Help picking a starter car for my boy

[orangemazda]

Guys,

I'm looking for a starter car for my boy. I want a KIT not an RTR. Half the fun is building the car.

I've been out of the game too long. I quit racing in '93. It seems that theres no real KITS these days except for the Tamiyas.

I was thinking a Grasshopper or a Wild one. But then I saw this but never heard of it before:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RCR-1-10-2WD-Electronic-RC-Buggy-Best-Price-1-10-RC-Car-Off-Road-Buggy-/200881031432?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item2ec5714908

I've never heard of RCR. Is it any good? $95 with free shipping sounds good to me. But can replacement parts be found? Again, its for a 10 year old boy...I'm not going to let him bash my RC10's!

Please let me know what you guys think.

[Coelacanth]

The pics certainly do it justice, but at that price point, it's evidently a Chinese knock-off so expect inferior plastic construction that will bend/break/strip out easily compared to a brand-name product. For a first car, sure, why not? But you might want to buy 2 so you'll have replacement parts.

[RC104ever]

Just a suggestion - but I let my 11 yr old son bash his own RC10. I bought one off ebay, fixed it up, then bought a shell and got him to design the paint scheme.

Not quite the same as building it up, but close. The really cool thing was when I installed LED's on it and he came home from school. He loved driving it around and showing it off to his buddies.

"Whoa, that is so cool, I wish my dad would do that for me."

Of course, you can involve him in the 'rebuild' process as well so just another idea. We go outside regularly and drive them in the sand, snow or whatever and that's what its all about.

Is it cheap when something breaks? No. But he loves helping me pick out stuff and installing the parts.

One other suggestion would be to buy a B4, B44 kit and build it up with him. That way you would have a modern buggy and you can still build it with him.

Good luck!

[mustang dave]

i know you say kit but ya cant beat a slash there bullet proof and kid proof , neighbor kids got and they beat em with minimal broke parts if any . i have a sc10 2wd it was a kit but its not really kid proof kinda fragile . i also have a b4 and t4 which are not kid proof . associated is not a tough as it was back in the 90s

[RC104ever]

Really? I have a T4 and my kid BEATS on it regularly with no issues. Only mod was an RPM front bumper but its otherwise bone stock.

[orangemazda]

I just figured that RCR is only $100.

A grasshopper is about the same price. A wild one is about $200. I think this thing would be more durable then a grasshopper (my first car).

Maybe I'll grab one, beat on it, and let you guys know how it holds up.

[lpddpd]

I think the Grasshopper. For these reasons...its the same price, its Tamiya pedigree not a some unsupported Chinese knock off and when your kid gets old enough to appreciate quality cars, he'll see that his old man cared enough to get him a good one to begin with. Note, that last reason may take a few decades to sink in for him but that's how it goes with dads and sons isn't it?

[Lowgear]

I know you said kit as well but I think the Duratrax VW Baja Bug is one of the best deals going right now. For around $120 you get a fully assembled and painted RTR R/C that looks really cool on top of it all. Plus it uses what Duratrax calls Stress-Tech parts which they'll replace FREE if you break one during the first year of ownership.

[civilguy]

I have to agree with the Duratrax. I've been watching the price drop on those and several of my non-rc friends have picked them up for their kids. They always ask me what to get and when most suggestions were in the $200-$300 range they'd choke. So when the Duratrax price started coming down I switched to that as my suggestion and have had good reviews.
We have Slashes that are indestructible, but for $100+ less you can get the Duratrax and have a great 1st RC.

[RC104ever]

You know, I saw one of those recently at a LHS and thought it actually looks pretty decent out of the box.

[kaiser]

grasshopper or hornet. they are the perfect first car. not to difficult for a kid to build and understand, tough as nails and tons of fun.
i feel you can never really "out grow" them either because they will always be just for fun.

there are simple mods that require light fabrication. another great skill these cars can teach kids.

they run forever with todays batteries.

they just plain look cool.

[jwscab]

My first car was a grasshopper and while it was lots of fun, I think the lunchbox would be super first time vehicle. Better suited to rough terrain and loads of fun. Only issue is body mount life if there a bunch of barrel rolls.

[Phin]

That RCR car looks exactly like an Ansmann Mad Rat.

[Phin]

The Ansmann Mad Monkey mid motor car caught my interest so did some Googling.....seems the cars are manufactured/sold by TeamCRacing.net and also repackaged by several distributors in Europe. RCR is probably one of those re-distributors.

From what I've seen posted the cars are well liked as being good quality for the money, except for the crappy plastic shocks. They're also a clone of the Team Academy GV2 so they're decently competitive design wise.

Problem with it being a great starter car for a kid in the U.S. is that parts availability in America is kinda sketchy, as you'll likely have to order replacements online and they may be delivered from Asia. If you don't mind that, there's a good choice of upgrade parts that can be added to the cheap kit which could make the car a very decent choice if you're hoping your son gets into competitive racing.

[Kobur]

Guys,

I'm looking for a starter car for my boy. I want a KIT not an RTR. Half the fun is building the car.

...

Please let me know what you guys think.

After researching for most indestructible RC, I settled on an Arrma Granite for my six-year old. It's holding up pretty well. Here's the amazing video of the torture tests done at Big Squid RC review of the Granite.

[youtube]C9gtatQY1dI[/youtube]

Also, in terms of price, I just ordered a kit for a 1/18 scale RC18T2/B2 from Tower Hobbies. It does not come with any electronics or motor, but it is only $120, which I thought was a great deal. I realize there will be quite a bit more with electronics and motor, but it is a known, quality manufacturer.

Hope that helps.