Author Topic: Newbie questions (Read 4689 times)

Spare_Parts · « **on:** September 11, 2005, 02:28:29 PM »

Hey folks.

I tried getting some track time this year as a newbie to your club.
Things didn't seem to work out too well as I am still waiting (several weeks now) for a part for my clutch so I can get the d@mn car running again. No worries, I'll defitnitely have it up and running for next year and will have lots of time to get an inventory of Spare Parts going.

So the questions are...
What will it take to get involved in 1/12?
What do I need to get started?
What would it cost?
Is this a good place to start? Being new to running on a track...
From reading some of the other posts it looks like 1/12 is a bit less forgiving than 1/10?

I'm thinking if I came and ran 1/12 for the winter, it would definitely help improve my skills and I would possibly be a bit competetive come 1/10th season.

Thought... Comments...

All help/comments appreciated.
Cheers

Tom · « **Reply #1 on:** September 12, 2005, 12:53:54 AM »

1/12 scale racing is by far the cheapest form of traditional R/C racing you can get into. Electric tends to be cheaper than gas, and 1/12 scale cars run 4-cell packs, so the batteries cost 2/3rds what they would cost for a 1/10 scale car, and we use stock motors, which last just about forever since they have 2/3rds the voltage running them, and since the cars are so lightweight and simple, nothing much breaks when you crash.

It is true that 1/12 scale tends to be the elite class of racing, but that is just because these cars give the driver the most control of any class of car out there. I wouldn't say that they are particularly difficult to drive though.

Since you're a nitro driver, you need to have:

- A couple 4-cell battery packs
- A 1/12 scale car
- All the electronics for your car (speed controller, servo, reciever)
You'll get a motor as part of your club membership.

And, I'm not going to come up with a price for this stuff, but it'll be a heck of a lot cheaper than any gas stuff that you might have! And there are plenty of old-school IROCC R/C'ers that started out running on the carpet with a 1/12 scale car, just liike plenty started in the dirt with 1/10 scale off-road cars, on the carpet with 1/10 scale oval pan cars, and more recently on the asphalt with 1/10 scale electric and gas touring cars. One of the best things you can do to improve your driving for one type of car is to run a different class of car, since that will improve a different facet of your skills.

Spare_Parts · « **Reply #2 on:** September 12, 2005, 02:30:21 AM »

Thanks for your response Tom.

I would definitely like to get into 1/12.
Bit o snooping on the web and this site looks like the car to get is a Carpet Knife 3.2R??
http://www.teamcrc.com/crc/modules.php?name=Shopping_Cart&file=product&c_op=viewprod&prodID=1304

I'm hoping to buy used as I just spent 2K+ on New Nitro stuff.
I would like to get used and keep the cost down.

If anyone reading this post has anything used at a good deal please let me know.

I would assume I can use the same radio/receiver as I use for Nitro?
Would I be needing smaller/different servos?
Would a NOVAK Super Rooster work for an ESC?

Thanks again for any input...
Cheers

haddow · « **Reply #3 on:** September 12, 2005, 02:52:57 PM »

yes your radio will work.

The ESC will work as well, a tight fit maybe but it will work.

Your servos wont fit very well. A mini servo is required.
Airtronics 94145 or JR Z3550 are the best.
12th scale is less forgiving since the walls are closer together and are made of 2x4's, unlike outdoors where things are a little wider and most walls are made with rope or hoses that tend give a little more than a 2x4. Pan cars (12th scale cars we run) can take a serious beating, trust me I know 1st hand.

I would suggest anyone can start in 12th scale, no worries.
Looking in our club for used stuff might not get you very far. A lot of people have joined lately and soaked up most of the used stuff. I for one used to have 2-3 cars worth of gear laying around but have sold or given it all away. I asked around about 12th scale gear this week at racing and didnt come up with much. Ebay is going to be your best bet for used stuff.
I could possibly have a rolling chassis for sale but not anytime soon.

Also, yes the CRC 3.2 car is the car to get. (or 3.1)

cyrrus · « **Reply #4 on:** September 13, 2005, 12:08:42 AM »

Hey another place to check for Good used stuff. Is www.RCtech.net/forum Check there for sale. I've seen quite a few Crc for sale. and a few 12l4 and 3's. I would sudjest getting a crc 3.1 or3.2 simply for there simplicity of the Batteries. As the 12l3/4are a pain to tape. trust me I start last season with a 12l4 and there a pain to figure out how to tape right. well my 0.02

Grinder · « **Reply #5 on:** September 13, 2005, 12:54:13 AM »

I haven't run 1/12th yet but my experience has been the more driving I get in the better I get. The biggest leap for me was the Speed weekend we had. I was trying to get as much racing in as I could so I ran modified as well. The first day was a disaster in both stock and mod - three of us new(er) guys didn't even finish a single race that day - it was a bad luck day to say the least. I tried to stay out of everyone's way with the mod so as not to screw up anyone's races. Running mod that day must have taught me something because I started driving a lot smoother. I also started placing in the C mains instead of the Ds which is a huge jump. Now you get out of all the traffic jams and smash up derby racing.

I was going to wait until next year to get into Nitro but I got such a screaming deal I couldn't pass it up. Running the Nitro cars has also helped with my driving quite a bit even though its very different than running the electric cars.

So while I haven't run 1/12th scale yet I would highly recomend starting out with it instead of waiting for 1/10th to start up again. Racing has been a total blast. I've always wanted to do it since I was a kid and now that I've tried it I'm hooked! I'll see ya at 1/12th scale

jarrodH · « **Reply #6 on:** September 13, 2005, 01:22:43 AM »

sorry to contradict you jody but, in a pinch you can use a regular size servo in a carpet knife ive used a standard, slower servo and i was in the high end of the "B" fairly consistently and it was my first times runing 12 scale but a mini is the way to go

Spare_Parts · « **Reply #7 on:** September 13, 2005, 01:38:20 AM »

Thank you to everyone who has posted their 2 bits worth!

I am definitely on the hunt for a used crc 3.2.
I would like to find one used to keep my costs down. So I'm checking ebay and RCtech.net and other places to see if I can find one.

Who knows I may end up getting impatient and buying new...

I'll take the advice and get a servo... it's just that I have about half a dozen now from plastic to race to metal gears...
I even have a micro servo that I bought for my 18inch balsa wood steam boat that I scratch built. But it'll be a bit too small and definitely not up to the challenge.

So I guess another thing I'll need to know is when and where IROCC does their carpet racing???

Tom · « **Reply #8 on:** September 13, 2005, 02:10:05 AM »

As has been mentioned countless times in the past week, details about the upcoming 1/12 scale season will be discussed at our upcoming meeting. None of the details have been hashed out yet, so there's nothing to tell.

We are still looking for a new venue for racing, so at this point in time, nobody even knows where we'll be racing let alone when!

Rest assured, when things have been sorted out, we'll let everyone know. And, things are being sorted out very soon.