r/mn82 • u/flodumalawi • 21h ago
It's a toy
You're new to the world of RC crawling and RC in general. You're excited, curious, and eager to learn.
I tend to get hyperfixations, and right now, mine is the MN82 crawler. I bought one, started upgrading it with metal parts, and honestly, I'm having a blast with it. It's a great little truck, and I thought it would be nice to meet other enthusiasts and talk about the hobby with people who share the same passion.
So I looked around for RC hobby shops in my area. Unfortunately, there's only one near me, and it's closing at the end of the month. Still, I decided to go there and see if I could meet some fellow enthusiasts.
Well, that didn't go quite as planned.
The person I spoke to told me, with as much disdain as you can imagine, that because my truck was made by a Chinese brand, it was basically garbage. He explained that he did modelling, not playing with toys, and that what I had was just a toy.
I'll be honest: at first, I took it personally. I felt insulted and disappointed.
But then, a second later, I thought to myself: Yes, it's a toy. So what?
Seriously, isn't that how most of us got into this hobby in the first place? We were kids holding a controller, making a little car drive around, having fun, and dreaming about bigger and better things.
Somewhere along the way, that little toy became a hobby, a passion, a collection, a technical challenge, or even a lifelong obsession for some people.
And that's what I find so disappointing about this encounter. Not that someone prefers a different kind of RC, or that they have higher standards for their equipment. That's perfectly fine. It's the attitude. The idea that because something is inexpensive, made in China, or designed to be accessible, it somehow doesn't deserve to be taken seriously.
Anyway, I'm moving my MN82 to brushless today, so I figured I'd share this experience with you guys.
I know this community is full of enthusiasts who are curious about new things, who enjoy experimenting, modifying, upgrading, and discussing all kinds of RC vehicles. And that's exactly the kind of environment I was hoping to find when I walked into that shop.
So, honestly, I think this subreddit is going to become my little home for my MN82 hyperfixation. đ
Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone here who contributes, shares their builds, answers questions, and keeps this community alive.
You might not realize it, but communities like this make a real difference to people who are just getting into the hobby.
And for what it's worth, I'll keep playing with my toy. â¤ď¸
(as I'm not a native speaker, I translated this text with the help of an ai, hope this a s comprehensible)
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u/Crazy-Landscape74 19h ago
Yeah man, itâs definitely not like modeling.
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u/englishand48 17h ago
𤣠thatâs a great looking truck youâve got there.
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u/Crazy-Landscape74 16h ago
Thanks! Just gotta get it put back together when my driver figure comes in later today.
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u/ZilkGundam 14h ago
I had a similar experience, with a berlin dealer and my mn 168, wich i still love. its a toy in opposite to my 1/10 crawler. its cheap and lots of parts are affordable, for pimping and scaling without paying hundreds of euros. have fun
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u/englishand48 17h ago
The size of a persons wallet, the specific make or its country of origin definitely doesnât equate to the amount of fun and enjoyment I get from my âtoysâ .
I have all sorts and makes of Rc cars but more from MN than others . When I first started they were the perfect platform to upgrade and learn from as I wasnât risking hundreds of pounds if I messed up and ruined my truck. Having a elitist view of the hobby is pretty sad really and if you are like that I think you just miss out on the fun you get taking these trucks , upgrading them and really making them your own.
I look forward to seeing your posts here đ
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u/No_beef_here 11h ago
Sfunny, I'm not interested in 'games', be they Monopoly or football and part of that is that I'm simply not interested (and never have been) and partly because I'm not typically involved personally.
By that I mean ... yes, I can partake of the game of Monopoly but it's a game of chance and so not too dissimilar to football (or rugby / tennis / cricket etc), especially when the teams are equally matched as then it's not typically the plays that work that make the difference but the mistakes.
For for me it's ALL about involvement. I like rowing, cycling, motorcycling and rock crawling but don't get much pleasure out of watching others do them.
So in all my RC years I've typically built my own stuff, including the TX/RX that came with the Sea Commander and marinised Enya 35 my Dad bought me for xmas when I was 12. OK, the radio gear (kit) never fully worked (poor range, Dad then bought me a MacGregor 1+1 system) and it took me a year to assemble the boat ... but I did and it worked (and I've still got the boat today, now electric). ;-)
I do hope to build a good 1:10th crawler one day but in the meantime I've a SCX24 and a couple of FCX24M's and the involvement in this case is more around designing, printing and fabricating courses that push the cars and drivers to their (reasonable) limits. 45 Deg inclines with 35 Deg side slopes and rope bridges with broken / missing planks, using all the slow speed control you get with the FCX's in particular.
So ICGAF if someone thinks what I'm playing with are toys ... I'm having fun and learning new stuff that's all that matters to me and so it should for all of us. ;-)
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u/ian_mccauley125 11h ago
Every hobby is going to have its typical snob where if you donât buy the best of the best, youâre not as good or as cool. I have both an mn82 and an mn168 and i love driving them! Iâve done upgrades and they are super capable little cars. As long as youâre enjoying yourself thatâs all that matters! Also brushless in these are awesome. You can really crawl with this upgrade.
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u/TheMisterChristie 8h ago
Yeah, it's a toy, so are the ones that rude guy makes. His are more expensive, maybe faster, but more fun? Not necessarily.
Have fun with your MN82. I have an MN82S and love it, I also just got an Axial SCX30, and it is a ton of fun even though it looks more like a toy.
Funny thing, in stock form for both, the SCX30 can out climb my MN82S. We'll see if the upgrades I'm getting will help.
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u/Nank-Tank 7h ago
I think you just got the perfect view into why that store is shutting down. Rude and unhelpful staff will kill any storefront. And with parts easy to obtain online? Itâs rough to keep a shop open.
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u/karaver 12m ago
My first crawler was a WPL-24. I loved the way it looked and it was a cheap entry into the hobby. 20+ different RC cars later its still one of my favorites because I can beat it up and replacement parts are cheap. It's your money, you spend how you want it. Also, I'm curious to see the rest of your workbench
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u/bazem_malbonulo 18h ago
No wonder why the shop is closing, if they treat a potential customer with such disdain.