First car

[Pault46 3]

I'm looking for a Tamiya car for my 6 year old son. Was thinking maybe Mad Bull or Rising Fighter? Your thoughts?

[Pablo68 1049]

Grasshopper. That's what I'd get for a kid.
Easily upgradeable to Hornet spec.

[Grumpy pants 4485]

Lunchbox every day of the week.

Super strong, great fun for dad as well 👍.

 

[waterbok 1282]

Comical Hopper nice build and great to drive, and it looks are... well comical

[Bromley 681]

Lunch Box. Fun, tough, looks really cool, pulls wheelies and...oh yeah...it's just the best Tamiya RC ever.

[Jakob TK 17]

I am almost equally fond of my Lunch Box and Mad Bull. The Lunch Box will flip over a lot which is kind of fun. The Mad Bull can drive most places and looks both ridiculous and great. I did break the plastic part of the chassis that the steering is placed on in the Mad Bull, and a plastic part in the Lunch Box for the rear suspension so damagewise I would make them roughly equal. Mind you, I have brushless kits and stronger metal gear servos in both, compared to stock setup.

[Pablo68 1049]

Ok, something I should have asked first up, is this for 'the kid' or is it actually for the kid?

And btw you're all WRONG!!!

[Fuijo 880]

When I was a kid I'd have wanted to make that decision for myself, within whatever budget I was allowed. Poring over the catalogues, or nowadays websites or whatever, to make that decision,

would have been a very large part of the fun.

[Bromley 681]

6 minutes ago, Fuijo said:

When I was a kid I'd have wanted to make that decision for myself, within whatever budget I was allowed. Poring over the catalogues, or nowadays websites or whatever, to make that decision,

would have been a very large part of the fun.

Not a bad shout, but it could be surprise present. So maybe not an option.

[Nobbi1977 1793]

Madbull is a great started car with a 80T motor in it. Move to a 50T when he gets older.

I would also recommend a WT-01. Strong and better to drive with a couple of upgrades.

Rising Fighter with an Ampro axle mod is nice but the monster tyres on a Madbull help it go anywhere. 

Are you looking new or preloved?

[Pault46 3]

New. Is the mad Bull suspension independent on the back? I know Rising Fighter isn't.

[waterbok 1282]

22 minutes ago, Pault46 said:

New. Is the mad Bull suspension independent on the back? I know Rising Fighter isn't.

Fixed gearbox axle like LBs and hornet's

[Pault46 3]

What's the cheapest tamiya with independent suspension?

[KEV THE REV 2319]

You probably need a Frog

[Pault46 3]

I do like the Mad Bull how it's got softer, almost rubber parts, less likely to break with a 6 year old.

[Pault46 3]

Thanks for your help. So many good ones 👍

[Nobbi1977 1793]

4 hours ago, Pault46 said:

New. Is the mad Bull suspension independent on the back? I know Rising Fighter isn't.

Both mine started on Madbulls at about the same age. They have bad bump steer so high speed handling is not the best.

I have a Bush Devil 2 NIB I am thinking of parting with. They make good kids kits and are tough as nails

[MadInventor 3884]

36 minutes ago, Pault46 said:

Thanks for your help. So many good ones 👍

Also look at the GF-01 Dump truck. I got one for my son to learn rc driving on and it's survived head-ons into a brick wall at full throttle without damage. Also independent suspension all round and 4wd

 

[87lc2 2666]

My first was an RC10, bad idea.  I broke that thing so many different ways learning how to drive.  It was my fathers idea and I don't really regret it as I had a ton of fun racing it when I was a kid, but I think a Tamiya would have been a much better choice at that age.  I recently acquired a Mad Bull and like it a lot, would be a great first car for a kid.  It seems pretty durable and tons of fun, I'd highly recommend it.

[Baddon 860]

For that age you cant go wrong with a Madbull. Simple robust, BIG tires to goes most places. I started our two little ones on them, 4 & 7 over a year ago. The little one is still very happy with hers, the older boy a year on is ready for a WT-01 or Traxxas stampede.

Just sold 3 MadBulls to a guy who is starting his three. They are robust, look cool, and more importantly the quirky handling is not an issue when your learning and going in a straight line or precise turning is secondary to having fun. We use them in country parks, BMX tracks, grass parks etc just to bash about. Kids have a blast and exact precise response is not important. The big wheels make it for them.

The lunchbox will pop wheelies and gets tiring very quickly as it will constantly end up on its side. They have to stay entertained for the run time of at least one battery (15-20 min) or you will have an ornament very quickly.

Oh and you will need to get one as well as its much more fun when there are multiple cars messing about. The Madbull will survive most crashes as well, they will pretty much just drive over each other. They still make it so parts IF needed are easy to source. It was a parts bucket special that has stood the test of time.

[waterbok 1282]

On 12/8/2018 at 10:52 AM, Pault46 said:

I'm looking for a Tamiya car for my 6 year old son. Was thinking maybe Mad Bull or Rising Fighter? Your thoughts?

Other point do you already have things  like, remote, charger, servo, battery, tools. Depending on budget it can add up quickly. So what would be the total you want to spend on a car.

[Pault46 3]

51 minutes ago, waterbok said:

Other point do you already have things  like, remote, charger, servo, battery, tools. Depending on budget it can add up quickly. So what would be the total you want to spend on a car.

I have no gear, but can probably get Mad Bull and gear for about £150? 

[Nobbi1977 1793]

33 minutes ago, Pault46 said:

I have no gear, but can probably get Mad Bull and gear for about £150? 

Depends on the cost of the kit. Madbulls are not as frequent as they were.

Cheap costs

Radio £35

Charger £25

Battery £20? Madbulls are a little picky on LiPo packs

so £80 before you get a kit.

 

 

[Pablo68 1049]

On a more serious note, there's a lot of good suggestions in here.

As far as independent susp goes, a DT-02 or DT-03 are good options. They both show how far Tamiya has come as far as entry level/hop-uppable buggies are concerned.

[Bromley 681]

I did consider recommending the DT-03, but without changing the stock Torque Tuned motor they're a bit fast for a 6yr old. Maybe with 55t motor it could be a very good choice with room for growth as skills improve. I love blasting mine about with the stock motor.