FTX Vantage 1/10 4WD Brushless Buggy RTR

Product Information

So, if the Vantage is fragile, is it possible to upgrade it with better parts as I go and eliminate those problems bit by bit? or are the new bits gonna break too ? Get ready for some serious off road buggy action with the Brushless Edition FTX Vantage. Taking RTR styling to a competition level, the Vantage brushless boasts some amazing features for the ultimate ‘Ready-to-Run experience. Etronix provide crystal free 2.4ghz control with the EX2 Sport radio. In addition the Etronix Photon sensorless brushless system is installed to provide some low maintenance, high performance speed and power.

I think as a first dip in the water there's not much to lose, so I'm probably going to go that way. Can't really see why not to get the lad what he wants and it's not a massive investment if he loses interest. My first thoughts were to get a car we can build together, as an exciting step up from lego and a bit of bonding etc. Is that something you would recommend for beginners, or am I better off getting a ready to run car like the FTX and learning to maintain and upgrade it as we break stuff ? Having a ready runner has obvious appeal...

HELI ACCESSORIES

Everything on the buggy is scaled down, from the small 1100mAh battery that feeds the all-in-one ESC/receiver/servo unit and subsequently the tiny brushed 370-sized motor. Its shaft driven system is hooked up to metal-geared differentials front and rear, powering all four tyres. First thing I notice is the car is fairly solid. I'd expected it to be a bit flimsy and rattle abit but it didn't. The problem you have is a ton of unknown factors such as rolling resistance, aerodynamics (which become quite dominant at high speeds), drivertrain losses etc. It's pretty hard to determine what gearing you need to get each of those motors to the 60% max rotational speed sweet spot. As a general recommendation on here you will find people favouring a lower Kv motor (i.e higher torque) to give the most gearing flexibility. So would I be right in thinking I could keep the cost and (perhaps more importantly to start with) the speed down by getting the FTX5528 for us initially, then upgrading the motor if/when we are ready, or is that a false economy (or even a possibility)? The issue I have with them (and other similar models) is with the plastics used in their construction. They tend to be harder and more brittle than they need to be, which leads to more damage when they crash.

In addition if you want to tune and upgrade your Vantage Brushed, FTX provide a wide range of carbon and aluminium upgrades that will bring your ride up to a whole new pro level. FTX Vantage Features: If we built one from scratch out of upgraded parts, would it be more cost effective (possibly only just) than buying another RTR and upgrading from there because we don't have the initial outlay, and it would mean we always had a runner, and had one to copy from/refer to as we build the second one. The Vantage was FTX’s first move into Ready-To-Run RC models and has continued to be one of the most popular in the range ever since.I'm looking for the best way into electric rc cars as a hobby for me and my son (aged 9) to share. We'd be using it on/off-road locally and not racing. In addition if you want to tune and upgrade your Vantage, FTX provide a wide range of carbon and aluminium upgrades that will bring your ride up toa whole new pro level. You can buy the Traxxas Bandit VXL brushless buggy on our webstore, it comes with nearly everything you need to charge and drive it, just remember to buy 4xAA batteries.

I've just seen the Vandal on hobby king, it seems to be about the same price as the Vantage, but without a battery so there doesn't seem to be anything to be gained really. Thanks for the top tips (especially the balloon - so much to learn), it's all good to hear - We're definitely going for the brushed Vantage and putting a toolkit/spares box together with some of the remaining budget. I think it will be a great first dip into it and breaking and fixing will be half of the fun (for me at least). Cost isn't really a consideration, but I could maybe get two of the cheaper one and we could have double the fun, and if the upgrade paths are there and readily available then we could tinker and end up with two awesome cars anyway - tinker with one at a time so we always have a runner if we are struggling with the mechanical side of things. Etronix provide crystal free 2.4ghz radio control. In addition the Etronix Photon senseless brushless system is installed to provide some low maintenance, high performance speed and power.

GENERAL

Its a cheap plastic flap ( which will break) with twist knob trims and a full rev/norm throttle and steering switch. It does feel a little on the cheap plastic side. I'm sure its fit for purpose but you wouldn't pay more than a tenner for it. Also, theres lots of mention of 'Chinese tat' without a single explanation to qualify their opinion. It would be good to know what makes them so much more inferior, other than the fact that they are cheap and made in China. This is my first lipo car, so the charger is new to me. It has 2 slots and therefore is calable of 2 or 3s charging. The whole kit comes with a lipo bag (as per the discription) Or... Would we be better off with something else entirely, building from scratch and learning the hard way - in which case...erm, help.

Standard brushless motor is pretty good imho but you will need a heatsink for 3S (easy cheap addition). ESC is junk so go for a Hobbywing Quicrun WP-10BL60 BL or a EZrun Max10 SCT if you can get it to fit.Also consider the FTX Carnage Truggy which has a slightly different body ann chassis design but shares many of its components. We compared it and its brushed brethren in an earlier article.