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Looking for a some advice on a quality RC car for my kid. I see that Traxxas has "Training Mode" on some of their models which reduces the power by 50%, this sounds like a great feature. Traxxas Kids Models I really don't know the best size or type (car or truck). I do know that he will struggle to control something super fast but I want something that can grow with him and that has high quality components right out of the gate vs having to constantly upgrade everything (not that I mind tinkering, just want the least amount of breakdowns). We have a decent sized paved cul de sac and park so we have room and would like pavement, grass, and gravel capability. .This message has been edited. Last edited by: maxxpower, | ||
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Optimistic Cynic |
Don't know about your kid, but I would have much rather had a flying drone when I was that age (granted, that was long before they ever existed). I'd have one now but for the fact that I live inside the DC beltway (prohibited airspace). A vehicle-mounted camera, viewable on a cell phone, seems mandatory. | |||
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Traxxas is an excellent brand and parts are easy to come by because he will break it. Not sure if you have a hobby shop near by but they are a great resource and might be able to point you to a specific vehicle after talking to you. You may want to pick one up for yourself because it will get boring fast doing it by yourself even as a 7 year old. Not sure what your price range is but I would look at a Rustler or Slash because they will handle all the terrain you mentioned. The monster trucks like the Rampage are cool but they are top heavy and he will constantly roll it. | |||
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Member |
My grandsons have these. https://www.amazon.com/BEZGAR-...rproof/dp/B07YXSCZD4 Over a year still going strong. | |||
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Yeah, that M14 video guy... |
Team Associated Reflex 14b. 1/14 scale 4WD buggies/truggies. https://www.associatedelectric...ucks/Reflex_14B/RTR/ https://www.associatedelectric...ucks/Reflex_14T/RTR/ I have two of these; one for me and one for my kid. They're tough and you can dial down the max speed to a crawl while the kids learn and bump up the throttle as their skill develops. My son learned in no time and now he's opening it up full-tilt. Stock, they do 33-ish MPH as tracked by GPS. With a 3S LiPo and slightly larger street tires, I followed mine in my Jeep up to 52 MPH. They are very tough and replacement parts are cheap. If you open it up on the street while learning, the biggest hub-killers shock tower breakers are parked cars. They have front, center and rear differentials, which means they are extremely controllable on pavement and on loose dirt.    Here's the buggy and truggy version side by side...  I replaced the tires with Losi mini-8ight desert tires and rally tires. I also tried the WL-toys 1/14 scale desert tires as well. The WL-toys tires are half the cost of Losi tires, but the Losi tires are much better quality. I've since upgraded the ESC to a Hobbywing 16BL30, which is what most owners do eventually, as it gives you longer run time on your battery, and it's only $25. I also added a larger motor like this guy did. Here's what the buggy can do on carpet. This guy has says everything I have to say about it. It's well worth your time to watch this. Although I have shoehorned a 3S into the buggy, I only started stripping out spur gears when I installed the 3S LiPos. Stick to 2S and it will last a long time. Tony. Owner, TonyBen, LLC, Type-07 FFL www.tonybenm14.com (Site under construction). e-mail: tonyben@tonybenm14.com | |||
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Member |
We have an Arrma Senton and and Arrma buggy. We have bashed the heck out of them and they are still running strong. You can adjust the speeds for kids and adults. This will allow your kid to grow into it. They also have ones that are 20mph and up to 70mph. Anything faster than 30mph gets hard to control. We have the 30mph and it does just fine. We now have four Arrmas on the block with other families getting them. All of them are still running with the abuse the kids and adults put them through. https://www.arrma-rc.com/vehic...elector.php?speed=30 In war, truth is the first casualty. Aeschylus Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC - 456 BC) | |||
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| Member |
I would buy a Traxxas Slash. They are very tough, easy to find parts, upgrades are easy to find. You can upgrade as as your child gets more experienced in driving it. I am not useless I can always be a bad example. | |||
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Thanks everyone, great info so far!!! I will research all the recommendations. Regarding the size, are the smaller 1/14 scale easier for a kid to drive than the larger 1/10 scale? . | |||
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$200 for a toy car for a 7 year old? Whoh......we must inhabit different parts of the world. When my little brother was 7 he literally got a large cardboard box for his birthday. We all made it into a house which was played in until the box fell apart and we got kicked out of the house to go play in the fields. | |||
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| Yeah, that M14 video guy... |
The 1/14 scale buggies/truggies aren't all that much smaller than a 1/10 scale. I will note that our 1/14 scale buggies handle excellent on pavement and all kinds of dirt, but struggle on thick grass. If the field is freshly mowed and the grass is like a golf course, it handles great, with great speed. If the grass is thick, the chassis bottoms out and the tires just spin. As far as controllability goes, it all has to do with the design. I had my buggy out on the baseball diamond and a guy had a Redcat 1/10 stadium truck that was 4WD, but because the steering design was sloppy and he only had front and rear diffs, he was all over the place and couldn't keep up with my 1/14 buggy with tighter steering and a center diff. I have similar experiences racing my neighbor who has a Redcat volcano 1/10 monster truck. He can't keep it in a straight line at all. It drifts all over the place. Our next purchase will be either an AARMA Granite or a Associated MT10. I can see us using those more as there aren't a lot of dirt fields to run our 1/14 buggies. But our buggies do well on pavement. I have street tires dedicated to the pavement, otherwise our dirt tires go bald very quickly. I'd check out some customer reviews on the models you're looking at to see what users think of them. By the way, my son just turned 11 and we've had our buggies for 18 months now. Tony. Owner, TonyBen, LLC, Type-07 FFL www.tonybenm14.com (Site under construction). e-mail: tonyben@tonybenm14.com | |||
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Traxxas Slash, no question. Very durable, parts available all over. Mail order parts 3-4 days (from A-Main for example. Just bought another Slash a few weeks ago. I race Custom works RC sprint cars. We race stock slashes for fun they are hard to break. BTW my 4 year old great grandson has a Slash. | |||
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| Member |
I know you think a $200 toy rc truck is expensive but you have to look at what you are getting for the money. You can buy a cheap rc car at Walmart but when something breaks on it you have to trash it because you can not get replacement parts for it. You take a Traxxas Slash for example every thing is replaceable on it and you can get upgrades for it. Plus if his son gets into another hobby in 5 years he can resell the slash and get $150 for it easy. Another thing to think about is what f the dad was to buy one also there would be a lot of memories that he son would have with his dad. His dad could also teach about mechanics while working on the truck. I am not useless I can always be a bad example. | |||
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I am not useless I can always be a bad example. | |||
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| Member |
I am really digging the Traxxas Slash 4x4 VXL but it may be more than needed. I like the center differential in the Associated buggies that Benny is suggesting but I want the ability to clear grass and other off-road items. I am stopping at a hobby store tonight to take a look.. . | |||
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| Member |
Look at the Traxxas Stampede. It has a higher ground clearance, can do wheelies, but a little harder to drive and easier to flip over. You can order a center diff for a slash, when I bought my ultimate slash 10 years ago it came with one you can switch out with a clutch. Traxxas has a TSM system that addresses the traction and stability functions. I am not useless I can always be a bad example. | |||
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| Member |
Traxxas. Yes they cost a bit. Yes you can bring the power down. But when they crash them(and they will) the parts to repair them are cheap. And they work just like a car. So don’t be surprised if you run it into something running 25 mph,it’s the same to the car as running your car into something at 25 miles an hour. They’re a lot of fun. Find a good hobby shop. And you will see the traxxas name. | |||
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| Yeah, that M14 video guy... |
Don't know if this will work, but here's my Reflex 14 running 3S with bigger tires on pavement. 51 MPH with the stock motor and high gears. https://imgur.com/U9cZwvu Here's a BitChute POV video of my buggy running up and down the neighborhood. The GoPro GPS tracked me at 34MPH with 80MM street tires and 2S batteries. https://www.bitchute.com/video/TLcA4K16Wr4R/ Tony. Owner, TonyBen, LLC, Type-07 FFL www.tonybenm14.com (Site under construction). e-mail: tonyben@tonybenm14.com | |||
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| Member |
Nice videos! Those seem to handle very well - or you are an excellent driver! I stopped at the hobby shop and looked at some cars. They no longer carry associated which was disappointing because I wanted to see some of their stuff. I will check out some area stores this weekend that carry them. . | |||
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Thanks for everyone's help! I ended up picking up a Traxxas Slash 4X4 VXL and a 2 wheel drive rustler with the non brushed motor. I have a hobby shop that is 5 minutes from work and they have an astronomical amount of Traxxas replacement parts so it made sense to go with the Traxxas (I did research the other suggestions and they all looked great). So far the Slash is awesome, training mode is perfect for my kid, the stability control is great, and the handling is fantastic with the 4WD. Now I just have to find a charging/storage container for the LiPo batteries since all the crap I read on the internet about them starting on fire has scared the hell out of me! . | |||
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| Member |
Good choices. You’re going to have a ton of fun. I’ve been charging Lopo batteries for 15+ years now and I’m still paranoid about them. I usually put the batteries I’m charging into an ammo can with the lid dropped down but not clamped. I put the ammo can on some blocks so if it does catch on fire it won’t transfer that heat to my wood workbench. I also use Lopo bags to store all of my batteries.  upload image free | |||
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