Indestructible/Robust RC Car for 8 year old.
Discussion
Just investigating options for a robust RC Car for my sons for this Christmas.
Budget is about £60-£80 each.
They've had umpteen cheaper cars that have ultimately resulted in parts breaking off etc. and disappointment.
Preferences:
Realism - They like the models to look like replica cars/buggies they can associate with.
Speed - Not the overall factor, agility/solidity is good!
Size - would prefer 1:10 or 1:18 ideally.
Any suggestions?
Budget is about £60-£80 each.
They've had umpteen cheaper cars that have ultimately resulted in parts breaking off etc. and disappointment.
Preferences:
Realism - They like the models to look like replica cars/buggies they can associate with.
Speed - Not the overall factor, agility/solidity is good!
Size - would prefer 1:10 or 1:18 ideally.
Any suggestions?
How old are they? I ask because if they are say 4 yrs old then a toy car at your budget may be ok, but if they are a bit older it will be a waste of money and forgotten in a couple of months.
When I was about 7 or 8 my dad built me a Mardave meteor, an extremely tough hobby grade buggy, the key point being it wasn't a toy it was a model, I still have that model now, it's been rebuilt dozens of times but essentially it's the same model, but I learnt a lot about engineering, electrics, motors etc. But for the first few years just used to enjoy charging it and running it.
It was an intro to a hobby I still enjoy now. By contrast I also had a few toy grade models, they really didn't interest me much (even before the meteor).
The downsides are that there isn't a modern equivalent to the Mardave, so while i could get away with epic crashes you'll have to be prepared for some spare parts coverage, I recently got a Thunder Tiger Phoenix for my birthday (well last year) and it's a nice model and based on the old RC10 so quite tough, but it's probably a bit quick for a younger kid, maybe a monster truck kind of thing?
You would also have to stretch budget, but do it right and you can end up with radio gear that can be used across various models, or a model that will take upgrades well.
Oh and if it's successful you end up starting a life long expensive hobby, I still buy up an mardaves I see!
When I was about 7 or 8 my dad built me a Mardave meteor, an extremely tough hobby grade buggy, the key point being it wasn't a toy it was a model, I still have that model now, it's been rebuilt dozens of times but essentially it's the same model, but I learnt a lot about engineering, electrics, motors etc. But for the first few years just used to enjoy charging it and running it.
It was an intro to a hobby I still enjoy now. By contrast I also had a few toy grade models, they really didn't interest me much (even before the meteor).
The downsides are that there isn't a modern equivalent to the Mardave, so while i could get away with epic crashes you'll have to be prepared for some spare parts coverage, I recently got a Thunder Tiger Phoenix for my birthday (well last year) and it's a nice model and based on the old RC10 so quite tough, but it's probably a bit quick for a younger kid, maybe a monster truck kind of thing?
You would also have to stretch budget, but do it right and you can end up with radio gear that can be used across various models, or a model that will take upgrades well.
Oh and if it's successful you end up starting a life long expensive hobby, I still buy up an mardaves I see!
I have no personal experience of these at all, but they seem to get decent reviews and appear to be good value:
http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbyking/store/1795...
http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbyking/store/1795...
Edited by TheGreatSoprendo on Thursday 23 October 12:05
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