hi lads/lasses? .......... im a newbie after some help !
i know how annoying newby questions are [hence the pre-emptive appology]
and im sure the usual responce will be "use the search" but........ this place is hugeeeeeeee , i wouldnt know where to start, so i will get right to the point.........
im the wrong side of 40 and my son is nearly 12........ ive already bought him a cheapy ebay rc car to see if he likes the idea of rc fun, and sure enough he does........ now then i havnt had rc gear since i was a kid [about 30 yrs ago] so a/ my knowledge is minimal [out dated] and b/ memory sketchy at best !
in short im after buying advice [what to get] .........
this much i do know.......
must be battery/leccy motor [no messy fuels please]
must be offroad capable
not too top heavy
fast enough for drifting [20 mph minimum ]
a common make [so i can get spares/upgrade as my sons skills improve]
and lastly it would be nice to get 4wd , but if my budget doesnt allow that, then a 2wd with indipendant suspension will have to do ........... [budget around £250 / $300 ] and this must cover radio gear/servos etc if possible
so, any recomends guys ?
thanks [and again, sorry]

Would you want a specific company? Traxxas, Hpi, Losi, Electrix? Also do you want a cheaper car (not as fast), but still be able to upgrade it within the budget? Basically by a regular car, and then go Lipo, brushless and such..... Once those are answered I can help you out EDIT: Also what scale would you like to be looked into??

as i dont know much about the new breed/companies [when i was a kid it was tamiya or tamiya if you wanted quality] lol ............. so im not fussy about which company, but im in the uk if that changes anything [availability wise] ?
as for going brushless and lipo batteries.......... it would be great if those came as standard, but i fear my budget may mean i have to get those extras at a later date ?
in short i want something robust, something with enough clearance for gravel/ bit of mud kind of surfaces .......... and if it does 20 + mph "out of the box" that would be great, if not, then i can upgrade it later.......... does this help ?

Maybe a tornado epx pro or volcano epx pro or caldera 10e. I know a lot of people don't like redcat but i do. I don't think you can go for any 8th scale for under $400.

Let me see what I can find, I has some in mind. But im just going to search not necessarily for the UK.

Sorry is it 250 pounds/$500 or $250/!25 pounds?

Also I think %99 of the 1/10 rc vehicles can easily go past 20 mph. Many can hit the 45s

well guys i said 20mph because thats what his current one will do......... so if they go faster than that out of the box for my budget, thats great news ........... also, is it weird that i dont much like the new style controllers ? am i just old fashioned liking the old fm style 2-toggle controllers [i expect they are outdated like me] lol

http://www.hpiracing.com/en/kit/107008 {I think it has everything you want, the cost is much more though} https://traxxas.com/products/models/...4-1stampede4x4 {good the only thing is that it might be too top heavy}http://www.ecxrc.com/Products/Defaul...rodID=ECX03016 {I have something just like this (I have the 2wd one and older one) I like it, it is a little more than your budget though}

Maybe check out some reviews on the Carnage from the FTX brand. It looks like a re-branded something I seen before. Also like aminnich suggested...those ECX have really good reviews...Circuit or Torment?

All of them are great, they have the same "insides" but have different outputs. really if you go with the ECX, to pick all you have to do is base your decision off of looks, because they are pretty much the same.

thanks lads......... some of those might be awkward to find/get parts for in the uk.......... is there anything on this uk page that stands out as a "must have" in terms of ruggedness and value ? http://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.ph...egoryID=990010

option 1: 2wd http://www.modelsport.co.uk/kyosho-a...roducts/379346
option 2: 4wd http://www.modelsport.co.uk/kyosho-d...roducts/386958
in either case, all you need is the AA batteries for the radio. hold on to the remaining budget for repairs and upgrades.

personally, i'd get the 2wd for a first hobby grade. they are more tail-happy than 4wd which will teach your son how to control a slide. many people (myself included) feel they are better drivers because they started on 2wd and later switched to 4wd. that and you mentioned drifting, with as little power as these models have stock, the 4wd might not slide much at all.

If you do go with a 2WD, then get the RUCKUS!!! haha i love it!

youre not the first to recomend the ruckus buddy .............. thanks for the advice lads, given me plenty of choice

i hope you havent puschased a rc yet cause the ecx trucks they are good but they come ith a slow brushed motor out of the box unless you pay 2x as much and get the brushless version of their trucks id suggest looking on hobbyking at their rtr truck they are brushless and cheaper then the ecx trucks ( i regreted buying a ecx torment because the week after i bought it hobbyking release the tunigy troopers which are about 10x better in performance and looks, they are planted to the ground and not flipping over like a pig every time you turn)

4wd
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...uggy_RTR_.html


have heard nothing but good things about these aslong as they are maintained and if the wires are tucked away right(everyone that ive seen witha problem its usually the esc and its because the rx wire that comes from the esc rides up against the spur gear...)

2wd
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...ruck_RTR_.html

Pretty much a Stampede monster jam clone ^

the basher looks very well specced..... how much extra [ish] am i looking at for the lipo batteries / charger / controller etc ?

it comes with a rx/tx if im not mistaken and from that site you can get a charger for 25-40$ and batteries about 18 a piece ill link them too ill find the link real quick


2 of these
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...APPROVED_.html

and one of these
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...y_Charger.html

thanks buddy, appreciate it

Unless you want to wrench more than play, those Hobbyking cars are terrible. I recommend a Traxxas Slash. On Tower Hobbies, you can get nearly $20 off.

dammit........... just when i think ive found a good-un lol ............. trouble is, most of you guy are in the states or europe..........and your prices are way way cheaper than here in the uk !
i would love to get a traxxas slash , but by the time ive got the radio gear/charger/batteries etc its way over my budget............
have a look here > http://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.ph...egoryID=990010
thats the kind of cars available to me, and the costs involved............ now then,. which one of those do you all recomend ? and please agree on one hehehehe

you're not going to get everyone to agree, too many personal opinions. i personally detest traxxas. that said, the slash IS in your budget. you see, you dont need to buy the radio, battery and charger separate anymore http://www.modelsport.co.uk/traxxas-...roducts/387741 the page says it comes with a 12V charger, so you will probably want to get a different one like this http://www.modelsport.co.uk/absima-c...roducts/380505 that plugs into the mains. all in, you're looking at around 300 quid with shipping. the advantage of this charger, other than being mains powered, is that it can charge lipo batteries, so when he is ready for the additional power and run time, all you need is the new battery.

RUCKUS! RUCKUS! RUCKUS! hahaha

says the guy that has a atomik avatar... me personally i just had my buddy order one of these because he was looking for the same thing, something fast and not expensive i told him to take it apart and rebuild it and put loctite on certain screws before he ran it he did and he hasnt had problems with it yet( had for over a month now and hasnt rebuilt it since)(and he runs his on the sand)




always look for the more bang for your buck route.... you will pay about 450$ for a traxxas truck thatll keep up with that bsr-888

May I ask why that even matters? I'm just speaking out of my experience. All cheapie Redcat, Exceed, and Hobby People cars I've owned are absolute junk.