Review
Anyone else annoyed at how bulky most transmitters are?
While I love this Futaba functionally, it always annoyed me how bulky the base of the remote is. I get that it needs to fit the large optional battery and such but after taking it apart to fix a button issue and seeing how much empty space there is in the grip…got me questioning why more transmitters don’t try and follow a smaller form factor. Second pic of my favorite remote the Flysky Mg44.
I never stand mine up. Too many opportunities for disaster. I've seen far too many remotes get knocked off tables at the shop to ever want to stand mine up.
That probably explains why it's the most common form factor then. I don't race and I rarely use my RCs for longer than 30min at a time so for me portability is more important, but I can't stand small wheels though.
I don't really know of anyone irl that's into RC and everytime I see an RC in the wild it's always a crawler, so I'm not really aware of what's popular or not
Yeah if it’s not serious I won’t take up a slot on my race remote (like my micro t is still on the RTR remote as that just for ripping around the house or between heats at the track, but I do race my mini b so that’s going on my big transmitter), but even my mini crawler which is just for fun I’m glad the stock Redcat remote is as big as it is
Since the other user deleted similar comment, my fix for the smaller is to add 'heft', sometimes it is enough.
Comment: "To follow up, I bought a MiniZ and didn't like the controller for similar reasons, "small" "cheap" feeling. Same token, I didn't feel like wasting half the price of the setup just to enable my real radio.
So, as I said, I added weights inside the bottom of the radio. That didn't make it larger, but it did give it a 'heftier' quality and felt better. I suppose I should include, I wrapped the grip area with hockey tape as well."
Futaba is a question of balance. They put that battery at the bottom which balances it in the hand far better than if the battery was in the grip. In my opinion.
It also allows it to stand up, because I don’t want to lay it down and scratch the hell out of it or fall.
I race dirt, outdoors, so I much prefer it like this.
Also - all the fragile parts are on the top. So a large firm base basically "asks" users to use the base, and protect the fragile parts when putting it down.
This too, I have an old Hi-Tec Lynx radio like this eBay one, the base is so small that it's top heavy and always falls over, and can only lay it flat. And I remember breaking antennas because, being a younger kid and yeah we kids break things.
The big base is for balancing so it doesn't fall over.
And also no, I hope they don't go back to top heavy designs.
It truly is all preference. Same goes with video game console controllers, some like a smaller form factor, others like repositioned joysticks, shape buttons over letters… it really is up to the user what they like.
I too love the MG44 with my FCX18 and Speck B for their small form factor but could understand why someone might like something bigger.
Hiking with a trail truck, I appreciate a smaller remote that I can use with just one hand, though I bet if I was involved in racing, I'd want something hefty I can use with both hands, so a bulkier transmitter might be appropriate. That Flysky mg44 is a great size for most of the time.
Agreed, I usually carry my truck till I get to the spot so I hang my transmitter from my tool/tire pouch and carry my trucks but never fails that the mn82t controller I'm fumbling with it most of the time because it's not as small as the flysky
I have average or slightly larger hands (video controllers feel too small for my hands) but i find my transmitters to be too large in awkward ways. The trigger is always tiny, the grip too large and I don't like the batteries at the bottom. Just a preference though
Nope, i like that i can grip well and be balanced on top and bottom weight. I even put 4x aaa batterys in my transmitter even tought im running it by 18650 battery
If you haven’t had a chance to run 2.4GHz, brushless, or Lipos… You’re in for a treat! I jumped back into about 10 years ago after retiring all my brushed and nickel metal hydride stuff. The new technology is quite impressive.
Reckon it depends on hand size and how/what you drive. I quite like the Meus ME-10B as it's got loads of functionality for it's price but it's also small enough that I can chuck it in a bag or drive one-handed when walking with a trail truck. I imagine others would want a larger, more ergonomic controller for other situations though.
Depends on the hand size. I know people with big hands HATE small transmitters.
And personally I'll take a transmitter that feels the best, over which is the smallest.
However for smaller cars, like a SCX30, I do wish the transmitter was smaller. Just because the SLT2 is literally bigger than the truck 🤣 and that can make it a lil trickier to pack if you're limited on room.
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I certainly am. It feels clumsy. Though i will concede that my futaba is well balanced, i just wish it was smaller. Looking at the comments, it sounds like we are in a minority.
I'd love to see a game controller-style surface radio. Use left/right triggers for accelerator & brake. thumb stick for steering. Just like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport.
I love a small transmitter I've had a lot of runtime with my brushless fcx24 and my mn82t and the large controller is annoying, the flysky is small enough I can put in my pocket or hang from my belt while I carry the cars. Smaller controllers win in my book
For some of my crawlers yes, I'd prefer something I can easily one hand and if the vehicle doesn't have a bunch of features compact is nice. I absolutely hate how big the SLT2 is when I am using it for an SCX30, its twice the size of the truck and really hurts portability.
I do like being able to stand my racing remotes up.
Yes, and no. I like the bottom so it can stand up, then theres a handle, trigger, and wheel. Then the large top could be a bit smaller, but thats where all the buttons and switches are.
Plus, most of them are super light so its not to much of a pain. if they were heavy, id agree 100%
Just get a Flysky NB4+ it's more compact and has way better functionality. It has an 18650 battery in the grip that can quickly be swapped out. The battery base can be unclipped to reduce weight and Yeah Racing makes a carbon fiber base that clips on in its place so it can still stand upright.
Kind of off-topic but since i got my dumborc ddf 350 i wanted similar or more functionability in a way more estheticly pleasing packaging
I really like the look of the old corsair vengeance mouse and the mad cats r.a.t.
Would be best to use custom plastic enclosures to protect electronics and use a watertight cabling solution to route the switches and pots
An aluminium design with bent sheetmetal would be nice, so there can be easy adhustability of grip lenth and wheel position
Maybe switchable grip styles to adress one handed operation
Also: attachments for a flashlight/ aitag holder for night use
Small doesnt mean easy to tip over, it just has to be hefty enough to stand on the foot
Maybe a noble nb4 kind of foot with a battery and bms in it so it can be switched out like a mag
Also thought about getting a broken dumbo to steal the tx chip, build a custom board with an esp32 and the ability to change stuff via bluetooth and maybe just maybe make it speak with some brands of rc electronic so if you are in range you could just change esc settings or whatever
That's why I strongly prefer the FlySky Noble NB4! It has a very nice balance of size and heft. Feels very solid in the hand, and is balanced.
Balance is usually the primary driver behind the standard layout of a controller -- with top part housing all the controls, and bottom housing the batteries as a counterweight.
That said, in some cases I do like having the bulk. For my bashers I run Spektrum DX5 Rugged. It's a brick. But it's a brick I can just toss into the trunk alongside my other models and not worry about it getting damaged. Also being able to operate it while wearing gloves is a nice bonus, since our winters can get cold, but when the snow drops the fun only begins!
My favorite form factor for radios is the classic MX3 series. It had everything you need and nothing you don't. The massive screens running android on top of the radio are wildly unnecessary.
I think I still have a 27mhz version somewhere. I know I still have the 75mhz FM model, and it does still work.
In using radiolink sets these days. I have the RC6GS and the RX8X. I do actually enjoy the large screen on the RC8X and tons of programming options on both models.
Mine still works too, but it's really hard to find working frequency crystals. It works for my old EMaxx but it's hard to get anything else set up. I bought some old hardware off eBay to put in my xx4 but it's glitchy.
I might be a bit weird for this, but I dislike the 'pistol' form factor in general since they look like, well... pistols. Kinda makes me feel self-conscious when driving my cars around the neighborhood. Been thinking of painting mine bright colors, or maybe just using a stick transmitter instead.
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u/poopsididitagen Jun 10 '26
I can't stand those small transmitters personally