Discussion
I’m looking for a kit that I can build with the kids (5&8) - primarily for fun but also to teach them about the engineering of it so that when it get broken they understand how to repair them etc.
I had a couple of cars as a kid - Tamiya Falcon and a Schumacher Pro Cat (awesome bit of kit at the time). So my thoughts are:-
Schumacher Top Cat Classic (possibly a bit old tech?)
Schumacher Cat XLS (possibly a bit old tech?)
Traxxas trx4 sport
Hobbytech HT-8-BXR-S1-KIT (never heard of them before but apparently quite good)
Planned use to be a mix of farmland, woodland and fairly flat grass. Thoughts and advice welcomed on what will be the most fun, robustness and of course decent handling and speed.
I know the traxxas are pretty upgradable and I only need to get a battery and charger on top of the kit whereas the other will need everything.
Are there any others that are worth considering?
Budget ideally 300-350, absolute max of £400.
Thanks
I had a couple of cars as a kid - Tamiya Falcon and a Schumacher Pro Cat (awesome bit of kit at the time). So my thoughts are:-
Schumacher Top Cat Classic (possibly a bit old tech?)
Schumacher Cat XLS (possibly a bit old tech?)
Traxxas trx4 sport
Hobbytech HT-8-BXR-S1-KIT (never heard of them before but apparently quite good)
Planned use to be a mix of farmland, woodland and fairly flat grass. Thoughts and advice welcomed on what will be the most fun, robustness and of course decent handling and speed.
I know the traxxas are pretty upgradable and I only need to get a battery and charger on top of the kit whereas the other will need everything.
Are there any others that are worth considering?
Budget ideally 300-350, absolute max of £400.
Thanks
Edited by W12GT on Saturday 15th August 17:52
RTR will get you more for your money. Believe me you will get plenty of experience fixing and wrenching on any RC. At 5 and 8, YOU will be building that kit no matter how clever you think your kids are, because it needs to be put together properly.
The TRX4 sport is a crawler and not really meant for bashing around fields.
Go with an Arrma Senton or Typhoon or Traxxass Ruster or Slash.
Honestly at this level they are not toys and are all quality bits of kit that are well supported, just go with what you like the look of best. Those 4 can all be driven hard and jumped and will be reasonably fast.
They all come with good 2.4ghz radios these days, so crystals and interference just isnt an issue anymore.
You will get lots of personal recommendations as everyone has a favourite, but like I say choose the one you think looks the coolest.
The TRX4 sport is a crawler and not really meant for bashing around fields.
Go with an Arrma Senton or Typhoon or Traxxass Ruster or Slash.
Honestly at this level they are not toys and are all quality bits of kit that are well supported, just go with what you like the look of best. Those 4 can all be driven hard and jumped and will be reasonably fast.
They all come with good 2.4ghz radios these days, so crystals and interference just isnt an issue anymore.
You will get lots of personal recommendations as everyone has a favourite, but like I say choose the one you think looks the coolest.
When building with younger kids nothing beats the clarity of the Tamiya build instructions.
HobbyTech is re-branded Chinese Tat. Identify what it is on AliExpress and save yourself the uk mark-up. Or just avoid the pain altogether and don't buy that model!
Traxxas stuff is very good, instructions not anywhere near as easy to follow as Tamiya, nor as detailed. This will end up with you building it and the kids driving it.
Likewise the Schumacher stuff - very good and very competent cars but in my opinion a bit too advanced for kids. Plus access to spares isn't wonderful, but better than it was 2-3 years ago.
From your list most are buggies but the TRX4 is a slow crawler truck designed to take on obstacles. You say it's for farmland, woodland "fairly flat grass" - those buggies will only run well on very flat grass. They'll get caught up on anything else.
Consider a Tamiya. Avoid the re-released older stuff, it's not been re-engineered so all the old flaws are still present (unless you really like building and rebuilding / upgrading, which is understandable). They can't be beaten for illustrative build instructions, parts support and aftermarket upgrades. Plus, they'll hold their value and will still be worth something in 5 years time - the others on your list...not so much.
HobbyTech is re-branded Chinese Tat. Identify what it is on AliExpress and save yourself the uk mark-up. Or just avoid the pain altogether and don't buy that model!
Traxxas stuff is very good, instructions not anywhere near as easy to follow as Tamiya, nor as detailed. This will end up with you building it and the kids driving it.
Likewise the Schumacher stuff - very good and very competent cars but in my opinion a bit too advanced for kids. Plus access to spares isn't wonderful, but better than it was 2-3 years ago.
From your list most are buggies but the TRX4 is a slow crawler truck designed to take on obstacles. You say it's for farmland, woodland "fairly flat grass" - those buggies will only run well on very flat grass. They'll get caught up on anything else.
Consider a Tamiya. Avoid the re-released older stuff, it's not been re-engineered so all the old flaws are still present (unless you really like building and rebuilding / upgrading, which is understandable). They can't be beaten for illustrative build instructions, parts support and aftermarket upgrades. Plus, they'll hold their value and will still be worth something in 5 years time - the others on your list...not so much.
I recently built a CAT XLS and a Tamiya Racing Fighter (DT-03). The CAT was a wonderful build but pretty involved as there are a few stages that are quite tricky to get right- the gearbox needed some fettling to run perfectly, the differentials need bits supergluing together and tiny individual ball bearings put in the right place, the driveshafts are a pain (literally) to get together. I also thought the instructions weren't in the best order so was going backwards and forwards through the manual, not ideal with younger kids. Took me about 2 weeks of evenings to complete and I still need to get the bodyshell done. It is a lovely bit of model engineering though (those turned alloy shocks!) , have a watch of the interview with Cecil Schumacher about it on YouTube.
The Racing Fighter was perfect to build with my 5 year old son- everything fits perfectly but you still get to fill the shocks with oil, build the gear diff etc so it good for them to learn about how those bits work. Would recommend getting a proper JIS screwdriver set though to make it less likely to strip screw heads. You get an electronic speed controller and slightly tuned can motor in the box so just need radio, steering servo and batteries to complete. I wqas impressed how nippy it was out of the box and it will do great donuts on dusty concrete
Has been over various homemade jumps in the garden and has held up well. Only thing I've changed is the servo saver for a stronger Shumacher one, and added ball raced bearings during the build.
The Racing Fighter was perfect to build with my 5 year old son- everything fits perfectly but you still get to fill the shocks with oil, build the gear diff etc so it good for them to learn about how those bits work. Would recommend getting a proper JIS screwdriver set though to make it less likely to strip screw heads. You get an electronic speed controller and slightly tuned can motor in the box so just need radio, steering servo and batteries to complete. I wqas impressed how nippy it was out of the box and it will do great donuts on dusty concrete
Has been over various homemade jumps in the garden and has held up well. Only thing I've changed is the servo saver for a stronger Shumacher one, and added ball raced bearings during the build.Edited by lufbramatt on Tuesday 18th August 09:20
Have you considered the Tamiya Monster Beetle, Black Foot or Lunch Box? My 5-year-old loves mine, and they are great fun for blasting around a field. Not too fast, you have to build them, and for your budget, you could get a pair of them. The transmission is a bit niggly, but once that's sorted you are good to go and they also have a great look about them.
W12GT said:
I’m looking for a kit that I can build with the kids (5&8) - primarily for fun but also to teach them about the engineering of it so that when it get broken they understand how to repair them etc.
I had a couple of cars as a kid - Tamiya Falcon and a Schumacher Pro Cat (awesome bit of kit at the time). So my thoughts are:-
Schumacher Top Cat Classic (possibly a bit old tech?)
Schumacher Cat XLS (possibly a bit old tech?)
Traxxas trx4 sport
Hobbytech HT-8-BXR-S1-KIT (never heard of them before but apparently quite good)
Planned use to be a mix of farmland, woodland and fairly flat grass. Thoughts and advice welcomed on what will be the most fun, robustness and of course decent handling and speed.
I know the traxxas are pretty upgradable and I only need to get a battery and charger on top of the kit whereas the other will need everything.
Are there any others that are worth considering?
Budget ideally 300-350, absolute max of £400.
Thanks
1/8th scale or some kind of truck will go over the terrain better than a 1/10th buggy. The latter really wanting short grass or better surfaces.I had a couple of cars as a kid - Tamiya Falcon and a Schumacher Pro Cat (awesome bit of kit at the time). So my thoughts are:-
Schumacher Top Cat Classic (possibly a bit old tech?)
Schumacher Cat XLS (possibly a bit old tech?)
Traxxas trx4 sport
Hobbytech HT-8-BXR-S1-KIT (never heard of them before but apparently quite good)
Planned use to be a mix of farmland, woodland and fairly flat grass. Thoughts and advice welcomed on what will be the most fun, robustness and of course decent handling and speed.
I know the traxxas are pretty upgradable and I only need to get a battery and charger on top of the kit whereas the other will need everything.
Are there any others that are worth considering?
Budget ideally 300-350, absolute max of £400.
Thanks
Edited by W12GT on Saturday 15th August 17:52
TRX4 is completely different kind of RC, very slow. Very cool, but will feel lost and super slow in large open areas. They are not built for speed at all.
Not many kits about. The Schumacher ones are quite complex to build, need lots of time. And some will also say not the most fun to build. More a labour of love.
Really for kits, Tamiya is still king. But most of their models do under perform compared to others. For a fun basher vehicle, the Konghead is pretty good and not a bad build at all. Running a 10 or 13T brushless setup should give it more than enough poke.
You can get the Traxxas Stampede as a kit:
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/traxxas-stampede-4x4-...
Probably make for a better basher than the TRX4 unless rock crawling is what you want to do.
Normally I'd be advocating the Schumacher option, however...
Given your brief I think you'd struggle to keep the XLS within budget once you add radio gear, electrics and batteries and it is almost certainly too advanced a build to keep kids interested. The Top Cat should be possible within budget and the build is simpler than the XLS, but still more complicated than a Tamiya. Schumacher spares are easily available either directly from the factory via the Racing-Cars.com website or via dealers such as my own MuzzoomModels.co.uk.
So I would recommend a Tamiya as a first kit with kids. The box art, the instructions, the packaging and the simpler build all serve to capture young imaginations. Get them hooked now and then move onto a Schumacher when you're ready to hit some race tracks.
Given your brief I think you'd struggle to keep the XLS within budget once you add radio gear, electrics and batteries and it is almost certainly too advanced a build to keep kids interested. The Top Cat should be possible within budget and the build is simpler than the XLS, but still more complicated than a Tamiya. Schumacher spares are easily available either directly from the factory via the Racing-Cars.com website or via dealers such as my own MuzzoomModels.co.uk.
So I would recommend a Tamiya as a first kit with kids. The box art, the instructions, the packaging and the simpler build all serve to capture young imaginations. Get them hooked now and then move onto a Schumacher when you're ready to hit some race tracks.
When I was a kid I had the 1/10th Tamyia Monster Beatle it was a fun build. Back then battery life was woeful 5-8 minutes if you were lucky to a pack. Recharging initially I only had the slow charger then got one that did it in 30 mins but still woeful. I’d imagine today battery’s last vastly longer and massively quickler to charge.
I still have that at my parents house - it has a broken wheel but should work. Still have the box
Now/bought 8:9 years ago a Kyosho Inferno MP9 with I think a .27(?) nitro motor. Totally different kettle of fish - I bought it used and it’s immaculate. Loud as hell with an upgraded exhaust and goes like a scalded cat.
As you know it’s 1/8th scale BUT winter lawn length it doesn’t really like it instead it needs a track or surface.
A mate has a truckie banshee thing the height that thing can jump to is insane
But aside from the Monster beetle these are not kids toys I’m pretty sure they have a 14 min age on some of them.
I still have that at my parents house - it has a broken wheel but should work. Still have the box
Now/bought 8:9 years ago a Kyosho Inferno MP9 with I think a .27(?) nitro motor. Totally different kettle of fish - I bought it used and it’s immaculate. Loud as hell with an upgraded exhaust and goes like a scalded cat.
As you know it’s 1/8th scale BUT winter lawn length it doesn’t really like it instead it needs a track or surface.
A mate has a truckie banshee thing the height that thing can jump to is insane
But aside from the Monster beetle these are not kids toys I’m pretty sure they have a 14 min age on some of them.
I’ve built a Tamiya Sand Viper with the kids that they love. I’m just repairing my old Tamiya Falcon that I had given up on Mir recently found a company who 3D print the damaged/missing parts. Also buying some new electronics for it too (still have the updated motor I bought circa 30years ago!)
Thing is I think I’ve caught the bug and I am considering a Schumacher CAT XLS or a Tamiya Plasma Edge 2. Not sure how fast I want it to go - maybe 30-40mph. Any ideas on what will be the most fun?
I’m thinking it will be a good idea for the kids to understand the differences between RWD and 4WD....
Thing is I think I’ve caught the bug and I am considering a Schumacher CAT XLS or a Tamiya Plasma Edge 2. Not sure how fast I want it to go - maybe 30-40mph. Any ideas on what will be the most fun?
I’m thinking it will be a good idea for the kids to understand the differences between RWD and 4WD....
W12GT said:
I’ve built a Tamiya Sand Viper with the kids that they love. I’m just repairing my old Tamiya Falcon that I had given up on Mir recently found a company who 3D print the damaged/missing parts. Also buying some new electronics for it too (still have the updated motor I bought circa 30years ago!)
Thing is I think I’ve caught the bug and I am considering a Schumacher CAT XLS or a Tamiya Plasma Edge 2. Not sure how fast I want it to go - maybe 30-40mph. Any ideas on what will be the most fun?
I’m thinking it will be a good idea for the kids to understand the differences between RWD and 4WD....
When they are grown up it will either make no difference or all be all wheel drive and electric. Thing is I think I’ve caught the bug and I am considering a Schumacher CAT XLS or a Tamiya Plasma Edge 2. Not sure how fast I want it to go - maybe 30-40mph. Any ideas on what will be the most fun?
I’m thinking it will be a good idea for the kids to understand the differences between RWD and 4WD....
We all know the fastest possible car is an all wheel drive car (hence the 919 Evo lap of the ring down at 5:14 mins fastest RWD is nearly 1.5 minutes slower which on a 5 minute time isn’t even the same ball game heck it’s not even the same ball park.
Welshbeef said:
W12GT said:
I’ve built a Tamiya Sand Viper with the kids that they love. I’m just repairing my old Tamiya Falcon that I had given up on Mir recently found a company who 3D print the damaged/missing parts. Also buying some new electronics for it too (still have the updated motor I bought circa 30years ago!)
Thing is I think I’ve caught the bug and I am considering a Schumacher CAT XLS or a Tamiya Plasma Edge 2. Not sure how fast I want it to go - maybe 30-40mph. Any ideas on what will be the most fun?
I’m thinking it will be a good idea for the kids to understand the differences between RWD and 4WD....
When they are grown up it will either make no difference or all be all wheel drive and electric. Thing is I think I’ve caught the bug and I am considering a Schumacher CAT XLS or a Tamiya Plasma Edge 2. Not sure how fast I want it to go - maybe 30-40mph. Any ideas on what will be the most fun?
I’m thinking it will be a good idea for the kids to understand the differences between RWD and 4WD....
We all know the fastest possible car is an all wheel drive car (hence the 919 Evo lap of the ring down at 5:14 mins fastest RWD is nearly 1.5 minutes slower which on a 5 minute time isn’t even the same ball game heck it’s not even the same ball park.
My 7 yo son loves his Tamiya Mad Bull that he’s been bashing about with for the past 3 years. To start with I fitted a crawler motor which was plenty fast enough for him and saved too many big smashes/repairs. Now we’re onto the standard issue motor which is just right for him. The Mad Bull handles like a pig on stilts but has proved plenty entertaining enough for him and it’s very robust, even lording it off many a skate park half pipe 3 feet into the air then crashing down, occasionally on its wheels, mainly roof!
Same here really....
My 5yr (at the time son) wanted to build a car with me after seeing the real life parts in the garage so the only real option was a tamiya and we opted for a midnight pumpkin.
He really enjoyed building it and driving it - I fitted it with a programmable esc so setting max power and brake force as well as a little drag brake made learning to drive it easy for him in the garden.
The good thing with the tamiyas is that they are very basic so changing to dampers and adding a couple of braces makes a real tangible difference to how it performs on its landings (the only thing my boy wants to do is huge jumps) and it is easy to explain to a 5/6 year old how they work etc by taking them apart and changing oils etc etc......
And now daddy's got an arrma Typhon (3s) we play together at a local MTB jump track and skate park, only last week with the arrma he managed a full 360 with attitude adjust and a perfect landing with an altitude of about 17-18ft..... Crazy stuff at 6yrs nearly 7yrs old but he does play a lot of hill climb racer.
The arrma RTR stuff is very impressive compared to the RC of yesteryear (when I was 14) .....I am not sure I would take a CAT XLS to a skate park or down the woods really, Every small boy and girl just wants to hoon jumps in our experience of handing remotes to anyone who shows an interest!
He's getting a brushed arrma granite for Christmas, He will of just turned 7.
My 5yr (at the time son) wanted to build a car with me after seeing the real life parts in the garage so the only real option was a tamiya and we opted for a midnight pumpkin.
He really enjoyed building it and driving it - I fitted it with a programmable esc so setting max power and brake force as well as a little drag brake made learning to drive it easy for him in the garden.
The good thing with the tamiyas is that they are very basic so changing to dampers and adding a couple of braces makes a real tangible difference to how it performs on its landings (the only thing my boy wants to do is huge jumps) and it is easy to explain to a 5/6 year old how they work etc by taking them apart and changing oils etc etc......
And now daddy's got an arrma Typhon (3s) we play together at a local MTB jump track and skate park, only last week with the arrma he managed a full 360 with attitude adjust and a perfect landing with an altitude of about 17-18ft..... Crazy stuff at 6yrs nearly 7yrs old but he does play a lot of hill climb racer.
The arrma RTR stuff is very impressive compared to the RC of yesteryear (when I was 14) .....I am not sure I would take a CAT XLS to a skate park or down the woods really, Every small boy and girl just wants to hoon jumps in our experience of handing remotes to anyone who shows an interest!
He's getting a brushed arrma granite for Christmas, He will of just turned 7.
W12GT said:
Thing is I think I’ve caught the bug and I am considering a Schumacher CAT XLS or a Tamiya Plasma Edge 2. Not sure how fast I want it to go - maybe 30-40mph. Any ideas on what will be the most fun?
I’m thinking it will be a good idea for the kids to understand the differences between RWD and 4WD....
my understanding is the schumacher Re-releases of cat etc are no fun to make. Buy Kyosho!I’m thinking it will be a good idea for the kids to understand the differences between RWD and 4WD....
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