Arrma and brushed cars...rant of the day

[FatCatRC]

Why on earth does Arrma still offered rigs with brushed motors. I can see crawlers etc but not bashers. These poor guys get so excited getting their megas and then two weeks later their next post is how to upgrade it to brushless. Why even offer these rigs with brushed motors, they are old tech that is slower and less efficient. And especially how cheap brushless motors and esc's are it's a no brainer to just drop brushed all together. Rant done.

 

[typhon#5]

I think its for those who are inexperienced or have never had a rc car before and yes i know that you can limit throttle

 

[KvConivore]

I can't speak for anybody but I can answer why I do. I buy stuff cheap just to see what I can make out of it. The same way I buy guitars.
I'm glad they do offer Mega's. I would hate to see a more expensive Lipo version sitting around because somebody just don't get into it. At least they are not out a lot of money buying the Mega.

 

[Grimbles]

Why on earth does Arrma still offered rigs with brushed motors. I can see crawlers etc but not bashers. These poor guys get so excited getting their megas and then two weeks later their next post is how to upgrade it to brushless. Why even offer these rigs with brushed motors, they are old tech that is slower and less efficient. And especially how cheap brushless motors and esc's are it's a no brainer to just drop brushed all together. Rant done.

I get you and for clarity I am one of these guys. I think this is smart by arrma because it is about economic barriers to entry. Example to illustrate (all GBP, yes you could do cheaper if more savvy but this is the way a typical noob would look at, and I know because I did!):

Typhon 550 mega- all you need (as the nimh is in the box) is 4 aa batteries for the remote. £239 https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=1331726

Typhon 3s- with basic spec batteries and charger £405 (see power bundle 1) https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=1331727

I 100% agree if I had to do it all again I would just get a typhon 3s and some batteries, knowing what I know now.

 

[Exc3l]

It's for the new guys. I would have also gone mega IF I hadn't read forums and if I didn't have a nitro before.

 

[Engineer]

Lol - my rant would be why can't all the MEGA guys looking to upgrade to brushless use the search function - there are probably dozens of threads asking the same question.

But I understand the price point that Arrma is trying to keep with the MEGA cars and I'm happy that they at least standardized the input and diff case gears to the 3S BLX cars. If they had only done everything including the slipper to MOD 0.8 but I suppose they would then have to fine 5mm shaft brushed motors and that probably ain't happening.

 

[Notorious J]

Why on earth does Arrma still offered rigs with brushed motors. I can see crawlers etc but not bashers. These poor guys get so excited getting their megas and then two weeks later their next post is how to upgrade it to brushless. Why even offer these rigs with brushed motors, they are old tech that is slower and less efficient. And especially how cheap brushless motors and esc's are it's a no brainer to just drop brushed all together. Rant done.

Price point and accessibility for a much younger demographic. When we performed at the auto show in 2020, most of the people who bought trucks on sight were parents buying them for their young children, say 8 to 14 years old. No lipos is a huge factor when parents are buying for their children. Don't underestimate how big that market is. They start in the hobby with these brushed models, and if they get hooked, they move up the ladder as they get older. They're also easy to fix, so dad can get his hands dirty without getting into anything too technical. The jump to brushless is a whole different ball game. Lipos and chargers, plus higher speeds which leads to more damage. For some people, these are just toys that get tossed aside when the kid gets bored.

 

[joshual1177]

Offering the Mega gets people into the hobby easier. And I honestly think if they did away with the Megas they would have to raise the price of the Brushless blx versions of the same. Just to make up for what they lost with mega sales. I do think the Megas are a bit overpriced for what you get. They should be under $200. Especially with the electronics usually needing to be replaced if you overheat them. I burned up two motors on my Granite mega running on 2s before spending way too much money upgrading my V2 to brushless. I do like that the newest versions of them have better drivetrain than the previous models. So you don’t have to spend as much as you did. But it would still be cheaper in the beginning to buy the brushless blx. It just doesn’t make logical sense to buy a mega if you’re planning on upgrading it. Unless that’s what you enjoy.

 

[biggman100]

The Mega line is perfect for beginners and people who don't have deep pockets, but is also priced decently enough that a teen with his first job can afford it. No, they aren't as durable as the BLX line in some ways, but, for a beginner, that also translates to less out of pocket expenses when something does go wrong. Brushed vehicles are slower, so hits aren't as hard typically, which means less parts break, which means less expense. I agree that people could do more research first, but, think back to when you were at that age where you wanted a "real" (translation: hobby grade) RC. I doubt any of us think to do that much research, and, we certainly didn't always know the right questions to ask. I still have an issue with not knowing the right questions with other things I do.

 

[Notorious J]

The Mega line is perfect for beginners and people who don't have deep pockets, but is also priced decently enough that a teen with his first job can afford it. No, they aren't as durable as the BLX line in some ways, but, for a beginner, that also translates to less out of pocket expenses when something does go wrong. Brushed vehicles are slower, so hits aren't as hard typically, which means less parts break, which means less expense. I agree that people could do more research first, but, think back to when you were at that age where you wanted a "real" (translation: hobby grade) RC. I doubt any of us think to do that much research, and, we certainly didn't always know the right questions to ask. I still have an issue with not knowing the right questions with other things I do.

The internet didn't exist when I was that age, so information was scarce. Knowledge came from the guy behind the counter at the hobby shop. Still remember running my brushed Tamiya's and Associated RC10 and thinking, "wow, this thing is so fast!" I can even remember my first electronic speed controller. Was like getting a supercharger for a 1:1 car.

 

[Rusty Pipes]

Why not offer brushed? Low entry price point, chance to try learn rc handling skills at a reasonable pace, LEARN HOW TO BUILD AND DO UPGRADES(!!! <-- that right there, kids need more of, not expectations of bought not built). Now on the flip side to that we have two megas a senton and a granite. Senton was for 14 year old to get used to 1/10, he ended up going to a full hobby wing upgrade with a .08 mod kit and learning how to do it all. He knows lots now My wife has the mega granite, she just wants to join in on family fun now and then and didnt want to spend a lot on an rc and doesn't want anything fast. Again, mega is perfect for that. Now for the mega tech issues - one fried brushed motor and two fried ESC's so far on them. That part is not so good. Arrma tech noted to me they should put fans on anything moving this slow and these bodies don't move air flow well at low speeds. Arrma didnt put on any fans on and probably should have. So yes, the megas does have its purpose and lots of opportunities.

 

[Notorious J]

Why not offer brushed? Low entry price point, chance to try learn rc handling skills at a reasonable pace, LEARN HOW TO BUILD AND DO UPGRADES(!!! <-- that right there, kids need more of, not expectations of bought not built). Now on the flip side to that we have two megas a senton and a granite. Senton was for 14 year old to get used to 1/10, he ended up going to a full hobby wing upgrade with a .08 mod kit and learning how to do it all. He knows lots now My wife has the mega granite, she just wants to join in on family fun now and then and didnt want to spend a lot on an rc and doesn't want anything fast. Again, mega is perfect for that. Now for the mega tech issues - one fried brushed motor and two fried ESC's so far on them. That part is not so good. Arrma tech noted to me they should put fans on anything moving this slow and these bodies don't move air flow well at low speeds. Arrma didnt put on any fans on and probably should have. So yes, the megas does have its purpose and lots of opportunities.

And boom! @Rusty Pipes makes a grand entrance into the forum. Welcome my man!

 

[FatCatRC]

All valid points. Touche.

 

[biggman100]

The internet didn't exist when I was that age, so information was scarce. Knowledge came from the guy behind the counter at the hobby shop. Still remember running my brushed Tamiya's and Associated RC10 and thinking, "wow, this thing is so fast!" I can even remember my first electronic speed controller. Was like getting a supercharger for a 1:1 car.

I started in the early eighties, but didn't have a hobby shop in my area, so I ended up learning by doing. The only upside was, it was maybe an hour to a Tamiya shop, but at 12, it was hard to get there at times.

 

[slick2500]

My problem isn't so much the fact that they are brushed it is the fact that the brushed systems they use are barely adequate for a 1/10th scale 2wd buggy. If they used a rebranded Hobbywing QuicRun 880 and a 775 motor in the Megas people would have a lot less issues.

 

[HZRDOS]

I recently bought a Typhon Mega for my 6yo. He LOVES it. He is not ready for brushless. He can bash the crap out of it and it takes it.

 

[biggman100]

My problem isn't so much the fact that they are brushed it is the fact that the brushed systems they use are barely adequate for a 1/10th scale 2wd buggy. If they used a rebranded Hobbywing QuicRun 880 and a 775 motor in the Megas people would have a lot less issues.

That i agree with in a way. Yes, it could use more power, but, part of the hobby is learning and upgrading, and if you have a perfect vehicle right out of the box, it takes away from that.

 

[slick2500]

That i agree with in a way. Yes, it could use more power, but, part of the hobby is learning and upgrading, and if you have a perfect vehicle right out of the box, it takes away from that.

People will always want more speed so brushless in the long run is inevitable.

 

[arrmadillo]

I bought a Granite Voltage for my 8 yo neighbors kid for Christmas, no way was I going to put a blx in his hands especially when I'm not around. JS

 

[SrC]

The reason is because Arrma/HH feels they need a pricepoint to beat their competitor. And gives a cheaper opportunity for an RC newcomer (spanking new/ no clue) to get a feel for RC. If it doesn't grab them it's not a great loss of $$$. It becomes cheap enough to try. No major investment. Arrma is not the only one doing this.
It is more for a child. It is not even remotely for an adult IMHO.