RC cars for beginners / kids
Discussion
Hi, I don't normally venture into this part of the forum but hope you can help me.
I would like to buy my nephews (11 & 13) a reasonable RC car. Not pro level, but something that's going to be a step up from the "toy" cars they've had as younger children. I used to race RC cars 20 years ago when I was a teenager (only novice level), and before that have fond memories of going to the park with one of these when I was a child:
Doing a little research I've found a few ready to run models that looked promising, but things have moved on a lot since I had one and they seem blisteringly quick in comparison. I watched some videos of the FTX Vantage RTR Brushless model and I worry it will be too quick and get broken almost right away. A few reviews seemed to confirm this.
My gut feeling is that durability, ease of use, fun, and length of run time are probably more important than top speed and performance, but obviously I want something reasonably exciting so they enjoy playing with it, doing jumps etc. I can't see them joining a club and racing so this would purely be for playing in the local park / car parks. I don't have a set budget but would rather keep it under £200 unless that's completely unrealistic, but likewise if I'm overdoing it then would rather pay a lot less - maybe they could even have one each to race if the price was low enough.
What should I be looking at? Am I right to stick to 1/10th or would another scale be better? Buggy or truggy? Looking for any advice and recommendations, thanks.
I would like to buy my nephews (11 & 13) a reasonable RC car. Not pro level, but something that's going to be a step up from the "toy" cars they've had as younger children. I used to race RC cars 20 years ago when I was a teenager (only novice level), and before that have fond memories of going to the park with one of these when I was a child:
Doing a little research I've found a few ready to run models that looked promising, but things have moved on a lot since I had one and they seem blisteringly quick in comparison. I watched some videos of the FTX Vantage RTR Brushless model and I worry it will be too quick and get broken almost right away. A few reviews seemed to confirm this.
My gut feeling is that durability, ease of use, fun, and length of run time are probably more important than top speed and performance, but obviously I want something reasonably exciting so they enjoy playing with it, doing jumps etc. I can't see them joining a club and racing so this would purely be for playing in the local park / car parks. I don't have a set budget but would rather keep it under £200 unless that's completely unrealistic, but likewise if I'm overdoing it then would rather pay a lot less - maybe they could even have one each to race if the price was low enough.
What should I be looking at? Am I right to stick to 1/10th or would another scale be better? Buggy or truggy? Looking for any advice and recommendations, thanks.
My 7 year old son has the 1:18 version of this: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick-strada-xb-evo... (his is the Maverick Ion).
Maverick is a sub-brand of HPI. Spares are pretty cheap and readily available (N.B. stuff *will* eventually break, either through crashing or wear)
A great thing is the 'dual rate' throttle control on the handset, which means you can dial the speed right down.
The 1:18 is good for a small child, but for your older children I would agree 1:10 is better, mainly for the ground clearance and stability of a larger chassis.
Maverick is a sub-brand of HPI. Spares are pretty cheap and readily available (N.B. stuff *will* eventually break, either through crashing or wear)
A great thing is the 'dual rate' throttle control on the handset, which means you can dial the speed right down.
The 1:18 is good for a small child, but for your older children I would agree 1:10 is better, mainly for the ground clearance and stability of a larger chassis.
Edited by schmunk on Wednesday 12th August 10:06
Thanks. Funnily enough I am also considering something for my own kids when they get a bit older - my eldest is 3.5 years old, so not quite ready for something beyond a toy yet, but maybe 1:18 would be the right starting point.
I assume this is the one you mean: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick-ion-xb-1-18-r...
How long does it last on a charge?
Any advice on suitable 1:10 scales?
I assume this is the one you mean: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick-ion-xb-1-18-r...
How long does it last on a charge?
Any advice on suitable 1:10 scales?
TallMark said:
Thanks. Funnily enough I am also considering something for my own kids when they get a bit older - my eldest is 3.5 years old, so not quite ready for something beyond a toy yet, but maybe 1:18 would be the right starting point.
I assume this is the one you mean: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick-ion-xb-1-18-r...
How long does it last on a charge?
Any advice on suitable 1:10 scales?
That's the one.I assume this is the one you mean: http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick-ion-xb-1-18-r...
How long does it last on a charge?
Any advice on suitable 1:10 scales?
It lasts ages on a charge, perhaps 20 minutes, when you wind the speed control down (which you'll want to). I also bought an additional battery which is twice the capacity for about £10-15 (it's the Overlander one linked on that page) plus a faster charger for another £15ish.
Not sure about 1:10 cars.
The only problem we've had with this in the year or so we've owned it is breaking the chassis top deck twice, both times in the same place (near the top mounting point for the front suspension), for the same reason - driving it at speed into an overhang which cleared the wheels but not the chassis. Other than that it's been really robust. New part cost £15, plus about 20 minutes to dismantle and replace. I tried gluing, but it didn't work well.
I am a huge advocate for Tamiya products and I reckon everyone should try one.
Similarly, I recommend you encourage younger minds to build from a kit - it heightens their understanding of how things work mechanically and will be invaluable knowledge should they ever need to carry out maintenance.
I used to sell Tamiya's in a model shop but nowadays I'm just a collector.
I would highly recommend waiting for September's newest release in the form of the "Lightning Force" on the all-new SU01 chassis.
Designed exactly like a 1:10 tamiya hobby-grade car but with some key features which make it better for younger audiences. For starters, it's easier to assemble, but still looks impressive for the price. It will also be upgradeable; with a smaller 380 sized motor out of the box which can be upgraded to a hobby standard 540 sized motor.
Tamiya models; unlike their RTR fly-by-night Ready To Run counterparts, have long-term parts availability and massive aftermarket support, as well as some of the best / most intuitive instructions. Your kid will love it and it will hopefully serve as a gateway to future rc models too.
RTR models are often short lived and soon forgotten about. If he built it himself, he'll gain an attachment to it.
Similarly, I recommend you encourage younger minds to build from a kit - it heightens their understanding of how things work mechanically and will be invaluable knowledge should they ever need to carry out maintenance.
I used to sell Tamiya's in a model shop but nowadays I'm just a collector.
I would highly recommend waiting for September's newest release in the form of the "Lightning Force" on the all-new SU01 chassis.
Designed exactly like a 1:10 tamiya hobby-grade car but with some key features which make it better for younger audiences. For starters, it's easier to assemble, but still looks impressive for the price. It will also be upgradeable; with a smaller 380 sized motor out of the box which can be upgraded to a hobby standard 540 sized motor.
Tamiya models; unlike their RTR fly-by-night Ready To Run counterparts, have long-term parts availability and massive aftermarket support, as well as some of the best / most intuitive instructions. Your kid will love it and it will hopefully serve as a gateway to future rc models too.
RTR models are often short lived and soon forgotten about. If he built it himself, he'll gain an attachment to it.
C.A.R. said:
RTR models are often short lived and soon forgotten about. If he built it himself, he'll gain an attachment to it.
I can see the logic in this, but I'm not sure they have the patience for model building. I bought them the Unimog lego set last Christmas and they only finished it a couple of months ago, just didn't seem to be their thing, or maybe it was but just a little too complicated.It used to be the case (a long time back) that Tamiya were a step behind, using mechanical resistors instead of speed controllers, and the connectors couldn't handle high amp batteries etc. It looks like they've moved on to proper electronic speed controllers, but are they compromised still? Any guesses as to how much it's likely to be, and how much I'll need to budget for suitable controllers, chargers etc?
The FTX Vantage brushed version is a good shout too, hadn't considered dropping down a notch to that one and its certainly good value at ~£100 for the whole thing.
I'm leaning in the RTR direction still TBH, just in case it's not their thing.
Selling all these models id always start with Tamiya. Start with a little buggy, something like a neo fighter.
http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-15561-tamiya-n...
Simple to build, fun to drive, easy to repair with readily available parts everywhere. Bit of potential with hop ups, stick some bearings a pinion and a new motor and you have a really fun little car.
http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-15561-tamiya-n...
Simple to build, fun to drive, easy to repair with readily available parts everywhere. Bit of potential with hop ups, stick some bearings a pinion and a new motor and you have a really fun little car.
I'd agree with the "build it" approach, even if they only help with little bits it's a good thing, even if only stickers!
I'd agree with Tamiya as well, lots of RTR stuff about that people can't get bits for
But I'd suggest a truck, usually tougher and the ground clearance is useful!
I use a Tamiya Blackfoot with the fostered kids I work with, one of them "helped" build it, and they've all helped keep it clean and fixed (sometimes this has just been holding parts while I do the spanners)
The only things that have broke have been kingpin screws, but I replaced them with one-piece versions from b&q for about £2!
It does have £20 worth of oil-filled dampers, and I used waterproof electrics (ESC & steering servo) so the mud and beach isn't a problem. I bought 4x 3300mah nimh packs (probably 3 or 4 hours of walking it through the woods doing doughnuts and jumps etc) and a mains twin charger, spent less than £300 by picking up special offers
I did get all the battery connectors changed to traxxas ones to avoid melting, also I remembered the marks Tamiya connectors make on young hands from my youth!
Kids love it, but best to take them somewhere and set challenged "try that jump" etc, not just run round the car park.
I'd agree with Tamiya as well, lots of RTR stuff about that people can't get bits for
But I'd suggest a truck, usually tougher and the ground clearance is useful!
I use a Tamiya Blackfoot with the fostered kids I work with, one of them "helped" build it, and they've all helped keep it clean and fixed (sometimes this has just been holding parts while I do the spanners)
The only things that have broke have been kingpin screws, but I replaced them with one-piece versions from b&q for about £2!
It does have £20 worth of oil-filled dampers, and I used waterproof electrics (ESC & steering servo) so the mud and beach isn't a problem. I bought 4x 3300mah nimh packs (probably 3 or 4 hours of walking it through the woods doing doughnuts and jumps etc) and a mains twin charger, spent less than £300 by picking up special offers
I did get all the battery connectors changed to traxxas ones to avoid melting, also I remembered the marks Tamiya connectors make on young hands from my youth!
Kids love it, but best to take them somewhere and set challenged "try that jump" etc, not just run round the car park.
Well it seems there is a lot of love for the Tamiya models.
vx220, I'm impressed you get several hours... what running time would you expect from each typical (ie likely to get in a kit) battery? The ones I had were shockingly expensive and I still only got 4-5 minutes each time!
I'd prefer something will oil filled dampers from the outset rather than upgrading, I don't want to immediately start with upgrades and I'd have thought they were pretty much essential if you're doing jumps and generally bouncing around on uneven terrain.
Any other Tamiya kit recommendations?
vx220, I'm impressed you get several hours... what running time would you expect from each typical (ie likely to get in a kit) battery? The ones I had were shockingly expensive and I still only got 4-5 minutes each time!
I'd prefer something will oil filled dampers from the outset rather than upgrading, I don't want to immediately start with upgrades and I'd have thought they were pretty much essential if you're doing jumps and generally bouncing around on uneven terrain.
Any other Tamiya kit recommendations?
Depends who you buy a kit from. Buy one from most people and you get a 1800 or 2000mah battery - buy from us and you get a 3300 as standard. It's hard to put a running time on it as it depends on the car, the terrain and how hard you accelerate. However with our 3300 batteries I'd say you get a good 20mins on a hard surface - having 2 batteries is perfect, plenty of play time.
The type of car 100% depends on where you are going to use it. If it's only going to be a grassy garden then you need a truck like the lunch box. If it's all Tarmac then get a road car, if it's a mix of short grass, gravel and Tarmac the then get a buggy. (The monster trucks are pants on road IMO). I always recommend buggies as they work well on all surfaces (except long grass) and jump well - kids love setting up a little ramp!
Best of luck with it, drop me a PM if you want something, I'll be able to give you a discount code or something.
The type of car 100% depends on where you are going to use it. If it's only going to be a grassy garden then you need a truck like the lunch box. If it's all Tarmac then get a road car, if it's a mix of short grass, gravel and Tarmac the then get a buggy. (The monster trucks are pants on road IMO). I always recommend buggies as they work well on all surfaces (except long grass) and jump well - kids love setting up a little ramp!
Best of luck with it, drop me a PM if you want something, I'll be able to give you a discount code or something.
RC cars are nice..
but consider for one moment..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70pusNNunMA
250mm class Quad Copters with Video gear... FPV racing!!
..ok ill get my coat
but consider for one moment..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70pusNNunMA
250mm class Quad Copters with Video gear... FPV racing!!
..ok ill get my coat
I stand by my previous recommendation - just ensure it is purchased as part of a "deal" rather than solely the kit, thus making sure you have everything you need.
There appears to have been a delay on the SU01 Lightning Force after I posted this the other day, it was supposed to be out in July originally.
Regarding your points, the historical Tamiya models always emphasised the importance cross compatability - whilst the market had moved on to more modern connectors they stuck with what they had established already. This is really only a problem if you're going to be running a high performance motor requiring lots of constant current pull - a beginner's model like this will be fine.
One 'advantage' of the concept SU01 is the interesting ability to be powered by AA batteries or a conventional rc stick pack. This could reduce your initial outlay as you needn't invest in batteries and a specific charger.
The model itself will have greatly reduced steps to build it compared to the standard 1:10 chassis'. Research the Tamiya RC Boys series - a likely ancestor to this model unfortunately discontinued now.
I'm really after getting one for my daughter as soon as I can justify it / sneak it past the Mrs!
There appears to have been a delay on the SU01 Lightning Force after I posted this the other day, it was supposed to be out in July originally.
Regarding your points, the historical Tamiya models always emphasised the importance cross compatability - whilst the market had moved on to more modern connectors they stuck with what they had established already. This is really only a problem if you're going to be running a high performance motor requiring lots of constant current pull - a beginner's model like this will be fine.
One 'advantage' of the concept SU01 is the interesting ability to be powered by AA batteries or a conventional rc stick pack. This could reduce your initial outlay as you needn't invest in batteries and a specific charger.
The model itself will have greatly reduced steps to build it compared to the standard 1:10 chassis'. Research the Tamiya RC Boys series - a likely ancestor to this model unfortunately discontinued now.
I'm really after getting one for my daughter as soon as I can justify it / sneak it past the Mrs!
Conversely, I stick by my choice of RTR. Life's too short to spend hours building a car (and in the same vein I'd love a Caterham but I wouldn't buy a kit).
I would get the FTX Vantage, Maverick Strada or similar and get playing. Both the named cars are from large, well known manufacturers and have a plentiful supply of spates from all of the major RC suppliers.
I would get the FTX Vantage, Maverick Strada or similar and get playing. Both the named cars are from large, well known manufacturers and have a plentiful supply of spates from all of the major RC suppliers.
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