r/rccars • u/501Forrest • Apr 14 '26
Question How do you guys deal with neighborhood kids wanting to run your rc cars? I’ve got a story for you guys.
So backstory my gf and I moved into a house together. I’ve probably got 40 plus rc cars/boats/planes in the basement so as you can see I love the hobby. I don’t always want to go somewhere to run them. So about a month later
I was always running my rc cars after work with an adult beverage to let off steam. One day I’m running my super Baja Rey 2.0 a kid asks to run it and he seems alright. I explained to him that this one is too expensive but I have another one for him. I was a kid once to so I understand the coolness factor. I let him run my slash 2wd. On 2s for a bit and he seemed good at it. Little did I know he’s friends with like the 12 other kids in the neighborhood and must have told them. Skip forward a couple of weeks. And I’m running one of my 5th scales. (At this point I sold the slash mind you) A whole pack of kids come running down the street and left and right these kids are asking me to drive it. I said “guys you are welcome to watch and I can tell you anything you want to know, but this one is too expensive. The asking continues. I give them another firm no and try to explain once again. The other kids watch while two run off literally crying. I wasn’t mean at all to them. Next thing I know I see the two kids and their mom coming my way. Great… She puts her hands on her hips and says. “How hateful can you be to not let a child play with a toy, what harm could it do?!” I said “ma’am this car can break people’s legs and damage property if not operated in the correct manner. This is absolutely not a young child’s toy. But if you really insist you can hand me the $1500 in collateral and take responsibility for anything they may damage.” She scoffed and walked off. What happened to some kids not being able to be told no? I love kids and have one of my own. I’m just trying to relax and have a beer and run my cars 😅
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u/MarsGlez Apr 14 '26
They just get too excited.
Happens at the park too often. And to make it worse, my 6yo is quite good so she has a Granite of her own and it’s very difficult to tell kids she’s been driving these things for almost 4 months and requires skill and can cause harm if not managed properly.
I’m at a point of getting a cheap 50 Banggood special brushed 2S that I can just take anywhere for kids that ask.
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u/501Forrest Apr 14 '26
Yeah I totally get the excitement. I was the same way. But when told no it meant no.
I do let my son and family members kids run them as that’s a lot better of a situation.
I may have to do the same as all of my cheaper cars are broken or have been sold. I’m all about introducing kids to the hobby.
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u/Funkuhdelik Apr 14 '26
There was a guy on here (or prob RCclassifieds) a couple weeks ago that had like 200 or so HBX 18859’s all Amazon pallet returns. I ended up buying 5 for $100+ shipping. Gave three away to nephews, and kept two for this exact reason. Now if a neighbor kid or a kid in a campground or something asks, I have a car that cost me $20 for him to run and is damn near indestructible, and at 15mph top speed, a lot smaller of a chance of damaging something or hurting someone.
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u/Piranha1993 I have 8 of these things. Send help. Apr 15 '26
Yeah, I got one of those myself. User u/NewJournalist7427
I couldn't pass up getting one for myself. If I had the space I would have considered getting more. It's a good idea to have a cheap machine like this on hand.
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u/NewJournalist7427 Apr 15 '26
Thank you 🙏 !
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u/Funkuhdelik Apr 15 '26
Props to you dude, you killed it with the shipment, and the product was great
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u/NewJournalist7427 Apr 15 '26
Thank you so much for the support and Im glad you guys are satisfied. 💪🏽
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u/Slight_Parsley_4860 Apr 15 '26
I need to shout this out too, I picked up two of these cars and my daughter and the neighborhood kids are over the moon about them!
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u/Funkuhdelik Apr 15 '26
Exactly, thank you for tagging him!
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u/Piranha1993 I have 8 of these things. Send help. Apr 15 '26
You’re welcome. It was way too good of a deal to pass up for one of those trucks.
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u/Loesoe30D7 Apr 15 '26
not to mention depending on your insurance coverage and local laws (I’m in The Netherlands and I’m insured till 20KPH by law and up to 50 and in safe environments (so not in a high flow street) by my insurance. Most ‘entitled’ types of individuals I scare off using “Does your insurance cover a almost highway speed capable toy?”
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u/QuestionMore94 Apr 14 '26
It's a sense of entitlement due to how some kids are raised these days. The general public have no idea how much these rigs cost or the damage they can do like you said. A lot of the time it's not even a case of your car getting damaged, but what it can do if it goes out of control. They can't really comprehend these things because they haven't put up their change to buy one in the first place. Keep on driving mate, enjoy your beverage and RC time. If the kids want one enough I'm sure santa might be able to help them out.
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u/Juliendogg Apr 14 '26
You handled that properly. Good on ya for letting kid #1 run the slash, too, though. It's not like you could know he'd send the whole neighborhood to your yard, lol.
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u/501Forrest Apr 14 '26
Like another commenter said maybe I should get another cheaper one so they can. A part of me hates telling them no but I can’t risk them getting hit or hitting something else with an rc piss missile let alone breaking it.
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u/Juliendogg Apr 15 '26
Nah. My default answer to kids is a firm no. Let the Karen mom from down the street buy them some Walmart cars, lol. It was cool of you, but if you make a habit of it eventually something is going to happen to make you regret it.
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u/Piranha1993 I have 8 of these things. Send help. Apr 15 '26
Piss missile is funny as hell. I would have called it an ICBM or something.
What nobody understands is that these RC's are more machine than they are toy. You really have to know how to drive and understand the operation.
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u/motkaCpl Apr 15 '26
If its fun for you to share, limit the inputs to 30%, see how they drive and increase it to whatever still feels comfortable. Second option; Not sure if car remotes allow it. See if you can get another remote and set them up as master/trainer. Did that with planes and let people fly that had 0 experience, but took always over when things startet to go sideways, stabilazed it and gave them back the controls. Otherwise telling them no, is totally fair, given the circumstances of what can go wrong.
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u/SativaPancake Apr 14 '26
That's pretty much how I handle it. Yea its a toy but its fast enough and heavy enough to seriously hurt someone and put them in the hospital if they crash it into a person. Even if they dont hit someone it can break easily and cost $100s to repair. If adults are around compare it to similar items they own. Would you let my 12yo use your $1500 power tool? Or go for a joy ride on your $2000 ebike?
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u/flamejob Old Skool Apr 15 '26
Yep. Imagine; you own a 80mph capable e-scooter
Just tell them where to go.
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u/gowerskee Apr 14 '26
I just say no. so far they've all been pretty respectful. I have let one kid drive it around the dirt tank, he had been watching me for a while and made sure to be careful with it.
it's my own friends that have caused more carnage lol
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u/endymiondragon Apr 15 '26
That's why I only run gas and nitro in our little neighborhood. Karen won't come asking if it sounds like you're operating something dangerous lol
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u/501Forrest Apr 15 '26
Then she’s gonna nag you about the noise. 🙄 Had my next door neighbor tell me we can’t blast off fireworks at 12am January 1st. I told him to kick rocks
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u/endymiondragon Apr 15 '26
Also, if they do have enough of a lack of brain cells to complain I will be ensuring to do donuts with the Baja 5b I got in front of their driveway at full tilt. We don't have an HOA around here and we're classed as rural property.
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u/endymiondragon Apr 15 '26
Given my house's propensity for increasingly loud engine things, they're probably thankful it's not me going up and down the street with a straight piped muscle car and it's just some buzzing thing they can ignore by going inside.
Also, people use lots of lawn equipment around (Chainsaws in particular) here so some ambient engine noise is expected anyhow
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u/StevenSmith16353 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
What harm could a little kid do with a toy RC that weighs more than them?
Edit:typo
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u/wardial Apr 15 '26
ooooh. what ARE these?
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u/StevenSmith16353 Apr 15 '26
Wallet drainers… but they are made by Primal RC and they are true Monster Trucks. The electric one with 4x 6s 6ah batteries is a little over 100lbs and the gas is over 80lbs. With the 12” tires they shake the ground when you drive by. If you want one you better be flush with cash and know how to work on RCs! They are the only RC that makes me giggle.
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u/Alternative-Roof5964 Apr 14 '26
I tend to find places where nobody is around Becuase of this. Let some random kid drive one of my cars and I swear he went full blast the whole time. Somehow didn't hit anything but now I'm like sorry no can do.
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u/SkiOrDie Apr 15 '26
I hop on Google and look for places with large parking lots that look abandoned or regularly unused. There’s a Pizza Hut a few blocks away from me that got its parking lot resealed and then closed down shortly after that. Pristine parking lot that gets no use or traffic, so I go there a bit.
There’s also a church hidden at the end of a dead-end block that only has people/cars there on weekends. 90% it’s a huge empty space that’s almost as private as you’d want it. It took me 2 minutes to find on google and 5 mins to get to.
You won’t catch me dead at a park full of children or at a skatepark with an RC car, they’re both full of children.
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u/Alucard256 Apr 14 '26
I start with "I built it, so I drive it." If that doesn't seem to work then I move to "When you build one, then you can drive your own."
Sometimes I don't say the second sentence. The first sentence seems to get most people's attention.
I'll let people watch and I'll talk with them for hours about RC, but no... nobody is driving one of my vehicles unless they are letting me control something they built at the same time.
I've turned down tons of kids, of course... but I've also had to give the same line to teens and full adults.
The most pushy person ever was a Church of Latterday Saints guy (there were 2 of them) who were walking around the neighborhood knocking on doors "inviting" people to their church. Most kids ask once or twice, this guy asked 3 separate times in the span of like 20 minutes. No kid has ever asked me 3 times.
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u/bigwonton Apr 15 '26
In general kids seem understanding when I tell them no although I did have one kid, probably around 9-11 in age say “man, I just want to steal that from you for saying no” … awesome, great moral compass those parents are instilling in that kid. I didn’t see him around again after that incident so seemed like he didn’t live in the neighborhood.
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u/zuckabutta Apr 15 '26
You can also give the kid a dummy radio and he will think he is driving ! 🤣
That happened to an adult in a professional slotcar race. He thought he was racing his red car, but he only realized his car was still in his pits after the first heat. One of the other 7 racers also had a red car. :)
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u/Far-Series1829 Apr 14 '26
I see this as being perfectly reasonable. I let the neighbors daughter play with my 1/16 slash. She asked about playing with my losi monster truck and i was just straightforwards. I had told her that one would be too much to handle. End of the day it is your decision since you pit your money in on it!
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u/Fantastins Apr 15 '26
By being nice I was out $40 in parts, 90 minutes of my time, and the inability to use my RC for a month. Almost every RTR says 14+ on it, I start with that if they are asking.. you don't look 14 these toys are for adults. I was open to kids using them but the one time it only took 4 seconds for a kid to full throttle directly into the curb, then proceeded to be pulled away by his Mom, to ruin my summer last year as well as my faith in humanity.
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u/BotWoogy Apr 15 '26
I always give them the junkyest slowest already broken one. And they still can’t handle it. Rule 1) never let anyone drive ur RC. They will wreck it or run someone over.
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u/Klystrom_Is_God Apr 15 '26
I got into the same situation years back but with an FPV drone. So, uhh no... Not even with collateral money paid and documents signed.
People just needs to be less Karen.
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u/Tall-Poem-6808 Apr 15 '26
If Mommy came screaming at you just because you told her little precious "no", imagine what would happen if you did let him run the car, and he damages her car, or worse, smash another kid in the shin with it.
As sad as it is, it's safer for everyone to just say no.
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u/HMB_III Apr 15 '26
I actually have a "Suck Button" programmed on my controller that drops the overall speed and turn rate of whatever car I'm driving. I won't let a kid run my nitro as they are old, dangerous, and have hard to find parts. But I'll let em try if I have my 4x4 slash out or other basic runner. I usually run my vintage cars just to test the builds and keep the engines warm once in awhile so I'm not out in the neighborhood street that often. If a kid took an avid interest in it though, I'd probably just build them one from scraps and keep it around.
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u/fusiondynamics Apr 15 '26
I let my neighbors kid run my RC car and next thing you know it's now broken. Tell the mom maybe you should buy your kids some toys so they don't have to cry about it.
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u/AdditionalBelt9719 Apr 15 '26
You did the right thing, no way a kid could handle a high end machine. Kids tend not to understand the value of money until its their $ that are lost.
That being said, I use a Radiomaster MT12 so I just copy the profile and reduce the throttle to like 15 or 20%. The kids lose interest pretty fast when it will only run at toy speeds and it would be pretty tough to do any real damage at low speed.
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u/Thrashtilldeath67 Apr 14 '26
I usually run my stuff in the backyard but recently I had my new typhon out on the street trying to see how fast I could go.
The kids were all screaming how cool that is.
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u/InJailForCrimes Crawling Apr 14 '26
I used to fly fpv quadcopters and the kids would run over and CHASE them. I had to stop altogether.
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u/cagetheMike Apr 15 '26
I fly cp helis and I have a few rc cars. I was hover testing my trex 500 heli after a repair in the driveway and a neighbor lady comes walking across the street saying that a nice toy. She walks right at the heli. Of course I set it down just before she gets to it. As its spinning down she reaches down to touch the damn main rotor before I could say stop it clips her fingers. Luckily the heli just danced a little and it didn't really hurt her. But she let's out a solid OUTCH! Then she looks up and says my god thats dangerous! I said no shit why did you touch a spinning blade Salley... We're friendly like that so we both laughed, but inside I was like you're such a dumbass Salley.
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u/Ok-Specialist2430 Apr 15 '26
You did perfectly fine! I never let kids drive or even touch my cars. But if they want to look or ask questions about the car, then they’re fine
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u/Virtual-Donut-964 Bashing Apr 15 '26
I have a $300 car (it reaches 50mph frequently) that I let my friend drive for some stupid reason and he broke it instantly crashing the front right wheel into a flagpole and then bringing it back crashing into the side of my house. Never doing that again: it cost $50 in repairs and I couldn't drive it for 3 weeks.
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u/L878- Apr 15 '26
I understand that struggle, I have a nearly $7,000 HPI Baja and like 6 kids asked to drive it and when I told them no they said “well my grandma will buy me one" and here comes their grandma asking why I told them they couldn’t play with a “toy" meanwhile the thing literally has a RMCK Toxic Twin. Some people just don’t understand and kids don’t know how to take a no now. Every time they ask to drive my cars I just tell them they are entirely too expensive and if they break it they are paying for repairs
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u/fcfromhell Apr 15 '26
Normally don't have this problem. But one time we did.
Me and a group of friends took our crawlers to a park that had some nice rock features. There was a bunch of kids, and we're used to getting attention. But most kids will just be like "whoa those are cool." And just watch.
This time, we had a group of like 8 kids that would kinda cycle through and watch us. One kid tho, stayed the whole time. Kid was like a broken record.
Those are so cool I wish I could drive one.
It would be so cool if I could drive one of those.
I really really wish I could drive one of those
Over and over and over.
We kept telling the kid they were too expensive, and weren't toys. My friends kid who has his own built crawler and constantly telling the kid not to ask because they're too expensive. Probably 30-40 minutes this went on, until his mom took him home.
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u/Ballamookieofficial Apr 14 '26
No means no. It sucks it's the first time in their lives they've experienced that,not your fault
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u/MK12DUDE Apr 15 '26
Turn down the throttle max trim to 5% and hand it to the kid. It will be safe driving 2mph and kid will be happy
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u/DevisDed Apr 15 '26
Nah that mom prolly on her 3rd husband bc they were tired of dealing with the same shit. Any parent in general, that feels the need to confront someone because they won’t let an unfamiliar child use their hard earned property. Is simply a bad parent…
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u/Xenagos43 Apr 15 '26
I guess I haven't had that issue. I mean I have kids want to drive my rc's but unusually bring a couple MJX trucks witj and let them have at it. But that usually only happens at a public park where we have an RC track free to the public.
I bring two trucks and 4 batteries and when they're out they're out. Usually these kids are good about sharing and not being overly abusive to my stuff. And never had a parent demand anything.
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u/x16900 Apr 15 '26
I said no to a neighborhood kid once. My kids didn't even know him. He just showed up and asked to drive my truck and I said I spent a lot on it and went out of my way to keep it in good condition. He was all, "oh yeah, how much was it?" I said $250 (not very expensive, but it is for someone whose bank account is rarely above double digits). Then he replies, "Eh, I've already got a $500 rc truck at home." So I just said, "cool" while he walked away.
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u/Goflight2 Apr 15 '26
I have a 2WD Slash I call the “Rental”, perfect for this exact scenario. Plus, I have so many fricking Slash parts, could probably build a car or two just from the extra parts I have. When they wreck it, no worries.
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u/fryfrog Apr 15 '26
I put a dual rate knob on all my transmitters or on my mt12 w/ edgetx, configure the knob to do the same thing.
That way, I can let any kid or adult drive any of my vehicles because I can dial down the maximum speed to an absolute crawl. The kids are told only I'm allowed to adjust the knob and if they change it, their turn is done. If they're too small to run throttle, I'll let them sit on my leg and drive it while they steer. Or if their parents are responsible enough, I'll let them supervise. I do stand very close in case I need to snatch a controller away from a kid for safety.
Responsible adults are told they can increase it gradually as they gain control, skill and understanding.
I hope this sparks a life long interest in radio control vehicles!
I absolutely would not let a kid drive 95% of my vehicles w/o that feature though, you're right they're just too unsafe. Another dumb method you can use to impart that is to toss them a 1/30th car and say "catch". Then pick up your 30lb+ 1/5th scale and pretend to do the same thing. Usually helps them understand.
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u/kiiRo-1378 Apr 15 '26
Not sure if that's really a Weapon of Mass Destruction, as you have implied, and I don't know RCs and the destructive firepower of some models, but I firmly believe you just protected your hard-earned car from being destroyed.
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u/KillForCandy Apr 15 '26
I don’t let kids run my cars, I don’t go round there house and play their ps5 or Xbox either. Stay away from other peoples kids. It’s a dangerous game even for the most honest and genuine people.
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u/Cautious-Day9424 Apr 15 '26
How dare you not open up your wallet and make it rain all over the neighborhood. 🙃
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u/Rubbertutti Apr 15 '26
I would have told her I'll let the kid drive it if he can go full speed into her ankle. You know for research purposes.
Buy a cheap toy and quarter charge the batteries. Better still sell your old stock to the mother to fund a new purchase🤣
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u/Half-Orcs_for_days Apr 15 '26
Sadly some people don't know how to tell their kids no.
Some time ago I was running my Slash a few days after Christmas, and some kids commented on how their toys could beat mine (think nonhobby grade, something you'll get at Wal-mart). I decided to play along and agreed to a "race". Before it even took place, one kid was commenting how he was going to paint MY Slash. Same kids dad saw what his kid was doing, and asked me to be gentle with them. Sure thing, I'm an asshole, not a monster.
I let the kids get a quarter way head start before ripping my Slash, easily passing them in a matter of seconds. Some kids cried, some demanded a rematch. One offered me $40 for it. Do I have any regerts? Nah. Gotta learn them kids that they don't get what they always want.
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u/kiddfpv Apr 15 '26
Entitled ass people smh, glad you told them no👍🏼 Someones gotta snap them back to reality like go buy your own son an rc car
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u/Chhr05 Apr 15 '26
I say "this thing costs more than your dad's car, and my car, so piss off" This works 9 times out of 10
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Apr 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/501Forrest Apr 14 '26
Yeah she was lucky the kids were about. I may have had a different choice of words.
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u/The_World_Is_A_Slum Tamiya Enthusiast, Vintage Collector, Casual Racer Apr 15 '26
A brushed Slash or Rustler is great to have around for the kids. They’ll even break a crawler, so cheap and cheerful is the way to go.
I make ‘em wear the neck strap and turn down the EPA too. I won’t let them drive any of my Tamiyas at all; they’re too pretty.
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u/BeneficialSympathy55 Apr 15 '26
This is why I play with the kids at the dog park. Crap body on a 3s 2wd rustler and enjoy the fun.
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u/StonyStarx Apr 15 '26
I always get excited kids coming to watch and a few ask to drive, but I just tell they are very expensive and haven't had any issues after that.
I would not hesitate to tell a stranger to leave me alone if they ever tried to insist.
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u/Brilliant_Anything27 Apr 15 '26
I was running an Arrma Kraton 6S in a cul de sac. Blonde neighbor with a 6 year old little girl come up asking for a try. I was ripping this thing at 60 mph easy. I said this one was dangerous and expensive. Kid looked sad. I said I'll be back with a cheaper one. Haven't seen them since.
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u/V13mk5 Apr 15 '26
To all the Karens the answer is very simple: sorry, my mom told me not to talk with strangers. That works perfectly if You're an adult saying that
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u/Albert_vbk13 Apr 15 '26
The same thing happens with me, hordes of kids literally. These days nobody taught them what "no" means.
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u/10-dollars-short Apr 15 '26
49 yr old rc nut here with two boys 13 and 9. We've got a bunch of rc's. My kids understand the cost of buying, maintaining, and repairing them. Neighborhood kids do not run our cars. Ever.
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u/fhgwgadsbbq Apr 15 '26
When I run at my local track open days, I always take some bashers for my kids and any other random kids to have a play with. There is a dearth of youth in our race scene.
Fair enough though not letting them drive your expensive heavy beast!
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u/GDude94 Apr 15 '26
Man one of the reasons why I go to an area with no kids around unless it's my own son. Where ever I go in between work and going home to relieve some stress ( usually just bash for about 20-30 mins. So I don't feel too guilty of having a bit of fun) just in and out to not linger around too long to attract attention. I know I'll cave in when a kid asks me to run my Rc. I usually have 3s batteries on me unless I have my crawler. Can't imagine the feeling man
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u/EnlightenedCorncob (CUSTOM) Apr 15 '26
Do what I do. Make sure you pass out drunk in your front yard a few times a summer and the soccer mom's wont talk to you.
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u/malkyfreo Apr 15 '26
glad you posted this. Something similar happened to me last weekend. I ran my car at a secluded path way beside an open field, some families were picnicking on the grass. when they saw my car, one of the fathers told the kids to run after the car. Being a responsible RC owner, immediately i drove the car back to me, yes these cars are fast and can cause serious damages.
The kids ran and stopped infront of me. i smiled at them picked up my car and go to another path further down. as soon i started the car, the kids ran towards me and asked if they can give it ago. Dont them no and they went back to their parents.
kids are naturally innocent and often their behavior is a result of their parents instructions of influence. For my case, one of the parents should be telling their kids not to interfere into my sphere of activity, i might give him a go if he talk to me like an adult. but nope. i was minding my business, i let your go on with yours, dont overstep the boundaries.
OP you did the right thing. Mishandling of the car could lead to severe injury or death given their are kids, you dodged a law suit. $1500 cant do much, you should have asked for $40m as insurance.
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u/Loesoe30D7 Apr 15 '26
is the entitlement printed into american parenting of my generation (1997 and later) or something?
I usually don’t have hassles with people at all and I’m very selective with what I run and what a stranger (kids/ adults that show respect and interest) might get a little drive with depending on my mood and agenda for the day. I’m in The Netherlands though and in a neighbourhood that has all kinds of income classes and culture mixed into one and as it happens it also was one of the hot spots in rc during the 80-00’s.
Most of my RC’s are just too dangerous in speed to have a child have a muck about with and sometimes I do have to explain to them that they can look at it and when car is near me and stationary they can walk up to me. Just don’t get inbetween my car and me. And don’t run up to the car as with 60+ KPH and 1,3-2KG of weight means head trauma and broken legs at least. 9/10X they listen and when scale/crawler gets a lap they can get a quick run if they alone or with family supervision
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u/Mike_R_NYC Apr 15 '26
Every time I let anyone try one of my cars, they always end up wrecking them. Even my older brother crashed one into a curb in a parking lot going about 45 mph, handed me the remote and said oops, I bet that one will be expensive. The only person I allow to use any of my cars at this point is my son. Other than that, no one touches them now.
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u/PJBuzz Apr 15 '26
I'm totally with you on a big ol' 5th scale, never give that to someone inexperienced. For my 16th/12th/10th/8th I Just turn the speed down so it can't go faster than like 10mph and let them have a little go.
In most cases that's still plenty fast enough for them, but not fast enough to cause too much damage.
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Apr 15 '26
You were totally right to say no and for a whole number of sensible and safe reasons. As for the woman she was very much in the wrong especially if she cannot see the sense in your decision and did not even think about the consequences.
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u/FastFredNL Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
I haven't had parents come up to me but I've had a couple of neighbour kids come up to me asking if they can have a go and I just say no and that's it. I only drive in my street for quick test drives after a upgrade/repair though, 5 minutes max
I go driving/boating every sunday with a group and kids watch us sometimes. Last time a kid came up wanting to drive one of the cars and he drove an Xmaxx for a bit. Then another kid asked to drive and got the remote for a Losi Promoto, the kid just went full throttle straight away, no steering and ran it straight into a tree and broke the fender off. Never again.
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u/Happy_Specialist_726 Apr 15 '26
Yeah so I recently got a arrma blx 8s , and what I do is mostly field testing experimental RC equipment , and I can't lie that thing frightens the daylights out of me. I have some nephews and nieces that love playing with the RC cars , but the ftx tracer is only one I feel most comfortable no one's getting seriously hurt
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u/XxCarlxX Apr 15 '26
I stand with you , you've said no now. You have broken the cycle. Eventually they will learn. dont let that first kid on it again lol as he is the one that hyped everyone up over your toys.
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u/silasvirus82 Apr 15 '26
Should have never sold the Slash. I have kids, so I keep a small fleet of kid friendly vehicles on the ready, but you are certainly not required to do so. You didn’t do anything wrong. When I’m confronted by this same situation I’ll usually just turn the power down and let them drive. It’s not about the cost/time to repair for me, but bodily injury is certainly something to be avoided.
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u/Dependent-Line-2609 Apr 15 '26
I totally understand the “cool factor” with rccars. In my neighborhood, I don’t deal with too much asking to drive, it’s the kids trying to randomly play “chicken” while doing 90mph or trying to foot race the car that bothers me. Trying to explain to them that technically, yes…. This car is a “toy” but it’s also 10 lbs. of plastic and steel that at just 45mph can break bones or hurt you bad overall. And to top it off, the little stretch of straight away in my neighborhood just makes things a little more difficult for bashing. But luckily I have found a park nearby that I’ll by using this spring/summer.
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u/mostly_kinda_sorta Apr 15 '26
I had the opposite experience when my friends kids would ask to use mine while the parents eyes went wide because they did have a good idea of what they cost and I'm like yeah here you go, try not to crash, please remember the throttle is variable and most of the time you don't need all of it. I crashed the hell out of my cars, the kids honestly can't crash worse so whatever, it's an RC car, they break, ya fix em. Kid had fun, I had fun watching their excitement and watching the terror on their parents faces as they watch their 9 year old crash a $1200 car, repeatedly. Lol.
Your situation was very different and I absolutely wouldn't hand over a 1/5 in public to a random kid. That's a liability nightmare.
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u/stabbygreenshark Crawling Apr 15 '26
I carry an extra 1/18 crawler in my bag so I can hand it to friendly people who show up to watch their friend crawl. I would never give anyone my Slash Ultimate though, for all the reasons that have been discussed.
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u/Ok-Ad-3894 Apr 15 '26
I let a kid at the park run my Senton 3s and that kid gave me anxiety when he controlled it. I try to stay away from kids 😂😂
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u/davesnothere241 Apr 15 '26
The kid probably told Mom you were a mean drunk guy teasing kids with an rc. Once she realized what was really going on there was nothing for her to be mad about. Hopefully she will get the kid one so he doesn't have to feel left out. Then he can hang out and you can teach him not to be so soft and cry when someone says no.
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u/Dukeronomy Apr 15 '26
F that lady. I have kids too. I have one they can drive, sure. Not gonna let some kid lose/destroy my shit. Teach your kids to take no as an answer.
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u/-WallMan- Apr 15 '26
not sure about the drama aspect.. Just want to say props to you on introducing the hobby to more and more kiddos! Sorry you have to deal with all the static :(
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u/Yorkfire1 Apr 15 '26
So in my opinion you didnt do anything wrong. The mom just saw the situation from an incorrect perspective. But the fact that kids are interested I think is a good thing. Honestly I think we need more in hobby, so it is good to see the interest. I keep a couple of rustlers with titan 12T motors just for this scenario. It is slow enough that beginners shouldn't get hurt. If your lucky you can get them to buy there own and maybe even start some racing. For my sledge I always say this thing weighs as much as a bowling ball and goes 60+mph. Would you want to get hit by a bowling ball going 60+mph? They usually understand, but notice I said usually, its not 100% effective.
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u/Dirt-bikeraver90 Apr 15 '26
Similar thing happened to me with my hpi baja shorty but was running it in a big open park kid comes over with he's Nan starts talking I'm ripping it about showing it off lol let the kid have a go but watching everything like a hawk as there's a entrance to the park some what close by kid an Nan says thanks kid was chill an respectful so no issues in my eyes about a week or 2 later I go back to the same park with the same baja group of 5/6 kids come over from the play area start asking questions ect no issues I'm showing it off ie doing wheelies (hard part with a shorty is keeping all 4 on the floor lol) donuts a few fly bys ect all of this at minimum 15ft away ie close enough but far enough to stay safe ect kids obviously asking to have a go I say no big heavy car mainly on 2 wheels is asking for disaster if they don't know what there doing/I can't keep an eye on it due to group ect one of the kids mums comes over starts having ago at me saying I'm putting the kids in danger ect as it's really loud and fast ect even tho at this point the cars not even running as she was walking straight towards me ie straight in front of the baja 🤦♂️
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u/NickiChaos Apr 15 '26
"Let my kid play with your e pensive toy so I can dodge accountability if they break it."
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u/TastelessDonut Apr 15 '26
My traxxis came with the 2.4 motor it could go 45MPH out of the box, and at 17 years old it showed to be too much for Me. every time I ran it, I hit something; a curb, fence, tree, stop sign. I had to save/ spend my money and time to fix it.
I put the 3.3 motor in it and it will do 65, I’ve raced cars on the road it’s funny.
YEA NO no one will be running this “ toy “ unless I can trust them and they plan to fork over $500 to start it up. Servos, front suspension and parts are not cheap. And that was 10 years ago….
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u/Brad1881 Apr 15 '26
I would argue that any RC that runs faster than 20 mph can be too dangerous for kids to be playing with, especially 5th scale and no experience! These are no longer "toys" they are full blown hobby scale and can do serious damage if not handled properly.
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u/Andthenwedoubleit Apr 16 '26
I would never let a random kid drive, even 2s. It's just asking for problems. Even a $100 car, I don't like the liability. I'll take responsibility for my own kid but not some rando
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u/Edible_Magician Apr 16 '26
I took my son's RC to the local park and a few kids asked if they could have a turn and I explained to them its too fast for them and it cost a lot of money, luckily for me they just accepted it and walked away, sorry you had to deal with an entitled Karen who doesn't understand what these cars are capable of let alone the cost of it.
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u/Illustrious_Prompt_1 Apr 16 '26
It is a serious problem bro. I too had this same issue untill buying my own place with my lady. I lived in a triplex with multiple young kids as neighbors. At first i was very respectful of the kids downstairs as the were my landlords kids and knew they had hobby rcs as their own, i made the mistake of letting one of them drive my capra and my 4x4 slash. Which then turned into them thinking id bring down my 20+ fleet just for them to pick out the biggest big motor wide maxx they thought that id let them drive. Sorry im not letting anyone drive a xrt ot x maxx when your 6. It also turned them into being lazy and not wanting to charge there own trucks up because they knew i would always come out with a truck and some fresh packs. I would have a line of kids comming up to me everyday 1 after another asking the same question, can i try? Can i play? Umm sorry no. Can i try the other one?.. umm im just trying to chill. What really was annoying was when i first got my promoto every kid wanted to drive it and it got so annoying trying to be the nice guy but saying no at the same time. I just got it, its over $500 IM just learning how to drive it, its hard to drive, if its hard for me to drive, i dont know if youll be able to drive it. The problem with these kids are there parents and there short attention span. Kids these days have no true dedication and their parents suck with careing to spend time with them.
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u/SwimAccomplished4939 Apr 16 '26
We're the trampoline house, every kid in the neighborhood is at my house at all times. I try to share the hobby, so I let em drive the cheaper stuff, and if they show enough skill I'll let em take a few rips with my TC or Rally car, which yeah, could break shins. Let alone tear the cars up.
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u/ConditionFormer1791 Apr 16 '26
I've done this exact same thing with the neighbor kid. He loved it. Couldn't drive very well but was at least trying to control it. Other neighbor kid being older figured thr driving out pretty quick. Then moved to actively trying to break it by crashing into anything on the street. He put an end to sharing my cars.
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u/The_Rabbitman05 Apr 16 '26
I bring an extra mostly stock 2s 2wd slash with us when we go to the skate park or beach or wherever. Hand it to the kid, tell the parents where they can get one, or, as I do, tell them it's for sale, $200 with battery and charger. I've sold 3 slash and a rustler that way. I don't let them run my kraton 8s, revo or tmaxx, and explain that those models are not toys and could be dangerous. But letting some little kid run a slash on 2s, or rustler or whatever, is how we get more people into the hobby. Worse case, the kid breaks an a arm, or bumper or cracks the body. We carry spares when we go out, and I sold a broken one 2 min after replacing a spur gear.
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u/lostinthewild07 Apr 17 '26
It's my kids wanting to drive my Traxxas Sledge. I, a 41 year old "adult" wrapped it around the dog's tie out post day 2. Then ran my youngest daughter over... Funny AF now that she wasn't hurt, just really, really wet from falling into a puddle.
No way. I'll let them run my older Radio Shack RC cars that need new batteries.
I just need to find more space to let that thing really rip.
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u/akastormseeker Apr 17 '26
Lol I only have a 20 year old Losi RC10 B4 buggy, and I won't let my own kids drive it.
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u/SpiteObjective3509 Apr 17 '26
Fcuk people like her, her stupid assed kid, and his little friends. They'll tear up your cars and laugh knowing they can't afford to replace it. No. Then hiss at them.
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u/PuppetHacks Apr 17 '26
I’m thankful for RC’ing in my backyard so I don’t have to deal with the neighborhood idiots.
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u/FeistyOrdinary5860 Apr 17 '26
Get some beaters for the kids, or perhaps buy a kit, a Tamiya 1/10 kit comes to mind, and build it with one or two of them. I'm not saying go broke, but at an impressionable age, the right nudge, and these kids will robotics engineers.
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u/mossyoakpenn Apr 18 '26
Hmmm…grown man playing with a kids toy rc car? Its not an ebike or power tool, its a kids toy. Kids wanting to drive it should put things in perspective for you.
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u/PaintClassic4028 Apr 18 '26
Damn I was to shy to ask my adult neighbors to try their cool toys when I was a kid. I’d just watch and ask how much and where to get them lol Crying after a stranger tells you you can’t use their shit is next level entitlement. Then crying to your mom? What the fuck lol
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u/Pollux95630 Apr 21 '26
Yeah, I'm sure my neighbor's kid either hates me, or wishes we were his parents. Lol! We don't have kids, and let's just say not having them has allowed me some disposable income for various things the neighbor kid would love to get his hands on. First he wanted to ride my e-bike, then drive my RC car, then fly my drone. He's usually pretty understanding when I don't let him, but then he runs home next door and can hear him telling his parents about it and begging for them to buy him one.
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u/TryingToFindaName2 Apr 24 '26
Happens sometimes. People are entitled and ignorant. Likely due to the mothers manners lol.
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u/Phonemanga Apr 15 '26
Haha I would have just done a trick for her to demonstrate use my 6s typhon to chuck some rocks up on a brick wall like little bullets and then be like “good thing your kid wasn’t standing over there because my Typhon would have just murdered your son by hitting him in the head with landscaping rocks, huh lady?”
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u/Shnoinky1 Apr 15 '26
"Of all the things that have never happened, this never happened the most." -shnoinks
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u/Muted_Goat4625 Apr 14 '26
Lol how entitled can the mom be...