Hi all,
My 9 year old was fascinated by an electric RC car recently. We are shopping for a beginner car for him. Something in an all terrain (we live in the country away from smooth asphalt), electric, preferably RTR, with some speed.
I have been looking at some of the HPI E-Savage cars but was told that parts are hard to find?
Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations, things to avoid?

Thanks,
Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com

id look at a 1/10 scale electric stadium truck like a associated t4 there pretty tough and parts are easy to get. its only about 235$ for the race spec so if your son gets into racing later on he can do that. :)

For a beginner and someone that is more than likely just going to be bashing around having fun I feel it is real hard to beat a Traxxas Stampede. Built durable and pretty inexpensive and will go pretty well through most anything this side of tall grass. If you're looking along the lines of something with 4wd and a little bigger I'd suggest the Traxxas EMaxx. Proven design and built like a tank. I have no experience with the HPI truck so I can't help you there but it doesn't seem to be a very popular model.

I second the traxxas for backyard and entry level club racing. The Emaxx will get-r-done with 4wd. The new SLASH a Championship Off-road Racing styled truck looks really cool. The Slash was designed as a Pro-2 truck...or 2wd. I assume in the future they will make a Pro-4 truck and out-class the 4wd buggies.

Hi all,
My 9 year old was fascinated by an electric RC car recently. We are shopping for a beginner car for him. Something in an all terrain (we live in the country away from smooth asphalt), electric, preferably RTR, with some speed.
I have been looking at some of the HPI E-Savage cars but was told that parts are hard to find?
Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations, things to avoid?

Thanks,
Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com

MANY MANY vehicles to choose from.
Do you have a local hobby shop? If you do, see what vehicles they carry.
Your budget will make a difference.
Definitely you want to get a truck or Monster truck.
If 100 people answered this post, you would get 100 different answers.
Here is the low down as I see it.
Electric is the way to go when you get started. Simple to set up and get running.
Charger-
Get a high quality charger. Notice I didn't say expensive.. just high quality.
Make sure it is NiMh Compatible. AND if you want to plan for the future, get one that is Lipo Compatible.
You also want to get AC/DC if you can and one that charges at at least 5 amps.
Duratrax Ice is a great all around charger, but you would need a power supply.
The Integy 16 X 4 is a great charger to get started with. Many more to choose from... do some research. Get the best you can afford.

Batteries:
There are many different choices. Get the best you can afford.
Nickle Metal Hydrides are the way to go. They are very tough and don't really need any special treatment for bashing. Do NOT get Nicads. They are cheap.. but old technology that need special care to keep them running at peak performance.
Get the highest capacity you can afford. 3300 mah minimum. Longer run times make for longer fun times.
You do not need matched packs.... Stick packs would be fine to get started.
Lipo's are new technology. They are great but need a special charger that is Lipo compatible.

Now to the fun stuff... The Vehicles
The most economical choice are:
Traxxas Stampede
HPI Wheely King
Traxxas Rustler
Duratrax Evader ST

Then you move up the line:
Losi XXXT RTR
Associated RTR T4
HPI Fire Storm
Traxxas Slash


The there are the monster trucks.
Emaxx
HPI E Savage

Here is my take on things....
The first group are great economical choices. All of them are plenty fast to get started and there are upgrades to increase the speed as you gain experience.
The Stampede is a 2 wheel drive monster truck and is very entry level and quite top heavy. It is a great truck for bashing, lots of ground clearance. If there were any desire to ever race, this would not be a good choice.
The Wheely King falls into the same category. Great fun.

The other trucks mentioned are great for bashing AND if you wanted to could get you started in racing. The Losi and Associated are really race trucks that have been "softened" into RTR vehicles. All of them are fast, jump great and very durable. All of them can be upgraded for speed and durability. The only thing is that they sit a little lower to the ground then the monster trucks and consequently, running in deep grass is a little hard on them.

The Last but not least of the group are the Monster Trucks.
Either one would be a good choice.
The Emaxx is the best bang for your buck in my opinion and definetly worth the extra initial money to get up and running. You can also find them used at a good price on most swap and sell forums like the one on this site. Ebay tends to inflate the price... but you can find good deals there also.
The E Savage too is a great truck. These are purchases that you would make for the long run. You will spend more to get started.. but they will last a LONG time. The are HUGE.. the go over just about anything, they are really fast and jump like crazy.

All of these vehicles have great customer support. Most have great aftermarket support with hop ups for speed, durability and looks.

I would recommend that you really do some research.
Decide what usage the vehicle would get. Just running for fun or racing also?
Decide how much you would want to spend. Get the best you can afford.
You now have names and manufactures... research them and check prices and features.
Feel free to ask more questions here. You can feel free to PM me also if you have specific questions.
Hope this helps get you started. This is a great hobby. Tons of fun, you and your kids will learn a lot about mechanical and electronics that become very useful in every day life. It also provide you with an opportunity to spend hours fo quality time with your child having fun.

Let us know what you decide!!!
Dan

leeroy98, If your looking for something for a 9 year old 1/18 I thik would be good beginer. I have an rc18mt and it ran perfectly for a full year. then I oly had to replace the motor ( 10 bucks) and some plastic parts. its RTR and has 4wd. you get what you pay for. lots of upgrades and its all terrain ( just about just no water).

Hope this helps,

RC18MT

Deffinately go with Traxxas. They are the best beginner vehicle out there. Most shops have them and they are good quality starter vehicle. Electric is the best to start with. Find a hobby shop in your area and see what they have and go from there.

I would advise to go with something electric. With Lipo and brushless technology, you'll be able to run as fast and long as any nitro, with nowhere near the maintenance. The Traxxas trucks are a good choice, they have a good supply of parts. Same with Losi and Associated. The 18T series is also a good choice.

The new Traxxas "Slash" might be a good choice. Realistic looks and good performance from what I'm hearing.

Thanks all, my son is now the proud owner of an electric Traxxas Stampede. So far we are very pleased with the performance of the truck.
Thanks again to all for your input.

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com

I'm glad you and your Son found what you were looking for. I'm sure you will be pleased with the 'pedes performance for many years to come. I still have an older one that I throw a battery pack in whenever I get the erg for a quick R/C "fix". :)

look at the offroad for sale area i have a complete associated rc10t3 truck ready to run for sale

Thanks all, my son is now the proud owner of an electric Traxxas Stampede. So far we are very pleased with the performance of the truck.
Thanks again to all for your input.

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com


Cool, I had the Stampede's Daddy(?) called the Sledgehammer in the early nineties. That thing was great and built like a tank, I'm sure you'll have a great time with the 'Pede.

Good choice! Pedes RULE! I had 4.