What is the best rc electric car for a boy of 4 years old?

[simon1980]

With xmas around the corner I have been asked to look for a little leccy car for my boy of nearly 4(new years eve he is 4)

He has had a little thing bought from here last year which was ok but only went in circles as i couldnt fix the broken bit it came with.

I'd like something that is well supported with parts not too fast, or expensive, around

[Nitroholic]

If it was me...I'd be looking at one of these:

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick-ion-xb-1-18-rtr-electric-buggy/rc-car-products/367880

MAverick are supported by HPI, so parts shouldn't be a problem. For your

[barnetbasher]

very similar to the one i'm trying to get my lad to learn..

just make sure his finger can reach to use the brake on the trigger grip..

my little mite can only accelerate or coast !! ha !

[TrickyTris]

For that price, the Maverick iON even tempts me - for a bit of fun!

If you spend an extra

Edited November 16, 2012 by TrickyTris

[RC4ever]

Have a look at the maverick SC trucks 1/10 and 1/18 scale,

[cossierich]

i got my lad a hpi sprint which was great for him however he did struggle to brake at first but got the hang of sitting down holding the controller between his knees then had both hand free got him a mcd for xmas this year so hopefully he gets on with that

[simon1980]

Thanks for the feedback, the sc truck looks pretty good, that maverick range doesn't look bad for the money at all. Its a good shout on the sc truck as he WILL crash it so it will need to be tough.

[arogon1235]

you could get this it comes with charger batt and handset only

[Si Coe]

The key choice here is where will you be running this car.

Micro T's are strictly living room racers - they can't cope well outside at all. They can jump stuff in your house, but grass bogs them down and the slightest piece of gravel becomes a massive car stopping boulder outdoors. But that said the beauty is your 4 year old can play indoors without problems.

In direct contrast the Maverick Strada, FTX Edge and other 1/10ths mentioned are purely outdoors unless you have your own sports hall! They'll cope better in a back garden (though even then it needs to be a good size) and are ideal for the park or a quiet street/car park etc.

The Maverick Ion sort of fits in the middle - its a bit big and fast to drive indoors unless you have a massive lounge, but a little small for hacking over a football field. However its the perfect size for a typical back garden, provided you keep the grass short.

Size therefore matters in terms of location though not so much in other areas of ownership. My 2 year old can happily lift and carry his 1/10th scale truck, and being bigger it survives his rough handling when not in use better than smaller models (he will sit on it, push it around the floor etc) like my old Micro T or RC18T would have. The problem is that we have to run it outside and at his age its hard to explain that its dark and raining so no we aren't going to the park to play with 'Daddy Car' as he calls it.

[simon1980]

The key choice here is where will you be running this car.

Micro T's are strictly living room racers - they can't cope well outside at all. They can jump stuff in your house, but grass bogs them down and the slightest piece of gravel becomes a massive car stopping boulder outdoors. But that said the beauty is your 4 year old can play indoors without problems.

In direct contrast the Maverick Strada, FTX Edge and other 1/10ths mentioned are purely outdoors unless you have your own sports hall! They'll cope better in a back garden (though even then it needs to be a good size) and are ideal for the park or a quiet street/car park etc.

The Maverick Ion sort of fits in the middle - its a bit big and fast to drive indoors unless you have a massive lounge, but a little small for hacking over a football field. However its the perfect size for a typical back garden, provided you keep the grass short.

Size therefore matters in terms of location though not so much in other areas of ownership. My 2 year old can happily lift and carry his 1/10th scale truck, and being bigger it survives his rough handling when not in use better than smaller models (he will sit on it, push it around the floor etc) like my old Micro T or RC18T would have. The problem is that we have to run it outside and at his age its hard to explain that its dark and raining so no we aren't going to the park to play with 'Daddy Car' as he calls it.

Haha kids eh, good post, the budget is max

[Gazzabruv105]

Go on, treat yourself mate. It's lonely for the boy otherwise. Just remember tho, it will mean two cars for you to clean, cos if your boys anything like mine, he is just the driver and I am his pit crew. Lol.

[rippler]

i had a madbull when i was a kid and i loved it ! never broke it either

[ninjagaiden]

I know it's a bit more than your budget but the Kyosho Nexxt looks the business, and it's a Kyosho so it wil be bulletproof.

[RcMonsterBash321]

i have an ansmann master smacker... if you are interested please message me!... im selling it for MAX

[XV Pilot]

If you have the space to run it, I'd also put a vote in for the Mad Bull. You may be able to find faster, more refined cars at this price point, but you're unlikely to find anything tougher!

[simon1980]

Ok just to revisit the thread i havnt decided what to get the little fella yet, im thinking out of these 3 http://www.modelsport.co.uk/maverick-ion-sc-1-18-rtr-electric-short-course-truck/rc-car-products/367887, http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-edge-1-10th-brushed-rtr-2wd-electric-buggy/rc-car-products/365620, http://www.modelsport.co.uk/ftx-edge-1-10th-brushed-rtr-2wd-electric-buggy/rc-car-products/hpi-mini-recon-rtr-2.4ghz/rc-car-products/366338, again the budget is key i cant go over around

[cyronn]

Well FTX Edge is 1/10th scale so it will be fine to run it outside, the other two are are quite a bit smaller and might struggle to run on anything other than tarmac.

[RC4ever]

All three are not bad for outside but i'd worry about giving him the FTX, 10 mins and he will bust a wish bone, not saying it's a bad car or not tough but the wish bones are exposed.

If it were me i'd go for the Maverick SC, small enough for him to carry about, just about small enough to use in the house and everything is protected buy the shell.

[simon1980]

Ok decided to go with the ion sc truck, thanks for all the help and hopefully will have some pics of it running after xmas, and maybe a new car for daddy too;)

[RC4ever]

Ok decided to go with the ion sc truck, thanks for all the help and hopefully will have some pics of it running after xmas, and maybe a new car for daddy too;)

Good choise buddy will be getting o e of these for my 7 year old after Xmas

[rowley177]

You know seeing this thread its good to know im not the only one with this dilemma, got to get 1 RC for a 5yr old and 1 for a 7 yr old, but one big snag is the 5yr old hands are just to small, but im still looking lol

[coxyone]

I would recommend going for the 1/10 size model. My lad is now nearly 6 but was using a master smacker and, more recently, a Mad rat since he was 4. He picked it up pretty quick as kids do and having a 1/10th buggy meant he could try the jumps and offroad stuff the older guys and myself were doing and it kept his interest alive. You might break a few bits but lets face it, we all break our cars at some point, all part of the hobby.

I found the Ansmann W3.1 was good for his smaller hands as the trigger does n't have a whole lot of travel before it hits max breaking so they dont have to stretch as far, just my experience mind.

[fluxster]

Have a look at the hpi mini recon