Buggy recommendations for a 7 year old

[Jonnythefox87 62]

My 7 year old son has asked for a 1/10 buggy for his birthday after coming with me to a fun race meet. 
So I’m after some recommendations for a cheap 1/10 buggy that he can use to race and bash. It needs to be pretty robust because it will get some abuse, it also needs to have got options in terms of spares cos let’s be honest, he will probably break something from day 1! In terms of budget I’d like to stay close to or under £200

I’ve narrowed it down to 3 categories….

- Tamiya , something like a DT02 or DT03

-RTR, something like a ftx vantage for example

- used, something like a used AE b6.1 or b6.2 for example

 

any recommendations greatly appreciated, thank you 

[NUFCRc 132]

I did own an FTX Outlaw for a while. They're pretty tough, and pretty fast. Parts are cheap and plenty of upgrades are available.

[skom25 1917]

DT-02 is really nice, but bit old and spares can be a problem.

DT-03 parts are available, but there are at least two really weak points in design.

TT-02 is quite bad straight from box, but in terms of durability and spares, it can be interesting.

[sosidge 667]

If the fun race is likely to turn quickly into proper racing, then a second hand race buggy would be the way to go. Wheel/tyre compatibility and availability is going to be an issue after not too long with a basic Tamiya, as would outright performance and handling, and you would end up buying a race buggy anyway.

However if it's going to be bashing around the garden I would go for the Tamiya kit. 7 years old is just about old enough to do some of the build with parental support so it is a fun project.

[alvinlwh 7069]

When my boy turns 6, I am getting him an Absima AB3.4. £90, yet bet better than a TT-02B.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/absima-ab34bl-v2-4wd-buggy-kit-1355485

 

[Gebbly 771]

An alternatice to just throw out there....I would say it partly depends on what sort of thing your son would like to do with the buggy. If its for bashing around and not serious racing then there are many options. Things like Pumpkin, Lunchbox are fairly resilient bashers. If he likes wheelies then a Wild Willy would be good. For something different a 6 wheel drive konghead. The "comical" series are also fun bashers.

At that age (and if I'm honest still today) a big consideration for me would be what looks "cool". Are there particular styles of vehicles he particularly liked?

[JatoTheRipper 95]

Honestly, a Traxxas Bandit will be the best basher.  There's the Kyosho Dirt Master that is a very cheap kit, handles well and supposed to be durable.  Not the best aftermarket support though.  There's always the Associated RB10 RTR, but again aftermarket support is low.

[Kowalski86 4078]

If you're looking for something to race, check your classes and see what the locals at your track run.

Tamiya doesn't make a cheap buggy that's up for race duty. The DT buggies lack the bare essentials that I would want out of a buggy (stronger plastic, hex wheels all around, aluminum motor mount).

The TT02B just isn't a buggy, it's a touring car with giant wheels.

I have a hard time reccomending used AE buggies, they make good stuff, they just don't support it very well.

[ADRay1000 447]

what’s his experience with driving an rc car?

[Room335 840]

+1 for Lunchbox. That's what I chose for my kids and it worked out nicely. Will handle grass better than a buggy. Fast enough for a 7 year old with the stock motor. Only critical upgrades IMO are the body posts and steering arms. Also the plastic body is easier for kids to paint and receptive to creative designs. Good luck!

[cyclonecap 63]

At £211 these offer great value and will be more durable than an FTX vantage or tamiya kit. You can turn the throttle down on the transmitter until their skill improves. The only issue I've seen people have with them is leaky shocks which is an easy fix if you've built an RC before. A used race kit would handle better but I don't think you could fit one out for less than £211 unless you find a great deal.

 

https://www.align-trex.co.uk/team-associated-rb10-rtr-red-as90032.html?gad_source=1

[JimBear 865]

It all depends ...

if your son rather leans towards figuring out how things work and knows how to use a screwdriver, I think a Tamiya kit can be a good idea. From the viewpoint of my own son (soon 9) a very basic TT-02 (steel pinion and ball bearings extra) provides a lot of fun driving and tinkering. As an offroad buggy I think it would be fine with a DT-03 (my son has older designs based on the earlier DT-01 as his runners). No need for crazy upgrades there either, steel pinion and ball bearings and off you go for a spin.

If, on the other hand, your son leans more towards "red ones go fasta" and "send it off a hillside and see what happens" ... I'd just find something else RC-wise.

Used stuff (in my own experience) tends to be expensive since one doesn't really know how things have been holding up and what's next on the list to break.

[technics 3184]

I have three kids around the same age and I chose to simply get them the same rc’s I had. In which case it was team associated b6. Dirt cheap second hand and absolutely unmatched quality and performance. I would  100% the race grade stuff that’s a bit older especially if your already attending great facilities.
 

In the yard or indoor bashing They have used their Scx24 the most. They love the TA02T. I turn down the end points way down on their radios or mine and it’s perfect.

Ultimately kids will wanna do whatever you’redoing so a used version or perhaps you upgrade to a new chassis and they get the one you already know and have spares for. 
 

That’s my two cents anyway! 

[chris.alex 1087]

DT03 Racing Fighter (58628). Simple and parts are available and not expensive. Plus it can't hurt to learn to handle a rear-wheel drive first. 🙂

[Rinskie 860]

If I had a 7 year old they'd be getting a GF01 or a Comical Grasshopper. I would not buy anything that is skate parkable as I would want them to learn appreciation of the thing and how to take care of it, not launch it off a 37 foot Redbull ramp. 

[guggles 269]

I mean if they want to turn wrenches get them a kit with the best available parts support

If they wanna race and its not a super serious class get them a decent rtr of a buggy. It kind of depends on budget, interest level and how serious the novice class is. It shouldnt be that serious imo it should be more based on sportsmanship and making sure the kids all have fun and are supported. Granted when I was a few years older than the topic starters child I built my own race level kit and ran it while probably taking it a bit too seriously  haha 

Everyone is different and the important part is to get the child involved and to try new things such as building, racing or just playing. And if the child just wants to play around for now or decides they want to do something else that's ok. 

[BuggyDad 5397]

For my son's 8th birthday I bought him a DT-03. I wanted the build experience for him and at 8 he enjoyed and benefited from it quite a lot I think. At that age it was us doing it together rather than him doing it and me helping here and there, but it still made it very much his thing and gave him a real appreciation of putting the work in to get the result out. 

In fact, it was this car and this process that got me on here (hence username) and started me down a 3 year rabbit hole. 

So I think some advantages of that car (or similar) are:

- a suitable kind of build for a fairly patient 8 year old and a parent to do together. I think it was good that it wasn't more complicated. I think if this is a priority then it's hard to look outside Tamiya. 

- it's adequately robust for the purpose I think, although we subsequently modified ours a fair bit. 

- and linked to the above, decent spares availability.

- a generally good enough garden basher.

- and against most race buggies, it has the advantage of being quite well sealed. Garden bashing our second hand race buggy didn't go very well. 

But its downsides are:

- if you do want more performance or adjustment for eg the track then, well, it's not really a model for that. 

- it does have its weaknesses as mentioned above (main one is chassis nose which we solved by bracing the front shock tower back to the mid chassis but that mod's a bit niche). 

Overall, I don't regret this choice for our purpose at all. 

[ParticularSky 59]

Dt03 is a lovely piece of kit. Really easy to build, comes with oil shocks and spares are cheap and plenty. There is the investment of a steel pinion and bearings otherwise its well suited for a beginner to run in the garden.

If he isn't fixed on a buggy I'd go with a arrma gorgon. Things almost unbreakable. I launched this 20 meters in the air of a ramp and it returned nose down on pavement. Only bend a front pin.

[alvinlwh 7069]

The progression for my girl.

3yo - SU-01 > 5yo - GH2 > 8yo - 3R MG Evo

The boy has less interest in building, so got him a RTR for his 5th.

3yo - PUBG Buggy > 5yo HPI Maverick Ion > 6yo (next year) Absima AT3.4

[Howards 595]

It's kinda hard to get stuff that's OK to Race and Bash, but I recon the Dirtmaster is close to meeting that brief, assuming the 'races' you go to will be on dirt rather than astro or carpet (where rear engined buggies are inferior to their mid brethren).

Sounds like from a response in this thread anyway that parts support isn't brilliant, might be worth checking that out. 

[ABigChungus 70]

I'd agree with most of the people recommending the DT-03. I built one last for the guy I live with who's disabled. It's a nice easy and build, the shell has lots of room for customisation, there are plenty of hop ups for it so an upgrade path is viable, and spares are readily available. Doesn't Tamiya market the Neo Fighter as one good for kids, or one that's good for first timers? 

The DT03 runs great in the garden and has plenty of speed, more than enough for a child. I put the Super Stock BZ in my DT02 and it's very nippy, but still manageable. The benefit you'd have as well with the DT03 compared to others such as the Grasshopper or Hornet, is that it's a much more modern design, compared to the vintage models that have their quirks. The older models are great fun still, but definitely more as like a history lesson almost, to see how far things have progressed.

[BuggyDad 5397]

40 minutes ago, ABigChungus said:

The benefit you'd have as well with the DT03 compared to others such as the Grasshopper or Hornet, is that it's a much more modern design, compared to the vintage models that have their quirks. The older models are great fun still, but definitely more as like a history lesson almost, to see how far things have progressed.

Yeah I think some of the basic design improvements of decent suspension geometry, oil shocks and slightly longer wheelbase also make a more modern model like this easier for a kid to learn to drive than something that has a more volatile tendency to roll, wheelie or spin. 

The DT-03 built stock is quite understeery. Better that than the other way around, for this application I think, and also solveable. When I've bought them for presents though (as I have twice for other kids, a little older since I wouldn't be there for the build) I have included some spiked front tyres in a softer compound (Schumacher or ballistic buggy), which I think improve it in this regard. 

[Tamiyastef 2551]

@Jonnythefox87 He came with you to the race. What car were you driving? Can he get the same?

I'd go for a kit. Putting it together himself (together with you = quality time = best present IMO) will give him more understanding later when he wants or needs to adjust his buggy looking for specific characteristics. 

IMO you can't go wrong with a DT-02 or DT-03.  I would even consider the HornetEVO if that has more appeal to him.

[Gun Slinger 393 164]

I have my oldest using a mantaray, (he’s 11) 

yeah it’s not lightning or a competitive race machine, but it requires building under standing and appreciation. Plus what is speed without control skills. 
give a kid a pre built rocket ship out the gate and straight away he’s skipping the step of performance knowledge, ie: I built this so I know it’s got nylon spacers not bearings, I wonder how it will perform if I replace those with bearings. 
then he gets the satisfaction for his work when he sees improvement 

buying anyone a race ready car for there 1st rc is like getting a 17 year old a M3 when they pass their test. Well kind of you get my drift 

[Raman36 1712]

On 8/15/2024 at 5:22 AM, Jonnythefox87 said:

My 7 year old son has asked for a 1/10 buggy for his birthday after coming with me to a fun race meet. 
So I’m after some recommendations for a cheap 1/10 buggy that he can use to race and bash. It needs to be pretty robust because it will get some abuse, it also needs to have got options in terms of spares cos let’s be honest, he will probably break something from day 1! In terms of budget I’d like to stay close to or under £200

I’ve narrowed it down to 3 categories….

- Tamiya , something like a DT02 or DT03

-RTR, something like a ftx vantage for example

- used, something like a used AE b6.1 or b6.2 for example

 

any recommendations greatly appreciated, thank you 

I was literally in your position 3 years ago for my son’s 7th. I was tempted to get him a hornet, or DT whatever buggy from Tamiya. Then I popped over to Kyosho and saw the RB7 was $200. That’s the route I took. He enjoyed it a lot and as of 2 months ago he started to compete with it and is doing very well.  
 

So I’d recommend looking at a second hand associated, great value, cheap parts… if it has to be new then look at the Kyosho Ultima SB.. which. Are basically RB5 repackaged.