Tamiya The Grasshopper (2005)

The kind of vehicle the maker sells it as. It sets what the car is built to do and which cars it is fair to compare it with.

• Buggies are low, light off-road cars built for jumps and fast corners on dirt, clay or turf tracks.

Only one axle is driven, the rear on almost every 2WD RC car.

• It is lighter and simpler, and it takes more throttle control on loose ground.

A brushed motor carries current through carbon brushes that rub on the commutator.

• It is cheaper and smooth at low speed.
• The brushes wear and the motor loses power over time.

A kit you build yourself from parts.

• Most kits come without motor, ESC, servo, radio and battery, and many without tires or a painted body.
• The manual lists what to add.

The maker's nominal size compared with a full-size vehicle. It works more as a class label than a measurement.

• A 1/10 monster truck is far bigger than a 1/10 touring car, so compare length and weight for real size.
• This one is 389 mm long.

The maker's product number for this exact version.

• A V2, a new color, or a kit instead of an RTR usually has a different number, and parts can differ between them.
• Check it against your box or receipt before ordering parts.

The small gear on the motor shaft. Fewer teeth gear the car shorter: quicker acceleration, lower top speed and a cooler motor. More teeth do the opposite.

• It depends on the motor you fit, so the maker does not list one.

The large gear the pinion drives. A bigger spur with the same pinion gears the car shorter.

• Pinion and spur must have the same pitch, or tooth size, to mesh.

Every reduction after the spur, multiplied together: transmission, differentials and axle gears.

• It is fixed by the design; the gearing you change is the pinion and spur.

How many times the motor turns for one turn of the wheels. A higher number is shorter gearing: more acceleration and pulling power, less top speed.

The outside diameter of the mounted tire, tread to tread. A taller tire covers more ground each turn, which gears the car taller.

• Race tires wear down over a day, and a smaller tire gears the car shorter.

What the main chassis is made of and how it is built, as stated for this car. Braces, stiffeners and skid plates are not counted.

• Composite is the makers' word for molded plastic, usually nylon with glass or other fibers: it flexes and shrugs off hits, and it is light and cheap to replace.

What the shocks are and how they are built, as the maker describes them.

• Oil-filled shocks damp with silicone oil; friction shocks, found on some entry-level cars, damp with a sprung plunger and cannot be tuned with oil.

Brushed motors are commonly described by can size and turns. No motor KV is published for this vehicle; turns alone cannot supply an exact value.

The highest LiPo cell count the maker rates the electronics for.

• The maker does not publish it.

The motor fitted at the factory, as the maker names it.

• Brushed motors are often named by can size, such as 540 or 550, and by turns: fewer turns is faster.

The size of the stock motor's can, as the maker names it.

• 380 is a standard can size; a larger number is a longer can with more torque.

Theoretical top speed is unavailable because motor KV, rated battery cell count, stock tire outside diameter and complete final drive ratio are missing.

• Enter the missing inputs in the calculator to work out a theoretical speed.

Overall length as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• Useful for comparing real size, since scale labels are loose.

Overall width as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• A wider car is more stable in corners and harder to roll over.

Overall height as the maker states it, usually with the body fitted.

• Useful when checking it fits a shelf, a bag or a car trunk.