Decent car for a 10 year old?

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Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/18/2012 5:05 PM

emailrob

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Noob question, please bear with me. I had a search around the forums for similar questions.

My son really wants an RC Car for Christmas. He's been talking about it all year. He's got his mind set on a traxxas 4x4 (6 cell or something). I came across this one which seems more reasonable price, I really can't justify spending $400 on something but this seemed workable.

Any opinions? Our criteria would be something that's fairly hard wearing as he's likely to want to do jumps and stuff. I know this is a brushed one which isn't as good as a brushless, but I figure it may be OK?

Any advice and general guideance is really appreciated. We'd like to keep this under $200 if we can, but can go a little higher if it means we're closer to the criteria

http://www.rcplanet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TRA7005&click=109537&gclid=CKb_17XT1LMCFWaoPAodDlYAQw

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 12:38 AM

SyCo_VeNoM

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That is a mini it should handle ok for what you want and is 4wd

http://www.rcplanet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TRA7105 IMO would work a bit better though as it can drive through a bit more with the larger tires

as for being brushed not sure what motor they include in that one, but you can always change it over to a 540can motor, and get way more oomph out of it on brushed. I actually downgraded my brushless one to brushed cause I found it too insanely difficult to control.

You can also find some bigger vehicles in that price range like the HPI Wheely king (its a monster truck that does what its name implies) just will say be prepared to spend a little bit of money on a better charger as the chargers included with RTRs are generally crap
http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html is probably one of the better chargers you can get for the cash(seriously not much under $60 its one of the few) as its also capable of charging a variety of batteries incase you guys ever upgrade tings

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 2:10 AM

collector1231

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I second what SyCo says, but I think this would be a better choice.

www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_44_1257_2612/products_id/241169/n/ECX-RC-Ruckus-1-10-Monster-Truck-RTR-w-24GHz-Radio-Green

Yes, it is not mini, but it is 2WD. It is best to learn to drive with a 2WD rc so he can learn throttle control better. If you start out on 4wd, 2wd is a huge pain because you are used to much traction. 2WD makes you be easy with the throttle so he can learn throttle control and become a better driver.

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 3:45 AM

dustin7837

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quote:

ORIGINAL: emailrob

Noob question, please bear with me. I had a search around the forums for similar questions.

My son really wants an RC Car for Christmas. He's been talking about it all year. He's got his mind set on a traxxas 4x4 (6 cell or something). I came across this one which seems more reasonable price, I really can't justify spending $400 on something but this seemed workable.

Any opinions? Our criteria would be something that's fairly hard wearing as he's likely to want to do jumps and stuff. I know this is a brushed one which isn't as good as a brushless, but I figure it may be OK?

Any advice and general guideance is really appreciated. We'd like to keep this under $200 if we can, but can go a little higher if it means we're closer to the criteria

http://www.rcplanet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TRA7005&click=109537&gclid=CKb_17XT1LMCFWaoPAodDlYAQw

RC is a great hobby to get a kid into. It is safe, will keep him busy, is reasonably inexpensive compared to many hobbies, and it will teach him some mechanical skills and responsibility. For a 10 year old's first hobby grade RC a brushed motor RC like the Traxxas slash, rustler or stampede will be just fine. Keeping it under $200 total might be a bit tough as he will likely want at least 1 or two extra batteries and he will likely break a few cheap parts. It happens.

My biggest suggestion is to find a hobby shop close to where you live and see what brands they carry. This way you know where you can get replacement parts instead of ordering online and they will be able to help you if anything goes wrong.

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 3:59 AM

emailrob

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Thanks so much for all the replies so far. We do have 2 hobby stores nearby for parts and other advice so that's useful.

I'm torn between the two models above. I like the advice on the 2WD, but for some reason he has his heart set on a traxxas 4x4! Kids!

How much is a brussless system in the future as an upgrade? I'm sure he can survive without it

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 12:56 PM

collector1231

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quote:

ORIGINAL: emailrob

Thanks so much for all the replies so far. We do have 2 hobby stores nearby for parts and other advice so that's useful.

I'm torn between the two models above. I like the advice on the 2WD, but for some reason he has his heart set on a traxxas 4x4! Kids!

How much is a brussless system in the future as an upgrade? I'm sure he can survive without it

I can survive with out it. A new BL system for a 1/10 scale is anywhere between 60 and 300 dollars. For 1/16, anywhere from 40 to 200 dollars.

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 3:46 PM

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Depending on the price difference you may be better off getting the brushless car instead , it has a better radio and better motor system IMO , and for a beginner I think the Mini E REVO would be better because as stated before it can drive over much more rougher terrain than the Slash can .

I also agree that a larger scale might be better as it will be more durable as well as be able to run over grass and rough ground .

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 4:40 PM

emailrob

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Thanks again. I ended up going for the mini based on the above advice.

I've ordered it to come to my work address, just in case the box has Traxxas written all over it. It wouldn't exactly look like a gift from Santa, now would it!

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 5:08 PM

mwarner57

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Fun car! You might want to invest in a set of these to fix the dreaded "E-Rollover": http://thetoyz.com/Traxxas/Mini-1-16-Car-Series/Wheels-Tires/The-Toyz/14128/
The Traxxas wheelie bar is a solid investment also. Enjoy!

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 10:03 PM

collector1231

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quote:

ORIGINAL: mwarner57

Fun car! You might want to invest in a set of these to fix the dreaded "E-Rollover": http://thetoyz.com/Traxxas/Mini-1-16-Car-Series/Wheels-Tires/The-Toyz/14128/
The Traxxas wheelie bar is a solid investment also. Enjoy!

This is smart advice. Might get one for me.

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/19/2012 10:10 PM

emailrob

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Thanks. He can do some chores to pay for that

Dare I ask - what is the dreaded E-Rollover?

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/20/2012 2:34 AM

SyCo_VeNoM

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turn and rollover the car

not as huge of an issue on the brushed revo as it is when brushless.

Only reason I personally wouldn't suggest the merv brushless is how hard it is to control, a slight blip of the trigger will cause it to scrape its wing

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/28/2012 9:01 PM

emailrob

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Thanks for the replies. The car arrived yesterday. I'm getting the battery charged (will check again before Chrismas).

Would a wise investment be a spare battery? It says it can take two with a Y harness, and i can get both from my local hobby store.

Given he's a 10 year old though, i thought maybe having one running and one on charge would be a better idea - it would give him a break!

Also, the better battery charger referenced above - will that charge quicker than the specified 6 hours with the charger supplied? I saw a Traxxas EZ charger which references a 90 minute charge?

One more thing - is it worth getting a higher capacity battery? They list a larger capacity battery which I assume is more expensive

Thanks again for your help and patience

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RE: Decent car for a 10 year old? - 11/28/2012 9:41 PM

SyCo_VeNoM

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yes the ones linked you can charge at what we call 1C which is the rated capacity of the pack(could prolly go over on a NiMh). It should take about an hour to charge the battery fully.
as for a spare yea one battery can die fast, and waiting 60-90 mins can be a downer I remember hen I was a kid and those damn tyco chargers would take 4 hours after 20 mins runtime.

As for more capacity higher capacity packs hole more charge so they last longer, but as on better chargers you can adjust the chargers charging rate it should still take the same amount of time to charge.

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