Best scale for son's first car

[climbatron]

Hi, I'm looking to get my son's first RC for christmas and am torn between two models, the maverick strada which is 1/10 and the ion which is 1/18.

 

It would mostly be used on the park, grass and paths. My concerns are that the ion would be no good on the grass and would be too small. My problem with the strada is that it will be too fast for a first timer and it will go into a tree on christmas day and end up in bits.

 

Any advice on the pros and cons of the different scales? Is 1/10 too big for an 8 year old? Is 1/18 too small?

 

Thanks

[mugen mark]

1/8,it the toughest of the scales,they go over all terrain,if you think there too fast,then just turn down the throttle settings

[53HRA]

Welcome to the forum

 

Thought about a 1/12 scale Tamiya Lunchbox? Great and popular little truck for beginners,with spares easily obtainable and will tick all the boxes you mentioned (Run on grass etc etc) 

[jari]

1/8,it the toughest of the scales,they go over all terrain,if you think there too fast,then just turn down the throttle settings

 +1

 

I had Maverick strada buggy as first car. Ok on short grass, car parks, gravel.. but on "winter" grass managed to burn the first brushed motor out. 

 

If I had my time again I'd start with 1/8th. 

 

Costs a lot more to get started though.

[climbatron]

Cost is part of the issue - hence the two models I chose. 1/8 is a out of my league for the first car. If he gets into it I don't mind paying a bit more.

 

I've seen the LunchBox and read good things but they don't quite look the part for me. And for an eight year old, the way it looks is half the appeal. I was going to get an XT rather than a buggy as I thought it would be better on grass.

 

Any thoughts on the strada / ion? they seem pretty much the same to me, just the size difference. Would smaller be stronger or vice versa?

[Nitroholic]

A 1/10 truck/stadium will cope with a bit more than a 1/10 buggy.

 

A 1/18 will be limited to well mown grass, tarmac, gravel etc... which limits running in the parks. You want the kid to be able to run his car in the sort of places you where there is space for them to do it safely. It's not going to be any stronger than a 1/10

 

An XT would be better on grass than an XB..purely through being that bit higher off the ground.

[Si Coe]

!/8th is certainly too big for an 8 year old - Those things are heavy and he couldn't carry it far. They are tough but they are tough because of all the thick plastic and metal.

1/10th buggys tend to be a bit low slung these days and need pretty short grass, but a 1/10th truck has wheels as big as a 1/8ths and can cross pretty much anything they can. They aren't heavy but they are bulky which is a pain for a small lad to carry round.

 

For me the perfect size seems to be stuff like the 1/14 Vatterra Kalihari or the 1/16th Mini-E Revo, These have better clearance than a 1/10th buggy but are small enough a young lad can carry one around in a rucksack.

[tom's rc]

thing is, you 8 year old son isnt going to go and take it out on his own, so size isnt an issue as you can carry it for him.

i defiantly wouldnt recommend a 1/8th as his first, its far to big and powerful.

i have a 1/10th monster truck and i think that would be a bit much for him to.

if i were you, id buy him something like a traxxas rustler. it is fairly small and light so would be perfect for him and would hand park terrain nice and easily.

[Juggernaut jims]

I would go for the maverick short course as all the wheels are covered or the monster truck as the hight will make it useable almost anywhere, buggys are really low and as stated need short grass.

Just my 2p

[XV Pilot]

If looks, cost, strength and grass-crossing ability are all factors that need to be considered, how about the Tamiya Mad Bull?

It combines the big tyres, high ground clearance and good offroad ability of a monster truck with the sleek looks, wide stance, low centre-of-gravity and excellent stability of a buggy.

It is made predominantly of a tough, rubbery plastic that springs back to shape after impacts, making it well nigh indestructable.

In the unlikely event that anything does break, parts are cheap and plentiful, and since it is made by one of the most established companies in the industry, they should remain available for years to come.

And if your kid outgrows the big wheeled monster look, you can fit standard buggy wheels, tyres and stub axles, and it becomes a very stylish 1/10 DT01 buggy.

[atom3624]

Where are you going to run whatever is purchased?

I've defaulted to Monster Trucks - the real things are great fun to watch and the models have decent ground clearance opening options of where they can run.

Agreed the basic 1/10 scale is probably best compromise - monster, stadium, SC, buggy - there are options.

Al.

[yoodoo]

Traxxas Stampede,can't go wrong.

[climbatron]

Everyone, thanks for the suggestions. Will mostly be running on grass, and as suggested I will be the one lugging it around! Going to go with the strada xt or mt (I assume they are the same just different bodies?). Last question - how long do the batteries hold charge? I want to charge it up so he's ready to go as soon as the box is open. Can I charge a couple of days before?

 

Thanks all

[tonysmini]

Yes you can, and it's worth getting another battery and a better charger, 3000 mah or bigger for the battery, so you have two.

Nothing's worse that running it around for 20-30 minutes then having to wait a few hours for the battery to recharge.

[Juggernaut jims]

I would also look into buying a better charger as the ones that come with it take what feels like forever to charge,

Nothing worse than waiting 7+ hours for one battery with a slow charger