem on forums like this.

However, as someone who is testing the water and has questions that need answering, I feel your local model shop will be invaluable in this case. Not only will they be able to advise you on what to get, but they should also support you in case of any failures.

[VintageRacer]

Originally Posted by Andrew Twigger

If you're thinking of going down the route of second hand electrics, you may as well also consider a second hand car.

Agreed to a point, but part of the reason for wanting a kit (if I remember the start of the thread correctly) was because he wanted to build the car himself. A second hand car doesn't allow this, unless of course it is un-built first, but that's true for a RTR too.

[lovechild]

what's second hand? the ebay link was to new batteries.

[JCJC]

Originally Posted by lovechild

what's second hand? the ebay link was to new batteries.

Cheap Hong Kong batteries, sure they will be great for bashing and some club level racing, but most clubs and any BRCA (regional & national) meetings will require 'approved' batteries. (I know DMS club require approved batteries). It is possible these will be on the 2012 list but ...........................

[lovechild]

Why arent they BRCA legal though? The raw material cost I imagine is the same. The only major difference is marketing cost. I also have some speed passion batteries and honestly I cannot tell the difference.

[Gonky]

Originally Posted by lovechild

Why arent they BRCA legal though? The raw material cost I imagine is the same. The only major difference is marketing cost. I also have some speed passion batteries and honestly I cannot tell the difference.

To become BRCA legal they need to be submitted for approval and only approved items can be used at BRCA events. The 2012 lists are due out in a month or so i assume.

[lovechild]

I don’t want to divert away too much from the persons original thread, but in a way it is relevant, as he is looking for advice as to the best way to get started in the hobby, and to me £11.50 for a set of 4200 lipo 25c batteries seems a great way to start. How do you get on the BRCA approved list? Can anyone just simply send in a set of batteries for approval? or does it have to be the distributer or manufacture or what? Because until the peg is changed or removed between the Hong Kong dollar to the US dollar, these batteries will remain cheap for quite a while. And one of the barriers to entry into this sport is the cost, and if we can do something to lower those barriers of entry then surely that will help attract more people to the sport.

[Col]

Cells (along with motors) have to be submitted by the official distributor of the item. They are then extensively tested for size, safety and god knows what else.
Whilst I agree that cheap batteries are fine, they are cheap for a reason. Can't say I'd want to risk my £700 worth of car for the sake of an additional £50 on decent quality cells.