RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

Hi all, I'm new to this forum. Not new to remote control cars, but the last time I was seriously into them might have been about the time my new, never used Team RC10 gold pan was purchased in the mid '80s. It is the #6010 $225 complete kit.

Obviously a lot has changed with servos, receivers and batteries. Mine has no receiver, but has Futaba FP-S32 servos and an old school Futaba radio. Batteries will be replaced.

I want to finally build this kit with my son, and wanted some advise. The only missing thing is the receiver and batteries (and to complete some assembly, body painting, etc).

Can I buy a decent used FP-R4H receiver and modern batteries and call it good, or would it be worth upgrading servos and receiver? I'm assuming a modern receiver won't work with old servos? The plugs are different, but could the old 3-pin plugs be adapted?

Finally batteries. I know I need to keep researching for all the answers, but I thought I could get a head-start. LiPos, NImH, etc?

Pictures below.

for the price of an old receiver, id look at buying a modern system. It will give you room to grow and not have all those glitchy problems like the old stuff. Technically that radio was illegal after 1991, but nobody really cares or would pester you about it

Id look at a cheap Tactic system, or spend a little more on a Futaba. Also invest in a cheap modern servo and speed control- again, for the same reasons. They make the experience so much better. Your servos and possibly transmitter would be good eBay items to recoup some of your cost on the new stuff. They wont pay for the new stuff, but would help offset.

Hiya, first off, welcome to the forums!

Now, on to the matter at hand...

Your situation is not an unfamiliar one, returning to the hobby to enjoy it with your children. Be forewarned, it is a slippery slope once you dip your toe in. You have been warned

Based on the pictures you've shared your kit looks pretty mint, are you just looking to get it functional, or are you planning on running it outside? If you intend to make it a runner, you might consider investing in a project car in need of some TLC if you want to go the retro route, or consider buying a new kit. Your current example looks almost too good to run outside and belongs completed and on a display shelf, just my opinion

For new radio systems, what Jeff mentioned is pretty spot on. All modern radio systems are 2.4GHz, crystal-less, and the ones he mentioned have a low cost of entry:

As an example:
https://www.amainhobbies.com/tactic-ttx300-3channel-2.4ghz-slt-radio-system-w-tr325-receiver-tacj0300/p609714

You can go a more expensive route from folks like Futaba, Sanwa/Airtronics, Spektrum, Hitec or KO Propo, but these might have more features than you will ever need or use. Depends on your budget.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/search?s=Radio+System

Interestingly enough, your old servos will work with modern systems and receivers, all you need to do is change out the plug. However, as mentioned, that might not be the best course of action.

Economical servos can be purchased pretty much anywhere.

https://www.rcjuice.com/servos/servos.html?dir=asc&limit=36&order=price

Motors and speed controllers have changed quite a bit, your kit has a mechanical speed control, and brushed motor. Modern systems use brushless motors which are much more reliable and maintenance free. These systems can be had pretty economically as well. Again, depends on your budget.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/hobbywing-xerun-justock-zero-spec-sensored-brushless-esc-motor-combo-17.5t-hwa38020402/p453306

Battery technology has advanced immensely as well. NiMH and LiPo batteries are significantly better than the NiCd batteries we had back in the day. NiMH batteries tend to be more economical and require less maintenance, at the cost of shorter run time. LiPo batteries, tend to cost a bit more, and require certain charging and storage procedures to be followed for maximum life and safety reasons. However, LiPo batteries tend to live longer and will give you the most run time on your vehicle. I prefer LiPo batteries, and the technology has matured enough that a lot of the safety issues have largely gone away if you buy new batteries and follow proper charging and storage procedures.

Hope this helps give you some things to think about. Keep the questions coming!

->Mark

Thanks for the feedback. That gives me some stuff to look into, including modern budget radio, receiver, servo, motor and batteries.

I did consider the collectability of this RC10, which I wasn't aware of until I started looking around for answers to some of the questions I had about it, some of which were answered here.

It is completely unused and MINT condition as you can see here:



On one hand I think it would be kind of a shame to not enjoy it for what it was designed to do, but it is a 33 year old legend in the RC world, and would be an impressive display piece once built up, painted and decaled. I'm not sure my 12 year old son would agree though

I'll see what I can find for something used, and then figure out if it makes sense to go that direction.

Wow! Its super unfortunate that someone dyed all those parts at some point. If it was all white like original, it would be very sought after and quite valuable. I still would hesitate to run it because it still does have value and with the re-release of the RC10, why not buy a new one and start the build with your son from page 1 of the instructions and not risk ruining a vintage chassis that has lasted this long in great shape.

The kit came from my uncle several years ago, and has been up in a closet since then. I honestly thought that the red wheels and shock spring perches, and suspension arms were a feature of the year of that kit, not painted or dyed, and this is disappointing. They appear to be dyed, which would be hard to remove.

I have decided to complete the build for now, but not invest in the radio/ servos/ batteries for this one because I'm going to display it and not drive it. It's about the same price to buy a new low to mid-grade hobby remote control 1:10 scale off road car complete with radio, which will be fine for my son.

I may eventually replace the dyed parts with original white, but for now its not a priority.

fastang wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2017 10:08 pm Wow! Its super unfortunate that someone dyed all those parts at some point. If it was all white like original, it would be very sought after and quite valuable. I still would hesitate to run it because it still does have value and with the re-release of the RC10, why not buy a new one and start the build with your son from page 1 of the instructions and not risk ruining a vintage chassis that has lasted this long in great shape.