First time crawlers for boys 5 and 7

[GaryTheSnail]

I'm looking to get crawlers for my boys, 5 and 7 year olds. I and a genuine newbie to this stuff and don't have much time to spend on building or mods, though I am good with tools and understand electronics.

I'm thinking I could get something in the $100 to $200 range (each), and I'd prefer 1/10. Also, looking for something with easily obtainable replaceable parts. I did notice Redcat and Exceed seem to have 1/10 products in this range.

So, I'm looking for recommendations. I've looked at some on Amazon and eBay, but I thought I'd come here to get opinions from the experts.

[GaryTheSnail]

OK, I'll start with a couple that I spotted.
Redcat Racing Rockslide-RS10-XT-24 ?
1/10 Exceed RC MaxStone 4WD ?

[chazekxt]

i have the maxstone 16 and love it i got mine on amazon. the shipping is much cheaper then nitrorcx.

[GaryTheSnail]

Originally Posted by chazekxt

i have the maxstone 16 and love it i got mine on amazon. the shipping is much cheaper then nitrorcx.

Yeah I saw that one. It's Exceed RC right?

[crawlhog]

with the trucks your looking at youll spend alot of time repairing and modding. had both , just money pits IMO.

[GaryTheSnail]

Originally Posted by crawlhog

with the trucks your looking at youll spend alot of time repairing and modding. had both , just money pits IMO.

So what would you suggest I look at?

[TRE3TOP]

from my limited experience dealing with customers on the hobby side of our store, a 5 year old or 7 year old may be more along the lines of a stadium truck than a crawler at this point in their life. also, to echo what crawlhog said, you definitely get what you pay for.

[GaryTheSnail]

Originally Posted by TRE3TOP

from my limited experience dealing with customers on the hobby side of our store, a 5 year old or 7 year old may be more along the lines of a stadium truck than a crawler at this point in their life. also, to echo what crawlhog said, you definitely get what you pay for.

Well, that's why I posted in the newbie section. Can you expand on what the 5-7 years olds buy? My boys love video games with off-road motorcycles and 4-wheelers. They love to watch the crawler videos on Youtube.

[chazekxt]

Originally Posted by GaryTheSnail

Yeah I saw that one. It's Exceed RC right?

yes i also put the fireball 370 motor it lots faster now

[GaryTheSnail]

I should add that one of the things that attracted me to the crawlers is that they're slow! My boys like to crash into things, so slower is better. All the other cheap RC stuff we've gotten has been broken within a few days (in one case, within the first hour) and there are no parts available for the cheap stuff.

[chopfather]

You could get them micro crawlers like the losi trail trekker or the redcat sumo. I have both and I'm getting a losi for my son for Christmas. Check out the losi micro crawler section for more info on the sumo or trail trekker.

[Dubnrub]

I have an exceed maxstone 16. Most fun I've ever had for 100$. It has been very durable. I think it would be an excellent choice. I am up to about 250$ in mine. Some mods and some batteries. I out perform the neighbors slickrock. Just know that it's small plastic pieces under a large amount of stress breakage is inevitable but most losi MRc parts fit with minimal modifying. The redcat everest 16 looks to be the same to me. It is slow in stock form but powerfull enough to perform very well. There is a thread in this forum covering the maxstone 16. Give it a read. Don't let the off brand haters get you down. Do your research and pick what works for you.

Mobile Uploads Photos by bellersteven | Photobucket

[Boogie]

The big problem you're going to run into is with parts support. The two rigs you listed have parts support in some capacity I'm sure, but it won't be local (Redcat MAY have some local parts support, but it's mostly for their more mainstream vehicles), meaning you'll likely have to wait a week or so for new parts WHEN they break. Through RPP, CKRC, or Tower (possibly some others), you can get an RTR Axial SCX10 Deadbolt for around $260-270 after coupon codes. Yes, it's slightly over your budget, but they're proven trucks with parts support at nearly every LHS out there. Not to mention, the trucks can grow with them and be upgraded slowly as they or you see fit, and you will find a MUCH better aftermarket for them. Do it right the first time instead of purchasing the same cheap rigs twice over and spend twice the amount of downtime waiting on parts.

[Dubnrub]

I just found out that tower has a deal you can get an Axial Deadbolt SCX10 for 100$ a month. As a father of 4 I rarely have 300$ that I can spend. But I do have 100$ at least once a month. Haha. My first 20$ of January is going to RCC for providing us with this incredible forum. Then I'm doin the deal. I've been surfing the SCX pages for weeks. No one in my area has a mini and I would like to go out with them on trail runs. All SCXs and wraiths.

[sdmf]

I don't like repeating stuff from a similar thread, but... You should really look into the ECX 1/18th scale. They are not fast, they are quick, they take a crash or several dozen, parts support should be decent, not Traxxas though. They are relatively cheap as well, running 110$ up here in Canada. There are 2 versions as well, a monster truck, and a short course truck. They come with everything needed to operate, except that you may want a better charger or spare batteries. I was rocking the 1/18 Torment inside a house the other day, crashed it many times, mostly for fun.
Ruckus 1/18th 4WD Monster Truck RTR (ECX01000): ECX RC
Torment 1/18th 4WD Short Course Truck RTR (ECX01001): ECX RC

[Boogie]

Originally Posted by Dubnrub

I just found out that tower has a deal you can get an Axial Deadbolt SCX10 for 100$ a month. As a father of 4 I rarely have 300$ that I can spend. But I do have 100$ at least once a month. Haha. My first 20$ of January is going to RCC for providing us with this incredible forum. Then I'm doin the deal. I've been surfing the SCX pages for weeks. No one in my area has a mini and I would like to go out with them on trail runs. All SCXs and wraiths.

Actually, after the coupon code, it's around $89. I'm doing the same deal right now.

[Yamaguy]

Little guys that need slow and good parts support?
Used Losi Night Crawler. Great parts support for anything Losi and the truck is fun to use stock- and slow by design.

[sdmf]

Originally Posted by Yamaguy

Little guys that need slow and good parts support?
Used Losi Night Crawler. Great parts support for anything Losi and the truck is fun to use stock- and slow by design.

Kids and worm gears wouldn't be an ideal combination

[Tossedman]

I got my 8 year old an SCX10 Jeep G6 falken edition. Got a screaming good deal at the LHS. He's broken a couple of parts that we replaced from the spare parts tree that comes with it. No upgrades yet love the flexible plastic links. They bend, not break. The neighbour's boy has gone through about 6 cheap Toys R Us trucks in the time my boy has had his. They break. Battery life sucks while the SCX10 just keeps going. He goes all afternoon on one NIMH battery. Another plus is that he'll still be interested in it in a few years.

[Yamaguy]

Originally Posted by sdmf

Kids and worm gears wouldn't be an ideal combination

Why are worm gears and kids a bad combo? The performance is slow and deliberate by nature. Dad can throw some grease in them from time to time...