Getting back into RC in the future...
 

So I'm getting the RC bug again after about 20 years - I owned a Losi XXT electric truck back in the mid-90's and got rid of it many moves ago.

So, I was wondering if people have suggestions for what to look for a basher for me and my almost 8 year old son to start with then I'd get my own later and have him keep this first one.

I've been doing my own research and been looking at electric RTRs that I can drive pretty much anywhere and be able to drive it in snow as I live in Wisconsin, so I've been primarily looking at Traxxas as most of them are weather resist/proof. Specifically at the 1/16 Summit or ERevo as it'd be a way for getting back into it but not have an absolutely huge vehicle - I really like the 1/10(8?) Summit, but am thinking that if I go the 1/16 size for now, I can get a bigger one later. I've also looked at the Slash 4x4 (again 1/16 scale) as another option.

I don't want a speedster so I'm not really looking at brushless unless it'd handle the overall stuff better - I am looking for several hours worth of driving over whatever I come across, but is still controllable by my son. Not really into racing at all - I never really got into racing when I had the XXT as I was in my teens and didn't have tons of money to spend on matching battery sets/etc.

When looking at the Traxxas stuff, most seem to only come with a DC charger that kinda sucks, so what would be a good multiple pack charger to go with it?

It's going to be a few months before I would be getting anything, but I wanted to start doing my research and find out what is out there since things have changed a fair amount since the 90's. If there are things that I should also be looking out for with specific models (parts break easily, gears strip easily) and what are good replacements, I'd appreciate that too.

I'm fairly mechanically minded, having rebuilt/replaced things on the XXT (shocks, brushes on motor, etc), so maintenance isn't a huge thing for me.

Welcome back! Glad to see you're back into RC. For driveability, I would suggest against the Traxxas minis. Even I have a hard time controlling mine around corners as the laydown shocks are way too springy and make the vehicle high off the ground. I would highly suggest 1/10 scale for both of you, and both from the offerings of Traxxas. Here is what I would suggest...

Truck; http://www.horizonhobby.com/slash-2w...ody-tra58024t2

Batteries (this has 2, but you can only buy 1 if you want); http://www.atomikrc.com/collections/...-plug-x2-packs

Charger; http://www.atomikrc.com/collections/...attery-charger

For upgrades on the Slash, there are only a few I can actually suggest.

Rear hub carrier; http://www.atomikrc.com/collections/...-2wd-1-10-blue

Rear arms; https://www.amainhobbies.com/rpm-rea...FdgHgQodE1UFcg

What about the Slash 4x4 as an option for me down the road? I'm also a tech geek, so is the bluetooth wireless worth it?

I don't think you can go wrong with a 1/10 Slash , a great all round car .
Something to consider is that Traxxas cars have a training mode that limits power to 50% .
Full power for you , 1/2 power for your son . ( maybe just get the 4x4 to start with )

For down the road, it is a good idea. But I chose the brushed 2WD so all of you learn how to control a car with 2WD. Then later you can go onto 4WD with brushless systems because the 2WD taught you throttle control and to be a better driver. I know you did it a bit of time ago, but it really is easy to forget how to drive well.

I'm reading that the plastic gearing might be a problem - so I'm looking at the Traxxas Slash VXL 2WD since that comes with metal gearing due to the brushless motor (which appears to have less maintenance to it anyway). It already has a ESC that allows for LiPo, so I would be relatively set, yes? Plus, having the TSM would be good for my son since control, even at 50% power, is a bit more limited for him.

Plastic spur gears are recommended for any RC car and all Traxxas models have fully metal transmissions, minus the spur. Because if the metal on metal is not meshed 100% correctly, it will chew up both the pinion and the spur real fast. The XL5 already has LiPO support in the brushed model, as well as a training mode setting which does just what you said.

Thank you, this is why I wanted to ask first and get more knowledge before I consider pulling the trigger on buying anything.

No problem. If you have any more questions, don't be afraid to ask them.

If you are gunna deal with snow i would stay in the 1/10th area or you won't be able to move in snow. With traxxas i always recommend going brushless to save money in the long run only because there is the training mode. The brushed trucks are totally fine but most end up wanting more speed before too long. But its all about preference. If you aren't really into speed and your kid is young get him a little brushed truck and when you get bored of it get yourself something fast, when he gets bored of the brushed truck sell it and get a second brushless. As for TSM it's ok but don't get too reliant on it. Good drivers tend to get annoyed with traction control because it starts getting in the way so i don't advise over using it when learning so as not to develop lazy habits. It's kinda like how people that learn to drive with a manual transmission tend to be better drivers and have less accidents than those that learned on a automatic. Welcome back, we've been expecting you ;)

One reason I was looking at Traxxas the most was due to the training mode - I'll probably even use it the first few times since it's been a while. I do like the idea of brushless from the get-go for less maintenance and I was thinking of tossing in LiPo's for more run-time, so having the capability for low power detection already in is yet another thing to not have to worry about.

I drive a manual transmission myself, so I know what you mean. I was looking at getting a truck with TSM more for my son since he's never done anything like driving these before - since it'd be a dial on the radio, I can turn it off/lower for me and put it up for him until he gets used to driving. I'll probably turn it on for my wife too since I'm guessing she'll want in on driving too... I think I'll have 3 trucks in the house eventually - a 2WD for my son, another 2WD for my wife, and then the 4x4 for myself (maybe get a Summit for myself even further out).

I also like the TQi radio/receiver because I am a computer geek, so knowing all of that information on the app would be awesome once I get the monitoring parts.

Lol one of the guys gave me a good jab for it a few weeks ago but ya i use it mostly for my wife. She likes to play but doesn't get the competitive urges that i get so having a more easily controlled car makes it more fun for her and less expensive for me:) I was SOOO close to buying the summit but the fact that its so expensive for a brushed set up combined with the five 2075 servos that come in it (i hate that servo a lot.. i mean a whole lot lol) really turned me off. I ended up getting the yeti rock racer kit and putting a 2 speed transmission in it so that it can crawl or go fast. If you want to get into nerdy telemetry stuff, check out the castle link set up. Makes it so that you can view and adjust everything that the motor and esc is doing from punch control to power curves combined with tons of recorded driving info on the car for castle hardware, really neat program, makes you feel like your in total control of how the car acts.