Good first (R/C) car for a 10 year old

[steelo]

Hi everyone,

My friends son came over this weekend and I let him bash around my M-05 (very bad choice) and Neo Scorcher. He's never driven an R/C car before and I was cringing watching him throttle the heck out of my little mini, give it full reverse and immediate full forward and just about run into inanimate objects at full speed. He seemed to have a lot of fun and of course is now going to ask his mother for the fastest imaginable r/c car...lol

I tried explaining to him that he probably needs to start with something slower until he gets better at driving. He also wants something he can build himself...I just don't know if Tamiya makes a kit with instructions a 10 year old would be able to understand, but I wouldn't mind helping him.

I explained to him the different parts (radio,servo, battery, ESC) and what they do, but I don't think he really cared about anything other than making my poor M05 flip 5 feet up in the air...

Any ideas of a kit that is simple enough for this young guy to understand what he is doing? I think he also needs something relatively slow (grasshopper or hornet) Being 10, he of course wants a 'super fast' on road car, but the faster the car is, the faster his mom is going to be out $100+

[SteveU30]

I'd say a Mad Bull as they're pretty simple to build and tough as badword. Plus they good either on or off road and while slow in stock form, plenty people upgrade them with brushless kits down the line.

[markbt73]

Well, everyone here is going to recommend a Mad Bull. It seems to be the default recommendation for a kid car. Never had ome myself, but they do look like fun, and they're supposedly bomb-proof, and easy to build.

Otherwise, the Holiday Buggy or Sand Rover re-releases are pretty beginner-friendly, with 380 motors and low parts count, and they have the advantage of being more upgradeable than the Mad Bull as he learns how to control the car better.

(edit... suggested even as I was typing...)

[XV Pilot]

Indeed, the Mad Bull is the default recommendation for cases like this. And with good reason too:

The build is simple and straightforward, suitable for even a young novice modeller.

The most vulnerable parts are made from a resilient rubbery plastic that shrugs off impacts that would demolish many other cars.

In the unlikely event of anything breaking, spares are cheap and plentiful, making repairs easy.

The big wheels and tyres make for excellent all-terrain capability, meaning that there are many more places that the car can be played with compared to an on-road car, or even an ordinary buggy.

The wide stance and low centre of gravity make for a stable vehicle that is hard to flip, meaning it spends less time on its roof and more time being enjoyed.

Once you fit a steel pinion, the gearbox is bombproof, so you can fit a ludicrously powerful motor if you want to, without breaking anything. It could thus become the "super fast" car he wants, once he has learned to drive it on the stock motor.

If he outgrows the big-wheel look, you can fit standard buggy wheels to turn it into a stylish Grasshopper II lookalike, like I did with mine:

Considering all the factors that make a Mad Bull what it is, it seems to have been designed with just this scenario in mind. Can't go wrong really.

[steelo]

Thank you everyone, That sounds like that would be a really good first choice...Just hope he likes the body styling. He just watched the new 'Fast and the Furious' so all he talks about are the on road muscle cars and the drifters...I hope he's not set on having to get one of those for his first car.

He also told me all about how he's going to convert his transformer into an r/c car and all the 'super moves' it will do...

[XV Pilot]

If he really has his heart set on a "Fast and Furious" car, perhaps a TT-02 might be worth considering?

Although not as tough, simple or versatile in terms of terrain as a Mad Bull, it is nonetheless quite strong and not all that hard to build if he has an adult assisting him. And being a standard-size touring chassis, there are many, many bodyshell options. A preprinted drift-style shell from the Far East can be picked up for next-to-nothing off Ebay.

Although by no means an offroader, the TT-02 has the option of being built in rally spec, giving it a bit more ground clearance which would help if he gets tired of tarmac and wants to venture onto gravel or really short grass.

It can also be hopped up into a reasonable entry-level club racer should his interest in the hobby become more serious.

My only real concern with recommending a TT-02 is its lack of all-terrain ability, meaning that he might get frustrated at not being able to run it wherever he likes, and ultimately lose interest in the hobby as a result.

[Nobbi1977]

Mad bull is a good choice. I built a Mad Fighter with me Nephew a month back and he has crashed and hit every object at full belt since and it is still running. Mad bull is the same with bigger wheels so it will not flip as much.

WT-01 would be my next choice. Much like a Mad Bull only bigger. Road cars are nice but they are very limited to where you can run them

[steelo]

I've recently built a tt-02b, and it was a really easy build (and easy to fix) The problem with on road cars is that you really need a perfectly smooth lot to run them. They really can't take much abuse and I think jumps and 'stunts' are what he wants.

My M05 is a terrible first car for beginners, hard to control and easy to break

[kaylon]

I got my Cheeta when I was about 10 .. then a Wild Willy.. I built them basically myself... he can do it

A Hornet would be a good choice I think ..

K

[steelo]

Thanks...I completely agree, a Mad Bull, Hornet or Grasshopper I think would be a good first experience. They are cheap, slow (with a silver can) and should be able to take some abuse from a 10 year old showing his 'stunt abilities' Superglue will be the best tool he can buy.

Didn't Tyco make a car/truck that was virtually crashproof in the 80's/90's? I think it had wheels so big that you could flip it and run it upside down, you also couldn't crash into anything without the oversized balloon tires hitting first...LOL

The Nikko 'Lobo 2' was my first car and was virtually unbreakable with its huge bumper and heavy plastic. I loved the 'fast' and 'slow' gear switch on the back of it...I remember running it against Kyosho's and other 'real' buggies on a local indoor dirt track with my dad and beating them in the turns because half of them would skid off of the track, while I could keep mine at full speed...Of course I would get obliterated on the straights =)

[GregM]

+1 on the Mad Bull. The most used R/C in my fleet.

Here's a fun and honest review of the Mad Bull. The recent release comes with an electronic speed controller instead of the old MSC. The suspension works well enough, much better than its older cousins (Grasshopper, Hornet).

[steelo]

How is the gearbox in the Mad Bull? He likes to put it in reverse then gun it in forward...that is badword for most gears

[Gruntfuggly]

On the positive side, if he builds it himself he might look after it a bit better...

[XV Pilot]

How is the gearbox in the Mad Bull? He likes to put it in reverse then gun it in forward...that is badword for most gears

Fit a steel pinion and it is virtually indestructable. My nephew does the same, and we have had no issues.

[GregM]

Yep. The 17T mod 0.8 steel pinion is available from Tamiya and is one of the few must-have hop-ups aside from ball bearings. The Bull doesn't come with oil dampers, which also means no messy leaking and less maintenance.

[steelo]

Very true, You learn very quickly to take care of them when you're the one who has to tear it down to repair it =)

[emory70]

I've always been a monster truck kind of guy, so my recommendations are gonna lean that way every time. I'd say Lunchbox with a Lexan body or a stock Clod. Yes, I know Clods can be money pits, but they are a great platform to grow with. And nothing is more fun to watch than a Lunchbox trying to stay rubber side down

[Effigy3]

Definitely +1 on the Mad Bull. I helped my 8 year old build a Grasshopper a few months back and he did 95% of the DT-02 Desert Gator. All I did on the Gator was paint the body and build the shocks. So I think your 10 year old can certainly build a Mad Bull. The Grasshopper is pretty much a dead end where the Mad bull has more options for hop-ups and high level of standard performance. It's just a better platform.

Not sure what you're thinking of for electronics but the FlySky FS GT2B can be had for like $40 online. You'll need a servo but IMHO it's a better option than the Futuba Attack I used for my Grasshopper and Frog builds.

[MadInventor]

I'd add a Mad Bull as a good first runner. The gearboxes are unbreakable. The first one I had was P.B. (Pre Brushless). I was running it with a 14double modified motor and a 12V NiMh battery (Had the extra cells taped to the front bumper to help keep the front wheels on the ground.) running through a mechanical speedo. The car survived a 50mph crash (The bodyshell was smashed, but the rest of it was still operable). They are also dead easy to put together. I did a grasshopper as my first build at 10 and had no problems, and had put a hotshot together within 12 months of that.

[steelo]

Great input, thank you everyone!