How Old Are You Waiting For Your Kids To Be Before First Tamiya?

[john893 9]

Hello everyone. I was starting to think about when to get my little ones their first Tamiya and how old they would have to be. I will help with the build (can't wait to do it together) but was wondering how old everyone thinks they should be for driving. I am going to let them pick it out, but would be something like a grasshopper or lunchbox. I will be using the 380 in any car/truck to start them off.

Thanks

John

[Tamiya1/10 382]

You can start running a RC around them just to get the little one expose to movement. I think the age should be at least around 3 - 4 before letting than operate it, partly is the size of his/her hand holding onto the control and turning the wheel. Some child develops quicker or have a nack for it very early some maybe a bit slower at first, but I am sure by 16 he/she can operate thier own RC.

[IBIFTKH 1369]

My kids are 7 and 10 and they've regularly run RCs with me for a year or so. We run a variety of off road stuff - scalers, monster trucks, buggies and short course trucks - and they cope well with all of them. They're happy using sticks or steering wheel controllers.

We built a WW2 last year, but they found it difficult to drive self-tapping screws into the plastic parts. This summer we built a Sand Scorcher and they did most of the chassis work, machine screws into pre-tapped threads was much easier for them.

[TA-Mark 195]

I started my boys off at about age 3 with a Nikko/Tyco toy grade RCs with small transmitters (~AU$50 value) so they could get a handle on how the car reacts to controller inputs.

By the time they were 5yrs old they were running Tamiya buggys with 540's and driving them quite well. Now they can give me a good run for my money around the backyard track and can put in the same laptimes as me when we run the same spec motors/batteries.

[john893 9]

Thanks for the replies. My little ones are 4 now and they do pretty well except for the size of the controller. Maybe next Christmas santa will be getting them something. I think for this year, maybe I will find a car that goes decent that has a smaller remote so they can hold it on their own.

John

[30cms 7]

my daughter was 6 when i let her loose with a standard grasshopper (bearings, hp suspension + 380 motor)

she chould handle the sticks fine, and the 380 was PLENTY fast enough. also gave very long run times too!

[southy 6]

I had my young bloke racing 540 touring cars at 7. If you see the way young children get the hang of Playstation/Xbox and the like there is no reason they could not get used to a RC car. Start with a slow one and run it in wide open spaces with not much to run into.

The new Holliday Buggy would make a good first car. The DT02 chassis is nice and simple, very strong and the Holliday Buggy comes standard with a 380 motor but can be upgraded to a 540 if when they get the hang of it.

[SP4CEACE 2]

My daughter is 10 and she has just built a Lunchbox, she has had a go on rc cars for a couple of years, she loves running my Scorcher on the beach. The only thing i did on the Lunchbox is check everything and paint the body. I'm just happy she is interested in rc cars lol.

[Longwaistround 0]

I started my daughter off with a lunchbox aged 5. She loves it but we run it on an open cricket pitch so the only obstacles are us! Cricket pitches are nice and flat so with a 540 its plenty fast enough and there is no spin out like you get on gravel so she can get used to the basics. The only problem is the size of the controller in her hand. Using a traxxas gun style controller really works in regards to the wheel for steering and accelerating is fine, but her finger is not long enough for her to be able to push back for braking/reverse. She has learnt to just let go of the power to combat this issue. My 2 year old daughter also uses the tomy q-steer avante around the kitchen floor! Not quite got the idea (picks it up/turns it around when it hits the wall!) yet but its a start!!!

Anyone know of a smaller controller that would be compatible for use with 1/10 kits that kids with smaller hands could use properly??? I have not looked into it myself... bit of an oversight when building her VLB..

Anyway I think its great to get kids involved in any capacity even if its just them holding the steering wheel while you do the power etc. being a father of 2 girls I try my hardest to "involve" them as I get more running time !!

[sosidge 624]

I started my daughter off with a lunchbox aged 5. She loves it but we run it on an open cricket pitch so the only obstacles are us! Cricket pitches are nice and flat so with a 540 its plenty fast enough and there is no spin out like you get on gravel so she can get used to the basics. The only problem is the size of the controller in her hand. Using a traxxas gun style controller really works in regards to the wheel for steering and accelerating is fine, but her finger is not long enough for her to be able to push back for braking/reverse. She has learnt to just let go of the power to combat this issue. My 2 year old daughter also uses the tomy q-steer avante around the kitchen floor! Not quite got the idea (picks it up/turns it around when it hits the wall!) yet but its a start!!!

Anyone know of a smaller controller that would be compatible for use with 1/10 kits that kids with smaller hands could use properly??? I have not looked into it myself... bit of an oversight when building her VLB..

Anyway I think its great to get kids involved in any capacity even if its just them holding the steering wheel while you do the power etc. being a father of 2 girls I try my hardest to "involve" them as I get more running time !!

Exactly the same problem my (tall for her age) 4 year old daughter has. She has a degree of control over power and steering, she can turn it around instead of crashing maybe 2 or 3 times out of 10!

I don't think there are any particularly small controllers for hobby-grade RC around. We run a Kyosho Mini Inferno around the garden and that comes with the Kyosho Perfex wheel radio, which is one of the smaller ones I've seen - it's that "trigger-away" movement that is always going to be a problem. The wheels are a lot better than a stick controller for small hands, although I have seen people set up a "tray" for the transmitter.

Some of the toy-grade RC cars have tiny controllers.

[Longwaistround 0]

The wheels are a lot better than a stick controller for small hands, although I have seen people set up a "tray" for the transmitter

"tray" meaning using a stick TX rather than a "gun/wheel TX". Just like big riggers/plane enthusiasts do? i.e. with a neck strap enabling the hands free from holding the unit and thus free to just hold the sticks with all fingers rather than just thumb tips ???

Might be a better option rather than having no brake or reverse option!! I have to keep an eye on her at all times just to "protect" anyones ankles! It would be nice to feel she has full control then I can safely run my car at the same time as her which would be much more fun for us both. Running just one car at a time is a drag but at least safe.

I think I will try something along the lines of stick TX on a starp or at least look into the perfex option.

Cheers

mat

[TA-Mark 195]

The Perfex isn't much smaller than the Futabas. The one that came with the HBX (like a small Perfex clone) is quite a bit smaller than all the others I've seen. My youngest has small hands and uses the one that came with the HBX.

For a size comparison:

Left: HBX, Middle: Kyosho Perfex, Right: Futaba 2PK

[tonysmini 19]

I started with my son with a Tomy Herbie beetle at two, (dual speed switch on the back to control the speed)

He went onto toy grade stuff with small controllers at four, now he uses a Nikko Evolution wheel and trigger controller with his Nikko 307, small enough for his hands but big enough to be a proper sized one I can use too. Unfortunatly on this push forward doesn't stop, it just halves the forward speed of the 540 motor. It's a very quick car for a simple toy and he's getting good at drifting and doughnuts with it.

He uses a stick set on a neck strap when he has a go of my thundershot, so he grips the sticks rather than just his thumbs.

My daughter is 3 and is fairly good too.

[Longwaistround 0]

I think the stick TX with a strap sounds like a goer so hopefully she can get used to braking and reversing by having the whole hand on the sticks rather than just thumb ends.

I certainly prefer the stick TX when bashing but I am coming around to the idea that if you are racing on a track then a gun style TX is the way forward for much better control in the bends.

Being that in all my 20 odd years of tamiya I have never raced the stick type always did the job.

I would like to think then as she gets older my daughter will come back to the gun type TX if the stick with strap option works, as I think even now she will get on better with steering using a wheel.

Cheers for the heads up on the HBX mark. That will be the weapon of choice in time and maybe quicker if I find the stick variety does not work even with a strap.

cheers

mat

[Mouton 1]

I waited untill she was six weeks old...

She then got a Q-Steer Frog. It was excellent when she was a crawler and learned to crawl. Whe she became a runner, she got a Super Blackfoot that I found for next to nothing.

The old Hitec Challenger 250 (sticks) and 260 (wheel/pistol grip) are excellent for small hands. Cheap too as you most often have one in the attic...

[Henk4Focus 0]

Went the same rout e as Mark and some others here. The transition from toy grade to full is the way to go. My son Neo made light work of his hybrid Pumpkin after playing with some cheapie toys. Just got a 1:24 scale Dodge Challenger by Maisto for my daughter Tatiana (3) to start of her RC career. It's the perfect start I would say.

[Leethal Driver 86]

Slightly off track but related (pun intended). My Dad has just joined TC. He's 56, I'm 36. Probably the oldest father/son relationship in this thread

[JeepnMike 150]

Hello everyone. I was starting to think about when to get my little ones their first Tamiya and how old they would have to be. I will help with the build (can't wait to do it together) but was wondering how old everyone thinks they should be for driving. I am going to let them pick it out, but would be something like a grasshopper or lunchbox. I will be using the 380 in any car/truck to start them off.

Thanks

John

Oh c'mon... You know you are just itching to build a new kit and looking for an excuse I am in the same predicament with my 4 year old son. LOL. I would REALLY like to do a Mad Bull since they seem like one of the more indestructible affordable entry level Tamiya models, but they are a bit scarce in USA. If you are in The UK, Modelsport is still selling them:

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=...&ItemID=226

[john893 9]

@ JeepnMike - I'm not going to lie that I can't wait to do a build with my kids and use it as an excuse to have another new built Tamiya :-) I hope that it will help me get more than the hour or two I get a month to work on the cars now with 4 little ones running around.

I think I am going to look for something smaller for his hands for now and maybe next year (he will be 5) I will go with a grasshopper or something like that, depending on what he picks out.

Thanks

John

[Toykid 596]

My Sons first Tamiya was a TLT for his 4th Birthday. I used a LOSI 2.4 handset/receiver so there will never be any interference and there is no metal antenna to bend or poke his eyes out with. The handset is also a good size so it is easy for him to grip.

I went for the TLT because it is slow when built stock and, whilst it is no true crawler, it can get over most things without too much problem. So he can spend more time driving and less time pulling it out of the flower bed. I agree with most the lunch boxes are great as the big tires help as the acts a massive bumpers on each corner. I also mechanically limited the trigger throw, by adding stops, so he can't go full throttle just yet.

I also totally waterproofed it with a traxxas waterproof servo and waterproof Mtronics speedo. If he is anything like his dad he will be driving it into the biggest pool of water he can find at the first chance ( I destroyed the servo in my first grasshopper in this manner ).

James.

[mike_o 35]

Starting gradually at the age of 5 worked for my boy. At age 7 he got a Super Figther G which has proven very robust. He's now 9 and likes driving it, but he has yet to develop an interest in cleaning and maintenance :-(

James' 2.4GHz handset approach is brilliant - I've had to replace a couple of 27MHz antenneas, and I still fear it ending in somebodies eye....

[BennySRB 0]

Bought my son a Lunch Box for his 7th Birthday, he's a bit rusty with the steering and tends to crash into just about everything. He is young but will learn

I recommend that you put a Parma shell on it though, the original shell would have been smashed into tiny pieces by now.