Ideal RC vehicle for young children?

[desmobob]

What would you suggest as a model that has the best combination of safety, simplicity, durability and low cost for a six-year-old who just learned RC and loves it?

I'd love to gift him the 1/24 Maverick Microbe short course truck that seems to be his favorite after I used it to teach him, and the favorite of the several vehicles I let him drive. But it is so small and fidgety and is powered by a LiPO battery that I don't think it's something he should/could use unsupervised. (Is that a safe assumption? I don't have children...)

His dad will be here in a week or so and if I can get him up to speed on it, I'll gift it with the understanding that supervision is required, mostly due to LiPO battery safety.

Is there a similar vehicle powered by NiMH or NiCad that is as durable and affordable as the Microbe SCT that the boy can play with on his own or is RC something that must involve supervision until he gets a bit older? He's a very intelligent child and he has a deep interest in cars, trucks, boats, etc. His dad has a big job in the automotive industry on the financial side of things. The affordability part of the question would determine whether it's something I could gift or something I could recommend.

Thanks for your thoughts, dads, granddads and uncles!

 

[fstnd]

I started out with a WLToys a949 rally car, they're affordable and hard to break. Maybe there's a more recent model now but the parts support is not bad..
I think I'd recommend a 1/16th nonbrand Chinese truck like my absima. They're all very similar and have parts support, and they're not hard to fix.
Neither are truly considered hobby grade I believe but I would've started out again with the 1/16th truck if I could

 

[CreepyQuarryCrawler]

Just tossing this out there.
My son is three, I picked him up a TA SC28 in the Fox livery. We've had it over a year now and it's still going. Its fast and nothing has broken.
Charges from the remote too!

You can get an external charger for it also which we have but it's not necessary. Great little platform!

TA HR28

 

[OnwardGuinevere]

I don't know if a crawler is an option for you. It's lower speed probably than you're looking for, but I got our daughter (she's 4) a Redcat Scout II. It's taken a beating and holds up really well.

 

[Ritz413]

What kind of area do they have to run it in? Indoor, outdoor, paved etc?

 

[desmobob]

So far, I like the idea of the Team Associated TC28 with its built-in battery and charge via the Tx. Great price, too.

I had considered crawlers like the HobbyPlus models that I enjoy but the separate LiPOs were something I was thinking would best be avoided....

 

[desmobob]

What kind of area do they have to run it in? Indoor, outdoor, paved etc?

Here, he has a fairly smooth dirt driveway, a large concrete garage floor and a large living room with a smooth rug. He definitely prefers to run outdoors from what I've seen. At home, he has a large living room floor that I know of but I'm not sure of the outside situation. I'll find out more on that.

 

[CreepyQuarryCrawler]

Those little TA's do well on pretty much everything you listed. They get loose on dusty pavement (our garage floor) and can tackle "some" carpet.

They work best on hard flooring or concrete.

 

[RLB454]

You should be able to use NiMH batteries in place of lipo's, so I would not let the batteries limit you to a particular rig. You will prob need to turn off LVC on the esc if possible, and you will be good to go. NiMH will require a different charger than Lipo's, obviously, and you may need to change out the battery/esc connector, but this is all pretty easy.
Maverick offers some cool trucks in the $100 range, or if the budget allows, check out the Arrma Groms. The Groms are fantastic!

 

[biggman100]

I would stick with something with good parts support, like the Arrma Grom's, or even the Arrma Gorgon, Quake or Fury. The Maverick's are ok, but parts supply can be hit or miss. As for the Team Associated 1/28TH scale stuff, you can't fix them if and when they break. We have 4 of them sitting in a box broken that you can't get parts for. The big issue though, you are taking it upon yourself to buy someone something that, even if you can get parts for, might end up thrown in a box or tossed the first time it breaks. It all depends on if his dad is willing to keep it going or not (I have a couple family members like that. I bought the kids Arrma's, and, after they broke the first time, I ended up with them back because their parents wouldn't bother fixing them).

 

[CreepyQuarryCrawler]

I would stick with something with good parts support, like the Arrma Grom's, or even the Arrma Gorgon, Quake or Fury. The Maverick's are ok, but parts supply can be hit or miss. As for the Team Associated 1/28TH scale stuff, you can't fix them if and when they break. We have 4 of them sitting in a box broken that you can't get parts for. The big issue though, you are taking it upon yourself to buy someone something that, even if you can get parts for, might end up thrown in a box or tossed the first time it breaks. It all depends on if his dad is willing to keep it going or not (I have a couple family members like that. I bought the kids Arrma's, and, after they broke the first time, I ended up with them back because their parents wouldn't bother fixing them).

That's just the part with gift giving, right?
They aren't like goldfish or puppies but I get it.

I have both the surface cars back I gave away, one I resold.

However, both mini quads have never returned.

You never know what's going to land with whom.

 

[CertifiedMike]

If there's room for a 1/10 scale MT, the Arrma Gorgon is a great 1st truck!
A Kyosho Sand Master might be a good idea too.
Budget is very friendly for both RCs.
Both can be run stock or upgraded and are lots of fun either way.

 

[Ritz413]

Living room floor at home, and smooth driveway....there are some good deals on the sr27. Runs on aaas and has enough speed to be fun. No offroad capability though