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Bear77

Beginner (again)

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So... back in the day I had a sand scorcher and Audi Quattro. But today my 12 year old son is interested in Tamiya RC. Thinking about the Hornet but would welcome any ideas. Did look at the Lancia Integrale which looks really cool but perhaps not as much an off roader as the Hornet which is what he really wants. Advice please for a new young builder and driver 

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I would look at the Mad Bull.  Its basically a Grasshopper/Hornet turned into a monster truck/buggy...

Terry

 

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Probaby a TT02b one to start with? Fairly easy to build and easy to drive.

 The Hornet was ok in its day but might feel a bit limited now and without various 3d printed hop ups has a flawed rear suspension design. Great for nostalgic reasons but I think a twelve year old might get tired of roĺling it and having to repair it.

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If he wants the Hornet then get him one. It will start him down the rabbit hole and you will have many more cars in a short time :)

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Everyone here will have a useful view on entry kits - price, quality, hop ups, handling, cost, livery ...

When my kids asked I decided to make it about them ?

So the first thing might be showing your boy all the Tamiya stuff that’s out there + holding hands down memory lane 😊 If nothing else it’s an amazing moment. 

The second thing is respecting his age / strength in pushing and twisting when you build - because nothing bugs kids more than (a) asking for help 🙄 and (b) you having to add torque to a screw or force fit a bushing ...

The final thing is he’ll prob break whatever you choose - likely first run out ! - which is an amazing chance to anticipate with spares, gently educate re weak points / hop ups and improve his driving ?

For me, I relived my youth getting my girls into 70s / 80s fragility / fun. Which quickly evolved into their own stuff - admittedly TV / movie influenced 😂

Good luck + have fun sir !

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A Mad bull does sound like a great starting point. And you can upgrade and move the pace up as he gets better at driving it. The alternative is to go for something that will grow with him, like one of the DT chassis (DT02 or DT03) which can start off tame and be made very capable in the longer term. But I suspect the mad bull might be a better bet as if he turns out to have no interest you haven't spent too much money.

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If its not him pushing the Hornet idea, get something way more modern, less fragile and better handling would be my advice. I would expect the Hornet to be an exercise in frustration. A Racing Fighter or Neo Fighter use the latest DT03 2wd buggy platform, are super value and much, much better to drive. The Mad Bull is super fun and a lot of kids i know enjoy it. If you like the Hornet, how about a Comical Hornet? Don't let the Comical bit put you off, it's a way more sophisticated chassis than the original. It can be a little easy to tip over in turns when running in the street, but on grass it is perfect. My kids and there cousins spent over anhour with mine at a get together recently, taking turns, and doing races (them running vs the buggy), lulling wheelies. They absolutely loved it. 

Make sure buy a set of ball bearings for whatever you get. 

And the advice above is superb - take yourlad through the tamiya website and see what catches his imagination. 

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Hornet is great place to start a Tamiya addiction...I mean collection. 😉

It's where it all started for me.

As others have said...Madbulls are good all rounders, as is the Lunch Box and any of the DT03 buggys. Another good option are the DT02 Sand Viper or Any of the Blitzer cars.

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I can heartily agree with the folks who have recommended letting your son take the lead on this. Once he has as indicated whether he is more interested in a buggy, truck, touring car, rally car, and if he wants it to be classic, modern etc, then we can help with more specific suggestions as to exactly which car to go for.

 

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14 hours ago, mongoose1983 said:

Mad Bull is more resistant. Check it out.

Handles better off road than Hornet or Grasshopper too. The rear suspension works a tiny bit better and the big tyres soak up bumps. Between those two things, it's easier to make forward progress on rough ground.

And it's waaaaay more stable too. It's so low, wide and long that it resists rolling very well and even jumps well.

The hopper and hornet can be frustrating on rough ground and have a totally unique kind up bump steer that involves bumping up into the air and landing in a different direction :lol: (still love them though)

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22 hours ago, Frog Jumper said:

I would look at the Mad Bull.  Its basically a Grasshopper/Hornet turned into a monster truck/buggy...

Terry

 

Liking the off road ability of this!

 

22 hours ago, Frog Jumper said:

I would look at the Mad Bull.  Its basically a Grasshopper/Hornet turned into a monster truck/buggy...

Terry

 

 

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22 hours ago, Superluminal said:

Probaby a TT02b one to start with? Fairly easy to build and easy to drive.

 The Hornet was ok in its day but might feel a bit limited now and without various 3d printed hop ups has a flawed rear suspension design. Great for nostalgic reasons but I think a twelve year old might get tired of roĺling it and having to repair it.

What’s a TTob2? Is that the chassis and if so what goes on it? Been out of the game for a while so having to relearn all of this 😳

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21 hours ago, SuperChamp82 said:

Everyone here will have a useful view on entry kits - price, quality, hop ups, handling, cost, livery ...

When my kids asked I decided to make it about them ?

So the first thing might be showing your boy all the Tamiya stuff that’s out there + holding hands down memory lane 😊 If nothing else it’s an amazing moment. 

The second thing is respecting his age / strength in pushing and twisting when you build - because nothing bugs kids more than (a) asking for help 🙄 and (b) you having to add torque to a screw or force fit a bushing ...

The final thing is he’ll prob break whatever you choose - likely first run out ! - which is an amazing chance to anticipate with spares, gently educate re weak points / hop ups and improve his driving ?

For me, I relived my youth getting my girls into 70s / 80s fragility / fun. Which quickly evolved into their own stuff - admittedly TV / movie influenced 😂

Good luck + have fun sir !

What did you start with?

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5 minutes ago, Bear77 said:

What did you start with?

I started with a Sand Scorcher and moved onto a Quattro

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12 minutes ago, Bear77 said:

What’s a TTob2? Is that the chassis and if so what goes on it? Been out of the game for a while so having to relearn all of this 😳

A TT02b is the off road buggy version of the TT02 chassis. Its fairly cheap, 4wd, easy to build and there are a millionty billion different hop ups and spare parts for it.

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/-road-buggies/rc-neo-scorcher/

Other body shells on the same chassis are available but thats my favourite looking one

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 Thank you everyone for the excellent advice.  This would be my sons first Tamiya build.  He’s watched a few YouTube videos of the hornet and the grasshopper and also the lunchbox. He likes them all but judging from your suggestions I think the Mad Bull may be the way to go.  Would be good to know the differences between the lunchbox and the mad bull.  Either way, excellent forum and glad to be part of such an active group 😀😀😀

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This may or may not be helpful but thought I'd share.

If I could I would vote against a modern 4wd buggy for a beginner. First Buggys are for doughnuts and jumping stuff and beating the snot out if. With that, the added complexity of 4wd may be less than optimal for a beginner. More things to build and break, lower ground clearance when running in grass, etc. Also easier to troubleshoot and repair a 2wd. 

When my boy was 12 I tried turning him on to the hobby with a Neo Scorcher kit, on his first build the either the front or rear diffs were installed backwards so that the front wheels went forward and the rear backward and vise-versa. Having to take it apart and fix it before play may have soured him on it then. That car has been all but forgotten under his bed.

The more complicated models can always come later. Now at 16 he is/was all too eager to build my avante, egress, CR01, optima, monster beetle and frog.

 

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14 hours ago, nowinaminute said:

The hopper and hornet can be frustrating on rough ground and have a totally unique kind up bump steer that involves bumping up into the air and landing in a different direction :lol: (still love them though)

We love 'em all, definitely!! :)

8 hours ago, Bear77 said:

Would be good to know the differences between the lunchbox and the mad bull.

The Lunchbox is a 1:12 scale monster truck, therefore tall and very prone to rollovers. The body is pretty fragile, but if properly driven it has the adorable capability to make incredible wheelies! The Mad Bull is a a 1:10 buggy with oversized tires, actually the very same tires of the Lunchbox. It is much longer and wider, so it is more stable and runs better than a Lunchbox. If you want something for your kid to run I'd say the Mad Bull is a much better choice. Once he "gets" the feeling of driving an oldschool RC vehicle, you can then get him a Lunchbox to build together. Building these things can be as exciting as running them. The Lunchbox is pure eye candy!!!

Here's some pictures of the Mad Bull (stock) and then some of my own Lunchbox:

ltamc8205.jpg[/IMG]

IMG_3282_zpsdooiwjux.jpg[/IMG]

IMG_3293_zps7vlzqmne.jpg[/IMG]

IMG_3350_zpsa9hz4m5t.jpg[/IMG]

Let us know later what car you will choose! ;)

And have a good Wednesday! :)

 

 

 

 

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AFAIK, the Mad Bull uses a Grasshopper II body, so you can get Grasshopper II decals, etc...

Blackfoot wheels and tires are slightly larger than LB wheels and tires, and are 2.2" size.  They should fit the Mad Bull without issue.  2.2" is more common than the LB 2.0" size, and you can find 2.2" tires of various tread patterns on the interwebz...  Proline makes a lot of nice ones...

I don't know for sure, but Tamiya 50520 shocks would probably be a good replacement.  They'll off better handling and stability.  Better verify the lengths you need...

And from the vids I've watched, you'll want to tinker with the steering to eliminate some of the slop...

Then again, the LB is very popular (not sure why), and there are a lot of upgrades and mods for it...

Terry

 

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