Dads

[SWCrawler]

I have a 9,7 & 4 yr old. for xmas i was looking to buy the wraiths for the elder two and scx10 for the youngest. I was going to go with 5000 mih nimh batts for safety as i cannot be around them all the time because of my job. My worries are will they enjoy these? they are not Traxxas fast, but runtime is crucial. Any opinions? How have your kids enjoyed these or did they get bored?

[scalemadness]

I have a 9yo daughter and a 14yo son they both have moodified scx10s running 8.4v 5000mah nimh batteries both are waterproof and they enjoy the heck out of them but even more so when dad can join

[Jeepiac]

I think without a few aftermarket parts mainly on the front axle that the Wraiths are going to brake rather quickly in the hands of younger kids. Hell, I broke a c-hub 15 minutes into my first outing with mine. Why not get them all SCX10's? The durability will be way better in stock form, several different RTR's to chose from and all the parts will be the same in case you decide to stock a few spares. Also, you might check out the AX10 Deadbolt. Very durable and capable crawler and with 2.2 tires it's a great backyard basher.
I think you are doing right by going with Nimh batteries and run times wont be a problem. My 14 year old daughter comps with a Deadbolt and with 3000 mah Nimh batteries it will run an hour no problem. Of course running slowly through a course affects the battery differently than wide open passes around the yard.

[mikebecher]

I've struggled to keep my 12 and 9 year old boys interested in a couple of Maxstone crawlers. I wasn't going to shell out the money for Axials until they could show enough interest and responsibility first. Even when I let them run my Wraith and my wife's Yeti they lose interest relatively quickly and will return to playing on the computer. There have been a few occasions when we have all gone somewhere to crawl and bash and that has worked out all right. But if they have other options for playing they choose those over RC every time. When I was a kid I would have killed to have an RC, which likely explains my fanaticism for it now.

This is just my experience and I hope it's not typical. Kids just have so many more playtime options now, too many of which enable them to stay inside on their asses, IMO. Good luck!

[Duuuuuuuude]

I've tried repeatedly to get my son into rc stuff, he's just not all that into it. He likes being outdoors, and he has a mild interest in scale wheeling, just not enough to devote any real time to it.

Pretty much every rig I've picked up specifically for him I've either reclaimed or sold. I do keep one around just in case he decides he wants to give it a go though...

[Killa-Cotton]

Same thing with my son. He's grown up with some great rc cars and trucks but could care less. I remember when I was a kid I dreamed of having a "real" rc car/truck. Of course I had a Sears Lobo and then a Lobo II but then I got a Radio Shack Golden Arrow. Man I thought that was the fastest rc car made. I had a buddy that got a RC10 for xmas one year so I begged my parents for one. The next xmas I got a Traxxs Bullet which was the first true hobby grade RTR car. I've been hooked ever since. LOL, I remember staring a the pic of the Clodbuster in the Tower Hobbies catalog for hours. I still have boxes of RC Car Action mags dating back to the 80's. Good times!

Originally Posted by Duuuuuuuude

I've tried repeatedly to get my son into rc stuff, he's just not all that into it. He likes being outdoors, and he has a mild interest in scale wheeling, just not enough to devote any real time to it.

Pretty much every rig I've picked up specifically for him I've either reclaimed or sold. I do keep one around just in case he decides he wants to give it a go though...

[sdmf]

Kids like relatively quick trucks. If I bring over my mini revo or ecx, my buddies kids will go through as many batteries as I brought. When I gave them my wraith, they came back after 20 mins bored.

I think something like the 18th scale ecx or brushed 10th would be a cheap option for kids.

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[Rat]

I bought my 5 year old son a Traxxas Stampede to start with. That thing was bullet proof. He quit using it as soon as I got an SCX10. He likes crawling more than bashing which was really strange to me. The SCX10 (Deadbolt) has lasted very well. The only upgrades are aluminum lower/ steering links and so far no breakage.

[altd896]

Originally Posted by Jeepiac

I think without a few aftermarket parts mainly on the front axle that the Wraiths are going to brake rather quickly in the hands of younger kids. Hell, I broke a c-hub 15 minutes into my first outing with mine. .......... Also, you might check out the AX10 Deadbolt. Very durable and capable crawler and with 2.2 tires it's a great backyard basher.

This is pretty strange advice, I'm assuming your completely unaware that the AX10 Deadbolt & the Wraith have exactly the same front axle & largely the same drive train, all of the faults of the Wraith will be the same for the AX10.

Originally Posted by Jeepiac

Why not get them all SCX10's? The durability will be way better in stock form, several different RTR's to chose from and all the parts will be the same in case you decide to stock a few spares.

This however makes complete sense, at least the part about 3 rigs the same anyway, if 2 boys have 2.2 rigs & 1 has a 1.9 & he's always being left behind on trail runs cos the 2.2s get up stuff he struggles with he's going to get sick of it pretty fast.

[ribaja]

My girls (3 1/2 & 7)don't have their own rc's per say but have claimed a traxxas summit and scx10 (honcho) as their own. My oldest has been running the summit for 2 years with any trouble or broken parts and the 3 year old has been running the honcho this summer with minimal breakage (stock steering servo).They run lipos but they know daddy has to do anything battery related. This works for them right now as they think that they has their own rc's and daddy has two but really daddy has four lol.

[new2rocks]

It's an interesting question that nobody can answer for you, because every kid and every family dynamic is different. When I got back into the hobby, I had good reason to think that our then 4 year-old would take to it (loves Legos, puzzles and anything with wheels). I had no idea what our daughter (then 6) would think. But I decided I wouldn't get immersed unless it was something I could do with one or both of them (figured there was little hope for my wife to wrench, lol). I started with a TT-01 and SC10 4x4. Both kids were willing to help with the builds for 20-30 mins at a time. When it came time to run them, they were both intimidated by the speed at first. The Wraith and SCX-10 with end points dialed waaaaaay back were much more their speed in terms of driving.

But that's only part of the story, because being involved in this hobby is about much more than driving stuff either slow or fast. I decided to get back in because I was interested and thought it was something he and I (and maybe also our daughter) could enjoy together. I tried involving them (esp the little guy) in the builds, which he liked, but it didn't really start to click for him until I let the build process proceed at his pace instead of mine with lots of time helping understand the how and why in addition to the what. For much of this year, he has been involved at most every step save for soldering and body work on just about every build. His interest level has increased that much more, and the bonding time is priceless. He now points out design features and asks questions like, "I wonder when the servo makers are going to figure out that everyone cuts the tabs off the servos and stop putting the tabs there?" Getting there took an inherently interested child and a major investment in my time and willingness to go at his pace (which didn't come naturally to me). Our daughter now seeks out time to help at the workbench once or twice a week, probably motivated by a desire to be included. I'm happy to indulge whenever she wants but let her decide when and how often.

If your kids have a genuine interest in something more than a toy and you can create the bandwidth to really make it a shared experience with them, you and they will get 10x more out of it. If that doesn't work with your schedule (which I know is tough with 3 kids and a busy work life) or the kids don't embrace the hobby because they just aren't interested in working on greasy things with wheels, these are likely to become just more high-priced toys that they may or may not take to and likely will lose interest in after a brief time. And if that's what they're going to be, it probably doesn't matter as much which particular rigs you get them (though I'd probably vote Ascender for best combo of box-stock durability and capability for the price).

I know it's not a simple answer, but I hope it helps. Good luck!


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[SWCrawler]

Thanks for all the input. I have scx10s, a wraith, tf2. My kid's are unaware of this. Tons of extra parts. Thought process was something to do together that all three boys could participate in and get them outdoors more. One I mntn bike with the other bmx park and the little guy whereever his attn is that day. So brother time too. RTR's are the ticket for them. If I had them more, builds definitely. Again thanks for all the input.

[Prime]

My daughter is 7.5 years old and has had a brushed 2wd Slash and a tlt based spare parts crawler for over a year and a half now. She is always eager to run them. I think maybe because R/C has always been a staple in our house since my wife and I are both R/C nuts. This year for Christmas we are going to get her a Dingo, that way we will all be running SCX trucks and it will make stocking spare parts easier.

[Habanero]

My son was drooling over a unimog at the store so I am building one for him now. In hindsight I think it was a mistake because the cc01 kit's tap screws take an awful lot of force to tighten and loosen without stripping the head- I don't think he can work on it.

I know that he likes speed (and prefers minecraft to most other activities) so crawling may not be for him - but I am taking him on a group crawl soon and we will see how it goes.

[Jeepiac]

Originally Posted by altd896

This is pretty strange advice, I'm assuming your completely unaware that the AX10 Deadbolt & the Wraith have exactly the same front axle & largely the same drive train, all of the faults of the Wraith will be the same for the AX10.




This however makes complete sense, at least the part about 3 rigs the same anyway, if 2 boys have 2.2 rigs & 1 has a 1.9 & he's always being left behind on trail runs cos the 2.2s get up stuff he struggles with he's going to get sick of it pretty fast.

The AX10's I've been around were much lighter and seemed to hold up way better. Just sharing my opinion, but thanks for jumping up like I said something about your mom.

[phillyb]

My son is three and just about since birth has loved cars and trucks, so I have rebuilt my old AX10 into a hybrid with a giant body and he loves it. We just run around in an open field, for now anyway. He loves to pretend wrench on it and wants his own tools etc. He hasn't really been exposed much to video games, even though I am a huge gamer I have managed to only play games after he goes to sleep, although he has a tablet loaded up with abc mouse etc we restrict his tablet time big time.

[altd896]

Originally Posted by Jeepiac

The AX10's I've been around were much lighter and seemed to hold up way better. Just sharing my opinion, but thanks for jumping up like I said something about your mom.

Congratulations you've got an opinion, doesn't automatically make you right.
I've got an opinion too, I'll spare you the details of that though.

Axial says the weight difference is 4.75lb v 5.45lb, hardly enough to cause the immediate failure of the front end.
If the Wraiths you've seen have failures because they are way heavier because they were loaded with super scale stuff or a brick sized lipo it would have be useful to explain that in your first post not just say the Wraith breaks, only ½ the information is only slightly more use than no information.

My mom says hi, thanks.

[Outlawaresee]

My son is 6 now and he's on maybe his 6th personal RC. He's raced the Winter series 18 scale last year and won the kids class. Before that he was racing dirt 1/10 with a 3900kv SC truck. We've since then gotten into Crawlers. He had a custom painted Twin Hammers and now has a Wraith.

I know boys are different in their interest and level of responsibility, but he has done very well taking care of his RC. I tell him not to run into water above the axles on the Crawlers and he measures with a stick and asks at every crossing.

One thing I'd like to mention, as someone above brought up tire size differences between the kids. Young ones are very proud when they are able to keep up. If one has 1.9's that is a bit of a disadvantage. If they have a top heavy rig with skinny axles, that is a disadvantage. You and I might see it as a fun challenge, but a young person in a group of RC's wants to be able to run across things others do and it's much easier with something like a Wraith. Personally, I'd go with the Wraith and upgrade what needs to be upgraded...just my 2 cents.

[Jeepiac]

Originally Posted by altd896

Congratulations you've got an opinion, doesn't automatically make you right.
I've got an opinion too, I'll spare you the details of that though.

Axial says the weight difference is 4.75lb v 5.45lb, hardly enough to cause the immediate failure of the front end.
If the Wraiths you've seen have failures because they are way heavier because they were loaded with super scale stuff or a brick sized lipo it would have be useful to explain that in your first post not just say the Wraith breaks, only ½ the information is only slightly more use than no information.

My mom says hi, thanks.

It appears you are looking for someone to pick at and I fit the bill. I started to fall for it, but I don't think this thread or anywhere on this site is a proper place to get into a pissing match over a comment I made that you don't agree with. Just voiced my opinion, right or wrong it's my opinion. I apologize that I didn't go more into detail about why I said the Wraith breaks. I hope this is enough to pacify you and we can stop this pointless argument. You are right, I am wrong. You are pretty and I am ugly. You are smart and I am dumb, and we're both morons for arguing about toy trucks over the internet. If you would read through this entire thread you would see that the rest of us were trying to give advise and help a guy with his decision. Maybe my advise isn't all that good, but at least I took the time to try and be helpful. From what I've seen all you've done on this thread is pick apart what I've said. Not any effort to give advise or to be helpful like everyone else. No matter how right you are in your statements you can't remove the fact that you've proven your character. I am now finished. You can come at me with all you want and continue to pick apart everything I've said. I'm fine with it cause I have a life outside of finding wrong in what other say and trying to make it way bigger than what it really was. I wish the best for you, have a great day and God bless you!

[altd896]

Originally Posted by Jeepiac

It appears you are looking for someone to pick at and I fit the bill. I started to fall for it, but I don't think this thread or anywhere on this site is a proper place to get into a pissing match over a comment I made that you don't agree with. Just voiced my opinion, right or wrong it's my opinion. I apologize that I didn't go more into detail about why I said the Wraith breaks. I hope this is enough to pacify you and we can stop this pointless argument. You are right, I am wrong. You are pretty and I am ugly. You are smart and I am dumb, and we're both morons for arguing about toy trucks over the internet. If you would read through this entire thread you would see that the rest of us were trying to give advise and help a guy with his decision. Maybe my advise isn't all that good, but at least I took the time to try and be helpful. From what I've seen all you've done on this thread is pick apart what I've said. Not any effort to give advise or to be helpful like everyone else. No matter how right you are in your statements you can't remove the fact that you've proven your character. I am now finished. You can come at me with all you want and continue to pick apart everything I've said. I'm fine with it cause I have a life outside of finding wrong in what other say and trying to make it way bigger than what it really was. I wish the best for you, have a great day and God bless you!

Consider me suitably chastised for daring to correct some questionable information on the internet.
You too have a great day.