I used to be into them a lot more than I am now. I had everything from 1/10 scale street cars to a 1/5th scale hpi Baja. Nitro and electric. My favorite was an 1/8th scale ofna 9.5 violator that had a big block .28cc nitro engine. Took off like a rocket, would do 50+ mph with the 2 speed trans and would handle anything I threw at it without breaking.
I'm down to 2 sc trucks for me and the fiancee and a stampede for my son in law. My fiancee has an hpi blitz brushless and I have a kyosho Ultima sc brushless. My advise would be if it's just a hobby, stay with the big box names like traxxas, hpi, team associated and axial. Parts are at almost every hobby store and support is good for them. Kyosho is an awesome product but US support is limited and it sucks having to get parts ordered from across the pond.
I would stay away from the off brands like redcat racing. I've never dealt with them but a few years ago when I was into the hobby more, they seemed to be on the cheap side.
