uonlylivetwice

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for taking this one...

My son is going to be 9 and I'd like to get him a car/truck. Already read some of the "before you post" info, and thanks.

Not sure that he will get into it but want to try.

so here's my parameters;

for a 9 year old.

not for racing, will be driven on the road (we're in the back of a huge loop, lots of space), on sidewalks, maybe grass, etc.

prefer electric, assuming it is safer for him than handling fuel

don't want cheap, but don't want to spend a lot not knowing his long term interest.

maybe $200-$300 total??

and possibly something that if he nevers catches onto it we could sell on Ebay and get back a reasonable amount.

thanks all!

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Consider a DuraTrax Evader Brushless model. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...P**&P=ML  $230
It's pretty tough. I started with the previous gen version of this car, and have upgraded it to the Brushless model specs (metal diff, good bumper, high quality tranny grease) and love it.  Yeah, we broke a lot of stuff when we first got them, but we were total newbies and had to learn!  Trees break stuff!  So we wrapped the offending trees with foam and that solved that problem. But you do have to develop your driving skills and hand/eye coordination.  Whatever you get, just look out for hard obsticles and eliminate or protect them. Another good idea while your son is learning to drive: tape/glue a piece of foam behind the throttle trigger so he can't go full throttle. That right there will eliminate a lot of damage.

Don't forget you'll need batteries, a charger and some tools, too.  For batteries and chargers HobbyPartz.com has Gens Ace LiPo batts and chargers for really good deals. You can get a decent LiPo charger for <$50 and LiPos for <$30.

nitrosportsandrunner

personally never liked the evaders, and while brushless is nice I dont think its needed for a 9 year old who's just starting.

Short course trucks are alot of fun and handle decent on/off road.

the 2 Id reccomend for someone starting:
ECX torment,
Traxxas slash 2wd XL-5

Both are brushed, will do at least 25mph, come with a battery and charger and are waterproof (dont drive it in the lake, but a puddle wont hurt them)

The torment is cheaper @ $180, the slash is more like $225 or so.

The slash has a higher top speed, and it comes with a higher voltage battery.

Both are fairly common trucks and can be resold at a resonable price.

The traxxas and ECX lines both have 2wd buggies and 2wd monster trucks that are about the same (same electronics, and durability) so depending on the looks you like any of the ECX models or the traxxas xl-5 models will do nicely.

While I prefer my torment to the traxxas slash, I will note that EVERY hobby shop carries traxxas parts. ECX is a newer line and not all hobby stores will have parts yet. Check your local hobby shop before you buy. You will be able to get parts for either off ebay, but its nice if you dont have to wait for shipping if you can buy the parts local.

as EXT mentioned a better battery an charger are nice. While most RTR (ready to run) models come with a battery and charger, the battery is usually a lower MAH (number with signifies capacity=runtime) and the stock chargers can take anywhere from 2-8 hours.

The thunder AC6 charger on hobbypartz will charge most any type of battery, and do it in 1 hour or less.

Hobbypartz also has some good NIMH batteries if you are not ready to try Lipos (or if the truck you pick isnt setup to run lipos)

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Well, I was just suggesting the Evader because it's fairly inexpensive, and they are pretty tough. Especially the new one. It's large enough to work on easily, but isn't as huge as the Slash, and runs well off-road. True, LiPo may be too much for a 9yo, but if the kid gets hooked on RC, he will inevitably want to go faster, and BL+LiPo is all that.  That why I suggested the foam behind the trigger thing. He could also start with the brushed Evader even more cheaply, but he'd need a BL-model bumper for it.  And for a newby, the one year parts replacement warranty is a great deal!  Even if it does take them forever to return you your new parts.

The ECX line would be a good starter too, or Arrma.

nitrosportsandrunner

im holding my breath on the armma.
I just bough a arrma raider and the 1st time out I broke the upper link mount and the lower A-arm. It was very cold out....but even my tornado wouldnt have been likely to break anything on the snowbank that the arrma did.
But as said, it may just have been the cold.
It is quick (on a 2s lipo) handles well and looks cool.
Will take it to the indoor track next week and hope for better.