RE: Which Redcat?
I second what DADS said. I've had mine for a few weeks now and couldn't be happier with it. I have the caldera 10e monster truck version. Mine has taken a serious beating. My steering servo went out after only one or two runs. If i was to buy another truck tomorrow I'd order the replacement servo right along with it. search amazon or ebay for part number B7018. It's a redcat racing 9kg metal gear for $18.99 comes stock on the ground pounder and has been pretty tough so far. I don't even run a servo saver. I can't speak on the short course version but mine does pretty well in short grass. The only other thing i would mention is the body. Seems like mine doesn't withstand much abuse and has shattered in a couple different places. I use black electrical tape as RC Bondo and there is A LOT of Tape on mine but again I treat my truck very badly. maybe that's all redcat bodies or RC bodies in general. I mention this because when i was 9 10 and 12 years old i was pretty brutal with things regardless of the price tag. (steady trend) Jeff
Posted on: 5/12/2012 4:23 AM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11077797

RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread
Petrock. Thanks for slapping me with a little common sense. I had skimmed the manual and thought everything in the back was stock plastic replacements. I'm with you on the money. I have the stock Knuckles coming usps but if they strip or break it'll be aluminum that goes back on. Mike St.Clair Before I bought my redcat I did research for 2~3 weeks. Found bad reviews on EVERY BRAND AND MODEL. Redcat, traxxas, losi, hpi, and every other one i could find. Turns out that SOMEONE has had a bad experience with every one of them. But for the price it was well worth it. I have only had one for a couple of weeks, probably spent as much time waiting for parts as I have in run time. BUT I have done nothing but abuse this thing from the first day. It has driven away from 6 foot jumps that made me cringe. As of right now I'm waiting on another battery, and steering knuckles. I also need to replace a wheel, front diff is almost completely stripped, and the back of the body shattered from too many rough landings and all that happened on the last run...[:D] (1956 ford F100 coming soon.) I love this thing and so far I'd recommend it to anyone who asked me. Jeff
Posted on: 4/26/2012 2:58 PM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11058063

RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread
[quote]The only problem we've had is with the front steering knuckles stripping. The aluminum upgrade is a must for these parts. Once I replaced these on my son's caldera 10e, it's been rock solid. [/quote] Dads like rc too Where do ya get aluminum steering knuckles??? mine have been stripped out and i already bought stock replacements, think i paid 5 bucks for them. Are the aluminum ones expensive? would love to find every possible aluminum upgrade and make this thing bulletproof. Jeff
Posted on: 4/26/2012 6:03 AM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11057329

RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread
Many thanks for all the input from everyone. I'll be buying a battery and charger here in about another week or so. Took my truck down to the county fairgrounds yesterday. long stretches of paved paths and kicked up some serious dust on the horse track. Strapped the gps to the back and it tops at 28mph with the 7.2 5000mah battery. I was pretty happy with it. Anyone wanna share your top speeds and setups/batteries? I'm still trying to sponge info and it's convenient to hear from people with the same model as mine. Thanks Jeff
Posted on: 4/20/2012 4:53 AM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11049611

RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread
[quote]ORIGINAL: xxturbowesxx Charger... had great luck with my fake b6 charger from amazon for $25-30. I use traxxas connectors with alligator clips to charge (i solder them to all my cars). I don't really understand the question about changing connectors on the car. [/quote] What I'm saying is that redcat racing uses 4mm banana plug from battery to esc. I can find 2s lipos with the stock plug. same as the two nimh I already have. Can't find a charger with the right plug. Thinking about possibly changing all connections to common ones like deans or traxxas.
Posted on: 4/18/2012 1:16 PM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11047480

RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread
Ok Guys I'm back with more questions.....Need more Advice. Batteries. I've been looking all over the web and found 2s lipo packs everywhere. Some are outrageously expensive, others, not so bad. I am quite comfortable dropping 45 to 65 dollars on a 5000 or 5800mah lipo pack. Chargers. Whole new ball game. I've surfed for hours on ebay and amazon and every hobby site on google's database and found some CRAZY PRICES.... $65 ~ 100+, $169 just for a charger!!??!!?!? WOW. Still in shock. Why does the charger cost as much or more than the battery? I do not need a charger with all the bells and whistles. I'm still very new to this. I've found chargers on ebay for less than $50 but none have the stock 4mm banana plug. I want to plug my battery into the charger and then into the car. simple. Website that i purchased the truck from has lipos with the stock plug but no chargers. (jnjhobbies.net) I've found a couple chargers with what looked like alligator clips, is this a good way to charge or a fire waiting to happen? (remember I have a 4 month old baby so fire hazzards are a no no.) Questions. Do I have no choice but to change the connections on the car and current batteries to accommodate a lipo/charger? What brand chargers do you guys use, how much did you pay and where did you get it? Does anyone know of a good battery and charger combo? At some point I'd like to go up to 8.4v if possible. Please feel free to list any advice/opinions/knowledge/experience. Thanks again for any responses and the patience to help an amateur. Jeff Wooster, Ohio
Posted on: 4/18/2012 5:00 AM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11046857

RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread
Thanks again for all the info from everybody. Looks like it's not difficult to keep a post alive here. I've been watching this post and continuously reading through the forum. Learned A LOT so far. Unfortunatly My truck has been and is still down since my first post. Payday is tomorow. I'll be ordering a 10kgs metal gear servo, extra spur and pinion gears, and battery. Also looking into alumnm steering linkage and knuckles. Some of the stuff i read about batteries was i bit over my head and now is not a good time for me to be spending $100+ on a lipo and charger upgrade (3 month old daughter and DISGRUNTLED WIFE). Dealer who sold me the truck sells a 7.2v 5000mah battery with the stock plug so I'm gonna keep it simple for now. I don't wanna complicate things and cause myself more problems. There's a nice pile of gravel and dirt in the parking lot next to my house. truck goes airborn and lands in a soft patch of tall grass. I can hardly wait to get back to it. This forum has been a goldmine so far. You'll be hearing from me as soon as I break this thing again. More (endless) questions to follow. Thanks Jeff
Posted on: 4/10/2012 1:55 PM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11036469

RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread
Thanks alot for all the input folks. you guys have cleared up a few things and answered a couple questions i hadn't asked yet. big thanks to petrock, i'm pretty sure i'll be ordering that D227F that you mentioned, I've found other comparable servos with prices starting at double and triple what that one goes for. I also like the idea of upgrading to a metal horn and was wondering if it's possible to change all steering linkage to metal. I thought about contacting redcat but read the warranty page first, yep there's no doubt that I was at fault with this one, I pulled the servo apart today and found the gears were completely mangled, missing a bunch of teeth and the middle one was actually busted. I don't have a servo saver, should i get one even with a metal gear servo? On to my next question. Batteries. I decided before I bought this that I'd need another battery to double my run time. LIPO is the obvious choice. I'm still foggy on whether I can charge a Lipo battery with the charger that came in the box. (One site sells a lipo with the same connector). Is there a site that sells a battery and charger combo for a decent price? There is chatter all over the web about these things. Some say that anything over 7.4 volts will fry the ESC. Others say the car will handle anything up to 11.1v What is safe? What do you guys run? The two ratings I've seen most commonly are voltage and mah. Higher numbers increase speed or runtime or both? Any and all Info/ideas/opinions are helpful. More (endless) questions to follow. Thanks. Jeff
Posted on: 4/8/2012 11:29 PM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11034007

RE: *Official* Caldera 10E Video, Picture And Discussion Thread
I need some help...is anybody still watching this thread??? I just got my first rc last week. caldera 10e. Read Alot of forums and did all my homework before buying. KNEW i would break something(regardless of brand name). I took it easy on the first charge just to see what this thing is all about. I like it. second charge, full throttle, no holding back. speed, jump, crash, flip, repeat. had a blast. uh oh, steering problems, grinding and crunching sounds. it was worth it. I have the steering servo laying on the desk next to me, and have been looking all over the web. i found one stock replacment on ebay for $20 but i can't tell if it's used or what. the stock one is discontinued and the redcat replacement doesn't look the same. Hoping all you guys will chime in and tell me where you got your last servo. please be specific. website, part number/name/manufacturer/price. I'm thinking about upgrading to metal gears or high torqe or both so I've found a bunch of after market servos on ebay and amazon but most don't list demensions. I want a direct fit bolt on. My nearest hobby shop is 10 or 15 miles away but i dont think they carry redcat parts, is the the kind of thing that all shops have stocked? maybe a different brand name but the same size and shape.? Any input is appreciated. More questions to follow. thanks Jeff
Posted on: 4/8/2012 1:04 AM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Redcat Racing Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11032661

RE: EXTREME NEWBIE
Well.....now you guys have got me thinking.....I REALLY wanna hear an engine running while having fun but "charge and go" sounds like less work/time/money. Plus all of the electrics i've seen so far have been cheaper. I'm gonna spend some time reading some of those "electric vs nitro" threads you talked about and take a few days to think on it. Probably still end up with a nitro but sitting on the money and reading a little won't hurt. (too much) I've also been watching alot of youtube on the subject, it gets me hot and bothered and makes me wanna run out and buy the first one I see. Thanks again for all of the input. I'll be checking back and conversing regularly. Jeff Wooster Ohio
Posted on: 3/8/2012 8:51 AM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Traxxas Monster Truck forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10991458

RE: EXTREME NEWBIE
Big thanks to all who replied....! As of right now i'm pretty well stuck on redcat racing, mostly for the price and availiblity of parts. No way i could see myself dropping $500 to $900 on RC, at least not to start. (HOMICIDAL WIFE) With Amazon prices ranging from $189 to $269. for Caldera and volcano 3.0 nitros I'm comfortable spending that much even if i break it immediately after receiving it. I have a friend who has an electric, not sure what make/ model but i doubt he's ever taken it apart or done any maintenence.. I'm not shy when it comes to fixing things and Love to upgrade/mod/customize pretty much everything i own so starting with a cheapo wont really bother me. I did a dealer locator search at the traxxas website and found that theres a hobby shop about 10 or 12 miles away and two of them about 30 miles away in opposite directions so I'll be checking out those places before i buy anything. I have serious motorbreath, I'm addicted to pretty much anything that burns fuel to make power, noise, speed, and smoke. SUMMIT do you have an affection for electrics? What is good and bad about them vs. nitro? What models Do you guys run? Thanks again to everyone for the discussion. Jeff Wooster ohio
Posted on: 3/8/2012 5:35 AM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Traxxas Monster Truck forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10991187

EXTREME NEWBIE
I've been wanting to get into nitro rc for awhile now and finally have the time and money to burn. Problem is, I know absolutly NOTHING about anything. My RC experience ended about 15 years ago at radio shack.(yes yes laugh if ya gotta) All I'm sure of is that I don't want electric. 1st off should I get an RTR and learn to drive it or get a kit and build it myself? I'm pretty handy with tools and have just enough mecanical smarts to keep my vehicles running. Is there a model or brand that is inexpensive and good enough to learn with? I've done some research(mostly amazon.com) and found that the good brands that i've heard of like traxxas and losi seem to start at $300+ for the el cheapo models. I really have a problem spending that much all at once for something i know nothing about. To put things in perspective I drive a $600 truck to work everyday. While surfing this morning i stumbled onto redcatracing.com and found some pretty cheap deals. Volcano and caldera were the two that peaked my interest, especially the price. what do you guys think of these? Are they throw away peices of crap? Any comments or suggestion are helpful. Please let me know what ya think. thanks Jeff wooster, ohio
Posted on: 3/7/2012 10:08 AM by Author "kashjeff" in the forum "Traxxas Monster Truck forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10990122