Need RC buggy help

[Lohman446]

Ok, I come to AO when I enter a subject matter I know nothing about. I'm looking for an RC car for my daughter - she's six. Since her cousin has a four wheel drive nitro powered truck, I figure I need to get her a 4WD nitro powered buggy. I'm scrolling through E-bay and am wondering what brands I should be looking at, and if there are any buys out there that are better than others

[billybob_81067]

I've got a T-maxx as well as a couple of little nitro r/c cars. T-maxxes are sweet, but they're a 4wd truck, not a buggy. I don't know much more about them other than what I've got, but you could check out www.maxxtraxx.com and check out the forums on there.

Be prepared for an expensive hobby... seems like something is always broke! I'm working on building my own r/c out of a weedeater engine, though it's only going to be 2wd.

[starchief1959]

Been a while since I've looked into who makes what, but some major brands I would consider looking into are as follows (no particular order):

Kyosho
Team Associated
HPI
Traxxas

Hope this helps at least some.

[FiXeL]

Get electro, no nitro.

Electric is just as simple as putting a battery in it, turn it on and running it. Nitro engines need to be broken in, need alot of tinkering if you don't know what you are doing. Also the fuel and little kids dont mix.. Apart from the fire hazard and being toxic, there is also the fact that the nitromethane in the fuel can be absorbed trough the skin, damaging the liver.

Yeah, i had RC's and quite alot of them... Follow Starchief1959's advice on brand, those are all good. Personally loved my HPI Savage, although it broke down alot... Be prepared to spend alot of money. :)

[chettacheez]

Nitro is alot for a six year old. I suggest first starting off with an electric stadium truck. Traxxas' new rustler has a programable ESC that you can set to trainer mode that limits top speed to about 10mph, perfect for a beginner. After she gets used to it, you can turn it off and it will do about 30mph. After that I'd switch to nitro. Once again you cant go wrong with Traxxas. I'd suggest the new T-maxx 3.3. Tons of potential out of the box, very user friendly, and loads of aftermarket support.

[starchief1959]

Missed the part that your daughter is 6. I too would suggest an electric. In which case all the brands I mentioned before are still great, but a more economical option would be to look into Tamiya. They are still a build it yourself kit, but are easier to maintain, a bit more rugged for smaller children, and less expensive to repair and upkeep.
I started in RC cars when I was about 10 with the original RC10 by Team Associated (dates me sort of) and my younger brother wanted in on the action so my parents got him a Tamiya buggy for Christmas (he was about 5 or 6 at the time) and he still has it today. He likes to use it at college for the same reasons I mentioned above (fix it himself, more rugged, and inexpensive).
Great hobby for kids and not to mention great for dad to get involved. I'll probably be getting my son into it within the next couple years.

[Lohman446]

I am thinking the Tamiya Frog / Hornet / Fox or Super Manta Ray - any good online stores to order from?

[maxama10]

what a nice dad :D

[FiXeL]

I am thinking the Tamiya Frog / Hornet / Fox or Super Manta Ray - any good online stores to order from?

Don't know any good online stores located in the US, but if you feel a bit adventurous you could try www.etamiya.com They are in hong kong and i've ordered some stuff there before.

Btw, if you are getting a tamiya, get a ball bearing set for it while your at it. Almost all Tamiya RC models do not come with ball bearings, so it would be a wise investment to buy them together with the car, so you can place them during assembly. Saves the motor and axles.

[Warwitch]

Go over to www.towerhobbies.com and get the 411. They have all the info you need for choosing what kind and how much you want to spend. They are kind of like the Actionvillage of R/C. If you cant find it there you wont need it! Nitro is gonna be out for a six year old though. Lots o maintenance! I used to race a lot, pm me if you have more questions.

My first off road was a Frog!! Good starter.

[Lohman446]

If you were torn between the Manta Ray 4WD and the Rising Storrm 4WD with a $70 price difference, is the rising storm that much better to make it worth it?

[skife]

If you were torn between the Manta Ray 4WD and the Rising Storrm 4WD with a $70 price difference, is the rising storm that much better to make it worth it?


try a traxxas bandit for Ready to run, going to cost you around $120 total with charger and everything, its a solid platform not really lots of upgrades availiable though, pretty durable, definatally a great/cheap basher, but definatally not a racer.

I've got a Tmaxx with a 3.3 in it and its got enough power to pull the front wheels off the ground while rolling. TONS of power in that little mill.
nobody around here to run with though :(

[Lohman446]

I ordered the Rising Storm :), Two 7.2V 3300 MAH (??) batteries, and a dual charger for them for a total price of about $250 or a bit less. It was better color suited for her than the Manta Ray. She better like it

The advice and links here helped A LOT in my selection, so now I hope it was right

[FiXeL]

Hey, if it is a kit, you can paint it any color your daughter likes. :)

I did my own custom bodies:

http://members.chello.nl/u.haarsma/RC-Junkies/Savage/DSCN1333.JPG
Ford F350 long body for long Savage chassis (1/8 scale)

http://members.chello.nl/u.haarsma/RC-Junkies/Savage/DSCN1334.JPG

http://members.chello.nl/u.haarsma/RC-Junkies/Savage/DSCN1335.JPG

I did this with parma paint and masks! (www.parmapse.com)

All the tuning came from different sites, like www.badhorsie.com and www.savage-central.com
I was running this with a .26 picco engine at about 4hp, enough to do wheelies with high gearing and long chassis. Damn, im so sorry i sold it.... But then again, if i didnt, i would never got into paintball... :)