Looking for any help/advice. We are thinking of getting my son who is 9 a decent RC car for Christmas. He has been watching a lot of the You Tube channels etc. But in all honesty I don't know where to start to look for one/advice.
We are East Mids based so Notts/leics/Derby is easy to get to, if anyone can recommend a decent shop.
Alternatively if online, I want to get something that is very off road capable and robust looked at Hornets and FTX and a few other but very basic online searches.
Obviously I understand that budget is serious in this world, so probably somewhere between the £180-300 mark is where I am looking. Don't want to go for something low end to find as with ones from Smith Toys it broken within 2 weeks as not fit for purpose.
thanks.
My son has one of these - https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/traxxas-rustler-xl-5-id-rtr-blue-387920
I think we paid £199 for it last year but its good, robust, quick enough, good run time with a lipo battery and you can get spares.
The issue with cheaper cars is getting spares when you need them, when, not if.
PBM racing near Nottingham is a good local shop. Should be able to help you pick the right vehicle ( https://www.pbmracing.co.uk/)
If you think you might get into racing the Notts and Derby Offroad Club ( https://www.ndor.co.uk/) have a good outdoor track near IKEA Nottingham.
Following with Interest.
The ‘big’ ongoing RC thread is great but hopefully this will focus just on the OP’s requirement
good run time with a lipo battery
If you are getting lipo batteries, please follow charging and storage instructions carefully (if it were me I would not let a 9 yr old be responsible for that side of things so be prepared to do it for him).
I had a Traxxas Defender which was great fun but I eventually sold it when my kids started to get embarrassed by me taking it out with us on walks and I just couldn't find enough other time to use it. They are a bit out of your price range though :-O
Can recommend Traxxas, robust, waterproof & can easily be upgraded/modified.
Rustler/Stampede/Slash 2wd or 4wd are all good starter platforms either brushed or brushless
Mine:
https://forums.traxxas.com/discussion/9057511/spanner-monkeys-slash/p1
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/christmas-tamiya/
If you ask in here you'll get the best advice.
If you can afford one I'd be looking for something from Traxxas.
Sweajnr (8) has this one https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/traxxas-1-16-e-revo-xl-2.5-id-rtr-orange--442367
It comes with a "training mode" that limits throttle to 50% which is plenty for a small boy. I'm sticking to NiMH batteries for ease of mind and 2 linked gives close to an hour of fun in training mode.
1/16 scale means it's a bit smaller so doesn't require quite as much space to "run" as the bigger 1/10 cars.
As mentioned above most importantly spares are readily available for when it inevitably gets driven into something or dropped off something. There's also plenty of YouTube video's that walk through the most common repairs.
The "it just works out of the box" factor also seems to be high with Traxxas compared to my old memories of Tamiya 30 years ago but everything might have improved since then anyway.
“it just works out of the box”
RTR = ready to run..
Agreed, this is the thing to look out for.. you'll likely need batteries for the car and controller, but RTR is the easiest option.
That mini revo looks awesome! my nitro car was a full size revo..about 8kg of bonkers heft charging around the park can be a BIT dangerous though! The mini one looks ace!
DrP
I’ve quite a few RC cars. FTX 1/10 scale are good for a first car. Parts are cheap for when you break it (you will) and they are fast and capable in brushless form. I’ve a vortex, and was great for the kids (and me). About £200 for the brushless version. Crawlers are great too - I’ve a defender and love it - but I’d probably opt for a buggie or monster truck first. The Traxxas mentioned are great. Armma another option - wee bit cheaper than Traxxas but still v good quality (3s or 4s maybe within budget). I’d suggest a Traxxas Maxx as a great option, but very spendy.
If you ask in here you’ll get the best advice
I asked in there. Same question. Got no answer.
I'm after a £100 car for an 11 yr old and I'm eager for advice.
Not really interested in longevity as he's 11 so next week it'll be forgotten and onto the next big thing.
Like DrP said, crawlers can be better for kids. Better for this 40 year old kid! I have a super fast Tamiya and every time I drive it I break it, every single time. It's not even worth making a trip to drive it because it'll probably last about half a battery before I send it flailing through the sky.
But crawlers, crawlers are awesome without that high risk of explosive impact. I mean yes kids will roll it tons and jump it off walls and such but the lower speed just makes that less likely and less harmful, and it's not the same as "when you're using it the only way you can use it you frequently kill it" like a fast offroad vehicle. Crawling and trailing is just a different sort of fun.
That does mean that a kid that wants to go fast all the time probably won't dig it. But I loaned my older Axial to next door's kids and they went instantly from mad thrashers to obstacle course builders and it came back to me weeks later with only scrapes.
Associated Rival MT10 - brilliant fun and hasn't broken yet.
Thanks, DrP.
Northwind - are tamiyas quite fragile? Haven’t used one since I was about 10 and using nicad batteries? I’ve got a Traxxas maxx and it is actually quite hard to break. I mean I have, but it’s been a 40 mph into a rock or a massive jump or something like that. It had some truly epic cartwheels down roads doing speed runs, hideous landings etc. and just keeps on trucking. The FTX was much more breakable, but still took quite a few knocks…it was usually kerbs that did the damage. I do agree crawling and trailing is great fun and I don’t get bored of it. I think it’s the problem solving bit of it that works for me.
Whatever you get, make sure it’s 4wd. Don’t waste time with 2wd as it just won’t go anywhere on anything except flat dry surfaces. Buy something you like the look of by Traxxas and you won’t be disappointed. It’s worth budgeting for a fast charger and at least one additional battery and as has been mentioned the Traxxas training mode is great for beginners. Steer clear of LiPo batteries unless you have the time/inclination to look after them - They require storage at a specific voltage and can be dangerous if misused.
Oblongbob
Full MemberNorthwind – are tamiyas quite fragile?
Not necessarily, depends what you get. Mine is a bit fragile, but mostly it's just too fast for its own good. It's maybe not the best example tbh but the point I was hoping to make is just that fast rcs crash harder and more often, it's basically part of their whole thing
"The point I was hoping to make is just that fast rcs crash harder and more often, it’s basically part of their whole thing"
And it's crazy how fast; fast RC cars are. As I said above sweajnr has one running at 50% mode and it's still plenty fast (easily around running fast to keep up). They do a version with enhanced motors, batteries etc that can go over 50mph and it's bigger sibling can hit 70mph!! The amount of space you'd need to properly use that would be huge and you'd need the reactions of a ninja.
Whatever you get, make sure it’s 4wd. Don’t waste time with 2wd as it just won’t go anywhere on anything except flat dry surfaces.
I’m not entirely sure it needs to be 4wd - depends what you’re after.
I’m a bit out of date on current RC cars but many years ago I raced electric buggies at a local club (Losi XX was the last one so we’re talking a while back) - it was rwd and the grip it got was great. Can’t say I ever felt limited with where I drove it.
More recently (still 10 years ago at least - maybe 15) I had a nitro power HPI stadium truck. I went rear wheel drive and it was hilarious. You could drive it on most surfaces and I’d slightly loose you could hold massive drifts with it. Also took an insane amount of abuse jumping skateboard ramps etc and rarely broke. All parts were a available pretty easily online.
The Traxxas Rustler above looks pretty good and it’s a well established company.
I’ve had Tamiyas in the past and found I broke them a lot more than the Losinor HPI. Cheaper plastic wishbones / suspension pieces and I didn’t have w lot of luck with driveshafts. That was on a monster truck and my mates Hornet.
The Tamiya Rising Fighter might be worth a look.
Cheapest Tamiya 1:10 kit, easy enough to build and has the same DNA as the older Hornet and Grasshopper.
Bought one for my lad a few years ago. Great fun building it together, plenty of scope for upgrades and spares readily available.
We got an FTX Outlaw a couple of years ago. It was £125 i think.
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/_images/products/800/ftx5570_ms_copywritten.jp g" alt="" />
It's been pretty good. It's very fast but has a crawler mode too, and it's amazing to see what it can get over.
a few bits have broken, but spares are cheap and readily available. We did have a problem with the motor going pop (probably because mud or water got in it) but the importer was really helpful and sent an upgraded replacement.
There are loads of upgrades available for it too, so it encourages some mechanicking. We swapped some plastic parts for aluminium, fitted a diff-lock, some other bits.
We got several extra batteries too, so it'll run for about an hour.
’m not entirely sure it needs to be 4wd – depends what you’re after.
I’m a bit out of date on current RC cars but many years ago I raced electric buggies at a local club (Losi XX was the last one so we’re talking a while back) – it was rwd and the grip it got was great. Can’t say I ever felt limited with where I drove it.
More recently (still 10 years ago at least – maybe 15) I had a nitro power HPI stadium truck. I went rear wheel drive and it was hilarious. You could drive it on most surfaces and I’d slightly loose you could hold massive drifts with it. Also took an insane amount of abuse jumping skateboard ramps etc and rarely broke. All parts were a available pretty easily online.
The Traxxas Rustler above looks pretty good and it’s a well established company.
I’ve had Tamiyas in the past and found I broke them a lot more than the Losinor HPI. Cheaper plastic wishbones / suspension pieces and I didn’t have w lot of luck with driveshafts. That was on a monster truck and my mates Hornet.
It's for a 9 year old
I picked up an FTX Comet for my then 6 year old; she loved it and still does (2 years later). Well, until I got my SC10.
Honestly, she has rammed the Comet into kerbs, over jumps, hedges and all sorts and to date it has held up. And of course its mostly replaceable. The only down side is the short battery life.
I would be reticent buying a brushless RC car for a younger user: they are quick and have the potential to injure if driven into person/dog/cat etc.
It’s for a 9 year old
What’s your point? I was just saying it doesn’t have to be 4wd mostly. Also that Tamiyas tended to break a bit too easily (I had my first one when I was about 13 and was constantly pestering my mum to buy replacement parts over the phone on her card).
The HPI took a lot of abuse with less breaking - and that Traxxas with a 50% power setting sounds perfect.
We have an FTX Mauler 1:10 and an Axial Deadbolt 1:24, both Crawlers and both with adjustable throttles and decent spares back up.
Crawlers are handy if you don't have a lot of space/smooth ground and want to build an obstacle course and do some trials instead. The deadbolt can also be used indoors if the weather is crap.
That's not to say the Mauler is slow and can't be launched off a ramp/kicker though.
The Rising Fighter is insane bang for buck and pretty robust. A good starter buggy that you can build and mod together. Pick up a Flysky GT3C online as a transmitter and you can add extra receivers if you get bitten by the bug.
However, I totally second all the crawler stuff. It mostly depends on how you will use it.
