Guide to Building Your RC Car from Scratch

Nothing beats the thrill of driving a scale model RC car that you built yourself. It feels great because you’ll feel confident knowing that you’re racing a piece of gear that you put together without any outside help.

That being said, you’ll want to take a few moments to pick out a vehicle model that fits your current skill level. You’ll feel even more confident if you finish a project the first time and walk away with something you can drive. That’ll also give you the skills you need to move onto a more complex project in the future.

Selecting an Appropriate Model Kit

Technicians from Traxxas have been putting together model kits for a variety of different skill levels for quite some time. That means you shouldn’t run into any difficulty with finding something that fits your experience. Consider starting with something like the Traxxas Stampede 4×4 XL-5 Kit. It comes with all of the electronics that you might need to put one together.

Those who want to make some additional customizations can try a Pro-Line Racing body. Check out a wide variety of RC truck bodies, such as the early 50s Chevy body or a Ford F-100 body.

Traxxas RC Car Kits

Hobbyists who are ready to move up in their modeling can pick something like the Traxxas TRX-4 4WD Crawler Kit. It includes a chassis and a TQi 2.4 GHz radio system, but still offers plenty of places for you to go your own way with it. Individuals who’d prefer more options and want to source the electronics themselves can instead opt for the Traxxas TRX-4 Sport Crawler Kit.

While it includes everything you’d need to put together a physical body and some scale components, it lacks electronics so you can feel free to make your own decisions during the assembly process. Scale model racers who are serious about details may wish to add things like the RPM Chrome Mock Intake and Supercharger set to nearly anything that they’re working on. It can add quite a bit of realism as well as the look of some genuine muscle power.

Keep in mind that if you’re building your own RC car from scratch, there’s no reason that you have to follow any specific pattern or prototype. There are some people who prefer to strictly adhere to certain guidelines or model after a vehicle driven by a particular racer. That’s why Tamiya has provided polycarbonate paint products that match the look of those used on actual vehicles. Some people, though, would like to just go wild with their designs. If that’s what you prefer, then you can feel free to experiment.

Finding Your Own Particular Sense of RC Car Style

Whether you’re a strict scale modeler or prefer to drive more sporty designs, you’ll want to find something that feels right for you. Take a few moments to browse our catalog. Once you’re ready to learn more about the different options for scratch building RC cars, make sure to contact us online. Our experienced team will help you put together a collection of compatible parts.