J3RRY95

Not sure if I'm in the wrong topic so admin/mods please move if I am.

I'm in the market for three different RCs and wanted some advice on what vehicles would be best for me. Christmas is coming and I want to make it a special one. This is the first time I have a job that I will get a nice little bonus and I want to treat myself and my family. My dad has always wanted to get into hobby RCs but doesn't have the time to really research or learn too much about it. I'm sure I could teach him the basics to maintenance and such and he'd have a lot of fun with it. My little brother has started asking about getting an RC as well and I want to save him from all the toy store junkers I had when I was his age.

1. RC monster truck/ short course/ truggy/ buggy for myself. 1/10th scale. Budget $200 - $300.
Something decently fast, preferably brushless, maybe RWD/4WD ( leaning towards RWD) durable with a lot of aftermarket support. Doesn't have to be rtr but I'm a noon so I'd need a lot of advice on esc/motor/gearing/transmitter/receiver ect. Been looking at the redcat racing volcano. Also at the Tamiya zahhak.
2. Rock crawler for my father. 1/10th scale. Budget $150 - $225.
Something rtr and very reliable. He's not going to want to spend a lot on fixing it so reliability is a big factor. Doesn't have to be real fast or powerful, just something he will have fun with when he has some off time. I'm willing to throw in higher capacity batteries and a charger too.
3. Monster truck/ Rock crawler for my 7 year old little brother. Any scale recommended. Budget $100 - $200.
My little bro wants to get into RCs and I'm not sure what I should get him started with, since I'm just now getting into the hobby world myself. He says he wants a Rock crawler and something fast as well. (Fast for a 7 year old, anything is better than a Walmart junker I suppose.) I want something to really help hone his skills and not break on him. As far as places he can drive it's mostly grass and a gravel driveway. The grass is usually about 2-5 inches tall and very uneven. There's a few spots he could Rock crawl but not much. I want him to have a lot of fun with it. Leaning towards capacity and reliability over speed. If extra batteries and a charger can be factored in as well, if not I can get those for him some other time.

TL;DR need advice on what to get myself, my dad, and 7 y/o little brother.

RustyUs

Well, that's quite the jump from 4wd monster truck to 2wd buggy in your initial thoughts. Sounds like you need something in between...a reliable 2wd short course truck would fit the bill IMO. Slash, Torment, or SC10.3 would be my picks.
Have a look at the Redcat Everest Gen 7 Sport.
The speed and drivetrain can differ greatly from a monster truck to a crawler RC. A "Rock crawler and something fast as well" is gonna require 4wd and two speed transmission...probably more than budget allows. Just depends on what crawling and fast means when put together. If it were me, I'd opt for a 2wd monster truck that you could put in training mode, or adjust the speed from the transmitter, then get a dedicated crawler later down the road.

Get out there and throw some dirt.

J3RRY95

Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated. For 3. I kinda meant two different vehicles, didn't mean to make it seem like some crazy hybrid thing lol. So you think I should start him off with a monster truck? Not sure what brands have a training mode. Would it be possible to get something and put a weaker motor in it or would that put too much stress on the motor and cause premature failure?
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RustyUs

The ECX AMP MT 1:10 2WD Monster Truck: Black/Green RTR (ECX03028T2) and it's transmitter, is what all RTR RCs should come with...Throttle Dual Rate.That little knob will let you adjust maximum throttle. The Amp MT is called a monster truck, but I think it's closer to a stadium truck. Traxxax's RCs have a Training Mode on their ESCs that cuts power in half.

Edit: The Amp MT is even available in a Build-To-Drive Kit .