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ThunderDragonCy

Kids first RC help please?

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After having a go with Ultra G the other week it seems my 8 year old nephew has the RC bug. My bro in law has just asked me for some advice on what to get and I genuinely don't have a clue. I know almost nothing about anything other than Tamiya and I suspect Tamiya is a little over priced and under strength for a young lad with now experienced RCer to guide him. Was thinking buggy or truggy or a small truck. Probs RTR and not more than a couple of hundred quid. Can anyone help?

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My son has the ftx carnage, its cheap and cheerful. But not as durable as would like, but parts are cheap and easy to come by.

The next option is Arrma Granite these are apparently very durable and very good value but hard to get hold of.

 

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Tamiya can be plenty cheap and tough if you don't also need it to be overly fast or technically advanced too. The Rising Fighter is a great example of a tough and affordable Tamiya.

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4 minutes ago, TurnipJF said:

Tamiya can be plenty cheap and tough if you don't also need it to be overly fast or technically advanced too. The Rising Fighter is a great example of a tough and affordable Tamiya.

I got my kids a Rising Fighter. Its a bit rubbish and we all find it frustrating. 

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9 minutes ago, novicelad said:

My son has the ftx carnage, its cheap and cheerful. But not as durable as would like, but parts are cheap and easy to come by.

The next option is Arrma Granite these are apparently very durable and very good value but hard to get hold of.

 

Thanks for the info on the FTX. Interesting. 

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5 minutes ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

I got my kids a Rising Fighter. Its a bit rubbish and we all find it frustrating. 

Yes bit building it is cool, my 7 year old loved building his with me. Do agree its a bit rubbish

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The handling is admittedly a bit rubbish, but in a Lunch Box kind of way, which for some people adds to its charm. Anyway, if that isn't your scene, maybe a WT-01? More advanced and also pretty tough from what I gather?

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WT01 all day long gets my vote.

We bought our son a Mad Bull to start and within about 6 months upgraded him to a WT01 (well the WR01 4wd variant) and never looked back. Then same for my other son. A couple of their friends also have them on our advice and have loved them.

They take a real hammering and are massively modifiable but even in stock trim are great. The only thing I would advise is get a decent metal geared steering servo and waterproof the electronics for a reliable runner. All the other bits like metal servo mounts and longer shocks and towers just improve it further overtime.

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If you want a kit, I agree, the WT01 fits the bill.

If you want RTR, Traxxas is the way to go. Buggy? Bandit. Stadium truck? Rustler.  Monster truck? Stampede. I like the Stampede personally but they are all quick out of the box and tough a nails. They may not be pretty to look at, but Traxxas has steadily been upgrading their core designs over the years to the point they're now fairly bulletproof. Any parts that do break can be cheaply upgraded to RPM parts. Both RPM and Traxxas stock parts tend to be far stronger than the typical Tamiya ABS. Tons of upgrades and lots of knowledge is available on these long lived platforms. They are classics from the 90's truly upgraded for the rigors of today's power. I just wish they were still available as kits. 

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Thats a tough one for that age as they can't really fix it without help if it breaks and probably won't take that much care of it.  I don't know about the RTR cars but they can't be too bad since they are still in business.  That Trophy Rat that @Jason1145 has looks cool though.  My bro-in law bought this "for his son" and it is pretty good bang for buck.  Biggest problem is a small battery and very slow charger.

https://www.rchobbies.co.nz/ecx-amp-mt-1-10-2wd-rtr-rc-monster-truck-black-green-ecx03028it2/

I would recommend the TT02 onroad car if my other bro-in laws asked me as they could enter them at the local club in the TT02 class, as well as run them at the local school, road etc.  Their kids are both a bit older though too.  Both live in places where onroad running is actually easier than offroad.  Also, buggies don't really run that well on grass although I make it work at home for my son.  The TT02 also has so many bodyshells to choose from which would appeal to kids.

The WT01 is a great option too.  My son's favourite is his Monster Beetle but of course that MIP diff blew the cost out on that one.  But the monster trucks are great on any surface for kids.

The key thing for me would be having a radio that has EPA so they can slow the car down until they get the hang of it.

I can't believe I actually recommended a TT02 for someone, I'm normally so scathing of them...

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I'd go for a Hornet. Not the best handling or fastest buggy, but almost indestructible, ideal for kids and if you can drive one well then you can drive pretty much anything. The Grasshopper I is even more bulletproof, but seriously flawed by the clown car solid axle rear suspension. The Grasshopper II is better, but the 380 motor is gutless and a waste of time. But if the Rising Fighter isn't to your taste then these probably wouldn't be either.

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I second Novicelad. 

I never had Arrma.  But recently, I got curious about their low-end trucks (maybe Novicelad had recommended before?).  $139 at Tower hobbies mean that you get an RTR delivered to your door for $129 (in U.S. though).  You might want 4 more Li-Ion 18560 batteries to increase the runtime ( or get a LiPo, but for kids, Li-Ion might be safer).  

https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=ARAD09RL&P=FR&gclid=CjwKCAjw2rjcBRBuEiwAheKeL_BVH8kcmnoDywFRP0ujSjaNh6iGhGzV_MK3hbMN_hfP-GvD14V5exoCDdQQAvD_BwE

If I were a kid without nostalgia about Tamiya, Arrma Granite Voltage could be a perfectly fine choice as a first RC car.  (Arrma "Fazon Voltage" seems like a newer version with a futuristic shell kids might like.  "Fazon 6S" costs $650, but "Fazon Voltage" is just $139.)

 

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6 hours ago, novicelad said:

My son has the ftx carnage, its cheap and cheerful. But not as durable as would like, but parts are cheap and easy to come by.

The next option is Arrma Granite these are apparently very durable and very good value but hard to get hold of.

 

I have the AArma Granite, very happy with it.  Quick, durable and fun to drive. 

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As he is only 8, I would buy him a DT-03 buggy, with the fly sky GT3 Tx and tble02 esc.

 

so he learns his driving, but I also would be prepared to get a TT02 after he catches on to RC.

:)

I am remebering me when I was young, offroad driving was really fun, later I wanted to get a touring car, at first it looked complicated.

 

 

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I recently got my nephew a neo scorcher blue metallic tt02b came with a precut and painted body. Been 3 weeks now and he hasn’t broken anything. I also recommend the dual ridge black metallic, plasma edge 2 black metallic and neo fighter green metallic. 

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Unfortunately the Team Associated Trophy Rat comes in at £250 so is over the £200 budget, but you could look at XB Tamiya's (Hornet, Lunchbox etc) under £200 if you want to stick with Tamiya save for the building aspect.

The Arrma Granite "Voltage" that Juggular mentioned is a newer, toned down version of their 2WD Brushed Granite that runs on NImh, which is a toned down version of their brushless Granite (which runs on Lipo) too... and some of these are in 2wd and others in 4wd.. so, you would need to check out the line up properly to make sure you buy the suitable version in terms of battery (Voltage, Nimh or Lipo), motor (Brushed or brushless) and drivetrain (2WD or 4WD). But they are all RTR and have a great reputation for being tough.

For under £200 I think you would have to look at the 2WD Voltage version, or stretch to the 4x4 brushed one for about £195, the brushless one is more expensive.

Another vote for a 2WD Traxxas Stampede (if under £200?) would be a good bet, waterproof and RTR and again pretty tough and impressive looking.

Lastly as mentioned again, the FTX (Carnage / Vantage) range of cars are very well supported and RTR too.

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5 hours ago, MICHAELs TopForce17 said:

I recently got my nephew a neo scorcher blue metallic tt02b came with a precut and painted body. Been 3 weeks now and he hasn’t broken anything. I also recommend the dual ridge black metallic, plasma edge 2 black metallic and neo fighter green metallic. 

All good chassis. But them bodies are limited and very very hard to replace. I'd suggest the none metallic versions of these. But that's the tamiya body purist in me that likes to keep special edition bodies safe from harms way.

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Madbull is a great starter to see if its for them as we all know how fickle kids can be. then a WT-01 IFFFFFF they want to do work on it. Just got a Traxxas Stampede after advise on here as fed up fixing the WT-01's. Havent run it long enough to comment other than to say its a bit heavy/fast for a starter truck, better to start with something controllable at low speed. ( I put a bit of rubber behind trigger to limit throttle for the little lady (she is only 4) so it limits the impacts when she crashes her Madbull.

The issue with 5 buggies out at once is the inevitable crashes.....OUCH on my pocket and time!!

 

Our family runners are

2 Madbulls (4 and 8 year old)

3 WT-01 - one stock and 2 modded and a Stampede as a possible replacement. Time will tell.

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Had a similar discussion at the club, about what to say when we do events, as people run to the hills when you tell them you're looking at the best part of £1000 to set up to race.

I recon the DT03 can be had, RTR for around the £100 mark (with the cheapest of the cheapest gear obviously). Tamico had them for £60 inc torque tuned, tble02s etc, great cars, good spares availability and loads of hop ups and motor options for when he gets better at driving. 

 

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three years ago I built a hornet for my then 6yo daughter and a holiday buggy for my 4yo both with the 370 can - more than enough speed and durable enough for them both - they both run 540 silver cans now.

I had also built each of my nephews (4 and 2 at the time) a Lunchboxes with 55turn 540 motors to slow them down and waterproof electronics, both are running torque tuned 540's now.

The parts list to fix them over the last 3 years is :

1. Receiver for the grasshopper

2. body for the holiday buggy

3. Body mounts for one of the lunchboxes (upgraded to alloy parts)

 

For the amount I put up and the amount of time that these have been used, i'm 100% happy with them.

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