First rc car?

[Austin_Metro]

It’s my son’s birthday next week.

Thinking of buying an FTx tracer from model sport. I want it to go well on the grass of a cricket field and not need major repairs if it hits a Kerb.



Or could get the blackzon slyder. It has a speed limiter on the handset which might be good.

Any advice?

Both have a 390 motor, which I assume is sufficient. It was all Tamiya in my day and a 380 grass hopper was ok

[Geffg]

How olds your son?
Not sure on that model but the brushless motor models are quite rapid compared to the old battery ones.
Took me off guard when I first tried mine years ago. Pulled the throttle right back and got a shock how quick they are. Hit a few things with it till I got used to it including my own foot and broke my big toe!!??
I bought a hpi buggy from modelsport. Seemed a decent place and knowledgable.

Edited by Geffg on Sunday 16th July 20:29

Edited by Geffg on Sunday 16th July 20:30

[blueST]

The Tracer is about the best you can get for the money. It should go fine on cricket pitch grass. The adjustable speed is handy for a young beginner. They are tough, spares are cheap if you need them. They beneift from an oil shock upgrade. The JK-RC ones are better than the FTX ones. An extra battery is more or less essential.

Modelsport are good. Jadlam are great too and are run by a PHer.

[Austin_Metro]

Geffg said:

How olds your son?
Not sure on that model but the brushless motor models are quite rapid compared to the old battery ones.
Took me off guard when I first tried mine years ago. Pulled the throttle right back and got a shock how quick they are. Hit a few things with it till I got used to it including my own foot and broke my big toe!!??
I bought a hpi buggy from modelsport. Seemed a decent place and knowledgable.

Edited by Geffg on Sunday 16th July 20:29

Edited by Geffg on Sunday 16th July 20:30

He’ll be ten.

[Austin_Metro]

blueST said:

The Tracer is about the best you can get for the money. It should go fine on cricket pitch grass. The adjustable speed is handy for a young beginner. They are tough, spares are cheap if you need them. They beneift from an oil shock upgrade. The JK-RC ones are better than the FTX ones. An extra battery is more or less essential.

Modelsport are good. Jadlam are great too and are run by a PHer.

Thanks. I’ll look there too. Keep it in the family!

[blueST]

Austin_Metro said:

He’ll be ten.

If he’s 10, he might outgrow the Tracer quite quickly, but it’s still a good start.

[Davie]

Yup, another vote for the Tracer.

My little boy got his when he was four… he’s just turned six. It’s been given utter death in that period and is still taking it which genuinely astonishes me. The shell is in tatters and it lost a screw from the steering link at about 67,000 miles but a replacement was pennies via Jadlam.

We went through a stage there of being utterly ruthless, almost trying to break it courtesy of huge air at the skate park and by running along a beach…

I’m not actually sure it’s possible to kill one…

[Austin_Metro]

Davie said:

Yup, another vote for the Tracer.

My little boy got his when he was four… he’s just turned six. It’s been given utter death in that period and is still taking it which genuinely astonishes me. The shell is in tatters and it lost a screw from the steering link at about 67,000 miles but a replacement was pennies via Jadlam.

We went through a stage there of being utterly ruthless, almost trying to break it courtesy of huge air at the skate park and by running along a beach…

I’m not actually sure it’s possible to kill one…

That’s good. I bought one today. With an extra battery.

[Austin_Metro]

Thanks for the advice all.

I’ve just charged it and had a secret go in the back garden. It can powerslide all 4 wheels when on full lock and full power. Forwards and backwards. That’s exactly what I wanted. That’s plenty of poke from those tiny batteries.

If it’s a hit I’ll buy a brushless one for me …