Recommend a cheap and 'robust' entry-level off-road truck (crawler?) for gifting my kids and nephews!

[marX]

Hello Folks!

My kids have been pestering me to get them an 'off-road' RC truck which would mean I might have to gift identical models to my nephews to avoid civil war. So, the budget is going to be tight. I guess I need to have the following 'qualities' in them to have the desired effect!

1. Robust: we have six kids in our household and they all play rough. I would love to see it last for a month at least.
2. Proportional steering: I hate full left and right locks as with toy-grade stuff. Same with the throttle but I guess it does not matter as much as the steering servo.
3. Waterproof.
4. Li-ion or Li-Po capable.
5. No radio interference between the controllers: I do not know how it would be possible but is there any option?
6. Cost: I'm currently in the UK but can order from AliExpress or Gearbest.
7. Scale: 1:18 to 1:12
8. Trucks!: They are fascinated with trucks as in load-carrying trucks or lorries. But they are costlier. I might gift them some Huina RC construction stuff later if they play it nice.

Some examples:

1. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005171494619.html

2. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005049611416.html



Thanks for reading and have a great day/night ahead.

 

[bigbristv]

What are the ages of the children?

 

[marX]

They are all between 5 to 8 years old.

 

[Glitch]

Hbx 16889 brushed? Or 16889a brushless if you want them going fast. Or mjx hyper go 1/16th scale the monster truck is only $85 on Temu right now.

 

[marX]

Hbx 16889 brushed? Or 16889a brushless if you want them going fast. Or mjx hyper go 1/16th scale the monster truck is only $85 on Temu right now.

Don't you think it's a bit fast for them?

But, I'm open to suggestions though.
BTW, I can't find that MJX truck for that amount in the UK version of Temu.

 

[Tunedfrog]

Welcome in @marX , the most important thing you can possibly do is research.
What I mean is, really do some research to make sure that there is plenty of parts available.
RCs break and unfortunately they can break often. It's just the nature of the hobby.
If there is no available parts, when something breaks, you have nothing more than a paper weight.
I've seen guys buy a cheaper rig and it breaks the first day and then they can't find parts.
I highly recommend a couple scx24. They are great little trucks and a ton of parts are available.

 

[marX]

Welcome in @marX , the most important thing you can possibly do is research.
What I mean is, really do some research to make sure that there is plenty of parts available.
RCs break and unfortunately they can break often. It's just the nature of the hobby.
If there is no available parts, when something breaks, you have nothing more than a paper weight.
I've seen guys buy a cheaper rig and it breaks the first day and then they can't find parts.
I highly recommend a couple scx24. They are great little trucks and a ton of parts are available.

Would you mind mentioning which parts are most likely to break?

I mean I had some higher-end toy-grade crawlers and the suspension linkages were the first to break. Then the axles gave way. Then yeah, the steering servo failed. Electronics were pretty durable though.

I'm asking this because it would be challenging to get the spare parts as my home country has sort of an import ban on Chinese stuff. So, I would like to buy some spare parts along with the trucks.

 

[bigbristv]

They are all between 5 to 8 years old.

So brushless is a definite no. While hobby grade stuff is nice, it can be dangerous for kids especially if left to their own devices.

My suggestion would be to get some trucks (if it must be rc) of the beginner level (if such a thing exists in terms of hobby grade) which I can't help much with.

I recommend hobby grade for one-on-one (or two) bonding but to give a bunch of kids these cars can be irresponsible.

 

[Tunedfrog]

Would you mind mentioning which parts are most likely to break?

I mean I had some higher-end toy-grade crawlers and the suspension linkages were the first to break. Then the axles gave way. Then yeah, the steering servo failed. Electronics were pretty durable though.

I'm asking this because it would be challenging to get the spare parts as my home country has sort of an import ban on Chinese stuff. So, I would like to buy some spare parts along with the trucks.

Drive lines and drive shafts can break. Servos can fail, along with other electronics but again it's the nature of the hobby.
The good news is, crawlers and trail trucks don't get bashed too hard so they usually last longer than a hard basher does.
The 1/24 scale crawlers I mentioned are very popular and again there is a ton of parts available.
Here is four of my 1/24 scale rigs. It's the little guys in the middle.

 

[marX]

BTW, I only need two now. But they want a car with lights. I was going to buy the HBX 16889a but I'm not sure if it has lights.
Also, I'm not looking at smaller stuff than 1/16 as out property is full of grass, pebbles, and undulations. Tiny cars won't work there I think.
Any other recommendations (with lights)?

The budget per car is £100 (lesser the better ).

 

[WickedFog]

BTW, I only need two now. But they want a car with lights. I was going to buy the HBX 16889a but I'm not sure if it has lights.
Also, I'm not looking at smaller stuff than 1/16 as out property is full of grass, pebbles, and undulations. Tiny cars won't work there I think.
Any other recommendations (with lights)?

The budget per car is £100 (lesser the better ).

To be completely honest, if you want to buy a decent RC, you're going to likely have to increase your budget some. There just isn't anything in that price range I would recommend. Anything you buy at that price will likely be in your garbage bin eventually. With Hobby grade RC's, if they are still being made, you can get replacement parts (usually). They never need to be thrown away.

The SCX24's Tunedpipe mentioned are excellent RC's. They can be enjoyed about anywhere. Inside or outside, you can build a crawler course out of anything.

 

[Greywolf74]

SCX24 or possibly the Kyosho mini-Z but even those you're looking at $150-$180USD for those respectively.

 

[Emm2849]

scx24