RC car question

What is the modern equivalent of this:

I remember when I was a kid a lot of other kids had these.  They came in yellow and blue and had an awesome commercial with kids racing them.  IIRC they were used on some Nickelodeon shows as well.  They were cheap, robust, and slow. My son is almost 5 and I'm wondering if there is some modern equivalent I could get him.  This would mostly be used in the grass in our back yard... So something that will go through grass pretty well would be ideal.  Recommendations?

I don't know the answer...but I HAD THAT ONE!  So cool to see it again.  I had forgotten about it.  They were so tough.  I had a bunch of fun with that thing when I was about 10.

Closest thing I can think of is Tamiya's rerelease of the Lunchbox. Real R/C. Not cheap, but not crazy expensive as far as radio control goes. You can gear it down to make it very slow.

$128 at Horizon Hobby

Unfortunately, todays RC toy-grade vehicles are hot garbage compared to the ones we grew up with.

The lunch box above is an entry level hobby-grade truck, but on top of the kit price, you need a radio, battery,  and charger. (And Tamiya, despite their kit prices, still insist upon spitting in their customers faces by including only plastic and bronze bushings rather than ball bearings.)

...This is a different type of vehicle, but may I suggest the JJRC Q39?

For around $75 shipped, it comes ready-to-run with controller, charger, and li-ion battery. It has front and rear METAL differentials, full ball bearings, AL motor heat sink, and is fully proportional with an actual servo. The wheels are 12mm hex so you have access to the world of aftermarket hobby-grade wheels and tires. You can also upgrade to oil-filled shocks, replace the motor, and there are metal hop-up parts available for the suspension, as well as replacement stock parts in case you break it (and they are cheap). They are fast enough to be fun, but still controllable for a kid. I have two of these and highly recommend them. Check out the Youtube review below...

Before I got into hobby grade RC, I remember having a Tyco Bandit with "9.6 volt turbo power." It had an extra turbo section where you moved to forward control stick up and to the right for max speed. It was awesome. Also had the Countach and the Hoover craft! They had some cool stuff. 

 

JamesMcD said:

Unfortunately, todays RC toy-grade vehicles are hot garbage compared to the ones we grew up with.

Why is that?  Because they have driven the cost down so much?  I would think battery tech, speed controllers, and electric motors have advanced a lot since the mid 80s, so comparably priced toys would be better.

One issue I have today is its so easy to produce/sell this stuff, the market is saturated.  Back in the day there were like 3 options for a ~$50 RC car at any given time.  Now there are like 3000.

I recall buying a coaxial helicopter off Amazon ~10 years ago for <$20.  It was pretty impressive.  When I was a kid, RC helicopters were $Texas and not very good. 

My son isn't old enough, but Fast Traxx was the E36 M3.

This is the answer:

Maisto R/C Rock Crawler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBkKOUregN0

I own toy grade, Chinesium grade, and hobby grade R/C cars. I had a blue truck like the OP and I have one of the last Radio Shack versions of that chassis. I have the WLTOYS version of the JJRC Q39 mentioned above and it will haul butt.

These little Maisto rock crawlers are disturbingly capable for how cheap they are. No hi/lo gear, but it is one of the cheapest 4WD R/Cs on the market. I bought one for my son and the only reason it finally died was one of his friends broke the remote control. I actually use my old Radio Shack truck (with a 7.2v battery conversion) to crawl with my son and his Maisto. Yes they take AA batteries, but you can hack in a NiMH or LiPo battery if you want more run time or power. But for $20 on Amazon, these are a bargain.

https://www.amazon.com/Maisto-Crawler-Control-Vehicle-Colors/dp/B00Y53XH9O

In reply to ProDarwin :

I should have specified "toy-grade RC vehicles from Wal-Mart and other big box stores."

The Q39 I recommended above is probably significantly cheaper than a Tyco Turbo-Hopper or Baja Bandit, adjusting for inflation. And it is objectively much better. It represents the advancements in batteries, motors, electronics, etc., which you mentioned. Why you can't get it or anything like it at Wal-Mart is another question.

slefain said:

This is the answer:

Maisto R/C Rock Crawler

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBkKOUregN0

 

I own toy grade, Chinesium grade, and hobby grade R/C cars. I had a blue truck like the OP and I have one of the last Radio Shack versions of that chassis. I have the WLTOYS version of the JJRC Q39 mentioned above and it will haul butt.

These little Maisto rock crawlers are disturbingly capable for how cheap they are. No hi/lo gear, but it is one of the cheapest 4WD R/Cs on the market. I bought one for my son and the only reason it finally died was one of his friends broke the remote control. I actually use my old Radio Shack truck (with a 7.2v battery conversion) to crawl with my son and his Maisto. Yes they take AA batteries, but you can hack in a NiMH or LiPo battery if you want more run time or power. But for $20 on Amazon, these are a bargain.

https://www.amazon.com/Maisto-Crawler-Control-Vehicle-Colors/dp/B00Y53XH9O

 

Cool, thanks!

JamesMcD said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

I should have specified "toy-grade RC vehicles from Wal-Mart and other big box stores."

The Q39 I recommended above is probably significantly cheaper than a Tyco Turbo-Hopper or Baja Bandit, adjusting for inflation. And it is objectively much better. It represents the advancements in batteries, motors, electronics, etc., which you mentioned. Why you can't get it or anything like it at Wal-Mart is another question.

 

Yeah that thing looks great.  For a 5 year olds first RC car I imagine its too much of a missle though :)

JamesMcD said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

I should have specified "toy-grade RC vehicles from Wal-Mart and other big box stores."

The Q39 I recommended above is probably significantly cheaper than a Tyco Turbo-Hopper or Baja Bandit, adjusting for inflation. And it is objectively much better. It represents the advancements in batteries, motors, electronics, etc., which you mentioned. Why you can't get it or anything like it at Wal-Mart is another question.

 

Here's my thoughts on the sister version of your Q39: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/grassroots-rcsports-chinese-knockoff-review-editio/131481/page1/

 

In reply to JamesMcD :  That rock crawler looks awesome! 

If your kids are preschool age, you might try something like the Cyclone Mini which is super cheap and built for bashing into things.

In reply to slefain :

I have the WL Toys version too. Both cars are great, but I prefer the Q39 for these reasons:

-The Q39's 380 motor gives you a longer run time vs. the WL Toys 540. You'd think it would be way slower but the speed difference isn't too noticeable.

-The Q39 is 7oz. lighter. This helps prevent it rolling over and evens out the speed equation a bit.

-The Q39 has metal differential gears while the WL Toys has plastic.

-The Q39 differential action is stiffer, so when you get up on two wheels, the car keeps moving. The WL Toys diff action is very loose, so when it starts to tip it tends to "diff out" and lose momentum.

-You'd think the cars' tires would be the same, but the Q39's are actually much softer and grippier.

-My perception is that the Q39 plastics are of a higher quality.

-I prefer the blue Q39 over the zany green of the WL Toys.

The WL Toys has a better transmitter, with adjustable throttle so kids can handle it better. It also has the LED lights (The Q39 doesn't have lights but it has the connection on the ESC if you want to add them.

Maybe the WL Toys version is the better choice for the OP since it has the adjustable throttle.

In reply to JamesMcD :

The adjustable throttle is what sold me on the WLTOYS version, as I didn't want my son destroying it on the first run.

I love how the different versions are all pretty much LEGOs, and you can mix/match the replacement parts. There is also the Feiyue FY03 Eagle-3, which sounds a lot like the Q39 specs.

In hindsight the 540 motor is too much for the WLTOYS plastic gears. My own car is still doing great, but I drive carefully. My son's car ate the diffs within days with his heavy throttle blasts. Pulling wheelies from a dead stop is pretty fun though.

So, you got any experience with the slew of WPL trucks and variants? I still want a WPL B16.

In reply to slefain :

No, but I've had my eye on that blue GAZ B24 kit they have. 

Sorry I can't stay away from this thread...

You might also check out the "9130" truck from Banggood (and others). 

1/16th scale, 4WD, fully proportional, front & rear diffs, full ball bearings, adjustable throttle on transmitter, replacement and hop-up parts support from vendor, includes LED lights, RTR for $50.

This is actually what I bought for my 5-year old. I should have suggested it first, but his ESC fried after a few months and I didn't realize until now that I can buy another one for $9 shipped. So given the parts support and what you get for the money, I'd recommend it. Also comes in blue or green.

Has some sweet Chinglish on  the windshield banner: "DRIFT RACING THE SHARK BAY."

How can you say no to that?

Man these are all so much cooler than the cheap RC of my childhood.

Someone start a 'cheap FPV drone' thread so I can have something else to shop for my "kids" 

JamesMcD said:

Has some sweet Chinglish on  the windshield banner: "DRIFT RACING THE SHARK BAY."

Who wants 1.8 Tamiya Hotshots, the one that I bought when I was ten.  I'm 46 now, and no longer need it.  

I have some direct experience here!

I have two of the Maisto crawler trucks. Started my nephews on them as soon as they were strong enough to pull the trigger. They are indestructible and climb over all sorts of stuff. Get a pile of rocks and a 2 year old and you'll have all sorts of fun. For a bonus, get a set of stairs because having the truck crash down the stairs is endlessly amusing. Downsides: they use AA batteries and they are not fast at all. Like walking pace. They also struggle a bit in grass. But mine have been unkillable for five years of abuse. One nice advantage of the AA batteries is that if they run out, the truck is back up and running immediately. This is important with little guys.

I also have the WL Toys buggy. Totally different class of vehicle. Much faster, airtime is available on demand, suspension, etc. The adjustable throttle pot is great for dealing with learning drivers. But it's more fragile than the Maisto. I've had to replace a steering servo and the driveshaft has fallen out a few times. The batteries are slow to charge with the included charger and they're sensitive to how they're stored and charged so I've found a fairly high mortality rate in my use case - unplanned visits, so you never know when the batteries need to be charged. I've basically put it on permanent inop status because I'm tired of it breaking and having battery trouble. It does not work well for a fun uncle toy, but it would be great if I wanted a high speed 4wd buggy for myself.

Is there a simple way to convert from AA to a battery pack?  OR  do you have recommendations for a rechargeable battery/charger that works? 

I'm not a fan of disposable batteries

Well, you can get rechargable AAs. That's what I did for a while.

It wouldn't be hard to wire in a rechargable battery pack like the one used in the WL, just check your voltages.  My use case is a little odd, the disposable AAs had the long life and ability to sit partially charged and perform without notice that works for me. I've thrown away more money in rechargable LiPos than I have in disposable AAs.

ProDarwin said:

Is there a simple way to convert from AA to a battery pack?  OR  do you have recommendations for a rechargeable battery/charger that works? 

I'm not a fan of disposable batteries

 

I've spliced in Tamiya connectors on several toy grade R/C cars and used 7.2v NiMH battery packs with great success. One New Bright R/C truck turned into a total tank with the bigger battery pack, waaay more power than stock just by going from 6v to 7.2v. You just have to get creative on where you cram the battery pack.

People mod the little Maisto crawlers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxH5ipK3SpE

https://m.traxxas.com/products/landing/e-revo/

here ya go. 

I've had good luck with the rechargeable Energizers. Most of the transmitters for my micro airplanes use AAs. Two chargers and 3 "sets" of batteries. Two charging, one in use.

Can you combine the best parts of the green and blue truggy to bake a super-truggy?

Appleseed said:

I've had good luck with the rechargeable Energizers. Most of the transmitters for my micro airplanes use AAs. Two chargers and 3 "sets" of batteries. Two charging, one in use.

 

Can you combine the best parts of the green and blue truggy to bake a super-truggy?

I am converting my Q39 to a 540 motor and upgrading the electronics to use my FlySky transmitter.