FTX Vantage 1/10 4WD Brushless Buggy RTR

Product Information

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-vantage-1-10-4wd-brushless-buggy-rtr-waterproof/rc-car-products/40388 They aren't strong models, can break easily when bashed about but for the money and affordability of spares you can't grumble, don't forget also the Vantage is a buggy, it has agility in mind, not strength and the Carnage is based off this design too. Get ready for some serious off road buggy action with the waterproof 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. I suppose I could always just buy another Vantage and completely disassemble it and rebuild, use it to learn on - I suppose that wouldn't allow for upgrading though.

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...I cant say its a bad buggy, its definately feisty and responsive but I havent had a positive experience, and I dont use it anymore because I know something will break lol.

However, bin the charger that comes with it as it is rubbish and buy a proper Lipo charger, the Overlander RC6 can not be beaten for value (with a charge rate of upto 7A!) 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 ? 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 to a whole new pro level.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. 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. RC buggies are often the first RC model anyone is exposed to, whether it be the Tamiya Sand Scorchers of the late 70s, Losi’s XX’s of the mid 90s or more recently HPI’s Baja 5B. The sector is enjoying a resurgence of late, with Tamiya reproducing some of the classic originals for grown ups who wish to relive the past or introduce their own children into the world of RC. We decided to put together our personal top 10 list of buggies tested over the last 5 years. Our top 10 at a glance

Etronix provide crystal free 2.4GHz control with the EX2 Sport radio. In addition the Etronix Photon sensorless brushless waterproof system is installed to provide some low maintenance, high performance speed and power. 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. I think with a good heatsink on the motor you will just about get away with 16/47 on 3S, but I'm not entirely sure if the std 2950Kv motor will pull it at a decent efficiency and you are really gonna need to keep an eye on those temps. That should be good for 60+ mph if you are gentle with the punch. After that you are probably into upgrading the 2950KV motor to something with more grunt and putting hardened steel diffs in if you want to go around any corners. Gets a bit more expensive and complicated at that point. This model has been a runaway hit this Christmas and its easy to see why. Marketed as a 1/8th scale buggy, this model is a staggering 51cm long and 30cm wide. Ready-to-run complete with battery, charger and receiver, all you need are 4xAA batteries to get driving. Are there many general build quality differences between the two models, or is it just the difference between the brushed/less motors?As of the latest revision of this article, we feel it is a toss-up between Arrma RC’s Typhon Mega (this thing is huge, over half a meter long) and FTX’s Outlaw Ultra-4 brushless buggy. The former offers a frankly massive buggy for the money, whilst the later (which is arguably less of a buggy with its mid mounted motor) offers the best balance between performance/strength/flexibility. Where can I buy an RC buggy? 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. If upgrades don't work (other than in pure performance terms), would I be better off buying a different, better built buggy from the outset, perhaps still brushed as an upgradable economy (bearing in mind I still don't know what I'm talking about...) to get the best I can for my money. There is a seperate box the holds the transmitter, bind plug, charger units and charger mains cable. It is possible (relatively cheaply and easily) to upgrade the brushed version to brushless and lipo at a later date. In fact you can fit significantly better motors and batteries than the ones supplied in the brushless kit. So starting brushed and upgrading later would produce the best overall version, though at slightly more total cost than just buying the brushless one from the start.