SZcars

I want to get an RC Car for my son's birthday but don't even know where to begin. Can you suggest a good make a model to start with.

Everything I've read so far says I should probably start him with an Electric Car. However, I know he really wants a gas one.

I think he would prefer a truck or dune buggy to a car?



Thank you for you help

iamnot

10 y/o's are perfectly capable of dealing with either nitro or electric
i got my first nitro vehicle at the age of 10 and i've been playing with model vehicles ever since
keep in mind that, at the level of these vehicles, this is a hobby, not a toy and
i think that your son will get the most out of whatever you buy him if you plan to be a part of it with him

for the very beginning entry level vehicles
both traxxas and duratrax make excelent vehicles with very good value and they are pretty much directed at the rc beginner

ps, i was 10 in 1965

SAVAGEJIM

I would suggest an electric one for him, these RCs will require so much tinkering that it will be overwhelming at first for him. As he becomes more experienced and learns to tune the suspension and how to use the radio gear, then I suggest he advance to move to nitro and attempt to tackle that. By starting electric at his youg age, he does not have to worry about tuning the nitro engine.

The nitro engine is a very precisely tuned thing, not at all like a lawn mower engine or a weed-eater engine where you start and forget it. ?Nitro engines require tuning as soon as you get it warmed up. And this is every single new day you start the nitro engine. These engines are so sensitive to weather conditions that one day it runes great, but the next day, you might have to retune it significantly.

mankal

My Feedback: (1)

The real question for Dad is: How much experience do YOU have with r/c cars? If you're a nitro guy, then I'd go that route, however if you are a newbie, then electric will be easier for both of you.

RaceCraftRC

The first choice really depends on what you have to drive on. If you are in a suburb with lots of asphalt , and people than an onroad electric may be the best choice. If you have some dirt , sand , mud or just ever changeing coditions than I would go with a Monster truck. A buggy or a truggy is a good choice between the two. As far has running a Nitro Vechicle I dought It will be any trouble , you can make it easyer by getting a new traxxas there starting system is unblivable easy to use, 1 button press and she is off! A pull start may be a little to much. Oh be shure you or someone with some experance handles the breakin process, this will later affect all aspects of the vechicule.

sgtcat

I started with a xl-5 when i was 11,i still have it and it's alot of fun.It was real easy to run,durable,and it's fast.I agree with mankal,if YOU have experiance with nitroand know about them i would suggest that.Maybe a traxxas rustler or nitro sport or something.

SAVAGEJIM

Very good point, and I agree 100%. If you, the Dad, already know RCs and how to tune the engine, chassis, and so forth, you can go nitro and coach him through the entire process from break-in to maintenance.

I wshould add: I would suggest the following name brands: Tamiya, Kyosho, HPI, Traxxas, Associated (AE), and Losi. These are brands that are supported at your local RC store. So, if you rbeak somting, you can run to the store, buy the part, and fix your RC in the same day.

As I said in anotehr thread: beware of the extremely on-line cheap RCs. Those tend to be poorer quality and present more problems than usual. They do not have any replacement parts at the local RC stores so you will have to wait several days after you order replacement parts on-line. They tend to drop screws and bolts more often, their engines and motors are worse than the name brand RCs so they are slower and those engines and motors wear out faster. Though the sellers claim that even the name brand RCs break too, dont fall for their arguments. The extremely cheap RCs will break more often and wear out faster.

If I were you, I would go to an RC store near you, look and see what parts are on the shelves, and buy a vehicle that those parts go to. So, if you break somthing (and you will break something, ALL RC fans break their RCs), you can run to that stre, buy the part, and fix your RC in the same day. As I already said, if you buy an RC where parts are not in you local store, you have to buy on-line and wait a few days for the mail. Worse, if the part comes exclusively from china, you could be forced to wait for weeks! (chinese parts must go through customs before it can be shipped in the US.)

In summary, you get what you pay for. Buying an extrememly cheap RC on line is no differnt.

andrewtexas123

I think you want it electric, RTR, offroad, small, good handeling... I think your best bet is a mini t and if you want something a bit bigger mayby a stampede..

Andrew

sfar785

well, if your son wants a nitro off-road, then i suggest YOU learn the ins and outs of nitro cars since you'll be the one showing him how to do everything. For a beginners vehicle, i suggest a Traxxas Nitro Sport or Traxxas T-Maxx since they're both durable and simple to work on. The Nitro Sport is the stadium truck to where as the T-Maxx is the monster truck. Although, in my opinion, i suggest getting him something electric, so much easier to work on and we all know how bored kids will get with a new toy.

SZcars

Thanks for all the advise. Tell me how different is a electric hobby car compared to all the toy electric cars he has had in the past?

My thoughts are that if I get him an electric one he will get bored with it very quickly. I know someone mentioned it's not like a lawn mower which I found quite funny because half the reason I thought he would love the gas car is because he is infatuated with the lawn mower. He mows the lawn at least twice a week.

DarkFire989

The closest your going to get to a lawnmower is buying a 1/5 scale which have 2 stroke weedwacker style engines, around 25-30ccs. These things are incredibly fun and go almost a hour on a single tank of gas. Only downside is that they are incredibly expensive. A high quality one will run you around 1000 dollars.

hands without shadows

He's 10. He'll love big wheels, wheelies, and jumps. I would buy him a monster truck. 4x4 would be more fun but it will also be more maintenance, I would say too much maintenance for a 10 year old's first. I would start him on a VXL Traxxas Stampede. As far as RCs go this model isnt too expensive, is very durable, relatively low maintenance, has good performance, and has a ton of hopups available. Start him with a 6 cell battery and upgrade to a 7 or 8 cell if he can handle the extra power. This model will teach him the basics of radio systems, transmissions, gear changes, shock oil, springs, and just general RC. His first hobby grade RC doesnt have to be high end, he'll love it either way.

dsales

Electric = [:'(]

Nitro =

Nik.

I would suggest a 1/10 electric truck.

DS

i would suggest the traxxas nitro sport or nitro stampede. perfect for a beginner

andrewtexas123

I wouldnt reccomend a 1/5th gasser.. To big and parts to expencive not to mention the room needed to drive them!

Andrew

hands without shadows

I wouldnt suggest one because of the safety factor alone.

sgtcat

lol.right?

madmax666

i dont know if you are still interested but i have a few 7.2 eletric cars that i dontuse because i have a nitro one (warhead) If you are interested maybe i can sell it to you somehow. I could make a package with those standard chargers,batteries, RTR car. It is a..... Traxxas Rustler.I even have the origonal box it came in. If you aregoing a bit smaller i have a RadioShack Hurrican.That has the origonal box too. Same deal batteries, chargers, RTR car. This one take 9.2 volts tho. if you are interested i can take some pictures of them.My email is [email protected]
HOPE YOU GOOD LUCK!

calvino

totally, when getting him a car, remind him that it isn't a toy, and it can seriously hurt someone if it hits them, i would recomend either a mini (fun but they can get stuck on things easily.....), monster trucks are awesome but prone to rollovers (not fun/easy way to break stuff depending on speed), truggies are a good blend of handling/bashability, i would definately agree that if you have 0 RC experence, electric is the way to go (unless your up to a challenge or the hobby shop is willing to help), hope he enjoys his new ride[8D]

sfar785

the Rustler would be a good starter truck, to where as that Radio Shack Hurricane would be more headaches than fun.

elf232

He's 10, get him a bicycle.

Wild YFZ 450

telling a 10 year old to get a 1/5 scale is like telling him to jump on a yzf 450.. Come on.. he probably couldn't even carry the thing... My suggestion would to get a Vxl Stampede or Vxl rustler.. They are both very fast with what batterys you power them on... Start him off with some good 6 cells so it will be perfect for starting around 30mph... Now when he gets more experienced he will want to go faster.. then you get new batterys.. You can end up getting a Lipo 3s battery and getting it to go 60mph+. They also have a great aftermarket backround support and you will be able to get just about all the parts and the hobby shop near you..

sfar785

not everyone HAS to start this hobby at the age of 45 [>:]

sgtcat

lol