Every parent with a little boy, and sometimes girl, will at some point hear the phrase, “Can I get a radio-controlled car/truck?” And as a parent, there are many options out there, if you do, in fact, decide to give in and grant them that wish. However, it should be noted that those options are usually dependant on the age of the child or if you want to go with an electric or gas powered RC car.

For a small child, it is regarded as best to choose an electric RC car for them to play with. This is due to the fact that there are not as many moving parts and they are not as expensive. At this level, we are dealing with something called “toy-grade” radio control. This is because these cars are essentially toys that can be played with and will take a beating. Many of these models come pre-assembled and can be found in the aisles of most major retailers. One great thing about these is that because they are battery powered, you can simply buy another battery or two and have those charged and ready to go so there is no down time in between sessions. Also, there are many sizes in this range to choose from. For really young kids, the radio controls include very rudimentary directions, like forward, left, right and reverse. As you step up to a slightly higher grade of electric car, there are more options for the design of the body and even the range of signal that the car will receive.

As your kids grow up, and they get more involved in the hobby, they may end up looking for a higher grade of RC car. The next step from the “toy grade” is the “hobby grade” car. These cars feature actual engines that run on a mixture of gasoline and oil or, if you really take a leap, nitro methane, methanol and oil. These “Nitro” cars are usually bigger than their electric counterparts and feature some real design innovations. Everything from the body work to the engine to the suspension and wheels can be tweaked or fully switched out for better running gear. These cars feature high powered radio frequencies as well so that the car can be run from much farther away. It should also be noted that these cars have been designed with an older audience in mind because of the speed they can attain. Some of these nitro cars have been known to reach speeds of up to 100 mph. The gas powered cars also come in different varieties like street and dirt. Dirt cars are much different than the street cars in that they have much more suspension travel and usually look like buggies with large rear wings. The street cars look much like their actual real-life counterparts and don’t feature knobby tires either. If you do plan on choosing this route to take with your child, be sure that they know this is a hobby that takes time and skill to get into. They will need to learn how to fix and repair certain parts on their car and will have to take much better care of all the parts and components of a gas powered car vs. an electric one. These are not so much toys anymore as actual machines that need to be cared for as such.

Hopefully, you do give in and get your son or daughter an RC car at least one time in their life. If they come to love it, they could end up getting involved in a great activity that will keep them occupied and having fun at the same time. Depending on your child’s age, you will have to decide what sort of vehicle type is best for them. Whichever you go with, it will all be worth it see their face light up the first time they get their hands on it.

Go here to read the rest: Radio Controlled Cars – Fun For All Ages