Comparison Sulong Toys Off-Road Crawler Speed King 1:14 vs Sulong Toys Off-Road Crawler Top Racing 1:18

— RTR (Ready to Run) — the box contains a fully configured and ready-to-run model. Such models are equipped with a battery, a remote control, and a charger.

— ATR (almost-ready to run). The model is almost completely ready for use, but some of the elements are still missing. The list of missing components can include both a battery and a remote control or charger. All of the above components may be missing at once. Missing parts must be purchased separately. Models in the ATR package are designed for advanced users, this package allows you to choose batteries or controls based on your own needs and requirements.

— PNP. the receiver and transmitter are not included in the package, and often there is no battery. Additionally, the PNP set may not contain control equipment. Radio models in the PNP configuration are designed for professionals who often use individual electronics. Usually, the design of the model itself is collapsible, which significantly increases the maintainability of the product. Many models sold in the PNP configuration are allowed to participate in prestigious exhibitions and competitions.

— K.I.T. For the most part, only body parts are provided in the kit. The kit has a lot in common with the designer, because from such a kit it is possible to assemble various options for the body of the radio model. The KIT package includes neither radio communication mod...ules, nor control equipment, nor electric motors. That is, the user will have to buy / manufacture all the hardware of the radio-controlled model on their own. Radio models in the KIT package are designed for advanced users. KIT kits are suitable for assembling advanced models, which are often used in prestigious exhibitions and sports competitions.

The scale allows you to estimate the overall dimensions of the model — it describes the ratio of its dimensions to the dimensions of a full-size machine of a similar type (see below). For example, the length and width of a full-sized buggy average about 4 m and 2 m, respectively; this means that for a radio-controlled model on a scale of 1:10, these parameters will be 10 times smaller — about 40 cm and 20 cm (plus or minus).

Miniature scales are considered to be 1:24 or less ( 1:28 and 1:32), while in the largest scales it reaches 1:6( 1:5) — such models are not much smaller than children's cars (however, they are not intended to replace them). A small size is considered optimal for use in residential areas, a large one — in open areas. Most road models (see 'Type') are available in 1:10 scale, SUVs in 1:8, and larger scales are found in advanced internal combustion engine models (see 'Engine'). The most common scale options are 1:14, 1:16 and 1:18, which are found in both the low-cost and high-end segments.

- Stunts. Cars of this class are designed for driving and performing various tricks, mainly related to acrobatic performances, jumping and overcoming obstacles. They are characterized by being an off-road type (usually a “monster” or truggy, see below), a powerful engine, high ground clearance, large wheels and reinforced suspension.

— Short course. Short-course models are off-road vehicles (buggies, truggies, “monsters”, see below), specialized for cross-country speed racing. They offer good crash and jump protection, a rugged design, a rigid body that covers most of the sensitive parts, and shock absorbers designed to withstand heavy loads.

— Drift. Drifting competitions on radio-controlled models involve passing an asphalt track at maximum speed with the constant use of a controlled drift. Based on this, drift cars must have rear-wheel drive, a locking rear differential, and tires with a shallow pattern that are stiffer than most other models. It is worth noting that their appearance can much more accurately replicate real cars than in the case of ring models.

- Ring. A variety of road-type models (see below), designed for passing on flat roads with a hard surface (like asphalt) for a while. A distinctive feature of most of these cars is the smooth, “sleek” shape of the body to ensure aerodynamics (or to...simulate it if the maximum speed is low).

Let us note that professional models intended for competitions and serious car racing usually have one of the specializations listed above. If the class is not specified, the machine most likely belongs to the entry-level and has a purely entertainment purpose (although such models can also have quite advanced characteristics).

— Highway. Also known as "touring". These are cars that outwardly copy passenger cars — both ordinary production cars and tuned ones, and even special cars like NASCAR cars. They can have a ring or drift purpose (see above), in general, they have high speed and good handling.

— Buggy. Full-size buggy-type vehicles are light all-wheel drive vehicles for off-road driving, primarily sand, with a characteristic body structure (angular panels, open frame elements, safety arcs) and suspension (wheels are most often noticeably moved to the side on the suspension arms). Radio-controlled buggies have a similar design. The body, however, is often stylized as racing cars, but this type of specialization is primarily off-road — for example, many short-course models (see "Destination") are specifically buggies.

— Truggy. This class is in many ways similar to the buggies described above, but differs from them in larger wheel diameters, longer suspension arms and increased ground clearance (see below). This may slightly reduce the speed, but increases the throughput; truggies are used for both short-course and trick riding (see Purpose/Class).

— SUV (monster). As the name implies, such models copy monster trucks — cars stylized as pickup trucks, the most striking feature of which are huge wheels, powerful engines and corr...esponding chassis features (large suspension travel, high ground clearance). Like the full-size originals, radio-controlled monster trucks are in many ways similar to buggies (see above), and differ from them only in the described features. "Monsters" are relatively poorly suited for high-speed driving, but they have high cross-country ability, due to which models for tricks and short courses are found in this type (see "Destination (class)").

— Rally. Such cars are a cross between "touring" and full-fledged SUVs. Outwardly, they are similar to road models, but have significantly more suspension travel, more powerful engines and improved mud protection. At the same time, rally cars are not designed for full-fledged off-road driving, overcoming significant bumps, etc.; their maximum is a dense coating like packed sand or fine gravel.

— Crawler. A specialized type of radio-controlled cars designed to overcome obstacles. Externally, the crawlers are somewhat similar to the “monsters” described above, but differ from them in a higher suspension height, which provides a characteristic silhouette: a body raised high on long “legs”. This design allows crawlers to cope with difficult obstacles — like stone scree with steep slopes. Note that the speed characteristics of this category of cars are quite modest, because. the emphasis in them is primarily on high cross-country ability.

— Changeling. Models of cars that even turned over will be able to continue moving. At the same time, from different sides, the body of the machine may look different. Such models have good cross-country ability and are considered stunt models (see "Purpose (class)").

The type of power source used in a machine with an electric motor (see “Motor”).

- AA. Replaceable elements of a standard size, popularly known as “pen-light batteries”. The main advantage of battery-powered cars over battery-powered cars is the ability to quickly replace dead batteries. On the other hand, the power of such power supply is quite modest, so they are found mainly in models for younger people.

- AAA. Such elements are almost completely similar to the AA described above and outwardly differ from them only in their reduced size (which is reflected in their common name - “little finger”).

- Ni-Mh. Specialized batteries made using nickel-metal hydride technology like other batteries ( Li-Pol, Li-Ion, Ni-Cd, LiFePO4, branded) are superior to replacement batteries in capacity and compactness and are better suited for powerful electric motors. Ni-Mh batteries themselves are notable primarily for their ability to withstand high charge and discharge currents without consequences - the first is important given the “gluttony” of electric motors, the second has a positive effect on the charging speed. In addition, such batteries are resistant to low temperatures, do not h...ave a “memory effect”, and are relatively inexpensive. At the same time, they are inferior to Li-Pol elements in terms of capacity (with the same dimensions).

- Li-Pol. Specialized batteries made using lithium-polymer technology. For more information on specialized batteries in general, see above (Ni-Mh). Li-Pol technology itself makes it possible to create batteries with high capacity, small size and weight, and without the “memory effect,” however, it is quite expensive.

- Ni-Cd. A relatively old battery manufacturing technology, the predecessor of the Ni-Mh described above. The common features of these technologies are resistance to high charge and discharge currents, low temperatures, and low cost. True, nickel-cadmium batteries are subject to the “memory effect” - a decrease in capacity when charging an incompletely discharged battery; however, this can be corrected by using advanced chargers and following operating instructions. But the clear disadvantage of this option is considered to be environmental unsafety during production and disposal; This is typical for all batteries, but it is most relevant for Ni-Cd cells, so they are used less and less.

— Li-Ion. Batteries made using lithium-ion technology and not belonging to any of the universal standard sizes (like AA). Lithium-ion batteries are practically not subject to the “memory effect”, are easy to use and charge fairly quickly. Their disadvantages include a higher price and less resistance to high and low temperatures.

— LiFePO4. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are actually a modification of lithium-ion batteries (see the corresponding paragraph), developed to eliminate some of the shortcomings of the original technology. They are notable above all for their high reliability and safety: the likelihood of a battery “exploding” when overloaded is reduced to almost zero, and in general LiFePO4 can cope with high peak loads without any problems. In addition, they are quite resistant to cold and maintain operating voltage almost until discharge. The main disadvantage of this type is its slightly smaller capacity.

— Branded battery. This category includes all specialized batteries (see subparagraph “Ni-Mh” above), for which the manufacturer did not indicate the manufacturing technology. We also note that if “ordinary” specialized batteries can be standard and can be used in different models of radio-controlled equipment, then branded batteries often have an original design and are designed only for cars from one manufacturer.

The operating voltage of the battery supplied with the machine. For models for AA and AAA cells (see “Battery Type”), it is not indicated — the specification of these cells assumes a common voltage standard, about 1.5 V. In other cases, battery voltage data does not play a significant role in everyday use, but may be useful , if you need to pick up a charger, a spare battery or a battery to replace a damaged one, but you do not have data on the battery model (see below).

The number of batteries (namely AA or AAA batteries) required to operate the car.

The maximum time that the machine can operate on a full battery charge. This item is very conditional, since it is measured when using the model not at maximum power. But in general terms, it can tell about the battery life of the machine.

The material from which the body of the machine is made. The body in this case means the upper part of the model, mounted on the deck of the chassis and giving it a resemblance to a real car by imitating the shape and coloring of the body.

One of the most popular body materials is plastic. It is inexpensive, easy to process, can be produced in any shape and colour, and applying even a complex pattern to plastic is not a problem. At the same time, the strength of this material is sometimes insufficient for models designed for difficult driving conditions. Therefore, plastic can be supplemented with metal elements — usually made of aluminium alloy, which combines good strength and low weight. However these machines are more expensive.