My sons 10th birthday is this Friday and I wasn't sure what to get him. He really doesn't have any interests (plays sports b/c we ask him to) besides video games and even then he only plays Mario Cart on Wii and DS. So...a few of his friends race these RC trucks so I figured since he likes driving games maybe he would like driving a RC car. I know nothing about them but bought him a Traxxas Slash model brushless 4x4 with a 5800 mAH lipo battery and charger...I hope the heck he likes it b/c it cost me a bunch of coin...I think I am as anxious as he is. I like working on cars in my spare time so I am hoping he will want to learn a bit of mechanics working on his RC car. So anyone out there do this sort of thing and can offer any advice?
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I don't think you need any advice, you've got it nailed down tight. It's a perfect opportunity for you and the boy to learn this thing from the ground up. The dumber you are, the better. It just might stimulate him to get smarter than Dad on the subject, and that'd be great. :-)

That said, I know a couple of the guys here have done the Traxx thing, I remember seeing cars and accessories in WTS. I just can't remember who did it.
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I use to really want to get into gas cars when I was growing up but they can be very pricey. Good luck with this, I think it will be fun for you both.
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Now you can look forward to the day when you upgrade the motor and battery,and that thing REALLY takes off..........Oh yes ,you will do this...........
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I used to race electric RC cars years ago, so I think I still remember a thing or two about them.

I"m assuming you bought a RTR (ready to run) kit? Those are great for just getting into it. They offer everything you need to get started. Biggest thing I can offer up, be prepared to replace parts and get to know the different hobby stores in the area. The cars are designed to take a certain amount of abuse, but they don't put their best stuff into them unless you spend the really big bucks. Items like tie rod ends/connectors, shocks are the easiest and usually the first things to break. If it doesn't already have one, get a servo saver for the steering servo. The front tires will take a lot of shocks and you need the saver to not strip the servo gears out.

Don't worry to much about upgrading right now unless you both find you really enjoy it. If you do, the sky (and pocket book) are the limit.
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My dad just pulled my old RC car (1984 Tamiya Hornet) out of the attic last weekend. Actually 2, since my brother had one as well and no longer wants it. He charged them up and my daughters played with them when they went over to visit. They still worked great and the kids had a lot of fun. I'll need to order some replacement parts as they were learning how to control them and crashed quite a few times. Luckily, replacement parts are still available on Ebay (I haven't checked and local shops yet.) I'll probably get some NiMh batteries and a charger as well since the old NiCd batteries don't hold much of a charge.
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Thanks guys. I did get the brushless motor b/c I was told it would last longer and the lipo battery to increase hp..hope not to break it the first day.
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I haven't used any of the newer Lipo batteries (I got out when NiMH were all the rage over NiCD), but I've heard from a friend that has and loves them. They run for a long time comparatively. Depending upon where you'll be running this, you might want to pick up some extra spur/pinion gears. This will allow you to dial in the speed/torque for the conditions.
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Depending on how old your son is, the ESC can be set so the truck has half the normal power. The brushless Slash is really fast compared to the brushed version. With the Lipo battery it can also increase the speed. The controller has a switch on it that controls how much trigger pull is applied to accelerating/braking, for beginners it should be 70/30. I belong to a forum with lots of good people with a ton of knowledge, RCNitroTalk.com.....don't let the name fool you, there is a ton of electric info on there.
Feel free to ask me any questions you might have, I certainly don't know everything but I've been in the hobby for several years now. Most important thing, it'll give you and your son lots to do together, enjoy brother!!
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Very cool and much appreciated! I am pretty excited..hope he will be!
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I had the Tamiya Mudblaster back in the late 80s or early 90s. It was an electric RC based on the Subaru Brat. It was cool and a lot of fun. But I doubt any of the little bit of knowledge I had back then would help you today.

It's a great toy and I hope your son enjoys it.
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The subaru brat? cool! A bit of usless knowledge about the brat...the insurance on small trucks was supposed to be a bunch when the brat came out so they made plastic bolt on seats that were bolted to the truck bed in reverse with bicycle handles so they could call it a 4 person truck and keep the insurance costs down! ...so I am told. I always liked the look of those for some odd reason.
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Oh, got the traxxas truck today...man I wanna take off work tomorrow to play with it. I bet the boy would be pissed since he has to go to school.
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I'm off tomorrow. Take off and we can play with his car :-)
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Trust me..I was so tempted!
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