ngweimin said:
Hi, I'm a RC noob going to get my first kit. I'm most like to get the Nismo Coppermix Silvia （TT-01D） Drift Spec TT-01D. I was quoted $230 at Auntie Winnie's shop. I will not be racing the car, just playing in the car park.
- I was recommended the digital controller by Futaba for $150. Is this a good deal?
- what size of battery and what charger makes sense for a beginner?
- does the car shell require cutting and drilling? How much does a ready made shell cost?
- when spray painting the car, should the inside or outside be painted?
- any special tools to buy when getting the kit besides having a couple screwdrivers?
Heya!
- Do you know what is the model of the Futaba controller? E.g. 2PL etc?
- For the TT01, the 7.2V battery pack is used. If you want longer run times, go with a 3700mAh or higher rated battery pack. The blue "Intellect" packs are quite good, if they're unavailable, can go with the GP ones. As for the charger, depends on your budget. If you can, then get one that has peak detect with charge+discharge cycles. But chargers like those will cost around $150. Normal ones start from $15 iirc.
- The car shell requires cutting. Buy a dedicated curved "body/Lexan" scissors. Tamiya makes good ones. As for making holes in the car, get a body reamer instead. Should be around $10-15 if I'm not wrong. Not sure how much a ready-made shell costs though..
- The polycarbonate car body should be sprayed from the inside.
Make sure you don't remove the film on the outer surface of the car because that's to prevent overspray from marring the nice glossy look when you finish the job.
- Don't really need any special tools for the kit. But get a penknife/NT cutter to trim the excess flash from the plastic parts when you remove them from the parts tree.
Tips for car body prepping:
1) Wash the interior of the car body with soap and let dry before painting. That'll get rid of any oil inside and help the paint stick better.
2) Decide what paint scheme you want, then trace/draw the design on the
outside of the car body.
3) Outline the car windows so that it helps you see where to align the window masks. Window masks are to be placed on the
inside of the car body, since you're spraying from the inside.
4) Outline the edges and wheelarcs of the car so that you can see where you want to cut.
5) Spray thin coats at a time and let it dry. Dark colours should be sprayed first.
Hope this helps!
mmm so where the place you guys are playing? my car not into drift but maybe can meet up with you guys to play...sick of playing alone.... 
