Building an RC Car with my son - recommendations?
Discussion
I'm after some help and am aware there some RC experts floating around in the part of PH.
My son turns 9 shortly and has just thoroughly enjoyed making and building a wooden model car at school. I have fantastic memories of my dad and I building a Tamiya Hornet some 30 odd years ago. I'd like to do the same with my son and was thinking of getting him one for his upcoming birthday.
Questions :
Is 9 too young? I can't remember how old I was, and am happy to accept I'll do most of the building, it's sitting down and doing it together that will be fun.
I'm aware you can still buy The Hornet, but presumably things have moved on in the last 30 years, are there any other RC's available that we could build? Really we'd be after something similar - off-road car that can take abuse, fast and fun. Budget up to £200.
Cheers
My son turns 9 shortly and has just thoroughly enjoyed making and building a wooden model car at school. I have fantastic memories of my dad and I building a Tamiya Hornet some 30 odd years ago. I'd like to do the same with my son and was thinking of getting him one for his upcoming birthday.
Questions :
Is 9 too young? I can't remember how old I was, and am happy to accept I'll do most of the building, it's sitting down and doing it together that will be fun.
I'm aware you can still buy The Hornet, but presumably things have moved on in the last 30 years, are there any other RC's available that we could build? Really we'd be after something similar - off-road car that can take abuse, fast and fun. Budget up to £200.
Cheers
Hi there.
Age nine isn't too young at all - probably about the perfect age to get into RC really.
Ask yourself what you're both going to get out of it. Is it just a one-off build time with Dad and Son and then Son messing about in the garden or the street, or would you be looking to spend regular time together using it - in which case, it might be worth looking into racing?
For bashing then Tamiya still make lovely kits that are very satisfying to build and play with. Other makes such as Traxxas perhaps make more robust cars for bashing though.
If you were to think about racing then go along to a local club to see what goes on - there are clubs for on road or off road to suit your preferences. It can be done on a fun budget of circa £200, but you'd probably be looking at 2nd hand - then you'd want to strip down and rebuild anyway, so you'd still get that experience.
Age nine isn't too young at all - probably about the perfect age to get into RC really.
Ask yourself what you're both going to get out of it. Is it just a one-off build time with Dad and Son and then Son messing about in the garden or the street, or would you be looking to spend regular time together using it - in which case, it might be worth looking into racing?
For bashing then Tamiya still make lovely kits that are very satisfying to build and play with. Other makes such as Traxxas perhaps make more robust cars for bashing though.
If you were to think about racing then go along to a local club to see what goes on - there are clubs for on road or off road to suit your preferences. It can be done on a fun budget of circa £200, but you'd probably be looking at 2nd hand - then you'd want to strip down and rebuild anyway, so you'd still get that experience.
groomi said:
Hi there.
Age nine isn't too young at all - probably about the perfect age to get into RC really.
Ask yourself what you're both going to get out of it. Is it just a one-off build time with Dad and Son and then Son messing about in the garden or the street, or would you be looking to spend regular time together using it - in which case, it might be worth looking into racing?
For bashing then Tamiya still make lovely kits that are very satisfying to build and play with. Other makes such as Traxxas perhaps make more robust cars for bashing though.
If you were to think about racing then go along to a local club to see what goes on - there are clubs for on road or off road to suit your preferences. It can be done on a fun budget of circa £200, but you'd probably be looking at 2nd hand - then you'd want to strip down and rebuild anyway, so you'd still get that experience.
Cheers. In all honesty I suspect we'll just build it and mess around with it locally. It's very unlikely he'll have time to get into racing, he does so many other activities he has limited free time. Clearly if he does love it, that's something we can look into further down the line. Plus we've got a skate park, BMX track and large fields all withing walking distance of our house, so plenty of opportunity for fun with it on our own.Age nine isn't too young at all - probably about the perfect age to get into RC really.
Ask yourself what you're both going to get out of it. Is it just a one-off build time with Dad and Son and then Son messing about in the garden or the street, or would you be looking to spend regular time together using it - in which case, it might be worth looking into racing?
For bashing then Tamiya still make lovely kits that are very satisfying to build and play with. Other makes such as Traxxas perhaps make more robust cars for bashing though.
If you were to think about racing then go along to a local club to see what goes on - there are clubs for on road or off road to suit your preferences. It can be done on a fun budget of circa £200, but you'd probably be looking at 2nd hand - then you'd want to strip down and rebuild anyway, so you'd still get that experience.
I don't really spend any time in this part of PH, but I am aware there's a PH'er with a good online shop, can someone remind me of the website and I'll have a browse at the Tamiya and Traxxas kits - would rather spend my cash with someone here.
Cheers
If you want something to build then it has to be a Tamiya kit really. A lot of the more modern stuff comes ready made though undoubtedly you will need to strip it down at some point or another for repair work.
I had a Frog when I was a kid and I'd really like to build one of the re-released kits of these with my lad. A lot of folk seem to recommend the Lunchbox though for beginners and it's a bit cheaper than some of the others. I'd also look at getting a radio where you can limit the maximum throttle at least until your son gets the hang of it. Will limit how much damage can be done when crashing into a wall or kerb which will undoubtedly happen.
I had a Frog when I was a kid and I'd really like to build one of the re-released kits of these with my lad. A lot of folk seem to recommend the Lunchbox though for beginners and it's a bit cheaper than some of the others. I'd also look at getting a radio where you can limit the maximum throttle at least until your son gets the hang of it. Will limit how much damage can be done when crashing into a wall or kerb which will undoubtedly happen.
Any thoughts on this bad boy? - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/tamiya-rc-58370-...
Seems a bit more modern than the likes of the Hornet or Frog.
Seems a bit more modern than the likes of the Hornet or Frog.
Tamiya make great scale RC models - I have quite a few, but usually they turn out far too nice to actually use and risk damaging!
I ran a Hornet with my best friend almost every day of the school holidays back in the 80s - happy memories. It's a terrible modern runner though.
The dark impact is very competent - in fact I'd go so far as to say it's too competent - ie boring. It will just sail over small undulations with ease, if you're in an open field environment rather than a dedicated track that soon gets tedious. Especially as modern LiPo batteries last for 30-40 mins plus.
My advice is to buy 2 of everything and build both kits in parallel together. Something like the Lunchbox is a great cheap runner as standard and amusing to race against someone else. Your son can even loan out "your" spare car to a friend.
9 definitely isn't too young - my daughter is coming up for 2 and i'm considering her first RC car already.
I ran a Hornet with my best friend almost every day of the school holidays back in the 80s - happy memories. It's a terrible modern runner though.
The dark impact is very competent - in fact I'd go so far as to say it's too competent - ie boring. It will just sail over small undulations with ease, if you're in an open field environment rather than a dedicated track that soon gets tedious. Especially as modern LiPo batteries last for 30-40 mins plus.
My advice is to buy 2 of everything and build both kits in parallel together. Something like the Lunchbox is a great cheap runner as standard and amusing to race against someone else. Your son can even loan out "your" spare car to a friend.
9 definitely isn't too young - my daughter is coming up for 2 and i'm considering her first RC car already.
JQ said:
Update to the thread. Ended up buying a Dark Impact from Jadlam Racing and now have one very unhappy son and a non functioning car as a result. I certainly won't be recommending them to anyone - absolutely shocking service.
What's the problem with the car? Has it been working at all?groomi said:
JQ said:
Update to the thread. Ended up buying a Dark Impact from Jadlam Racing and now have one very unhappy son and a non functioning car as a result. I certainly won't be recommending them to anyone - absolutely shocking service.
What's the problem with the car? Has it been working at all?Ordered and paid extra for next day delivery - didn't happen and had to chase to find out when it would be delivered. Not their problem but I'd had to change work plans so I'd be in the office to collect the delivery which failed to turn up. Not a major issue but a bit of a pain and it did arrive in time for my lads birthday, so all good. No offer to refund my extra delivery charge.
Car and additional bundle of all the other stuff arrived and presented on Friday for birthday and we started building it, only to discover towards the end of the build that I should have also bought an Electronic Speed Controller and some paint. The advert for the car on their website, has the car, plus a link to the "bundle" of additional stuff you need, which I also bought. It doesn't say you also need to buy paint and an ESC, there's no link to which ESC you need and the only mention of one is in the items list for the car which states one is not included. I'm not an RC expert - I'd have thought anything essential to the car operating would be in big bold letters with a link to what you need or be included in the £68 bundle of stuff I paid extra for.
So back onto them on Tuesday to order the missing bits (before 2pm). Again pay for next day delivery, so should arrive Wednesday. Here's the perfect opportunity to redeem themselves to an unhappy customer, of which they were very well aware. It's now Thursday and I've just been informed they're still delayed and won't be arriving today. We go on holiday tomorrow where my son had hoped to take his birthday present, looks like that won't be happening.
I hate companies that overstate and under perform. If you can't do next day delivery, don't offer it, and I'll take my business somewhere else. Instead I have a 9 year old boy asking every time I go home where the extra parts are. Really not looking forward to going home tonight and telling him that they won't be arriving until we're back from holiday.
If it was something for me, in all honesty I wouldn't be as worked up, but because it's for my son I'm absolutely fuming.
JQ said:
groomi said:
JQ said:
Update to the thread. Ended up buying a Dark Impact from Jadlam Racing and now have one very unhappy son and a non functioning car as a result. I certainly won't be recommending them to anyone - absolutely shocking service.
What's the problem with the car? Has it been working at all?Ordered and paid extra for next day delivery - didn't happen and had to chase to find out when it would be delivered. Not their problem but I'd had to change work plans so I'd be in the office to collect the delivery which failed to turn up. Not a major issue but a bit of a pain and it did arrive in time for my lads birthday, so all good. No offer to refund my extra delivery charge.
Car and additional bundle of all the other stuff arrived and presented on Friday for birthday and we started building it, only to discover towards the end of the build that I should have also bought an Electronic Speed Controller and some paint. The advert for the car on their website, has the car, plus a link to the "bundle" of additional stuff you need, which I also bought. It doesn't say you also need to buy paint and an ESC, there's no link to which ESC you need and the only mention of one is in the items list for the car which states one is not included. I'm not an RC expert - I'd have thought anything essential to the car operating would be in big bold letters with a link to what you need or be included in the £68 bundle of stuff I paid extra for.
So back onto them on Tuesday to order the missing bits (before 2pm). Again pay for next day delivery, so should arrive Wednesday. Here's the perfect opportunity to redeem themselves to an unhappy customer, of which they were very well aware. It's now Thursday and I've just been informed they're still delayed and won't be arriving today. We go on holiday tomorrow where my son had hoped to take his birthday present, looks like that won't be happening.
I hate companies that overstate and under perform. If you can't do next day delivery, don't offer it, and I'll take my business somewhere else. Instead I have a 9 year old boy asking every time I go home where the extra parts are. Really not looking forward to going home tonight and telling him that they won't be arriving until we're back from holiday.
If it was something for me, in all honesty I wouldn't be as worked up, but because it's for my son I'm absolutely fuming.
I looked at the link you posted previously and indeed it doesn't mention anything about a speed control, which is pretty poor and I hope just a simple oversight on the part of Jadlam as it really should be included in their additional packages given the description of ' include all the components required to operate the model'.
Not that you should have to, but for the sake of £20 if you are an Amazon Prime member, then you could get one today: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamiya-45057-Brushless-El...
JQ said:
Car and additional bundle of all the other stuff arrived and presented on Friday for birthday and we started building it, only to discover towards the end of the build that I should have also bought an Electronic Speed Controller and some paint.
I'm sorry you've had issues, but tbh I think you need to man up a bit here, take it on the chin and accept that as much (or more blame) lies with you.You simply didn't do your research before buying.... and you weren't an informed buyer.
And maybe they updated their website, but the link you posted previously, it clearly says twice on the listing that there is no ESC.... which in the RC world is pretty standard for most kits.
The vast majority of 'assembly kits' in the RC world come with no electronics at all and usually a clear bodyshell for painting. It's been this way for at least 40 years, but most likely longer.
300bhp/ton said:
JQ said:
Car and additional bundle of all the other stuff arrived and presented on Friday for birthday and we started building it, only to discover towards the end of the build that I should have also bought an Electronic Speed Controller and some paint.
I'm sorry you've had issues, but tbh I think you need to man up a bit here, take it on the chin and accept that as much (or more blame) lies with you.You simply didn't do your research before buying.... and you weren't an informed buyer.
And maybe they updated their website, but the link you posted previously, it clearly says twice on the listing that there is no ESC.... which in the RC world is pretty standard for most kits.
The vast majority of 'assembly kits' in the RC world come with no electronics at all and usually a clear bodyshell for painting. It's been this way for at least 40 years, but most likely longer.
The paint, I agree is a non-issue as it doesn't affect the ability to run the model.
groomi said:
He bought the additional bundle which claimed to have everything required to run the model.
The paint, I agree is a non-issue as it doesn't affect the ability to run the model.
I can't see any listing for such a bundle on the site. And tbh, it would seem odd to have one.The paint, I agree is a non-issue as it doesn't affect the ability to run the model.
The do list 3 'packages', a starter, mid and top. But it has a series of pictures next to each (and a link for more info), showing exactly what you get.
But these are Radio, battery & charger bundles. Not ESC/Motor/Servo bundles.
I'm not saying the op shouldn't be peeved... only that it's rather unfair to blame the shop for his error in judgement and lack of research.
300bhp/ton said:
groomi said:
He bought the additional bundle which claimed to have everything required to run the model.
The paint, I agree is a non-issue as it doesn't affect the ability to run the model.
I can't see any listing for such a bundle on the site. And tbh, it would seem odd to have one.The paint, I agree is a non-issue as it doesn't affect the ability to run the model.
The do list 3 'packages', a starter, mid and top. But it has a series of pictures next to each (and a link for more info), showing exactly what you get.
But these are Radio, battery & charger bundles. Not ESC/Motor/Servo bundles.
I'm not saying the op shouldn't be peeved... only that it's rather unfair to blame the shop for his error in judgement and lack of research.
And here's the description of all three bundles:
Jadlam site said:
Please note that this listing is for the Car Assembly Kit only. To operate the model additional items are required. Information on the Car Assembly Kit can be found further down the page. To make it easy for you we have compiled different options, shown below, which include all the components required to operate the model
No defending that one.Operate doesn't mean complete the assembly... you could argue that without supplying a mains socket and a supply of electricity you won't be able to charge the batteries, so therefore cannot operate it.
Those "packages" are just generic ones they likely offer on all their kits as an upsell. They are never going to include 'specific' items just for a single kit.
Which is quite obvious by the fact they show you exactly what they include....
Not reading something correctly on the ops part has resulted in this situation, nothing more.
Those "packages" are just generic ones they likely offer on all their kits as an upsell. They are never going to include 'specific' items just for a single kit.
Which is quite obvious by the fact they show you exactly what they include....
Not reading something correctly on the ops part has resulted in this situation, nothing more.
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