Originally Posted by The Saylors

So first let me welcome you to the forum, a lot of good guys here! As for your questions, most of the areas that you want to run at will be fine for most rc trucks aside from three of them so i will do my best to list off what you need to know. Skatepark: The skatepark will probably be one of the funnest things you ever do with an rc car but be warned! There is almost no way that you will escape the park without some kind of damage. Skate parks push the limits of what rc cars can take even with upgrades and even if you drive halfway easy you will still break something after a battery pack or two especially if your son is inexperienced but like i said it is amazingly fun (i have done this multiple times and i love it lol). Snow: this one seems like it would be so fun but you have to think of the scale of your car vs how much snow there is. I have run my 1/10th short course truck in about 2 inches or less of snow and that's with paddle tires, trust me it's a struggle to get momentum and keep it. To run effectively on the snow you would need to invest in a snow track kit which is really expensive for what it is but if you get consistent snow for a couple months every year then it would be worth it. And finally one of my most favorite rc activities, Hydroplaning: To be able to hydroplane you have to have a few things going for your truck to have a chance at doing this. It has to be fast 45-55 mph. Its has to be lower to the ground I.e. a buggy or a short course truck no monster trucks (it can technically be done but it's not as enjoyable). Waterproof electronics for obvious reasons. And the last one that i can think of which is very important is an overpowered motor and esc (usually something made for the next scale up i.e. a 1/8th scale system in a 1/10th scale truck) When you run in water it puts a crazy amount of strain on the motor and esc and if it's not an overbuilt truck you can have a fire. i know it seems counterintuitive but i have seen it happen with my own eyes before and it's not a nice thing to have happen to your truck. Now that you know that this is what cars i would recommend you check out. Look at the slash 4x4 vxl-3s WITH THE LCG CHASSIS (the platinum version comes out of the box with some tasteful upgrades so if you don't mind spending extra then it's worth it especially since you will end up doing those upgrades at greater cost later if you get into the hobby). The slash is NOT the best truck out there but they make a great basher and are great for teaching kids as the esc has a training mode which limits throttle to half until you decide otherwise, also think about the 2wd version as that will teach you to be a better driver but you will grown out of it faster. If buggies are more your thing then i recommend the team associated 8.2e 1/8th buggy or the losi 8ight 1/8th scale but be warned a child could really hurt someone with either of those buggies as they are super heavy for an rc and have a metal chassis! (people get their ankles broke by them a handful of times a year. Also they could have some issues at the skate park depending on how its driven. If you wanted to skip the hydroplaning then i would recommend the team associated Yeti 1/10th (not the XL 1/8th version, those have some issues). The 1/10th yeti is very uniquely set up as well as styled and it's a lot of fun to bash, you can also get the 2 speed trans that way you can do slow hill climbs and rock climbs but i know you said that's not your thing. Anyway hope this helps and sorry to have written you a book but there is a lot of info to cover! If you have anymore questions let us know!

Alex