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grasshopper
Senior Member
1652 Posts |
 Posted - 04 August 2010 : 15:49:22
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Has anyone actually sat down and calculated the cost of this hobby?
Being extremely fortunate, I set a precedent in the past where my prefered gift is nothing that I can wear or smell. Therefore I have always received kits and bits for my hobby as birthday /christmas / father's day presents from my family.
Not getting on with racing my Truggy I tenatively said I would sell it and concentrate on Buggies and the new Short Course classes.
Having sat and costed up all the relevant parts fitted and associated parts used (not including consumables like shock and diff oils etc.) the hardware actually comes to the best part of £750!!!
That price does include things like the starter box and battery, the carbon fibre towers and Savox servoes etc.- and all we do is hammer it 'round a track for a bit of a laugh?
One thing for sure, racing model cars is not a cheap option!! |
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TomTom
Average Member
Kyrgyzstan
596 Posts |
Posted - 05 August 2010 : 20:10:47
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| The reason it costs you alot Phil is because you insist on running HoBao cars. If you changed to a different make you wouldnt need as many bits for them. |
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grasshopper
Senior Member
1652 Posts |
Posted - 05 August 2010 : 20:32:30
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Ooo! get you.... You know that's not true, once they're set up with the knuckles and right servos Hobao are as tough as old boots. Unlike some lightweight brands one could mention.
Take the Mick as much as you like Tom, you know you miss yours. You just don't want to admit making the wrong choice!
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admin
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
1189 Posts |
Posted - 05 August 2010 : 21:19:10
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Now now ladies 
I'm not sure I actually want to think about how much I've spent over the years.
Having raced in pretty much every class over the years I'm not sure Nitro is actually any more expensive than any other, even at a clubman level.
I remember the Losi touring car I had (still have somehwere) was completely graphite. It weighed nothing and went like the clappers but if you even breathed on a bit of hosing it would shatter into a thousand pieces!! Cost an arm and a leg to keep...
Maybe this is why the Short Course class is proving popular. Their the size of an 1/8th buggy but as cheap as chips to buy in RTR format.
Having said that it's cheap compared some sports!
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grasshopper
Senior Member
1652 Posts |
Posted - 05 August 2010 : 22:30:20
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Now there's your problem see?.... you've said that fragile brand..same as Tom's!
I was chatting to a work colleague - he's a carp (not a spelling mistake!) fisherman - he calculated his bankside equipment (rods, bivvy, reels, trolley, boxes of allsorts) total cost runs into thousands, not hundreds - and they throw the damn things back after they've caught them...
I think I'll stick with model cars! |
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TomTom
Average Member
Kyrgyzstan
596 Posts |
Posted - 06 August 2010 : 20:47:13
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| If i just think of 1/8 rallycross, I think ive spent about £800 just on the main things (2 cars, 2 engines, starter box, radio and electronics) over the 3 years Ive been doing it. Now, ignoring the Losi vs HoBao banter that goes on here, I think at the level we race at its more down to driver skill than your equipment, so you dont need to spend a fortune to be competative and at the end of the day, aslong as your having fun, who cares how much it costs (within reason of course)? I have just as much fun with my Losi 8 as I did with my Hyper 7, and quite often its a Hyper 7 that Im chasing, or being chased by. |
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grasshopper
Senior Member
1652 Posts |
Posted - 06 August 2010 : 21:03:38
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No argument with the driver skill bit or even with brands - it was just the business of costing out my one truggy, spares for it and ancillary equipment to suit - it took me by suprise!
The only other MAJOR thing is reliablity and preparation.....to come first, first you have to finish...something that I'm still trying to acheive! |
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frecklychimp
Average Member
852 Posts |
Posted - 06 August 2010 : 22:59:53
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I'm not sure whether nitro is more expensive either...
back in the day i was spending £600 a season on batteries and at least £200 a year on motors, thats without £35 set of tyres a meeting and around £600 per car, plus travelling expenses and entry fees 3-5 times a week!
How much fuel do you guys get through just racing at the club meets? anyone ever worked out mpg on a nitro car, if fuel comes in gallons and the track is 400m long?
Losi used to make a good car, got boxes of old trophies to prove it... either that or i'm just good! (to be honest, having expensive top notch kit made up for most of the trophies... could go faster between crashes!)
I remember Phil racing with an ice-cream sign as a bodyshell, now thats proper budget racing, making you're own r/c contraption may be the future! |
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grasshopper
Senior Member
1652 Posts |
Posted - 07 August 2010 : 00:43:49
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Ahh Yes, those were the days - hence the name 'Grasshopper' that's what I raced, Ni-cads from fire and burglar alarms (used) and any that you 'whizz-kids' used to throw away because they were past their best. The 'body-shell' was a thin plastic Wall's ice cream notice board - and yes, I must confess I re-wound and re-timed a standard 540 can motor to make it go quicker....
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frecklychimp
Average Member
852 Posts |
Posted - 07 August 2010 : 16:52:50
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ooooooohhh i like it, confession has finally been made in writing!
Admin.... that race Phil won at the forum sometime in about 1995/96, he cheated as it was 'stock' class, can you dock his laps as penalty please?!
'Whizz-kids' lol, more like 'whizz-bang-kids', still it kept the then Portprince Models and Hobbies in business!
i've been playing with an up to date Shumacher Cougar SV 2wd buggy with brushless setup at the track today, blimey they are quick, far quicker than a nitro snail and just trying to work out if they are cheaper to get a complete set up, expect to be very impressed on tuesday night if the owner turns up to join us. |
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