That LC racing buggy is in a different league in my opinion to the Tamiya you compared it with. A few years ago when I used to race my Losi mini 8eight the LC EMB1 was a proper contender in the mini buggy class. As your laptime shows performance wise its head and shoulders above other stuff you've driven round your garden. So actually it's a bargain at £200.

Lc racing doesn't just have better parts it has much better parts. It has steel differential gears as opposed to cast zinc on the WL toys and a lot of other improvements. I would rather spend twice as much and not have to fix it constantly.

We're all Rc addicts here so I say all 3 haha. I do want to add one more to the list since it's one of my favorites...Lcracing lc12b1

your missing one key aspect that separates the lc racing cars from the wl toys. The hardware, all of the screws on the lc racing are allen hex screws of much better quality, the wl toys use cheap Philips screws. In this hobby you know you will be disassembling these cars many times, over time those cheap screws will strip and break. FYI I own the LC emb-T, not biased I just enjoy the quality. Love at the end you showed the lc racing's true colors, being the fastest around the track.

OMG, I can't believer you've actually got a Tamiya Striker on display behind you. That was my first EVER 1/10th rc car and what a steaming pile it was, lol. The slightest knock and the chassis would activate self destruct mode and scatter itself into numerous pieces, the rear plastic dog bones would disembark at every possible opportunity, because the rear suspension arms were so flexible, that it would allow them to ping out when cornering, or jumping, (also made it super easy to put them back without any tools though, lol) and back then I was running the standard Tamiya manual speed controller, which would lock in the full throttle position on a regular basis and then trigger rapid activation of the self destruct mode, lol. I must have gone through a dozen chassis before I sold it and bought myself a far superior Mardave Meteor. That thing in contrast was nigh on indestructible and with some customisations, (instructions for said customisations were in an rc magazine of the day, but I forget the magazine name), that Meteor became pretty competitive. Even standard it was a million times better than the Striker though.

Can I just say thank you for the symphonic metal backing track during your garden test run? It’s a refreshing change from the generic sort of music we hear in so many other people’s videos.

I really like the way LC build their cars. Yes you pay a premium but you're getting a premium product. Personally I would wait, save a bit longer and get the LC rather than 'make do' with the WL and it's brushed motor, poor battery life, 5 wire servo etc. Apples and oranges. Good vid 👍

Get the truggy. It's got a bigger motor and can accommodate a larger battery pack. I use a 2s 4200mah and 2700 3s shorty which fit perfectly on their side. Run time about 15min on 2s. With 3s, the dog bones will eat away the diff cups fast, however. LC racing is twice the price of wl toys but if you upgrade the latter to brushless, it'll cost around the same with inferior parts and electronics. LC racing sweetened the deal and now comes with lipo and flysky 4 channel radio. I set my truggy with anti-roll bars and 1/10 slicks and it can beat touring cars with turbo around my local track. Puts a smile on my face when i don't have to spend time preping and adjusting the car and still beat them.

Indeed not cheap, but it handles so well, and quality is really good. Still loving mine

Good comparison. It is tricky when buying things and weighing it up. You cover the choices I consider. Good video.

I enjoy the build of tamiya kit bud

I believe the WL Toys numbers are a system. 124019 would be 1/12 scale, 4 wheel drive, kit# 019.

I have all three (144001, lot the lwb). All are brilliant and all have different uses. All I say is the WLToys is hard to beat for value, but if you built the emb from a kit, you’ll really see why it’s twice the price. It’s a lovely build and has a slipper - not on the WLtoys. Good vid gaz.

Great comparison 👍 I’m still waiting to see the times of the predator x10 on the track.

Those buggies look cool! Maybe I'll buy one of those to run in my small backyard. I like the blue one.

I think the LC Racing Buggy takes the win. I like kits that are one and done. If I have to do an array of upgrades out of the box that frustrates me. I raced a Traxxas Slash in Short Coarse here in the US. loved the truck for bashing. To race and be competitive I basically upgraded everything over a one year period. Basically I ended up with a 2,000 dollar Traxxas based vehicle when I could have bought a associated product or Losi for A quarter of the price and would have been incredibly competitive out of the box. You get what you pay for. I look at everything from a racing stand point. That is just my thoughts. Enjoyed the video. PS, My first racing buggy was a Tamiya Falcon in 1987. It was heavily modified and was undefeated until I went into the Army.. I had the Fast Attack, Fox, then the Falcon. While in Europe I was introduced to the RC10 in 1989 and usually got kicked off of tracks because there just was no comparison. I was light years ahead of Tamiya at the time, which is what most people at the local track were racing then.

As a noob, I went with the WLToys 104001, the big baby brother (1/10) of the 144001, at a little over $140. Very not bad for the price and a ton of fun. Definitely no regrets here, given the versatility of the platform of this buggy. Highly upgradeable but still loads of fun right out of the box. Since I just started, I have no basis for comparison with other hobby grade buggies, but ever since my taking this out for my first run, I can say I'm definitely hooked and looking forward to going out as often as I can.

Great Video Gav’, you raise some really good points and the gap between the 3 cars is much narrower than you would first think. For me, and this is a purely personal opinion based on my experience with WL and Chinese products in general, I’d pass the WLToys car by without a second glance. And I can’t see the value in a cheap clone product. But, value for money is subjective what doesn’t represent value for another will represent good value to someone else, and there needs to be products in the marketplace for all budgets. We moan a lot about the hobby being elitist what WLToys bring is the opportunity for anyone to try it and get involved, and that you can’t be a bad thing! 😁

Plus you can ACTUALLY do 3S out of the box safely with the EMB-1. It rips on 3S.

I got the LCRacing EMB 1/14 Truggy. No regrets. It's put together with tight tolerances that is rare to find in smaller scale vehicles.

Beautifull video lad.

Cute doggy! I really do like those LC Racing ones, I'm seriously considering the truggy for myself. Tamiya, of course! WLToys, not so much.

Great video!! Has to be one of the best RC cars of all time imo 👍👍

This is an interesting video, i always prefer to build so Tamiya Kyosho etc for me, although the WLtoys are good budget bashers

You really can't compare a buggy that has tons of aluminum and steel parts to the Tamiya that's almost 100% plastic. The LC is great because you can be a kit version and have an actual race buggy. In the US I can have LC parts in 2-3 days and they are cheap. Tamiya parts 75% of the time have to come from China or Hong Kong. Takes forever and shipping price is just stupid.

Great video. Very interesting indeed, the wltoys and the lc racing look cool but are the materials up to scratch? But saying that, tamiya and their plastics are not perfect either.

i think the best way is to find where you would run it if theres a race class yet for smaller scales since i know in america they have the losi mini b races

The wl toys is great for kids and friends who aren’t experienced in RC. They have a smaller radio that is perfect for kids hands and it has a throttle D/R knob right on it for immediate adjustment so you can throttle back for kids and inexperienced. Throw it at them and go. I have two of the 124019 and one of the older model. You can also gets parts pretty easy and tons of upgrades. I can say they are significantly more durable & refined than the Tamiya TT-01 stuff I used to throw out to the kids and inexperienced adults and way cheaper (no joke - the tt-01's are always broken the first time someone runs into something). The only thing that's ever happened on mine is a broken gearbox cover (replaced with aluminum one for $14). It's been a revelation for me since I got the first one about 9 months ago - it's basically what I'd been looking for for years.. simple hobby grade cars that are easy to use, fairly durable, and not afraid if everyone breaks them.

Good vid Gav. Something tells me you would rather have your scorcher

I like how you did the trac time like TOPGEAR

Love the vid, but as everyone knows, proformance costs. The LC comes as standard with a 4 pole brushless motor, reasonable servo, made from higher quality materials and a good standard setup. So I wonder how much you'd have to spend on the WL Toys to match that track time while not chewing up drive trains in the process? I love my tamiya's but I didn't think you can compare scale to price, when you can spend premium a price on a Kyosho mini Z Buggy for example or when comparing price with a different class such as Tamiya retro classic designed for collectors or us older generation. It needs to be compared with losi mini B or carisma GTB in similar spec to see if the LC price is justified in cash to proformance.

I own the WLtoys 12th scale and love it. Running it with a rally car body compared to my MF-01X its like Nitro Rallycross vs banger racing, the Tamiya at twice the price is rubbish. I'd love the LC Racing, but budget restricted, it's a proper competition racer. Love the durability test over the double stacked ramp, never seen that with any Tamiyas 🤔.

the wl toys do come with foam in the tyres well mine did i split one and there was foam inserts very thin though

Please get a Schumacher cougar laydown on the show, i think you will like it alot

Don't think any option is bad mostly down to personal choice, I would go neo scorcher as I prefer to build.

What I’d really like to know is how they stack quality wise for longer term. Wltoys are a bit hit or miss on durability, I’d rather buy LC once than wltoys and keep ordering parts from china to fix it up. Get couple minor hop ups for wltoys and suddenly they cost nearly same and by hop ups i mean adjustable motor mount or slightly less crap knuckles. Another thing to consider is being brushless, if you want to get your wltoys to go brushless it will quickly add up to price of LC racing one since you have to swap all electronics. Same with small upgrades, faster servo? Gotta swap all, using your own radio? Swap everything. Having said that i got 14401 one that i snatched on ebay for pennies, almost 1/3 price of new one and for that amount i cant complain

If you took the wheels and sway bars from the emb1 and tossed on the 124019 it would post better times?

Ive just bought the wltoys 144001 for 65 english pounds with free 10day delivery to the UK. I plan to upgrade to a budjet brushless system using a dumborc tx and rx, the one with built in gps. Total price for upgrade £58, total spend will be £120ish including the buggy. I think this should match the LC Racing performance ? would love to see the time for a budget brushless wltoys 144001 and compare that to the EMB-1. I am aware the EMB-1 has better build quality and slightly better materials and no doubt better manufactoring tollerences. But for me, bashing arround my local park with my son, wltoys are very hard to beat when you concider fun Vs price.

I think that in the 1/14 scale the LCR is the best, better than the Losi and Associated in my opinion. I own many tamiya, honestly outside of leisure driving they just can't hang, exclude TRF. I own a wltoys 144001 and a LCR 1/12 both are incredibly similar, having to buy so many things just to make the Wltoys run right, I'd go LCR first time every time. Depends what you want. LCR is pricy but pretty nice.

You can buy the LC racing from the UK as well. I'm pretty sure a couple of shops stock them

Where did you get that chrome paint for the Neo Scorcher??? Looks amazing!

great comparison it would be the neo scorcher for me.

Well now you have to re-do it all and compare Tamiya 4wd buggy to the WLToys 104001 1/10 scale . Will be hard to beat that for the price.

I really struggle to connect with the RTR but I understand they represent very good value and that not everyone is into building a kit. I wonder if it would be worth taking one apart and putting it back together again to review as a ‘’kit” and whether it would change the way you view one of these?

I would always go with a large scale if I could, upto 1/8th scale. Over 1/8 scale is too much effort to carry round 😄

If you are comparing budget RC. It would have been fairer to compare the EMB-1 to the WL Toys 144001 to which you do give honorable mention. It has an even lower price. Components are the same as the WL Toys 124019 just a shorter chassis. Then when you make the case for the Tamiya Neo Scorcher you could have purchased a budget Radio such as the DumboRC which has a very long range for its price. Then your Neo Scorchers price point would be even closer to the EMB-1. As you say all of these cars have their fan base. Which are easier to get parts for? At what price point do you get into a fully supported hobby car?

I have a question I have a wl toys 144001 could I use lc racing parts as an upgrade or would they not fit even know its super similar

Is there a difference between the Tamiya Neo Scorcher and Plasma Edge II besides the body?

Hmm, that is a tough choice! The buggies are all aimed at different audiences really, as you said the WLToys is cheap and reasonable quality, the LC Racing is more pricey but much better. Then there is the Neo Scorcher, which is a different scale anyway, and also mostly plastic with very few metal parts, whereas the others have a lot of metal. OK, the WLToys metal isn't the greatest, but it's metal anyway. Tamiya make kits, and people love building them, at least most of them, and for me that's part of the appeal of the hobby. Then again I don't have the budget for any of them.... ;)

Do you have a Tamiya dark impact did you do any reveiw on that buggy

If you compared it to the actual copy wltoys version (14401) that is now available for £59 I think you'd have to say the LC is not worth the money. At this level of RTR, it is all about putting smiles on faces and nothing serious. I bought the A959 for a bit of fun and it gets used everyday and puts a huge smile on my face, so much so that I am reviving my vintage Tamiya TA-01s and enjoying the hobby again. You could have mentioned that for the difference in price, you could buy loads of hop ups and go brushless all for less than the LC.

What about durability? Parts availability? Are either the EMB-1 or WLToys genuine competitors to the Tamyia? I always loved Tamyia cars, own many, but they were never, in my eyes at least, 'proper' competition level equipment. The EMB-1 or WLToys probably aren't either, but at least they're not mostly made out of plastic,using outdated desgins with little to no abilty to alter set-up etc. Do either of the other two have turn buckles? A standard, non-Hop-up'ed Neo doesn't. They both seem cheap tech not nakedly low tech, so I would say idea for a 'fun' sampling of a reasonably modern RC car. My opinion, for what its worth, would be to buy and use the cheapest one, accepting it for what it is, and just use it for a fun bit of mucking about with RC cars.

WL toys are great for starting the hobby. The others are for progressing in the hobby.

When referring to the WLtoys cars why not just abbreviate the number and refer to them by the last 3 digits... Just a thought. Start a trend 😉

I think the lc racing is a better choice because with the wltoys you have not a slipper clutch, oil filled diff, hex screw all around and a good quality set If you can compare a brushless wl against a lc racing you can notice a huge difference even with the price ( i think the wl become more expensive than the lc) At last the quality is not as good as it seems because i see a lot of people having problem on the wltoys and not so much with the emb-1

Then if you look at the secondhand market. And find a team associated or a TLR or a kyosho or an x-ray car that might be one two or three generations old . Maybe have your own motor ESC radio receiver .. no tax. Maybe even pending where the seller lives cash in hand. Might even come with some spare parts.. Compared to the LC racing or wl toys parts not so easy to get pending where you live.. I bought a Traxxas rustler secondhand.. that already had hop up parts. Was it cheaper than brand new no .. but the hop up parts change that. Vs the 2wd slash I bought. Needed more parts but will be cheaper unless I buy new tyres.. and change mind to go brushless instead of the 550 12 turn injora brushed motor.. which was a 1/3 the price of a Traxxas ..

I would say all 3 buggies cater for 3 different markets. the cheapest car for those who are starting out and want something they don't have to worry to much about breaking. The more expensive chines car for those who just want a good buggy RTR, without the hassle of building it. The Neo scorcher for those die hard RC enthusiasts that have to build there cars. I would go for the Neo scorcher myself lol!

I don’t think you can compare the 3 cars to each other, they all fit in somewhere different to each other. The WL Toys is aimed right at the cheap end of the basher market, aside from bashing, it has no place to race it. The LC, the clue is in the name “Racing”, there is a thriving race scene for 1/14th scale indoor off road cars, the Tamiya, is like an entry level drug to 10th scale racing. As others have said already, LC Racing is easily found in the UK from DMS Racing, who are the distributors, for the kits, spares & hopups & have a team that run the cars including the bigger 10th scale kit.

It looks way better than the wltoys too.

If you're indecisive like me this is a real tussle. I really like quality product but the price difference is huge. Then on the other hand I love models like the Neo Scorcher for similar money.. Ahhh.. Its messes with my head! 🤦🏻‍♂️😬

LCRacing over either of the others

👍

Even the doge likes it. It must be good

Why not just say if you want rtr go for lc racing if you want to build any tamiya buggies will do and try a speed run on 3s with the lc racing

brill video but yeah lc racing plastics are way better as you said way overall better bulid quailty ...money has been spent in esc/motor on the lc racing but the wlyoys 144 is faster than emb1 on brushed ;) ...and 144 124 both come with foam in the wheels its the tire compound is just not good lol...ive never paid 20% import on any stuff from banggood my 124 cost me 82 pound and 144001 at the moment is 59 pound free shipping that the emb1 is based on ...so true lil sport nike bag fits lc a toolkit lipo bag and lipos in lol

Neo scorcher any day of the week

You can make the WL toy cery nice with about a 100 dollars worth the upgrades...

Hi Rick whats that blue and white roadracer behind you with the number 1on it fin??? i want a car like that to add to my collection... its looks like 1/12th scale and could be setup to go very fast...they just re did my road in front ...so its super smooth...thanks

Wltoys is ok until the electronics give out either within 2 runs or 2 months then it's new transmitter receiver because 5 wire ESC motor all in £100 extra spent . Get the LC racing.

I enjoy all rc guys

MOST people will want to upgrade the WLtoys in short order, then the 1/2 price justification quickly dwindles. Buy once cry once, unless you decide to compete then you get to spend the REAL money.

Or get yourself a Traxxas bandit, brushless, or brushed depending on need. Only 2wd, but with a gyro it runs great. And it looks like a buggy, and not a truggy. To me, a lot of the more modern "buggies" looks more like truggies, than buggies. Rather than a sleek body, thin at the front and power in the back, you have some sort of tub-chassis.

Ironically I bought a wltoys and a lcracing this week. The wl was my third and I will not be purchasing another. All three required complete rebuilds. Two died and the latest one was hands down the worst out of the box rc I've ever purchased. I've been in rc for 30+ years and I have never seen anything like it. The entire drive line was seized, I had to modify numerous parts and its still not functioning the way it should, the motor or esc will most likely burn out from the extra stess. I highly doubt wltoys have any form of quality control. Because of this I can not recommend a wltoys to a beginner as it will most likely die and end up as landfill in a week. Whereas the lcracing vehicles have been flawless. The comparison was sort of funny. Sort of like comparing a niko product with a tlr product. Sorry my perspective of tamyia is its the sort of thing you buy a kid that's curious about rc and building just to see if they will get into the hobby, or for people who couldn't afford one as a kid but now can. They still use Phillips heads. Personally I go for performance and reliability over nostalgia or cheap. But in the long run it's about smiles so buy whatever brings a smile to your face. But remember that there's a reason things are cheap. 3 out of 3 wltoys have been duds for me whereas 2 out of 2 lcracing have been flawless for me. Personally I'm willing to pay for quality, It might cost you less in the long run.

LC = quality, Wl = cheap plastic and cheap material that breaks. Save up and buy anything LC.

I just don't see how the TT-02B is even relevant to the other two. If the build quality on the LC buggy is better than the WL Toys one then it's infinatly better than the TT-02B. you've metal chassis, towers and shock bodies for a kickoff! I also don't get why anyone would choose the TBLE-02S as an ESC over the other, better options out there. The way I see it:- if you want cheap and cheerful get the WL Toys If you want better quality get the LC buggy If you want crappy plastics and a tonne of money to make it close to the other two, but enjoy the build get the TT-02B, Having said that, if you want quality and a kit build why look at a Tamiya anyway? And that's why the TT-02B isn't even relevant for me, or any similarly priced Tamiya. The Chinese RTR's knock it out of the park. Just my tuppence worth.

For me - the WL toys wins out... The extra wheelbase means it’s easy to swap out any of the readily available cheap brushless systems (still cheaper than the LC Racing) which makes this thing crazy fast!! However that’s if you’re like me and enjoy the tinkering and modding side of the hobby.

LC is way better and more bank for your buck. WL is a copy of LC just cheaper parts that break easily.

As the owner of the Tamiya and the WLtoys but not the LC I would buy the 124019 every day of the week!!!....at the price point it has no equal....it blows the Tamiya into the weeds in all departments and this is coming from a real Tamiya fan boy!!!....I love building the kits but for a newbie or a smaller budget then get the WLtoys and enjoy it....tbh, any of the cars would be great but as you say, “bang for buck” the WL is impossible to beat and then you can upgrade to brushless as funds allow and have a really fun toy!!!

Lc racing is much better buggy .very good quality ..and is brusheless..is not comparable... try the truggy lc racing 1.14 ..in 2 s e 3s .......ķkkkkkkkk is the beast..insany...power...yes...is more money ..but much better car......sorry my ingles

So if you do actually want to upgrade and tinker, the WLtoys is best. Starts cheap and basic, and you can customize and upgrade as you want. I think that has long been the appeal of the Tamiyas; most are pretty basic out of the box (few even have bearings or any metal parts), and you can proceed to customise and upgrade as you like. The issue with Tamiya is that the upgrades are usually eye-bleedingly expensive.

Yeah but tamiya Just fall apart... terrible quality.

I learned quick at the track that I'm not a pro and probably never will be. A WLtoys 104002 buggy is just fine for going over to my clay road course track and having a fun day. I don't see a need for say, an 800 dollar XRay XB4. You don't have to have an expensive RC car to have fun. And I'm a firm believer in it's 98 percent skill, 2 percent car.

are these associated chinese ripoffs?

Wltoys metal parts all bend & or very weak , even the electronics or no good , there’s really no comparison, I own both & LC Racing is just fare more superior in my opinion !!!

🇮🇩 RC Cars Wltoys 124019 is the best thank my friend 🏎💨💨💨💨

A WLToys anything is a cheap clone joke! You’re way behind on this. LC Racing stuff is great! Don’t forget the LC Racing buggy is brushless. Also don’t forget the LC Racing does not have the useless electronics that the WLToys WILL need to have replaced.

You know what I'm going to say Gavin can I get the fourth option my opinion is that you had it more for racing as far as bashing goes I would want to save the money because then I would buy another one or something else used 4 in memories of the gladimir dude I'm a top Wing the situation it looks like a wild wild west 4 the win the ladies Can't Handle Me I guess you can call me the wild one with the teardrop in my eye looking like Cry-Baby the Big Ugly Stik look like somebody hit me with it if it's not black and white and it's Gray like Tony the Tiger says they are great uh oh did they just give Gavin the catalog I hate it when I get a catalog I start adding stuff to my category here's another story Untold what you sowed for the glory I'm a random staying in the game like it's mandatory #iwantthatswag I love you Ericka I wish you the best I how I can see u soon babby

The NEO SCORCER is all tamiya crappy brittle plastic , the WLTOYS is just cheap and crappy . The LC RACING is pure quality and value . I am the demographic , the decerning buyer buying quality over cheaper tat and more expensive crappy plastic tat . The included flysky transmitter /receiver package is a solid package that works absolutely brilliantly and can be had now in the UK for £29 as a package . Don't make me laugh , the tamiya neo scorcher is typical cheap brittle tamiya crappy plastic . The LC RACING can do 45 mph on 3S . The tamiya will fall apart , just like the the wltoys . I like to see your tamiya and wltoys do 45 mph without something falling apart on them 🤣🤣🤣 . Your so used to to your crappy brittle tamiya kits and your other overpriced crappy buggy kits , the LC RACING is all pure quality and value even at £204 in the UK including the courier postage , now in 2024 . LC RACING value quality is so good that i have bought a total of FIVE 14th scale LC RACING EMB-RA RALLY CARS , and one LC RACING EMB-1H buggy for my collection so far , and all of them are lipo versions that run the deans connection as standard . There is absolutely nothing else out there that has the LC RACING quality nor as good as the LC RACING alloy chassis and alloy hardware package at the LC RACING prices . It maybe My opinion , but every word is absolute truth .

I dont see where the Tamiya comes into play here... the China stuff you can actually use and enjoy without worrying about what is going to break unlike the Tamiya stuff with the crap plastics that can and will crack sitting on the shelf. Tamiya needs to come out of the past with there stuff, here in Canada I can buy a cheap RTR for around $250 and that is brushless with Lipo and balance charger something similar in Tamiya and this is just a kit would be at least the same amount (probably more) and the have to buy all the equipment to make it run. I guess what Im saying is that either one of those china buggies are a good deal.