🏎️ RTR
Ready-To-Run — a model that comes fully built with electronics installed; usually just add a battery and charger.
What it actually does
RTR stands for Ready-To-Run: a model that arrives assembled with the motor, ESC, servo and radio already fitted, so you can be driving the same day. It is how most people enter the hobby, and there is nothing second-rate about it — plenty of very capable machines are sold this way.
In practice
The usual thing to check is what is *not* in the box. Many RTRs still need a battery and charger, and the included pack is often modest. Kits, by contrast, arrive as parts for you to build and choose your own electronics for — more work, more control, usually better components for the money.
Worth knowing
Before the first run, check the wheel nuts and the gear mesh, and set the ESC to the right battery chemistry. Factory assembly is quick assembly, and these three things are the ones most often left needing attention.
Common questions
Is RTR worse than a kit?
No — just different. An RTR gets you driving immediately and teaches you what you actually want; a kit teaches you how the car goes together and lets you pick every component.
What do I still need to buy with an RTR?
Usually a battery and charger, and often AA cells for the transmitter. Check the box: "RTR" does not consistently mean everything is included.
Related terms
What a free account actually does
RC Crash Crew remembers your RC so you don't have to. Every run, every battery cycle, every breakage and every fix — kept with the rig it happened to, for as long as you own it. No cost, no advert, no catch.
🏎️ Your garage — the part that works on day one
Build each rig properly: what motor, what ESC, what gearing, what tires. Then keep its whole history in one place.
- Run log — where, how long, how it went
- Battery health — cycles, puffing, when to retire it
- Component hours — what is worn out before it fails
- Setup sheets you can copy between rigs
- Radios and model memory
- Photos, kept with the rig
🔧 When it breaks — and it will
The bit people actually search for at 9pm with a broken car on the bench.
- Crash Bay — log the damage, see what other people broke
- Repair Desk — what you did, and whether it held
- Tune — symptom in, fix out, by chassis type
- RC AI that can see your own rigs and answer about them
📍 Where to run, and what is near you
Tracks, bash spots and hobby shops, on a map, across 28 countries.
- 505 run spots
- 370 hobby shops
- Race nights and events
- Add the ones we are missing — most towns are still blank
📚 Learn it properly, free, no sign-up needed
542 things explained — and none of it is a two-line stub.
- 25 full guides, averaging 1.450 words each
- 466 glossary terms
- A wiki any trusted member can correct
- 195 models and 142 parts on file
Straight with you: the site is new and the crew is small. The tools, the guides, the map and the 505 run spots are all here and working today — the people are what is still missing. If you want a garage that remembers everything, it works from your first run. If you want a busy forum, come back later, or be one of the reasons it gets busy.