"What are the pros and cons of Kit versus RTR?"

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I must build all my race trucks; I'll just never trust the build quality of an RTR. I do however own an E-Maxx, which is only available as an RTR. I only got it so I wouldn't risk wrecking my race truck (a T3 FT) backyard bashing. For that, an RTR is great. -TheMissile

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I personally prefer kits just because for one I'm a very mechanical person and I enjoy building, second building a kit really does teach you all about how the car works and such. I just built a RC10L3T team and it was awesome. I definitely prefer kit over RTR. Also buying a kit means you don't have to deal with supplied (usually junky) electronics and you can buy what is best for you right off the bat. For beginners a simple RTR like a T3 is good because it brings them into the hobby easily, complicated RTRs like the T-Maxx and MGT when bought by newbies are not good. These kinds of trucks are to complex and overwhelm most new people easily. Especially if they are having problems with the engines, THAT can be a very bad thing.

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RTR'S you get to take out of the box and start bashing , but on the other hand its nice to build a kit so you no which part goes where!

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With kits you can use stock stuff or you can hop it up right away. With RTR your ready to go, but to hop-up later you have to take everything apart.

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The pro of a RTR is it usually comes with all the expensive stuff already bolted down on the chassis. The con of a RTR is it comes with a slow, cheap, hard to tune engine (with the exception of the RTR GT plus), and a bad steering servo. Kits are usually more racing oriented than rtr's and are little more expensive. But if you love to build (that's me!) go with a kit. RTRs can easily be upgraded to be as good as or better than kits!

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RTR is usually cheaper, if you already need to buy a radio, a motor, etc..but if you just want the car and the motor.. you'll buy also a useless radio!

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I bought an RTR GT three weeks ago. I started building a Team kit last weekend just to see how everything works. I think building a kit is the only way to gain the mechanical knowledge of how these machines work!

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kit+: you get to build your car from scratch and you get to know how the car works. kit-: it may take some time... RTR+: you get out on the track very soon. rtr-: you don't know how the car works, if it breaks down you won't know what's wrong etc. Ricky (sweden)

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With a kit you get to customize and put the parts in you want like top of the line motor or speed control, but with a RTR you only get entry level radio speed controller and motor and all of those types of things

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Pros to a kit is that you get hands on knowledge on how your car goes together. Also the advantage of hand fitting prior to assembly and set-up of the car. (Set-up including: camber, toe angle, roll center, downstop, anti-squat, and anti-dive to name a few). RTR...........well, you have the advantage of "open and go". But you have people taking cars back to get fixed because they don't have the experience! RTR's are "somewhat" set-up, but could never be like yourself building the kit!

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RTRs give you just about everything you need - open the box and go. Kits give you the experience of putting the vehicle together so you have a better understanding of how it works and how to take it apart and put it back together when doing repairs or cleaning. It also allows you to pick the equipment that you prefer as opposed to what the manufacturer includes.

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I prefer kits because that is part of the fun of the hobby. I like putting them together and knowing that I tightened every screw. RTRs are good for the beginner who might not know much about electronics or engines.

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If you build a kit you will get better parts for less. You also get to choose your radio, motor, esc, servo, tires, rims, body, and paint scheme. A kit has this done for you. If you are EVER going to race, buy a KIT. Generally the kit parts are stronger b/c there is no need to cut cost to be competitive in the market. If you race you will need to change the body, tires, rims, servo, motor, plugs, and radio. Or you can run the RTR and break many parts. I have nothing against RTR, but it should not be called Ready-To-Race but Ready-To-Run. If you take my advice you will have many good racing years out of your car or truck. TC3Capece

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with rtr you are rtr. you don't have to worry about building it right. however with kits you will learn how everything works, how to fix and adjust things. plus a better understanding on different set ups .

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A con with a RTR kit is you do not learn how to build the car so when it it breaks you are clueless.

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When you buy a kit it comes unassembled, therefore you learn a lot about the car and will be able to make future repairs fairly quickly. When you buy a RTR all you need to do is throw a battery in it and take off. In my opinion the "lazy mans way", and when it breaks its either "Dad, can you fix this?'", or I have actually seen this first hand, people taking their cars to hobby shops for repairs.

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rtr you can run right out of the box. team kit has all the bells and whistles and its lighter though it would be nice if they came with a body and wheels. a team kit you have to buy and build, and it's more for the serious competitor. an RTR is a good starter kit for novice racers

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I have always loved putting kits together (since the gold rc10) its one of the best parts of the hobby. Maintenance and assembly is half the fun of RC, and is where a sense of setup comes from. The kit allows you to piece together the ideal car for your style and needs. RTR's offer convenience, but fail to teach the fundamentals about how the car and its relative parts function together. One thing that has always bothered me is the redundancies of RTR's, if you buy 3 RTR's you end up with 2 extra radios. It seems like a waste.

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kits are more fun and you get a better quality car but RTR cost half the money and are good for beginners

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Kits teach you how everything goes together and how things actually function in the car. When you buy an RTR, especially as your first car, you have no idea what's going on inside the car and have a disadvantage when trouble-shooting and repairing it.

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kit con- build time. kit pro- you build it yourself

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When you build your kit, you get a feel for the parts and the construction of your kit so when you break something it's pretty easy to know how to fix it. If you buy RTR and the same thing happens, it may be harder (or take longer) to figure out how to fix what broke.

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With an RTR, you only have to do minor assembly. Glue tires and such. RTRs have radios, motors and speed controls already installed. With a kit, you have to do all assembly and buy your own radio, motor and speed control. Kits usually are better for racing, but not for little kids. If I were you, I'd get a B4 kit and a MX3 radio, 17 turn Reedy Motor, Novak dually dual ESC and a Reedy 3300 battery.

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if you are going to really get into races than you should get a kit and just hop the car up to the maxx with electronics. but if you are going to just play around and go to the track once in a while than I would get a RTR.

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RTR is fun if you don't break anything. If you build your kit you have a total understanding of how it works.

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I like the kit better because you get to build it, and that to me is one of the most fun aspects of the hobby. Also you get to pick all the components you want and the level of components. A RTR though is also an excellent choice for those who are just starting and are not sure how much they enjoy the hobby. Do some research first and take your time to make an informed decision and have FUN.

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well, if you get a kit you can put your engine of choice in it or radio too. you can build it to your needs and the way you want it to be built. with a RTR, you have to enjoy what the factory parts are and run those parts in it if you don't have the time to build a kit.

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RTR is easier, kits not fun

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Pro for the RTR is the affordability to get into racing with a top notch r/c. Con is a lot of people don't know their vehicle and how it works.

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The pros of a kit are that by building the car, the builder learns how the individual parts work together, and he/she will learn how to tweak the car for each track, and therefore has a better chance of running faster lap times. They will also know how to troubleshoot problems if they occur. In addition, if the car breaks, they are more likely to be able to fix the car if they crash. The con is that it takes time to build the car, and it takes patience, because the builder wants to drive it, and it also takes skill to fit each individual part perfectly when assembling it. On the other hand the pro of a RTR car is that it's already built, and all that is needed are batteries, and it's ready to go. However, if it breaks, the con is the owner may not understand how to fix the car, and set it up for each track on race day. Sean

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RTR: the pros are ready to drive and no work, and cons are it may be ready to drive but u wont know too much about it.

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RTR are fine for person who may have problems building or reading instructions or want immediate use. Performance level may be limited somewhat. Kits gives some building knowledge, helpful in the event repairs or replacement parts must be done, and you can easily add hopups or upgrades during the building process.

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RTR is the best for newcomers coze almost all the stuff is in it, for those who wanna know how it all works or if you have stuff then the kits are better.

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its much easier to fix and tweak a car/truck when you are the one who built it, but it is always nice to just add charged packs/fuel and go without spending the time to build. personally. I prefer a kit over RTR but sometimes that's just what I want to run.

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Kits allow you to learn what parts go where and how they fit there. RTRs take no time to set up so you can run them quickly.

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RTR is the best thing for this hobby, it gets people running quickly and that's what they want.

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Kit-cheaper, you learn the car when building, fun 2 build

RTR, quick to get going, factory set up, I would probably get a RTR if I replaced a car I had already built.

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well to me rtr means "ready to retire", i think one of THE biggest pros of building a kit is the knowledge you'll gain by building it yourself, you learn about the tension settings in the diff and on the slipper clutch {on a t3 in this example} also you will learn about programming the speed controller and wiring and building batt packs. another pro in the kit building is that you know that everything is in perfect because you did it yourself and you'll get a greater satisfaction. when im running and someone asks "what is that thing and where did you get it" the responce often is "I built it "from equipment I purchased at my local lhs. one of the only cons I think of kit verses rtr is the kit cost way more dollars., the pro of rtr is that for someone who just doesn't want to shell out the time and money required with building they can just grab a shelf queen to get rollin, also rtr is great for 8-12 year old range that doesn't understand maintenance and responsibility. easy & cheap to fix.

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If you are going to buy your first car or truck and it's going to be NITRO buy a RTR. I know it is better to build the car yourself, but with NITRO there are so many factors that might affect the engine or transmission that any slip up and you will not be able to drive. Buy a RTR and use it until it breaks or explodes. LOL. If you are going electric buy a TC3 Factory Team. It cost more but you will end up hopping up the car anyway.

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the difference between a kit and a rtr is that you get to choose what you would like to install on the car and you get to build it. With an rtr everything is pre assembled and and you don't get to choose what you want on the car. Also with a kit you usually get top of the line performance and with top of the line parts. RTR is good for starters because it teaches them the concepts of the r/c technology.