# Noob question--long post



## Seventy7 (Jul 4, 2012)

Hey..well not too big of a noob but I'll explain...

So for awhile now I have been thinking of getting an RC car/truck but I had some of the classic Tamiya stuff when I was a kid, then later an RC 10, Stampede and one of the Traxxas nitro (?) powered trucks? I just remember it was "gas" powered and a PAIN IN THE A$$ to tune. I sold all that stuff off and stuck with diecast, slot, trains and models..so everything but R/C.

A bunch of guys I ride motorcycles with have all kinds of RC stuff they bash around with in the pits and that got the bug going again, so since last summer I have been looking at kits that seemed fun. Yesterday picking up some model paint and tools I saw the Tamiya Farm King and thought it was so off the wall and cool looking I almost bought it on the spot! But restrained and saved a few bucks for now.

I ran it by one of my friends and he said "just get one of the Traxxas monster trucks, it's water resistant and you'll have a tougher time breaking it." 

So I LOVE the model aspect to the Tamiya stuff (save for painting the body) and thought the Farm King would be some good back yard fun. Plus it seems there is a hop up kit for it so I'm assuming after the initial build I will still be able to tinker around with things?

My question is in comparison to the Traxxas kit my friend spoke of, how does Tamiya stack up in terms of durability and use in wet weather? If I take something like a Farm King out in a little drizzle am I going to end up paying for it? Is there anyway to upgrade something and make it a bit more resistant to water?

The only thing I "know" is that I probably will not take anything too seriously and will stick with electric and something that's easy to get parts for. So after all of that...any advice is appreciated! Thank you :thumbsup:


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## Lucky Lance (Dec 29, 2004)

*Tamiya*

I don't know much about the Tamiya, but I do know that the TRAXXAS REVO, and a lot of other TRAXXAS products, are mostly coming as RTR packages, meaning ALL ELECTRONICS, (very reliable), including a 2.4 radio, and a battery pack. I'm NOT POSITIVE, but a CHARGER may be supplied too. These Revo's can also be UPGRADED by using BETTER, shocks, a-arms, wheels, tires, bodies, etc, etc. You can also upgrade to LIPO batteries and can find them VERY CHEAP on Hobby King...I think if you scim e-bay under TRAXXAS REVO, then compare a scim of the Tamiya your'e looking at, you'll find TRAXXAS is the more popular of the two. I know for a fact that the 1/16th scale REVO is SUPER FAST and very fun to race in DIRT OVAL racing...Just charge, set down and pull the trigger, right out of the box, then see what TRAXXAS is all about...Remember the slogan...TRAXXAS: The FASTEST thing in Radio Controlled...Hope this helps:wave::thumbsup:


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## Seventy7 (Jul 4, 2012)

Well I'm loving the Grave Digger 1/10 scale kit right now. For the money it looks like a good buy with a ton of upgrades available and a nice, solid platform for me to "re-start" into the hobby.

Thanks so much for your input--quick question, how bad is it if something gets wet? Not submerged but taking it out for a spin after the rain, wet roads, light mud etc.


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## ta_man (Apr 10, 2005)

Seventy7 said:


> Well I'm loving the Grave Digger 1/10 scale kit right now. For the money it looks like a good buy with a ton of upgrades available and a nice, solid platform for me to "re-start" into the hobby.
> 
> Thanks so much for your input--quick question, how bad is it if something gets wet? Not submerged but taking it out for a spin after the rain, wet roads, light mud etc.


If a speed control not designed/built as waterproof gets wet it could short out internally and go up in smoke. I have seen this happen. It doesn't happen every time but it can happen.

Few receivers are designed to be waterproof because it is easy to protect a receiver from water (it doesn't need air circulation for cooling like a speed control). A wet receiver could malfunction and cause loss of control. Traxxas cars nowadays include receiver boxes that are very water resistant. Few other electric cars have such receiver boxes.

Brushed motors have been known to be broken in while in water, so they are not likely to suffer bad effects unless they have ball bearings, which would need to be cleaned and re-lubed. Sensorless brushless motors do not have anything in them that would be affected by water except the bearings. Sensored brushless motors have electronics that could be compromised by water.


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## Seventy7 (Jul 4, 2012)

ta_man said:


> If a speed control not designed/built as waterproof gets wet it could short out internally and go up in smoke. I have seen this happen. It doesn't happen every time but it can happen.
> 
> Few receivers are designed to be waterproof because it is easy to protect a receiver from water (it doesn't need air circulation for cooling like a speed control). A wet receiver could malfunction and cause loss of control. Traxxas cars nowadays include receiver boxes that are very water resistant. Few other electric cars have such receiver boxes.
> 
> Brushed motors have been known to be broken in while in water, so they are not likely to suffer bad effects unless they have ball bearings, which would need to be cleaned and re-lubed. Sensorless brushless motors do not have anything in them that would be affected by water except the bearings. Sensored brushless motors have electronics that could be compromised by water.


Thanks so much for the great, informative post. So having said all of that, in your opinion what is a better made RC vehicle? Traxxas or Tamiya? Just overall, bang for the buck, novice level etc etc


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## ta_man (Apr 10, 2005)

Seventy7 said:


> Thanks so much for the great, informative post. So having said all of that, in your opinion what is a better made RC vehicle? Traxxas or Tamiya? Just overall, bang for the buck, novice level etc etc


If I was going to buy something to run, outdoors in dirt or street, I would buy Traxxas (biased here, I have many Traxxas cars).

One of my early cars was a Tamiya. The plastic pivot parts wore out from the abrasive effects of the dirt it was run in. A Traxxas in the same environment showed no such wear.

That said, I would say Tramiya cars are both better and worse than Traxxas cars. Tamiya makes some inexpensive stuff and some very high-end, high quality stuff. Traxxas is in the middle: their stuff is robust, but not high-end quality. Just the right amount of quality to be affordable and durable.


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## Lucky Lance (Dec 29, 2004)

*Traxxas*

I think if you read into it, The Traxxas has waterproof electronics...And they are a hell of a lot FASTER in my opinion...


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