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The Best Small Scale Budget RC Car Bashers for 2020

2/12/2020

16 Comments

 
Right folks, I've gotten back into RC cars in a big way this year (over 20 articles on RC cars!) and after all I've reviewed and modified I thought I'd list my favourite value for money RC cars for 2020. As a scientist in real life I can say this list is thoroughly unscientific and if you got me on a different day the order may be different but I'll at least share with you why I just what I did and in which order so you can see what things are important to your decision. Roughly speaking I'll cover off the key areas that make budget RC cars so much fun - speed, battery life, handling, durability and ability to customise/mod.
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WL Toys K989
This WL Toys K989 is difficult to compare directly to the others because of its much smaller size but follows the WL toys mantra of oversized brushed motors and reasonable quality at a very low price. For $50-60 you get a genuine radio controlled car that is small enough to run in size yet retains the full hobby grade suite - proportional speed control and steering with discrete componentry, full ball bearing set and fully independent suspension.

Quick disclaimer: this model was actually released in 2018 but it continues to have an absolute cult following with a massive range of upgrade parts including full brushless systems and community backing to go with it. It doesn't appear higher only the list because it is limited to small areas with smooth surface because of its extremely small size.

Bottom line: this is the micro basher to get if you have only a small area to play but beware, it's a lot faster than it looks!  Get it for $51 ready to run with code BGAFF10OFF

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LC Racing EMB-MT
Without a shadow of a doubt, the LC Racing EMB-MT is the best RC car in this list. It is better designed, is made from better materials, is more reliable and more durable that anything else here. So why is it only at number 4? Well, it is a lot more expensive - about double the price of most anything else at around $200-220. If you do have the money to spend on a small scale RC car this or the other LC racing cars in buggy, truggy, short course truck or even desert buggy come highly recommended. Have a look at my review  and comparison of the EMB-MT here for more details. Bottom line: If you don't mind spending the money this is probably the best small-scale RC car you can get. Get it for $211 Ready to Run with Code BGAFF10OFF.

PictureThe 144001 is a close copy of the LC racing EMB series (centre)
WL Toys 144001
I'll bet the 144001 tragics like myself are surprised to see the WL Toys 144001 feature at number 3 but hear me out. First of all the 144001 was really released end of 2019 but this car has become so iconic it simply must be included.

The strength of the 144001 lies not in the fact that it is a car that draws heavy inspiration from the excellent LC racing range (as above) but that the price to performance ratio they have hit is second to none. This means even more importantly that a large range of aftermarket parts and an equally large modding community has mean that the options to customise this car are almost endless. Take for example:
  • Turn it into a carpet / dirt track racer with swaybars and a lightweight brushless upgrade
  • Turn it into a fast basher with a lightweight brushless combo and larger wheels and tyres
  • Turn it into a no-nonsense speed run straight line on road car capable of over 100mph 
  • Just run it as is a fast light off road buggy albeit with a short-ish battery life.
I have marked this car down to 3rd on the list though purely because it's needs a little work out of the box and without this you shorten the length of component life and compromise on handling. At a minimum this includes emptying some shock oil, removing and greasing diffs, correcting toe and camber. Even though I've written a very concise guide on this exactly it can be daunting for the beginner. Also, because this car runs a cheaper brushed motor (albeit an extremely large one for this size) battery life is down to around 8 minutes. On the upside the cars is fast and even though the weight is significant, suspension is good enough to manage it. Bottom line: this or the 214019 below are the ones to get if you like to tinker. Get it for $85 Ready to Run with Code BGAFF10OFF.

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WL Toys 124019 / 124018
This is the newest from WL Toys and I have written a preview article about it here. The 124019 is identical to the 144001 above but it features a longer wheelbase and so has more room to fit a larger capacity battery as stock. Rather than repeating all of the reasoning that was mentioned with the 144001 I will just mention why I now prefer the 124019 to the 144001:
  • There is more room under the body which reduces heat build up from the motor and ESC - a key issue with the 144001
  • These is more room to comfortable fit a larger capacity battery meaning run time is up to around 12 minutes stock depending on how and where you drive.
  • Longer wheelbase makes it more stable on jumps, sweeping turns and straight lines at the cost of tight cornering
  • There is more room to run larger brushless setups that can fit under the stock shell with the stock mounts and still have enough space to run cooler. Compare to the 144001 where people typically buy aftermarket shells just to fit their upgraded power systems.
Bottom line: This is the same as the 144001 but the longer wheelbase appeals to me more for the reasons mentioned above. Get it for $108 Ready to Run with Code BGAFF10OFF.

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SG1602 (same as SG 1601 and HBX 16889)
First of all I'm not trying to be a cop-put by choosing a 3-way tie for 1st place here, each of these are genuinely identical except for the look and tyre style (truggy / monster truck).

I ummed and ahhed about this one for a while but there are a number of key areas I believe this little 1/16 scale truck simply excels at:
  1. It requires no setup out of the box - no greasing diffs, no removing oil from shocks, no gluing tyres, no setting camber and toe. You literally charge the included li-ion, put your AA batteries in the transmitter and run it. Bashing at it's simple best
  2. It feels genuinely fast for its size and has outstanding battery life due to the well specced brushless ESC and motor it uses. Battery life is typically around 15 minutes on even the included li-ion battery.
  3. It is crazy durable. I gave this to my then 5 year old as a birthday present and it has handle all the jumps, rolls, diff spins and donuts he's thrown at it. The only thing that broke was the rear spoiler mount which cosmetic only.
This is not a perfect car by any stretch - suspension is bouncy (although these can be updated cheaply to oil-filled shocks) and tyres are a very hard compound meaning that they don't wear great but grip is meh. BTW this can be found in my original and follow up reviews. These can be overlooked to an extent though because the width of the tyres and the efficient 4wd system helps overcome a lot of the issues these cause.
​
Bottom line this is perhaps the cheapest brushless RC car you can get and against all odds it is actually really good, especially if you just want to bash out of the box. Get it for $108 Ready to Run with Code BGAFF10OFF.

Thanks for reading, if you found this article useful please feel free to like or share, the facebook links below directly link/like this article. I don't believe in asking for money by patreon nor by paypal but if you do wish to help me, the affiliated links in these articles help me buy the bits and services I need to produce this type of content. If you are looking for RC ​cars, quads or parts check out my coupons and discounts page which I keep updated with only the RC cars, parts and quads I like at a proper discount
16 Comments
Donovan
17/12/2020 12:19:56 am

Thank you for the great review! I'm quite keen on the SG1602 brushless. I currently have a XLH 9125 brushed 1:10 scale. Most people say the 9125 is more like a 1:12 scale. I've also got the WLTOYS 124018 which is 1:12 scale. I find the 124018 doesn't cope as well on grass as the 9125. Likely due to tire size/ overall scale. Is there a larger brushless truck you can recommend eg a larger scale version of the SG1602? I'm finding it quite hard to find a truck with my above criteria under the 124018 price point.

Reply
QuadifyRC
17/12/2020 08:25:11 pm

Thanks for the feedback. The SG 1602 is good at riding on top of grass thanks to light weight and big tyres unlike the 124018 which pushes through it. Brushless is really a step up in efficiency and durability too, will have a similar to end to the 124018 but better pickup. You won't get anything nearly as good as the 124018 and SG1602 for the price point, that's why they are head and shoulders above the rest at the top of the list.

Reply
Trihet
14/1/2021 04:41:10 am

Will you be reviewing the sg1603 and sg1604? I would like to get a cheap, decent rc car for drifting. Couple of options I have so far is fit my wltoys 144001 with some drift wheels or buy one of these. Don't know if there is an even better alternative.

Reply
QuadifyRC
14/1/2021 08:48:24 am

Hi there, yes I actually have a SG1604 on the way that I'm looking forward to trying out. Will compare this and the 144001 or 124019 as potential drifters.

Reply
Trihet
14/1/2021 08:50:29 am

Sounds great, thanks. I think the SG1603 and SG1604 are exactly the same just a different body.

QuadifyRC
14/1/2021 10:09:36 am

Dead right, same car underneath the shells. In fact the shells have just been listed today as a part: https://bit.ly/2LKNOVB
https://bit.ly/2XzHpPH

Reply
Trihet
16/1/2021 02:28:12 pm

I've been looking at these wheels as possible drift ones for the 144001: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FVVBSS7/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A10EGWLGS2DC0K&psc=1
Or
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Drift-Traxxas-Vehicle-Drifting/dp/B08RHQ8CJY/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=Hard+plastic+drift+tyre&qid=1610760440&sr=8-7

Reply
TRIHET
31/1/2021 05:34:13 am

I'm nagging but just wondered if your SG1604 has arrived and if you have tried a 144001 with drift tyres yet? There is a birthday on the way and with the long delivery from China I could do with making a decision!

Reply
QuadifyRC
1/2/2021 10:03:24 pm

Just reviewing now, it's a good little car but definitely needs some tweaks. I'm halfway through the review & guide now - it'll be out by end of the week :)

Reply
Trihet
1/2/2021 10:09:28 pm

Nice one

Lesly
17/2/2021 03:30:19 pm

Thanks for the review! Between the SG1604 and the hbx 16889, which would you say is the better basher? Looking at pictures online it looks like the arms of the 16889 angles down a bit more than the sg, giving it better ground clearance. Is that so? Cos I much prefer the look of the sg but I'd rather go with the 16889 if it has better clearance.

Reply
Danny
9/3/2021 03:46:18 am

Hey great comments and in part because of your recommendation I picked up a brushless 16889! Very excited to get it but want to run it in grass so looking at 1/12th scale tires that hopefully are softer and a bit more high performance.
Do you have a good set of tires you'd recommend for this? I believe it has 12mm hex's so could take a new set relatively easily.
Thanks!

Reply
Ghargar
25/8/2021 11:38:59 am

Hi mate,

Nice article, thank you for these comparison. As the article is a bit old, what would you say is now in the top of the list?
I read your review on HBX 16889A pro - would it be this model?
BTW, what is the difference between 16889, 16889A and 16889A Pro?

And one more question - how are these cars developed (cloned?) in China compared to US-developed, non-budget cars? Like Latrax, 16-scale Revo, ECX, TA Reflex 14, etc.
I mean, what would a newbie get or miss in case if choosing let’s say 16889A Pro over 16E-Revo?

If you’d write a long post on this - would be awesome!

Reply
QuadifyRC
25/8/2021 10:44:23 pm

Hey buddy, Definitely the 16889a pro. The 16889 was the original release, the 16889a had a few minor improvements and the pro brings in all the upgrades which are well worth getting.

I believe these are the same as the Redcat Volcano although the volcano is a lower spec. Much better than the latrax, ecx, reflex but not the revo 16 which is in a completely different price class.

Reply
Ghargar
26/8/2021 11:42:08 am

Hi again.
Thank you for the feedback!

If you don’t mind me asking - I’m in EU, and here the 16889A Pro is about 50% of the costs of revo 16 or reflex 14. What do you mean that it’s not revo 16? If i’d buy the revo, what are the perks for the double price from you perspective?

QuadifyRC
27/8/2021 01:05:52 pm

The Traxxas 1/16 E-revo vxl I was thinking off is $300USD - 3 x the price of this truck. I wouldn't bother with the brushed ones, slow and inefficient.

Reply



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