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Dazza1976

Beginner Off-road for 5-6 year old

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18 minutes ago, Raman36 said:

Does it have to be new?  If not, you may want to consider a used AE RC10 B5 etc. They’re far more durable than Tamiyas buggies and allow room for growth.

I was in similar position a year ago and was considering a Hornet, Neo Fighter.. and for and additional $50, I picked up a brand new Kyosho RB7. My son who is now 7, rips up and down the grass at the park with it and has yet to break it 

First of all, love the User pic, what Alfa to you have? I’m assuming you have one or have had them in past.

if could get the tamiya Alfa gta I would, hesitated a year ago and now i can’t find them anywhere!

 

Secondly, interesting point. As a child of the 80s it was Tamiya that stuck in my psyche but I haven’t ruled out another brand. I only got my first RC couple years ago and due to missing out as a child I plumped for tamiya!

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When I was trying to interest my lad in RC, I let him drive my Clod Buster in 'Economy' mode. This is slow enough to make it pretty much impossible to damage the truck, and If I wanted to have a go I could just flick the switch back to 'power'. A second hand one would be within your budget as well.

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When my son was around three, I got him a cheap r/c crawler. It was slow and it could drive over obstacles, which is fun when you are small.

Afterwards, he got an Associated RC28. Much faster and very tough. Because of its propensity to do donuts, my son dubbed it "Donut".

When he was six, he got a Tamiya Sand Dragon, mainly because it was something he could help build and it was about all that was available. He named it "Cricket".

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Thanks to everyone for your input, very helpful. I’ll let you know what model I end up going for. 

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On 3/23/2021 at 3:11 PM, Dazza1976 said:

First of all, love the User pic, what Alfa to you have? I’m assuming you have one or have had them in past.

if could get the tamiya Alfa gta I would, hesitated a year ago and now i can’t find them anywhere!

 

Secondly, interesting point. As a child of the 80s it was Tamiya that stuck in my psyche but I haven’t ruled out another brand. I only got my first RC couple years ago and due to missing out as a child I plumped for tamiya!

Don’t get me wrong, still plump for Tamiya.. I bought a re-re SRBs, Bruiser as soon as I could to fill the childhood void. I’m still a Tamiya addict. Yet for my son I figured to give him something very capable rather than his nostalgic dads taste.  I bought his RB7 cheap because Kyosho was blowing them out and it was his birthday so I wanted it to be new. Otherwise, you can find tons of 1 to 2 years old buggies on RCtech being off loaded weekly for 50-60% off. 
 

These are my Alfas, 2 Tamiya and on 1969 US Spec 😉

335ED2FF-54E4-40D8-876E-6A4B81203DC4.jpeg

A2BD0551-9D81-4C50-A094-042F91BEF33E.jpeg

3A440F7D-F0FD-4FF5-8038-E53626D68645.jpeg

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3 hours ago, Raman36 said:

Don’t get me wrong, still plump for Tamiya.. I bought a re-re SRBs, Bruiser as soon as I could to fill the childhood void. I’m still a Tamiya addict. Yet for my son I figured to give him something very capable rather than his nostalgic dads taste.  I bought his RB7 cheap because Kyosho was blowing them out and it was his birthday so I wanted it to be new. Otherwise, you can find tons of 1 to 2 years old buggies on RCtech being off loaded weekly for 50-60% off. 
 

These are my Alfas, 2 Tamiya and on 1969 US Spec 😉

335ED2FF-54E4-40D8-876E-6A4B81203DC4.jpeg

A2BD0551-9D81-4C50-A094-042F91BEF33E.jpeg

3A440F7D-F0FD-4FF5-8038-E53626D68645.jpeg

Oh that real one is beautiful!

did you restore her yourself?

I have a modern one, can’t compare but I still love it and most likely never sell. 
 

 

6ABA7D3C-CF86-4287-B2D8-A5EA3C0C0D3C.jpeg

D569BB7E-CC5A-41A6-9E89-FF82E1E4F25B.jpeg

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Late to this party, but thought it could be useful adding my experience. I have a range of rere buggies, racers and 2 TT02B's. My 7yo son is awesome with any of them but has been driving since he was 2 1/2 so the real test is the neighbourhood kids who all come and play. We often have 4 cars going in the backyard.

The TT02B has been the winner for all the local kids here. They prefer them to rere buggies as they handle well so can go faster. I prefer them because they don't break as often so they are cheaper.

 

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After much back and forth and also an order and then cancellation of RX Memorial buggy (the DT01 model, black and gold) Modelsport suggested a cheap FTX Tracer truck. I’ve acted on their recommendation and bought two, one for the nephew and one for his grandfather.

image.jpeg.0ebd290d8cc90db93d77a468f080ad7a.jpeg
 

watching YouTube vids it will handle the garden no problem and also when he inevitably breaks one of them I can butcher the other one for spares.

I’ll see how he gets on and once he has mastered the controls I’ll get him onto my Freedlander. 
 

So after all that I didn’t even get a tamiya. Also had a Rising Fighter in basket ready to go. With the savings I’ve made (£100 on my Fighter RX memorial order!) I’ll get some hop ups for my CC01 or maybe a DT03 buggy that nephew can progress onto to. 
 


 

 

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I've had an FTX and I'm sorry to say it's very likely to break, quickly. Mine threw a pin out of the driveshaft on the first run. A friend of mine bought a different model, that also broke instantly, but he was at least able to get his repaired under warranty. They're decent enough, but not a patch on the Mad Bull for strength and fun! 

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I recently bought an ECX Amp MT kit for my 11yo son.  We screwed it together after dinner over a couple of evenings, and he loves it.  He's very bad at driving but it has taking all the abuse with no issues.  But its only been a couple of weeks so not sure of longevity...

Terry

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2 hours ago, B.RAD said:

I've had an FTX and I'm sorry to say it's very likely to break, quickly. Mine threw a pin out of the driveshaft on the first run. A friend of mine bought a different model, that also broke instantly, but he was at least able to get his repaired under warranty. They're decent enough, but not a patch on the Mad Bull for strength and fun! 

That’s disappointing to hear. At the moment they will be using it in the garden so I’ll make sure I check it thoroughly before they use them. If there are any issues I’ll see what can be done. These are RTR kits which I’ll have the power turned down on so fingers crossed they last at the least a few runs!

If they turn out to be brittle I’ll update here. The YouTube vids I’ve seen have commended these particular models as being able to take some abuse so putting my faith in that! 😬

 

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9 hours ago, Dazza1976 said:

Oh that real one is beautiful!

did you restore her yourself?

I have a modern one, can’t compare but I still love it and most likely never sell. 
 

 

6ABA7D3C-CF86-4287-B2D8-A5EA3C0C0D3C.jpeg

D569BB7E-CC5A-41A6-9E89-FF82E1E4F25B.jpeg

Picked it up in 2010.. 10+ years of restoration and still going! 
 

I looked into leasing the new Giulia when it first arrived. It’s a very nice car. I’m still hoping for a coupe 

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On 3/23/2021 at 4:18 PM, TurnipJF said:

They look rather good on big rubber IMO.

2021-03-23_04-14-54

 

@Carmine A Thanks for your comment and question on Flickr. I thought I might respond via the forum so others who might have a similar query can see the answer.

The vehicle above is a stock Rising Fighter fitted with stock Mad Bull wheels, tyres and front axles. The Rising Fighter is a Grasshopper chassis with a DT-01 gearbox topped with a modified Super Hornet body and a Mad Fighter wing. The wing looks a bit disproportionately tall on stock rubber IMO, and the whole thing looks better on bigger wheels. The wheels and tyres seem to be less oversize relative to the rest of the car.

Those familiar with the Rising Fighter will notice that the ends of the front bumper have been shortened so as not to bind against the tyres on full lock. Other than that, no mods were required to accommodate the Mad Bull parts. 

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@TurnipJF Thanks! I'm rarely on Flickr myself....

Makes me wonder about modifications. I'm getting a GHII, to completely transform, more to see what's possible. 😉 

I suppose that a DT-01 Gearbox could be fitted to a GHII...   Or, a DT-01 Chassis to the GHII Gearbox???  That opens possibilities too. 

Either way I'm fitting @ThunderDragonCy's Independent Front Suspension Kit! 😊

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@TurnipJF Do you happen to know if LB wheels/tyres would fit straight on to a RF?  Only I thought I read somewhere that LB wheels had different fitment vs the MB wheels?  Or are they both 5 lug jobbies on the rear?

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On 3/25/2021 at 11:58 AM, B.RAD said:

I've had an FTX and I'm sorry to say it's very likely to break, quickly. Mine threw a pin out of the driveshaft on the first run. A friend of mine bought a different model, that also broke instantly, but he was at least able to get his repaired under warranty. They're decent enough, but not a patch on the Mad Bull for strength and fun! 

While I generally agree with you there - most FTX trucks are fragile to say the least, the Tracer is actually a badge engineered HBX 16889/90, so although like other FTX cars, it is a clone, it is a clone of one of the toughest little bashers on the market today.  I have the HBX 16890 brushless version, and I have been extremely unkind to it during the 4-5 weeks I've owned it, entirely on concrete, mainly at skate parks though some kicker jumps at home, regular front/rear end landings from 5-6 feet, and apart from the wing, nothing else has broken.  So I think a 6 yr old should be just fine with it.

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Can't believe no one's brought it up but... what about the re-re Holiday Buggy/Sand Rover? With the stock 380 motor they're nice and tame, and handle more like a "proper" buggy. And at that power level, they're essentially unbreakable.

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4 hours ago, thegorf said:

@TurnipJF Do you happen to know if LB wheels/tyres would fit straight on to a RF?  Only I thought I read somewhere that LB wheels had different fitment vs the MB wheels?  Or are they both 5 lug jobbies on the rear?

The LB wheels won't fit straight onto a RF, front or rear. The rears use a different fitment and the fronts are too wide for the standard axles so you need longer ones. 

The rear MB wheels will fit straight onto a RF as they are a standard 12mm hex, but again the fronts need the longer stub axles as supplied with the LB and MB. (MB and LB front wheels are identical, as are the tyres. It is only the rear wheels that differ.)

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Just out of interest, is the DT01 gearbox like on the RF & MB much of an improvement over the gearbox in the normal GH & Hornet?  If so, could you get a RF and just fit a GH or Hornet body to improve the looks a bit (personal I know!)?

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10 hours ago, thegorf said:

Just out of interest, is the DT01 gearbox like on the RF & MB much of an improvement over the gearbox in the normal GH & Hornet?  If so, could you get a RF and just fit a GH or Hornet body to improve the looks a bit (personal I know!)?

They are pretty similar, but the DT-01 gearbox has three main advantages over the earlier GH/Hornet 'box:

  1. The axles are longer, increasing the track width. This gives greater stability.
  2. It uses 12mm hex fittings. This gives you a wider range of wheel options without the need for special adapters.
  3. It uses an enclosed diff. This allows you to use thick grease or diff putty to give a limited slip effect without it getting on the rest of the drivetrain and slowing it down.

The RF body is actually a modified Super Hornet body, and with some plasticard skills you could return it to proper Super Hornet form by re-integrating the rear wing. Or if you are lucky, you can find a Super Hornet shell and fit that. A GHII shell will also fit if you use a GHII front body mount in place of the RF one.

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On 3/27/2021 at 6:57 PM, markbt73 said:

Sand Rover?

Hens teeth more like🤑

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On 3/27/2021 at 6:57 PM, markbt73 said:

Can't believe no one's brought it up but... what about the re-re Holiday Buggy/Sand Rover? With the stock 380 motor they're nice and tame, and handle more like a "proper" buggy. And at that power level, they're essentially unbreakable.

I had actually spent some time looking at eh holiday buggy, something I’d like myself tbh. Thought my nephew would end up smashing the shell/body to bits on it. 
 

re the FTX Tracers he enjoyed the initial runs with it, better than his grandad already!

they cover the wet bumpy grass in the garden no problem and actually I’ve been very impressed with them. The controllers allow me to dial the speed down and there are some basic hop up parts so I will get couple bits for us to upgrade in a year if he’s still interested. If he really picks it up then I’ll get him one of the tamiya’s mentioned in this thread. 

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I’m in the same position looking into a first car for my boys 5th birthday and was considering a lunchbox as he loves monster trucks, surprised there wasn’t many suggestions for it in the thread. Is it not a good choice?

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