Nitrodan73

My Feedback: (12)

I'm bringing my 7 year old son into the hobby and I need to get some advice from any other fathers who got their kids into the hobby. I used to race Nitro trucks and cars on both on and off road but dropped out and flew planes for nearly 8 years. I want to get my son into trucks but I need to know what truck would be a good starter. I think I'll narrow it down to electric for now but I'd like to get something of good quality that has good parts availability. We don't really have a good hobby store nearby so the internet will be my primary source for parts. I have'nt been up to date on the most common form of racing but I'd like to stay in the most popular to keep our interests so please tell me what you've seen (ex. buggy, stadium truck, monster truck, etc.)

My son has Radioshack type cars right now and shows good control so I think he'll be able to handle a moderately fast truck.

Thanks in advance!

SyCo_VeNoM

trucks depending on what kind you want to get him (these are my opinions most I own)

for 4wd Monster trucks
The wheely king isn't bad new ones water proof I think its around $200. Pretty open platform can be converted to a crawler, or even have a 3rd axle thrown on relatively easy (I've done it to mine)
Stampede 4X4 (around $400) is a pretty decent RC I found also (with the proper mods)
Mini Revo. I'll be honest its not my favorite RC, but I'm starting to like it more since I toned its power way down, and did a hell of a lot of mods to make i controllable just its a tad small for grass.

Truggies (if you don't mind piecing together)
Jammin CRT .5 Really fun RC, and durable. Only issue its sold only as a nitro kit so you need to buy the nitro kit for $75, and add in $50 in parts to allow it to use electric motors, and drill 3 holes in the chassis for the battery box. But $125 for a roller isn't that bad. Will still need all electronics which will cost $140 more and a 2S lipo that will cost $25ish so about $265

Crawler/scaler
SCX10 I've let my 6yo nephew play with mine, and he was having a blast with it. Doesn't go fast, and with its build quality nothing on it should break from it hitting something

Buggies
4wd Tamiya DF-02 Pretty decent kit. My 12 yo nephew has one, and likes it. (I have 2) pretty versatile design, and with a few choice upgrades it can be made decent. You can pop truck tires on it to make it a truck (actually one manufacturer did this with a knockoff of it a few years back) and it will behave decently. Only issues I had out of the box the stock shocks SUCK, the stock ESC is crap(fries radios unless you buy a $7 BEC), and the hinges are weak (there's a $5 mod to fix that). It needs a servo, radio, and either a BEC, or a different ESC.

SCT
Ofna Nexx10(or Jammin SCRT10 same truck outside the front arms, and hubs) Durability is on part with the jammin .5 seeing it uses the majority of the same parts . Only real bonus to this is it has a more scale racing truck look

onroad
TT01E cheap electric kit. Pretty durable kit, but limited to on-road. Needs same electronics as the DF-02

2wd's
MT the stampede isn't bad, but over priced IMO. Electrix has a 2wd MT for a lot less that, and from the reviews I saw(guy crashing it into a wall going full throttle) stood up to more damage than the stampede

BTW most the ones I listed go 20ish mph (cept the ofnas, and 4wd traxxas they can go 40ish easy seeing those are Brushless)
Only RC I don't own in that list is the electrix one at the end outside that its all 1st hand experience, and I stayed in the 1/10th to 1/16th arena

If you want to go smaller the Associated rc18's are decent (don't bother with the rc18B2's or anythign with a 2 for that matter) But those are too small really for anything offroad.

JohnP2

As a father of a 11 year old son, one word: <u>NITRO</u>. :-)

Growing up I purchased a few Megatech electric buggies for my son, but when he turned 10 Ibought him his first nitro-and that did it for him (and me).

The sight, sound, smell of a 1/8 running engine is sure to keep the attention of any kid. Now-at age 7, YOU will be the one to maintain it, but even with an electric I doubt a seven year old will be adjusting camber, changing shock oil, etc. i.e. You'll be doing most maintenance whether it is electric or nitro, so might as well allow your son now to fall in love with the hobby as he drives a screaming nitro buggy down the street, in a parking lot, or really anywhere he pleases.

As for class, I recommend Buggy as a) It looks the coolest, and b) It is something that can be driven on-road, which gets boring after a while, or off-road.

As for a "starter-car", I recommend the OFNA Hyper 7. It's very tough,reliable, easy to maintain....did I say tough? :-)

Click here for an example of what it can handle at a great price. Your son will no doubt be driving it into curbs, trees, brick walls, etc. The Hyper 7 can take it all!

nitrosportsandrunner

I doubt a 7 year old would have the patience for a nitro.

The traxxas line of xl-5 or vxl models will work. The brushless models are very fast, but the esc can be programed for 50% power. once he gets the hang of that, then you can just put it back to full power.

Any hobby shop will have traxxas parts, and you can always get them online as well. Lots of upgrades availible to.

Another option, is a tamiya kit. It can do alot for a kit to build the model (with your help natually) that way he knows how it works and can repair it himself it need be.
The dt-02, dt-01 as well as the midnight pumkin and lunch box chassis' are all reasonably priced and great for those new to kit builds. The instructions are great, easy to follow. Even a complete newb can put together a kit in 2-3 hours.

I have the tamiya holiday buggy. In packed dirt, pavement and such its a great little buggy. good speed for a young one.

Many of the tamiya kits come with unpainted bodies as well....so there is a place your boy can customize his model right off.

My 2 suggestions:
traxxas rustler or slash xl5. tons of parts availible, waterproof, rtr.
Tamiya lunch box. kit, easy to build, fairly tough, wild to drive, perfect speed for young ones, can pop a wheely.

hunt2010

As a father, my 12 and 16 year old love it, we race the traxxas slash that was bought with a brushed motor and now upgraded to a brushless,we also run the associated short course truck. for your sons age i would recommend anything by traxxas which there parts are easy to find anywhere.i have no problem with associated parts either.both also offer great tech support. if your on the west coast any class of truck should do but,here on the east coast short course truck (electric) 2wd and 4wd are the main class most drivers run and we get a lot of trucks racing compared to any other class. i started my boys out with a brushed motor and when it came time i got brushless motors for them and it gave them the chance to learn how to put it in themselves. the main thing is to have fun, good luck!!

JohnP2

Yea. I can see that. I guess I take for granted my son picked up nitro cars so well (but he was 10). I do think a seven year old can be introduced to the beautiful art known as nitro, however. If the plan is to get him into nitro then start now. If the plan is to get him in rc cars in general (ie no past interest), electric does seem morelike the"user-friendly" choice.Later on,give him a chance to experience nitro when he is at least 10. ;-)

Nitrodan73

My Feedback: (12)

Thanks for all the replies. I have about 4 years of nitro experience along with the 8 years of gas airplane experience so I'm not worried about the complexities that come with nitro. I KNOW I will be the one maintaining the car and setting it up so all I need is for him to focus on is the driving. For now. I thought electric would be a good starting point but as John P pointed out, I might as well go all in. I have been looking at the OFNA Hyper 7 and I think that might be a good starter car. We have a huge field and park next to our house so I'm not worried about him crashing but I'm sure he'll find a way.

Again, Thanks for the input!

JohnP2

Great choice, sir. I assure you that you nor your son will be dissapointed!! He'll no doubt love beginner tasks like filling the fuel tank, washing the air filter, etc.

imperviously

I feel that for kids, the best starting brand out there is traxxas.  I personally don't own any traxxas as of right now, as i am not a huge fan of them.  Even with that being said, i think traxxas is THE brand that most younger people should start out with.  They have GREAT durability, and a HUGE part support and good customer care regardless what car/truck you get from them.  So he won't break it easily, if he does, there are loads of parts all over the internet and hobby shops and you can get parts on ebay cheap and will always find them.  Not only that, if he really gets into the hobby, and likes to mess with the car/truck and modify it or do upgrades... traxxas has a lot of easy modding for better performance.

JohnP2

I am not a fanboy nor hater of Traxxas. There is no arguing their presence in "the hobby", which is always a plus and I really feel they are good for our beloved hobby. As you,imperviously,I do not own one. My only concern is that I have read (on this forum) from multiple people that Traxxas' parts or on par with Exceed or Redcat. I own an Exceed Forza, and while I absolutely love it - comparing it's durability to my OFNAor Losi makes the Exceed brand look like a toy-grade. With that, I do plan on asking Santa fora Jato 3.3 but not expecting it to be able to bash.

Turns out I live less than 20 minutes aware from Traxxas HQ. I looked online at jobs in their IT department - nothing interested me. Don't laugh. ;-) I imagine 99% of us would jump at the opportunity to makethe same living we do today working in the industry, especially foran established company like Traxxas.

SyCo_VeNoM

I wouldn't put them on par with exceed, but honestly they are not as good as people make them out to be. Their plastic in some cases is mediocre, and some of the designs have inherent flaws due to the somewhat mediocre plastic, and they never even fix the flaws(even after 14 years the pede 2wd still has flaws that were there ages ago from posts I red from when it came out). Most people then argue WELL REPLACE IT WITH RPM this and that. Honestly for as much as traxxas charges, and raised their prices they should include the damn RPM parts on the vehicle already. I still can't understand how people can argue some RC is great where they had to put almost the same amount of cash into aftermarket parts(replacing 90% of the vehicle) that they paid for the initial vehicle.

I own 3 and honestly only one I would somewhat recommend would have been the pede 4X4, but honestly I only liked it after getting the center diff (cost me about $30) to give it better control (and no I don't race just like the extra control a center diff gives), and by putting that in it eliminated the issues with the slipper pad being either too loose or too tight(dunno seen others too that just could't get that damn thing set right).

The_Shark

I just bought my little bro (10 yrs) a ECX Ruckus for his b-day.

its a great truck, good size, fast enough to be fun, slow enough to avoid major damage, the suspension is springy like a rubbermade container and the chassis is stiff as heck. he ran under my 1/1 car at full speed and it didn't do anything to it as well as hitting a tree, it handles reasonably well and doesn't traction roll as much as you would think. the dynamite electronics and spectrum radio is a huge plus.

not bad at all for $150, much better deal than almost anything else on the market.

Foxy

As someone who has owned literally over 100 surface RCs, I find myself recommending one of my own recent purchases. The mini E-Revo. It's just outstanding. Basically its fast strong and waterproof out of the box, it's surprisingly easy to work on, very modular. Very tough, and on 2S lipo on the stock electrics the power/weight and speed of the car is literally perfect. It does benefit from hopups, but its one of those cars you can upgrade when you break. It's a good size for young uns, just under 1/10th size which gives it inherent strength due to low weight. It has ingenius battery bays which allow you to run batteries in parallel for double run times. I can load up the bays with 2 2s lipos in parallel and play for well over an hour non-stop.

As far as the Hyper 7 goes, absolutely, if you think he has the staying power for nitro. It is a fantastic beginner car, simple to use, easy to get parts and options. Also an excellent choice and easy to recommend.

One last to think about... HPI Blitz... It's a rear wheel drive short course truck, so it's easy for him to find a race anywhere, anytime. It's tough as nails (becoming rarer and rarer in HPI cars, sadly), and bashes great on a medium variety of surfaces. Grass that isn't golf course short would defeinitly be a challenge for it, but then it would for the others two cars mentioned here too, even the hyper won't be very happy on grass more than 3 inches tall. Grass running hurts cars quite a bit, if you're going to do a lot of it, may be worth considering the mini savage flux XS for that, but bear in mind that car has a few issues, you can be lucky and have no problems or get a real lemon. It's a risk.

Admiral052

I know a lot of you do not like Traxxas but the Slash is my firsttruck and I love it. Stock it is a lot of fun and the only thing that broke on it was an A arm due to me misjudging a pole and hitting it at 40 mph. I hope that my son wants to learn this with me when he gets older (he's only two) but for a starter truck I have been very happy with it.

Don't count out Traxxas just because people here don't like them due to the company. I will tell you that the thing is fast in grass and yes was pricey but the 4WD is quick on any surface, and it is durable, my wife has flipped it in the street a number of times and no damage. The shell is beat already.

Remember kids want the flash so make sure whatever you get it looks cool.

The_Shark

only thing with nitro, is you are going to have to supervise him every time he runs, also I think a hyper 7 is a bit too much power for him and all that weight can do collateral damage.

I would avoid mini why? they get small very fast a new hobbyist can lose orientation pretty quick, plus many kids that age think bigger is better.

like said the 2wd ECX ruckus is pretty large and will be very easy to work on, but honestly I don't think you will have to do alot of wrenching, its pretty much bullet proof stock.

here see for your self [link=http://www.bigsquidrc.com/electrix-rc-ruckus-monster-truck-review/]Ruckus review[/link]

SyCo_VeNoM

some people that is true, but honestly I'm not a fan cause the RC's are just meh. They are nothing spectacular IMO, and I own 3 so I can't be counted as a traxxas hater as I actually own some. I find generally their stock handling on a scale of 1-10 (10 being best) varies from 3-5 depending on model. the slash 4X4 I found to be around a 4 in handling (bone stock) where the merv I find to be the 5, stampede 2wd was the 3.
Now my pede 4X4 after mods that I have setup as a truggy can whoop em all in the handling category, but then again I said bone stock
Also after adding a center diff, and a pile of other parts I'm starting to find the merv isn't as horrendous as I first thought (I found its stock setup piss poor though) But as RTR's which they are sold as they are pitiful.

1 thing I will say on the merv even after the mods I did I find it still sucks in grass even worst than my 1/18ths. I'm putting that on the way the chassis is designed though which would cause more drag in grass than the flat chassis pan the 1/18ths have that offer minimum resistance though.

JohnP2

I really only listen to the advice from someone who actually owns a Traxxas. I'm glad to hear (at least one person) state their parts are not akin to Exceed/Redcat - as mentioned that is a huge concern for me personally. 

I also agree it's not ideal to put 30-40% original in price just to make it durable. It's one thing to make a durable vehicle <u>more</u> durable for that cost, another to make a non-durable vehical durable for that cost. ;-)

With that, one thing has stood out to me. Once, I was talking to my guy at my LHS (who knows more about this hobby than anyone I've ever met). I asked him what his all-time favorite rc car is. He said "That's a tough question - but in the end I always come back to the T-Maxx". I was surprised by that (as he has virtually ever vehicle out there)...but that went a long way with me. ;-)

p.s. I duly appreciate civil conversations about Traxxas such as this. I know it can be a hot button for some folks, and enjoy the way most of you can provide sound, honest advice without letting emotions get the better of you. Thanks again!