Buying a Car

Selecting the Right Car for You

There are a huge number of different models to choose from out there, so you have to know what you generally want. There are two very basic types of car out there: On-Road and Off-Road. This is pretty self-explanatory; you drive an on-road car on pavement and an off-road car on anything besides pavement (usually dirt). The choice is yours, depending on what you like more. Be aware, though, that off-road cars tend to break easier, since they are often subjected to greater stress because of the surfaces that they are driven on.

Another thing that you want to look at is size. R/C cars commonly come in a few different sizes: 1/10 scale, 1/12 scale (the most common sizes), 1/5 scale, 1/18 scale, 1/24 scale, and 1/60 scale. A scale is the fraction of the size of the comparable car. For instance, my 1/10 scale Dodge Stratus is about 1/10 the size of a real Dodge Stratus. Most people go with 1/10 or 1/12 scale cars, since they are the most widely available, and there are lots of parts and hop-ups (upgrades) available for them. 1/18 and 1/24 scales are quite a bit smaller, but they are also getting quite popular with a lot of drivers, especially with the introduction of the HPI Micro RS4 and the Kyosho Mini-Z. 1/60 scale is about the size of a HotWheels car, but they are limited in their performance and radio range. Finally, there is the giant 1/5 scale. These usually cost a HUGE amount of cash, and, as you can probably guess, they are huge in size, as well.

So, once you decide on on-road or off-road, and you decide on the scale that you want, you need to decide if you are going for an RTR (Ready To Run vehicle) or a kit. An RTR generally includes everything that you need to get started, albeit the batteries that you need and a charger (if it is electric) or gas (if it is a nitro). Although these usually aren't the highest performance vehicles, they are usually the best choice for beginners or people who hate having to spend a few days just trying to put the car together. For beginners, this is probably the best choice, since they require minimal set-up time, and can learn about how the car works gradually, instead of having to learn everything at once when you car doesn't work as soon as you finish putting it together. The other choice is a kit. This is usually for more advanced or more mechanically-inclined hobbyists. While more difficult to set up, they let you learn about the inner workings of your vehicle, and they also let you usually customize the car much easier than RTR's do. I would definitely recommend a kit to any second-time buyer. When you buy a kit, make sure that you know what parts you need to make your kit into a working model. Pretty much all kits require a radio system purchased separately, and some also require you to buy things like the Lexan body or the motor/engine, too. If you are in the market for a kit, though, you probably already know everything that you need, anyway.

Buying the Car

Now that you've selected your car, you need to find out what model that you are going to buy and where you are going to purchase it from. First of all, you must choose what brand you want. Shop around for this. Ask someone at your local hobby shop, or check out a magazine like Remote Control Car Action for reviews on cars like the one that you are interested in. Personally, I like Traxxas' RTR models the best, and I like Tamiya's kits for their excellent manuals.

Once you decide on what car you want to purchase, you have to find out where to buy it. Shop around at all of the local hobby shops, and if they don't have the particular model that you want, ask them if they can order it and what price they'll charge. Also, you could always go the route of buying online. You can usually find a much bigger selection if you choose to buy online from one of the main online retailers. Quite possibly one of the best sites for this is Tower Hobbies. They carry just about every popular brand, and they have all of the parts and accessories that you will ever need. They're often much less expensive than most local hobby shops, although you have to wait a week or two if you order from them. If you buy online, though, make sure that you note the shipping and handling fees. After you tack on these fees, you sometimes end up paying more than you would at your local hobby shop.

Continued:
2.Assembling the car
3.Painting the car