Best beach bashers for 12 year old boys?

[mike_o 35]

Two years ago I stowed a Super Fighter buggy into the trunk before leaving for the summer cottage on the beach. We also brought the two boys, +- 10 years at that time, and they did have some fun with the buggy.

http://youtu.be/i-qQtUK0zwA

It was a bit overpowered and understeered, though, and I feared for it to end up in the sea, which fortunately didn't happen.

This year, we are going again, and the boys are older (+-12 y.o.) and (marginally) more mature, so I was thinking about bringing a couple of cars for them. But which ones are best?

They already have each their DT-02 Super Fighter Buggy, but their worn down rear tyres and infamous understeer may not be the best choice for fun in the sand. I ordered two sets of Grasshopper paddle style rear tyres to fit to the cars (what rims to use? Will the stock DT-02 rims fit, or do I need smaller rims?), but I just wondered if we may be better of with two new Grasshoppers. Or something else?

What would you recommend that wouldn't break the bank?

[SteveU30 1011]

I'm voting 2x http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310937980108

[Mokei Kagaku 2706]

Though I agree with SteveU30 that the DT-03 is an improvement over the DT-02 that your boys already have, they have the gearbox and suspension in common (except for the shock towers), so for beach bashing, I think the benefit of changing to the DT-03 would be relatively small. I'd suggest staying with the DT-02 and just get some suitable beach tires for them.

http://tamico.de/Carson-Reifen-mit-Felgen-Komplettrad-Buggy-Beach-4-Stk

These are quite cheap and pretty good and come in a set of four. The tires are an odd size and come glued to the wheels and the wheels are of a rather brittle material, which sounds bad. But I just cut out the spokes and pressfitted the remaining rim/tire over a set of DT-02 wheels. I have run my HB2010 with these tires on loose dry dirt and they gave very good traction and never came off the DT-02 wheels despite being "just" pressfitted. For a bit more "balloony" look, I sanded the chrome off the rims, resulting in a matt black surface that blended well with the tires.

To keep debris out of the chassis tub, I modified a Sand Viper body (aka Fighter Buggy SV body) to fit under the HB body. I don't know if this works with the Super Fighter body as well though, but DT-02 chassis covers exist from aftermarket companies.

I don't know if the Carson Beach Tires are available from any UK sources, but Tamico is quite easy to deal with from outside Germany too. If you want these tires, please be aware of that they exist in a larger 1/8 scale version too. The item number to look for is 105201, sometimes refered to as 5000105201, which is the distributor's full item number, which also identifies it as a Carson product among the distributor's many brands.

EDIT: I just watched the video, and noticed that you have already used 2.2 (?) paddle tires, so the relevance of my post is.....well.....moderate.

[XV Pilot 1936]

For beach running, how about going a bit retro and getting a pair of DT01 Mad Bulls? While not the most advanced chassis by any means, the are fun and durable, and the big wheels and tyres are excellent for beach running. And when Winter comes, they also run great on snow!

[Gruntfuggly 562]

My Stadium Thunder goes to the beach with me often...

[taliesin 260]

1st choice would be 2x Madbulls. Those big tires and high clearance make them a hoot on sandy beaches.

2nd choice would be 2x Hornets or Grasshoppers. Either would be a blast.

All of these choices are cheap and cheerful - perfect for beach fun.

[mike_o 35]

Steve, thanks for the link. I was surprised to see how cheap the DT-03 is. Will have to get one just to have it

Mokei, thank you for your elaborate reply;The DT-02 in the video is "my own". The boy's are more stock (BB, oil shocks and sport tuned motors) and will need and upgrade. I believe I will order a set of Carson wheels.

XV, Taliesin, I did look at the Madbull, but haven't managed to find a decent price for them yet, whereas the Grasshopper is available at bargain pricing.

Anybody on which rims to use for the Grashopper paddle style tyres (to go on a DT-02) Would the "old" Mad Fighter rear rims work? They seem a bit smaller in diameter than the normal DT-02 rims?

[MAD RACER 566]

Any buggy for the beach is fun. You will always get under-steer especially when you have paddles which gives more grip on the sand therefore will under-steer even more.

For me I use the most basic design like the DT01 Mad Bull/Fighter buggy and Hornet based cars as there are less moving parts in the drive train. Gearbox and axles are all enclosed and not much too pull apart afterwards .( Gears are nice and corse and not so prone to a few grains of sand unlike fine pitch gears of today) Not to forget they are very tough buggies & cheap for parts.

Beaches are for any ill handling cars . Why do you think most of the promo video's were done on the beach in the 80's by Tamiya

[Percymon 2184]

Yes I'd go with mad bull too - on the beach the bump steer isn't noticed and those fat tyres means it'll pretty much go anywhere (wet sand/ dry dunes/ grassy areas). A great beach runner

Banzai have them cheap and as they supply without re it means you can buy a waterproof one rather than risking the normal tamiya items.

[mr crispy 2293]

The Grasshopper rear tyres will only fit the Grasshopper/Sand Scorcher style 3 peice wheels with the older hub fitting, not the modern 12mm hex hub. You can get an adaptor but I can't find a link to any right now. I used an extended nut to fit the wheels and old style hub onto a TL01 axle with little modification. The same method would work in a DT02 rear axle.

If you don't already have any GH wheels it maybe cheaper to just get another set of rear tyres and sell on the GH ones you bought. Carson also sell an All terrain 2wd set that looks good and works well on sand.

http://www.fusionhobbies.com/product/900027-carson-2wd-all-terrain-tyre-set-black

[JeepnMike 150]

We just got back from the beach with a DT02, a Mad Bull, and a Frog. I will say the Mad Bull got the most use, it is a great beach basher... The low and wide design makes it really stable, and with the tires, it will go anywhere. For kids, you can't beat it.

For an adult, my Frog sure is fun. I will say that if I come by a little extra money, I will be getting a Kyosho Scorpion ReRe for beach fun. I was planning on a FAV, but the new Scorpion you can't get much more fun and scale for a sand rail!

[mike_o 35]

Thanks for the suggestions. Ended up getting a pair of Grasshoppers. Assembled one of them yesterday.

Very simple and charming old-school design. Built it stock, apart from ball bearings, with 380 motor, a 30gr DMG servo, and omitting one rear spring for better match with the lower weight. Powered by a 2200mAh 2S LiPo. Bashed it a bit yesterday.

http://youtu.be/HART1TcF5p0

Not fast, but quite agile and lot more neutral than the DT-02s. Ran it around 20 minutes on the 2200mAh LiPo without going below 3.85V

[bromvw 744]

Thanks for the suggestions. Ended up getting a pair of Grasshoppers. Assembled one of them yesterday. Very simple and charming old-school design. Built it stock, apart from ball bearings, with 380 motor, and a 30gr DMG servo. Powered by a 2200mAh 2S LiPo. Bashed it a bit yesterday. Not fast, but quite agile and lot more neutral than the DT-02s.

Once the kids are used to the cars drop in 540 silver cans and the performance will be more lively

[AndyjcClod 389]

I'd go LunchBox its great fun on sand, its got good clearance and its mostly plastic so not much to go rusty!

[mike_o 35]

Once the kids are used to the cars drop in 540 silver cans and the performance will be more lively

I did bring a pair of 3S LiFe 2100mAh packs, and the 10V supply blew a little more life in the Grashoppers without overloading the motors.

Also edited a little video:

http://youtu.be/kvgmGZPqHKc