R/C Car project question

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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I know this really doesn't go here but whatever.
In the summer, I like to do projects with my kids.

Try as I might, my son doesn't care about planes and when it comes to RC, I can make anything fly.
ON the other hand, I know NOTHING about RC cars. He wants one and I said I would pay for it so long as it is a buildable project meaning we buy a chassis, wheels, esc, controls, servos, motor, etc and build it. I just tucked him in and he seems stoked about this.

I have no idea where to start. When I was a kid, I went to a place called RC RC in OKC and the top of the line car was called an RC-10. It was a build it yourself RC car that seemed really fast to me but it was components you assembled.

Anyone on here know of a 2019 equivalent where I might spend $300-ish on a modern version that would take us a few weeks to build and teach him a little about how something mechanical works along the way?

Thanks.
 
Been quite a few years since I did anything with a RC car, but my one recollection is you want something where all the parts are readily available for repair, be it simply worn out dogbones, or crashed A arms.
 
Pretty much everything these days is RTR (Ready to Run) or BND (Bind-N-Drive). Not much out there in the way of kits anymore, but you'll learn the ins and outs of it with maintenance and mods really quick...you'll get really good at soldering and working on really tedious projects. Major brands are Traxxas, Team Associated, HPI, Losi, Axial, and a couple others.

This could be an option, but you'll be a good bit over $300. You'd need a transmitter, receiver, esc, servos, li-po's, and a motor. https://www.rcsuperstore.com/Traxxa...m_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shoppingengine
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I

Try as I might, my son doesn't care about planes and when it comes to RC, I can make anything fly.
Click to expand...


Surprised you haven't brought an RC plane to one of the fly-ins. After hours RC aerobatics competitions would be entertaining.
 
They've re-released some of the popular kits of the 80's and 90's. This one was my favorite, regret ever selling it!
ltamc8633.jpg
 
Depends what he wants to do. Racing is a blast and is what I have done on and off over the years. I prefer 1/10 scale off-road. For that Team Losi, Team Associated, X-ray are good choices. X-ray also does some nice on-road cars as well.

The hobby can get pretty complex when you start getting into tuning them. Springs, shock oil, gearing, roll center, etc. can all be tuned. There’s a lot to learn.

I always got the kit versions rather than the RTR ones as you learn a lot building them that helps you repair them when they break. It also lets you use better components than typically come in the RTR versions

 
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SixPapaCharlie said:
Anyone on here know of a 2019 equivalent where I might spend $300-ish on a modern version that would take us a few weeks to build and teach him a little about how something mechanical works along the way?
Click to expand...

Send him to Forced Labor Mechanic's Summer Camp at Ted Dupuis' house?
 
He wants to jump them on a dirt track.
We used to have this great hobby shop called mikes hobbies and they had this massive dirt track and another kid let him race a car on it.

He brought it up last night and sounded like fun if we can make a project out of it versus me just buying him a toy.
I want a multi week project .
 
The link I sent you is to a build-and-drive car. Comes with everything RTR comes with, but you get to build it.

It is a 1/10 scale which is a popular size. Can be upgraded as you wish to stronger power setups, etc.

Checks all the boxes you asked about.
 
If you want serious, how about a...


V10 hybrid electric RC car!

This guy is pretty serious. The next video in the series actually shows it running on its electrics. This one shows a lot of the detail.
 
1/10 scale Tamiya kits are fun to build and drive in your neighborhood. That big track probably races 1/8 scale Losi Truggies
 
RC10 still in production! And the BlackFoot? I remember building them with my dad about 33 years ago. Best winter project to this day. Literally drove the tires off them. Learned all sorts of stuff, soldering, charging, bearings, and - patience. Ugh. That's the worst as a 10 year old. I still have the Japanese style screwdrivers we needed to build them.

Enjoy the time, we sure did.
 
I have fond memories of the Tamiya buggies with all the cast-metal suspension arms...twin trailing links up front, true to VW form...and the clear plastic radio box, ridiculous steering linkage, etc. I can still remember the smell of that blue Tamiya thread locker that came with the kit.

They've re-issued the Rough Rider and Sand Scorcher. Modern buggies are far better chassis designs, but these are a ton of fun to build and look great just putting around. I've seen NOS Rough Riders on eBay for sub-$200; new ones are in the $350-$400 range. They have styrene bodies instead of Lexan, so more scale but less durable.

ltamc1052.jpg rough rider.jpg tamc1052_chassis.jpg
 
I have fond memories of chasing down my Tamiya Stadium Thunder when I ran the NiCd battery too low, which would not allow the servo to return the mechanical speed controller to neutral, and off the car goes with no control!

model_58181_01.jpg
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I know this really doesn't go here but whatever.
In the summer, I like to do projects with my kids.

Try as I might, my son doesn't care about planes and when it comes to RC, I can make anything fly.
ON the other hand, I know NOTHING about RC cars. He wants one and I said I would pay for it so long as it is a buildable project meaning we buy a chassis, wheels, esc, controls, servos, motor, etc and build it. I just tucked him in and he seems stoked about this.

I have no idea where to start. When I was a kid, I went to a place called RC RC in OKC and the top of the line car was called an RC-10. It was a build it yourself RC car that seemed really fast to me but it was components you assembled.

Anyone on here know of a 2019 equivalent where I might spend $300-ish on a modern version that would take us a few weeks to build and teach him a little about how something mechanical works along the way?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
RC10 still around, but over $300 for the kit... then remote, motor, batteries, charger, ESC...
 
I built an RC-10 when I was in my early 20's. Used to have indoor track nearby to race them.

These days I don't now anyone in the hobby (I was in SoCal at the time)

Doesn't help your inquiry, but thanks for the memory.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
He wants to jump them on a dirt track.
We used to have this great hobby shop called mikes hobbies and they had this massive dirt track and another kid let him race a car on it.

He brought it up last night and sounded like fun if we can make a project out of it versus me just buying him a toy.
I want a multi week project .
Click to expand...

Yeah, Mike’s Hobby Shop was great! Too bad the I-35 construction killed his building.
 
There is a feature on my Tesla that allows (limited) remote control
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
I have fond memories of the Tamiya buggies with all the cast-metal suspension arms...twin trailing links up front, true to VW form...and the clear plastic radio box, ridiculous steering linkage, etc. I can still remember the smell of that blue Tamiya thread locker that came with the kit.

They've re-issued the Rough Rider and Sand Scorcher. Modern buggies are far better chassis designs, but these are a ton of fun to build and look great just putting around. I've seen NOS Rough Riders on eBay for sub-$200; new ones are in the $350-$400 range. They have styrene bodies instead of Lexan, so more scale but less durable.

View attachment 75005 View attachment 75003 View attachment 75004
Click to expand...
Wow, that brings back memories. I built a Tamiya Hornet with my big brother when I was 11 or 12.
 
Dana said:
Ah, the good old days with a Heathkit Spectre with its stamped steel chassis and a Veco .19 glow engine.
Click to expand...

Wiped out a mess of ankles (and cars) with just such a setup.
Much later, my eldest got into some serious RC off road racing.
Serious as in that crap gets expensive, fast.
He switched to RC airplanes when I got back into it, but he will bring a couple of trucks to the field so wives and kids can putter about, and uses a beefier truck to launch gliders.
 
One day, when I lived in California, I was driving in my neighborhood in my Eldorado convertible, and saw a guy tooling his RC car around on the street, so I slowed to a crawl to ensure no chance of hitting it. When you’re in a convertible, everyone feels free to chat (and,why not?), and after I observed that his RC car looked pretty cool, he said, “Well, I guarantee it can beat your car in a sprint!”

I observed that I imagined it would, being tiny, light and electrically-powered.

He then said, “Hey, we should race!” When I observed that really wasn’t necessary, he vigorously insisted, so I said, “Ok, why not?”

“One, two, three, Go!” - the electric car zipped ahead of my 5,300-lb beast with the 210-HP smog motor, and after 100 yards or so, having opened up a comfortable lead (and exceeded my neighborhood-appropriate speed, the RC guy made a tight triumphant U-turn.

Right in front of my left front wheel.

“Crunch-crunch!” (the left-rear one had its say, too).

He was pretty stoic about it, no animosity. It was about 3/4” thick (although the servos were still gamely trying - reminded me of a squooshed bug in death throes.

—-

Anyway, Bryan, when you and your young clone are done building your RC masterpiece, don’t race old Cadillacs with it, ‘K?
 
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