A Little Legend! Team Associated RC10 Model 24 (Review)
Team Associated has entered the 1/24 buggy world with a teeny tiny RC10! Can this little buggy live up to the legend of its 1/10th scale counterpart? Let's find out!
Quick Specs
- 1/24 RC10 Buggy Kit
- Closely modeled after the original RC10
- Slipper Clutch (Unique at this scale)
- Oil Filled Shocks
- Classic Orange and white aluminum and Nylon construction
- Price: 239.99 at AMain Hobbies
Needed to Complete
- Brushless Micro ESC/Motor (Micro B compatible Ecopower/Reedy/Hobby Wing
- Micro Servo (Reedy/AGFRC A06CLS)
- Radio Gear (Transmitter/Reciever) Make sure you get a small receiver!
- Polycarbonate Paint
- Tools
- Battery (I would agree with the Reedy battery that AE suggests, but you can get away with other batteries if you're creative)
Whats in the Box?
As a kit the RC10 Model 24 comes with everything you need to build the buggy itself. That means it does not include any of the electronics, or paint, or basically anything other than the unassembled rolling chassis. This may not be news to those who have been in this hobby for a while, but this is basically how the majority of kits come! Everything is packaged very nicely and organized well, but there isn't a printed instruction manual! There is a QR code that will take you to a digital manual. More on that later.
The Build
Overall building this kit was fairly straight forward. It took me around 3-4 hours total, and I was going slow and enjoying the processes. As with most kits if you take your time, trim the flashing, work the ball ends, and build everything right, you'll be rewarded with a very smooth and nice performing runner. The hardest part was probably getting the roll pins through the axles. This is hard on the big kit, but at this scale it's a major test of patience. Luckily they supplied a couple extra because I definitely sent a few flying. I used the recommended brushless motor and ESC, an AGFRC A06CLS (the Reedy servo was on back order) and a Flysky receiver bound to my Radiomaster MT12 for electronics. I used a variety of batteries, but I liked the Hobby Plus/Maverick Speck-B batteries the best.
I would have preferred an instruction booklet of some kind to help with this build, because it takes a little while, and it's a lot easier to match up screw sizes and things like that when you have a printed manual.
First Pack
I was immediately impressed with just how nicely this buggy was making it's way around my track. It is incredibly smooth and handles much better than I had expected. I expected the vintage styled spike tires to hook up decently. They weren't as sticky as a dedicated carpet tire would be, but the little bit of slip that they allowed worked out perfectly in combination with the ribbed front tires, and their tendency to understeer a bit. The motor is also mounted out back like it should be for a vintage buggy. I expected the rear mounted motor to create even more understeer but honestly, I wasn't really having any handling issues. It's not as dialed as a dedicated carpet setup would be, but the little RC10 handles really nice.
The power delivery was incredibly smooth as well. The plastic geared transmission felt great in combination with the Reedy Sonic 5500KV motor that I paired it with, and the spring and shock oil combination that Team Associated provides is PERFECT for this buggy. This buggy runs like a high end kit, and it was a refreshing change of pace from the typical factory produced RTR vibe. No hate to any of the RTR buggies in this scale, but this buggy has a quality difference that you can feel, if you take the time to build it right.
Fifth Pack
Like usual with these reviews, I'm starting to feel really confident around pack 5 and I'm finding the limits of the stock tires very quickly. They're good, and they do hook up, but trying to push the RC10 towards the lap times I'd typically get with my Micro B is a challenge. My Micro B has Upgrade RC Carpet Spikers on it, and those tires are like velcro on my carpet track. I would love to be able to try them on the RC10, but because of the way the front wheels work I'm not able to. You need wheels with bearings in them, because the RC10 stub axles are fixed to the spindle. I really really hope someone comes up with a solution to this because I would love to see what this thing could do with some proper carpet tires on it.
On pack 5 I'm still mind blown at how well the suspension is set up on this buggy as well. It jumps well, handles predictably, and overall is a total pleasure to drive. I'm happy to say that I was surprised by how good the RC10 Model 24 actually is. It's expensive, but it's definitely good. Very good.
Final Word
The RC10 Model 24 is an awesome kit to build, and a solid performer even though its sporting a very vintage design. One major point of contention for most people is going to be the price. The RC10 Model 24 is by far the most expensive 1/24 scale buggy you're going to find, and that's as a kit, so you still have to buy the electronics yourself, which could easily cost up to another 200 bucks. That is wild, and unprecedented at this scale, but I do think that there are people out there who will want it anyway. I was one of those people, and I don't regret my purchase at all. I might even sound crazy here for a second, but if it were to go on sale, I would likely buy another one. It's a very well designed and manufactured kit, and while I do think there is some RC10 tax on there, it does seem to bring enough quality to the table to somewhat justify the price tag.
