R/C truck/buddy advice

Blaze

Blaze

The Jeeper Reaper
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Location
Wake Forest, NC
My wife and I really want to buy our son a nice R/C car for Christmas. He has a couple of them, but they are the cheap New Bright ones we bought him to see how he handled them before we spent any money. He's pretty good at it, but he is always complaining because they are too slow. Definitely my son. :lol:

Anyway, we are trying to find one that is fast and can go offroad through the grass and dirt and crap without getting all bogged down. I suggested a cheaper nitro/gas truck but her resonse was "do you really want him pouring gas in his car in the garage?" He is turning 5 in Feb, so I understand where she is coming from. :lol:

So I guess I am looking for a good electric one, preferably used so it won't be as expensive. Would be nice if it was upgradable because he is always wanting to work on stuff. Definitely my boy. :lol:

So anyone have any advice?
 
don't go nitro, it is a constant hassle, and keeping it tuned is a constant battle.
i have several and would be glad to help you out, with your decision. you could come out to the house one weekend and let him try a few out and see what he likes.
 
As mentioned, hard to go wrong with a Traxxas, especially for dependability and every hobby shop carries Traxxas parts on the rare occasion something does break. Most Traxxas trucks are waterproof as well. I'd go for a Slash 4x4 or a Stampede.

Axial Honcho or Wraith would also be a great option, especially if you are looking for a more realistic looking rig. Parts are pretty easy to find, especially online and they are very capable and can be upgraded as he gets older and more experienced.

I would definitely stick with electric rather than nitro, especially for a kid.
 
If he is complaining of going slow, the rc crawlers are def. out of the question (except the wraith), short course trucks (like the slash), do not like grass...

Your best bet will be a some short of monster truck.

Traxxas is likely your best option. RTR minus a charger and battery, easy to find parts, and they sell them everywhere.
 
definitely dont bother with Nitro, its on the way out now with brushless motor systems and lipo batteries.

I used to be into R/C a long time ago, and recently dug my old TB-01 out of the closet. After that, I was back in it.

I bought an Axial SCX-10 Honcho (stupid Wraith kit just became available though :rolleyes:). Seriously, rock crawling is far more fun then going fast IMO, as you can do it basically anywhere.

Id say go with the Wraith RTR. Pretty quick, big 2.2 tires, and Axial electronics arent too bad.

check out http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/ for more info.

Unless he REALLY wants to go fast, then start looking at short course trucks or maybe a Savage Flux, although thats expensive and very fast...

Also, I ordered my kit from www.rpphobby.com. They were awesome, the kit was here within a week!
 
Yea, Traxxas has always had a good reputation...atleats I think so. I was big into R/C cars when I was younger...they were big back then and still are.
 
Stampede. Cheap and tough. The big tires make it better for backyard bashing. A buggy will get mired in short grass. Get the stampede, a couple of li-po packs, and a good charger and have fun. Stay the hell away from nitro until he can start and tune it himself. Besides, brushless technology is making electrics as fast or faster than gas.
 
i have all of the above, (except the wraith)(not yet anyway)
the stampede is probably the best suited for grass, but i have slashes that will just shred the grass. i have brushed and brushless, so plenty to chose from.
the other advantage to traxxas is parts can be bought at pep boys also.
 
With him just getting ready to turn 5 in Feb, I think Traxxas would be better than any other option. He is going to want to run it thru every mud or water puddle that he can find. Plus you can just wash it off with the garden hose when he is done running for the day.

The Traxxas stuff, at least in my experience, has been very tough. I have ran my Slash straight into a concrete wall at top speed (many times), have jumped it 10 feet in the air and landed on concrete (repeatedly), ran 2 Slashes into each other head-on at full speed, ran it in a creek, etc and I have yet to break anything, at all. Only thing I ever done to mine was add aluminum shock caps to all the shocks but that is it. It's bone stock from Traxxas otherwise.
 
catfishblues said:
Stampede. Cheap and tough. The big tires make it better for backyard bashing. A buggy will get mired in short grass. Get the stampede, a couple of li-po packs, and a good charger and have fun. Stay the hell away from nitro until he can start and tune it himself. Besides, brushless technology is making electrics as fast or faster than gas.
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The summit is nice or at least the ones I've seen have been. Those will go any where.
 
Another vote for something traxxus. I have a nitro stadium truck (rustler i think) and it's been super reliable, but as others have suggested, stay away from nitro and stick with electric. Electric is just easier to play with and there's no constant tuning. I've upgraded the rear shock tower to an aluminum one and that's pretty much it.
 
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