TechStage | Large RC cars for every terrain: buggy, monster truck, racing car and more.

Large RC cars may be unwieldy, but they offer great advantages on unpaved surfaces – in the truest sense of the word. Anyone who wants to go through the terrain at high speed without much effort will find it difficult to avoid a larger RTR model. RTR stands for ready to run, so it is not a kit, but a complete package to unpack and drive off. In addition to vehicles with off-road capabilities, there are also large racing cars for asphalt and large-scale commercial vehicles.

In this guide we present RTR models with an electric motor with a scale between 1:6 and 1:10. We show what buyers should pay attention to, how the offer is structured and which vehicle types are particularly in demand.

The most comprehensive range of large, remote-controlled vehicles is available in 1:10 format. Here you will mainly find RC models from the categories Buggy, Monster Truck, Truggy or Off-Road Vehicle. There are also isolated racing cars for asphalt tracks and fun vehicles.

One of the larger cars in this category is the Reely Rat Max XL (review) with LED light bars and a length of 60 centimeters. The giant on a scale of 1:10 reaches more than 50 km/h and speeds over bumpy tracks at breathtaking speed. It may not be that good at climbing slopes, but the RC model is inspired by the V8 from the film “Mad Max”, looks brutal, is really fast and robust – great fun to drive.

Vehicles for beginners on a scale of 1:10 are available from 40 euros. The prices go up to over 1500 euros. At 45 centimetres, buggies are slightly smaller than off-road vehicles or monster trucks on this scale. On average, the vehicles then weigh around 2 kilograms.

On a scale of 1:8 there are almost only four-wheel drive vehicles with pronounced off-road characteristics and a length of up to 64 centimetres. Prices range from 90 to 900 euros. The heaviest off-road vehicle of this size weighs just over 6 kilograms. The range of vehicles on a scale of 1:7 and 1:6 is smaller. Here you will find mainly off-roaders, an exception is the racing car Traxxas XO-1 (buy link) for almost 800 euros, which should be up to 160 km / h. This is definitely not a toy anymore.

Larger vehicles are generally better suited for use on difficult terrain. It is therefore not surprising that off-road vehicles are the most common among the large RC model cars. From RC buggies to monster trucks to classic off-road vehicles, there is everything an off-road heart desires. Another popular type of vehicle is the Truggy, a mix of truck and buggy.

Due to the larger dimensions and the higher ground clearance, a bulky off-road vehicle can handle meadows and hill and dale better. In comparison, a 1/18th or 1/14th scale 4×4 is much more likely to get stuck on grass. In principle, the larger the vehicle, the better the off-road mobility.

If you don’t value speed that much and prefer to drive skillfully through gravel pits and over rooty forest floors, you can use the crawler. These vehicles are designed for “climbing” over difficult terrain and steep slopes. They have all-wheel drive, huge wheels and powerful shock absorbers, and often have a locking differential and portal axles. The driving characteristics are similar to a real 4×4 off-roader, but these vehicles move rather slowly. We explain more about this genus in the guide to remote-controlled crawlers from 30 euros: Now the end of the terrain prevails.

There are also mixed forms, i.e. true-to-scale crawlers. An example of such a scale crawler is the Reely Free Men 2.0 (review) by Conrad for 215 euros and the Reely Free Men 2.0 6×6 (test report) with three axles for 349 euros. Both RC crawlers from Reely are impressive on steep slopes and bumpy ground. Thanks to strong suspension, they can also overcome branches and small stones. Even in snow, the off-roaders get along well.

If you prefer to be on the move quickly, you can grab an off-road speedster in the form of an RC buggy or Truggy. These vehicles are also called RC bashers – derived from the English term “to bash” – to hit someone. We had a lot of fun with the Reely Rat Max XL (test report), a fast runabout for the terrain. The RC racer costs in the Conrad shop 212 euros. The powerful brushless motor drives the vehicle to over 55 km/h. But thanks to the massive tires and suspension, it copes well on meadows, gravel, snow or sand. The car only reaches its limits on steep slopes and very slippery surfaces.

Be careful on hard surfaces such as asphalt. Because of the soft suspension, the vehicles tend to roll over at high speeds and with strong steering maneuvers due to a strong lateral inclination. But that’s anything but detrimental to the fun. Unlike the two Freeman crawlers, the battery and charger are not included with the Rat Max XL. a suitable one LiPo battery (3S) with 11.1 volts you get from about 30 euros.

Protection against wetness is an important criterion for a remote-controlled off-road vehicle. The chassis is rarely tightly sealed, as the ABS body can usually be removed in order to connect the battery or access the electronics. However, most larger off-roaders offer splash protection for electrical components such as the speed controller, motor, slip clutch and other sensitive internal components. During our test drive with the Rat Max XL, a lot of mud and liquid got inside, but it didn’t damage the vehicle.

Remote-controlled racing cars for on-road use are less common in 1:10 scale. Due to the on-road chassis with low ground clearance and the tires, they are primarily suitable for flat asphalt surfaces.

There are models for beginners from as little as 50 euros, which are also suitable for children. However, these belong in the toy category and, with a speed of around 20 km/h, are not really fast. From 100 euros you get a high-speed racing car that reaches up to 70 km/h. These are definitely not for children anymore.

A special category are the so-called drifters. Drivers try to drift around the curves of a racetrack. To do this, the rear is deliberately allowed to break out in order to then steer in a controlled manner. Drivers adjust the drift angle through a clever interaction of gas, brake and steering. Treadless tires or wheels made of hard plastic are often used here so that the vehicle can slide better.

RC drifters are less designed for high speed and more for effective control of the power transfer of the wheels. A distinction must be made between vehicles with a central cardan shaft and an engine running parallel to the direction of travel, and with a toothed belt in the case of an engine at right angles to the direction of travel. We explain more about this category in the guide RC Drift Cars in the living room: Remote-controlled speedsters from 25 euros.

The minibus is one of the smaller RC vehicles on a scale of 1:10, which are also easy to drive in your own four walls WPL D42. At Banggood, the RC vehicle costs 74 euros. Fast delivery from Czech stocks is possible.

We tried the remote control car. It offers precise proportional control, accelerates quickly and reaches up to 15 km/h. It can reportedly drift in the hands of experienced riders, but we haven’t been able to do that so far. In curves, the RTR model tends to roll over quickly because of the high center of gravity. We especially enjoyed letting the vehicle tumble so that it lands back on its wheels. The scope of delivery includes replacement batteries with 500 mAh, two cells and 7.4 volts as well as a charger. Shipping is from China, which may take two to three weeks.

Before buying, you should make sure whether a battery is included with the finished model. This is not a matter of course with a larger and higher quality RC car. The same applies to a charger. It looks better with the remote control, which is included in many cases. Only devices with a frequency of 2.4 GHz are used here. These offer the advantage of a long range of up to 100 meters, which is not susceptible to interference from other RC vehicles. Another advantage of large and high-quality branded RC cars is the possibility of repairing them with spare parts.

For driving, the remote-controlled speedsters usually use a LiPo battery (lithium polymer) with two, three or four cells (2S, 3S, 4S) with 3.7 volts per cell. Alternatively, Li-Ion batteries (lithium ions) and sometimes NiMh batteries (nickel metal hydride) are also used. Running time of the larger RC cars is mostly 12 to 20 minutes. The practical usage time depends heavily on the capacity of the battery and the power of the motor. The larger the vehicle, the more powerful the engine. This then increases the energy requirement.

With a high-quality off-road car or racing car from around 150 euros, an electric brushless drive is usually used. Although these are more expensive than brushed motors, they offer a significantly longer service life because they work almost wear-free. The power of a brushless motor is given in KV. This reflects the speed of the motor at a voltage of 1 volt. It is not uncommon for high-priced RC cars to have an aluminum chassis plate for more stability.

Large RC cars may be unwieldy, but they offer many benefits. Especially off-road, they get along better thanks to the higher ground clearance. In addition, the driving experience is more like that of a real vehicle. With high-priced RC models, the technical equipment is of higher quality and also allows adjustments such as the replacement of components with spare parts.

The most popular are off-road vehicles such as buggies, monster trucks or off-road vehicles on a scale of 1:10. A distinction must be made here between vehicles that can drive quickly over a meadow or gravel and real crawlers for difficult terrain. You can get off-road buggies with brushless electric motors for as little as 100 euros. In the on-road area, drifters offer great racing fun on level racing tracks. While most of the more expensive RC vehicles are not suitable for children, there are also some inexpensive 1:10 scale fun vehicles for beginners.