The honest shopping list.
No “starting at” games. Here is everything a first competitive bot actually needs, what it costs in ranges, and the total including the stuff other pages forget — the charger, the fire bag, the spare battery, the tools.
Electronics core
The parts that go inside the robot.
| Part | What to know | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Transmitter + receiver (2.4 GHz) | Entry hobby TX with model memory and a bound RX. Must support fail-safe — that is a rules requirement, not a nicety. | $45–60 |
| Dual brushed ESC (drive) | One board drives both motors; built-in mixing and BEC keeps wiring simple. | $15–25 |
| 2× brushed gearmotors (N20-class) | The standard first drive. Buy the speed the design calls for — and buy a spare pair. | $12–20 |
| Brushless weapon motor | Only if your first bot has an active weapon. A wedge skips this line entirely. | $12–20 |
| Weapon ESC | Sized to the weapon motor. Also skipped by a wedge. | $10–18 |
| 2× LiPo battery (2S/3S) | Two, so one charges while one fights. 3S is the class maximum. | $20–30 |
| Balance charger | A real balance charger, not a USB toy. This is shared family infrastructure — one per household, ever. | $30–45 |
| LiPo-safe bag | Non-negotiable. Batteries live and charge in it. Required at events and at home. | $8–12 |
| Power switch / removable link | The mechanical disconnect the rules require, reachable from outside. | $5–15 |
| Power light | Externally visible when the bot is live. An LED and resistor. | $2–5 |
| Wheels + hubs | Off-the-shelf hobby wheels are legal and good. | $8–15 |
| Connectors, wire, heat-shrink | XT30s, 20 AWG silicone wire, heat-shrink assortment. | $10–15 |
| Fasteners + heat-set inserts | Plastite-style screws and a bag of M3 inserts. Inserts make repairs survivable. | $10–15 |
Core subtotal: roughly $150 for a weaponed bot, ~$120 for a wedge. Skipping the weapon motor and ESC on a first build is a proven strategy, not a compromise — wedges win events.
Tools & safety gear
One-time purchases most households buy once and keep forever. If you already own them, your total just dropped.
| Item | Why | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Soldering iron (temperature-controlled) | The one tool worth not cheaping out on. | $25–40 |
| Hex drivers, flush cutters, wire stripper | Basic bench kit. | $20–35 |
| Safety glasses | Required for all pit work — one pair per person. | $5–10 |
| Battery voltage checker | Check before and after every fight. | $5–10 |
| Digital calipers | Optional but transformative for CAD. | $10–20 |
Printing — with or without a printer
You own a printer
A 1 kg spool of PLA+ (~$20–25) prints several chassis plus spares. Filament is the cheapest line on this page.
~$25 / season
School or library printer
Many schools and public libraries print free or at filament cost. Ask — this is the most common path for our builders, and lab access days include print time.
$0–15 / season
Online print service
Upload the files, parts arrive by mail. A full antweight chassis set typically runs $15–35 per order. Slower iteration — order spares in the same batch.
~$30–70 / season
You do not need to buy a printer to compete. Nobody at an IRL event can tell whose chassis came off a $2,000 machine and whose came from the library.
The all-in number
| Scenario | First season, everything included |
|---|---|
| Wedge, school printer, some tools at home | ≈ $150–200 |
| Weaponed bot, own filament, buying all tools | ≈ $230–300 |
| Weaponed bot, print service, buying all tools | ≈ $260–340 |
Plus event entry fees (kept low; published per event). Prices are honest ranges as of mid-2026 — hobby electronics drift, so treat the ranges, not the midpoints, as the promise. Second seasons cost a fraction of this: the transmitter, charger, tools, and safety gear all carry over.