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ELEPHT70

Gonna get my kid into RC!

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Ok guys the time has come for me and my son (turning 7 soon) to build a brand new kit together. I want to build it with him as I'm hoping it will make him appreciate the working mechanics of the car as well as give him a decent knowledge on how he might go about fixing it for when it breaks. 
I don't live with him so I'm not there every day. 
My question is what kit to buy..??  
A large park is a couple of minute walk away which I'm sure has some good dirt so I was thinking a buggy/monster truck type kit. Would obviously have to be a current re re. 
Grasshopper? 
Lunchbox? 
Wild Willy II? 
Any of the many 4WD buggies..?
Something that can be hopped up for when he gets better would be a bonus. And tough too. If he drives anything like me he'll be crashing alot lol. 
Cheers! 
One confused-overthinking-it dad 😊

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I've never had one myself, (yet!) but they do have the DNA to fit the bill, a tamiya madbull.

Similar thread:-

 

 

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The mad bull seems to be the go-to choice for kids.  4wd buggy-any version of the TT02B wins top honors in my book. 

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I would seriously look at a Boomerang or Bigwig. They are a more complicated build than the TT02B or Mad Bull though which may be a problem. I have TT02b and Boomerang and find that the performance is very similar, but the Boomerang is better off road due to better ground clearance and the TT02B handles better on road. You mention a park and the Boomerang will handle it better than the TT02B. 

Either is great though and I have found both to be rugged and take the knocks. I have a just turned 4yo who has hammered his TT02B and its stood up well. He drives a Novafox most of the time now, but I worry every time as there are easily bent bits.

I have just shown him monster trucks and now he wants a Monster Beetle. Is this a surprise or could you look at them together and choose one?

Looking at prices steer him towards a Lunchbox, by far the cheapest!

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Imo,

Monster beetle, blackfoot etc, look good, quite expensive, not the strongest drive train for for/rev wheelie attempts, doughnuts etc and top heavy so fall over alot.

Lunchbox, cheap,fun for kids, wheelies, but top heavy, falls over alot.

Bigwig, boomerang are expensive, depends on budget I guess.

Grasshopper/ hornet, same chassis  (?) But hornet has the faster/bigger 540 motor to the grasshoppers 380. Cheap, bullet proof, plenty about etc, but struggle on anything but fresh cut grass.

Which led me to the madbull. Cheap, seemingly strong, go anywhere, doesn't fall over alot.

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Just now, Wooders28 said:

Bigwig, boomerang are expensive, depends on budget I guess.

How expensive are they in the UK? Here the Boomerang is about $50 (4 pints) more than a TT02B which I think is pretty good value? $230 vs $280

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5 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

How expensive are they in the UK? Here the Boomerang is about $50 (4 pints) more than a TT02B which I think is pretty good value? $230 vs $280

They are £165, which is £75 more than a madbull / lunchbox and £60 more than a Hornet.

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4 hours ago, Macinnis said:

The mad bull seems to be the go-to choice for kids.  4wd buggy-any version of the TT02B wins top honors in my book. 

For kid use , I'd say the above advice is spot on. The re-res of older buggies (Boomerang etc) would be a more interesting build perhaps, but don't have the extreme ruggedness required for kids. The Mad Bull is very capable offroad with excellent ground clearance thanks to its oversize tyres, and thanks to the flexible gearing options of the TT-02B, you can fit it with big tyres too if the standard ones are too small for your local park's terrain.

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6 hours ago, ELEPHT70 said:

Ok guys the time has come for me and my son (turning 7 soon) to build a brand new kit together. I want to build it with him as I'm hoping it will make him appreciate the working mechanics of the car as well as give him a decent knowledge on how he might go about fixing it for when it breaks. 
I don't live with him so I'm not there every day. 
My question is what kit to buy..??  
A large park is a couple of minute walk away which I'm sure has some good dirt so I was thinking a buggy/monster truck type kit. Would obviously have to be a current re re. 
Grasshopper? 
Lunchbox? 
Wild Willy II? 
Any of the many 4WD buggies..?
Something that can be hopped up for when he gets better would be a bonus. And tough too. If he drives anything like me he'll be crashing alot lol. 
Cheers! 
One confused-overthinking-it dad 😊

Are you in the UK? The Mud Blaster II from time tunnel models on the WT01 chassis @ £96 excluding the esc has to be the best value off road truck available for kids at the moment. It may only be 2wd but the pin spike tyres means it will make short work of most off road compared to the other Tamiya 2wd and 4wd at this size and price range.

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23 hours ago, Prescient said:

Are you in the UK? The Mud Blaster II from time tunnel models on the WT01 chassis @ £96 excluding the esc has to be the best value off road truck available for kids at the moment. It may only be 2wd but the pin spike tyres means it will make short work of most off road compared to the other Tamiya 2wd and 4wd at this size and price range.

I'm in Australia. 

 

I considered a Black Edition Grasshopper and fitting a larger wheel/tyre combo...

But recently I've liked the look (and price) of the DT-03 chassis buggies. 

A chrome edition Neo Fighter with Wild Willy II wheels and tyres is a definite possibility! :-))

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I've built up a custom Fighter Buggy RX with a Mad Bull body and big wheels so was looking for something slightly different...

But yes,  a Mad Bull is an excellent option. Ease of build, adequate hop ups and a virtually square footprint would be very easy to drive. The body livery is horrible to me, though. Something about the stickers or colour combo just doesn't do it. Maybe it's the yellow wheels... 

I might show him some pics of various buggies mentioned above and take it from there. If I can get a top 3 then the rest of us should be able to come up with a solid answer lol. 

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My son wanted a Lunchbox for his 7th birthday. The monster truck was quite appealing to him (and most kids 

I guess). He wanted a custom paint job (flat black with flames on the front) and I used nearly no decalls, so I can repaint/retouch as necessary. Until nowbhe is pretty pleased with it, and he will be 9 in july.

Hop ups like oil shocks, better motor, different wheels are available. Build was easy, but I did most of the building then. And you can always mod the body. We attached a 1/10th scale wing in the rear and some Ken Block livery stickers I had left over, like a shull and a big USA flag.

Only hop up part I would recommend from the beginning is a better servo saver, as the plastic one gets broken quite easily with those big wheels. Just took a small touch to a brick wall to destroy it.

Good luck with your choice. And otherwise, buy two: one for you and one for your kid so you can swap...

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Lunchbox Lunchbox Lunchbox. It has a bomb proof gearbox and the rest of the car is nearly invincible. Plus it does wheelies and is a great head turner, especially around other RC guys "hey cool look at that van!!!!"

Some planning and a few mods will fix the rollover. Mine does close to 30mph and can do a handbrake turn at full speed on asphalt without lifting tires off the ground. Actually it's more of a 540 degree spin than a handbrake turn hahaha.

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