I've been into this hobby called petrol remote control cars for a number of years now, but this was my first ever attempt to build a competition car. It was a frustrating process but I managed to complete it. I personally, am very proud of my efforts.

First of all, I bought a Kyosho MP777 SP2 competition buggy kit from my local hobby shop for around $770 US. Basically what you get with the kit is what car enthusiasts call the 'rolling chassis'. It includes all the nuts, screws and some tools ( not all though) to put the base of the car together. Also included is the body shell, 4 rims and the wing. The remaining tools you'll need to finish the job is a phillips screwdriver and a longnose plyor.

It took me 2 whole days to build it but I managed to get there. If your thinking of making an attempt to build one it is very important to read the manual thoroughly. The last thing you need is to take the whole car apart if you happen to miss one small detail.

After I built the foundation of the car, I then bought a Go Tec five port engine with the pipe for $248 US. I wanted to buy a Navarossi 21 seven port engine as I believe they are the ultimate buggy engine but I was on a tight budget at the time plus it is recommended  for serious competitors only though. I also had to buy a throttle and steering servo ( DS1015 Acerc brand) which cost $113 US each, along with a humpback battery pack which cost $20 US. It took me around 3-4 hours to put all of these components in the buggy, along with the tyres ($45 US). Then came the fun part for me.

The painting of the shell. I bought a few cans of spraypaint ( in my chosen colors) and masking tape. I used the masking tape for the body outline to avoid spraypainting over each color.There are labels and stickers that come with the kit. I added a few touchups of my own and experimented to get the end result.

I brought a acoms technisport 2.4G remote control that comes with receiver ( $195 US) to accompany my hard work. Its a universal remote, you can control up to 10 cars with just this one. I prefer to use rechargeable batteries also. The fuel I was informed is the best to use is Massivemods H3444 ( $23 US for 2 and 1/2 litres). I believe its true because it allows the buggy to run cooler and is easier to tune. The glow plug ( $8 US) I bought is an OSP3 and it takes around 1.5 litres of petrol to break in the engine.

After completing the construction of my buggy,I placed it on the starter box ($109 US) and used a glow plug igniter ( $12 US) to ignite the glowplug. Once the engine is on you'll be grinning from ear to ear at your achievement. ( I did for days) I was good to go.

Although there was frustration ( alot of it) and anger at times during the whole process, I learnt to appreciate my hard work after and relish in knowing I achieved something I had little knowledge of at the time. It was expensive for a first attempt but I believe that for the experience and satisfaction of completing a task, it was worth every penny.

P.S: You also need to have a very patient wife!