RC's are great to get the kids into wheeled fun and away from the screens (phone/tablet/tv/pc). Really don't matter which way you go, but it gives them an understanding on what makes a car work on a smaller scale. Here's the thing, getting into your first one there are going to be some supporting items not included in most RTR (ready to run) kits. Those are the battery packs and chargers. You need to factor that into your cost. Just remember this the higher the Mah (milliamp hours) the longer the runtime and usually the higher the price. There are tons of options in batteries by type, but the type dictates the charger. I could go into a massive word vomit on that alone, if you are unsure, just hit me up on PM and I'll be happy to break it down.
Now onto actual trucks. My personal favorite brand is Traxxas. They may not carry the street cred of the Axial crawlers, they are the kings of the RTR side of the industry. This means they are designed to be used by beginners, but with upgrades can grow to be even better. I've got Rustlers (2wd stadium truck) and Stampedes (2wd monster truck) and they were very durable. The Crawler linked below while I haven't bought one yet, is one I would buy on my experience with Traxxas alone.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/traxxa...trail-rock-crawler-red-tra82024-4-red/p773311
Vaterra's crawlers are another entry level line that are pretty solid too. Cool thing here is the Blazer body, K10 Flatbed and the Suburban. I've been looking hard at one of these just because of the bodies. They are marketed by the same company that is Team Losi (for the hardcore racer) and Spektrum (RC radios) and is pretty on par with Traxxas from what I've read.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/vaterr...-crawler-w-dx2e-2.4ghz-radio-vtr03090/p512452
This next option is one I found searching around. Team Associated is another brand of hobby quality cars/trucks that is steeped in racing history and championships. The option is one of the first I've seen for crawlers from them. The 1/12 scale is slightly smaller and it is equipped with the OBS Ford stepside body, but the RTR kit comes with the battery and charger where the others don't.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/team-a...r-1-12-4wd-rock-crawler-blue-asc40002/p769357
Now a dose of practical experience. Crawlers and the slow technical idea of navigating obstacles has some of the visual interest of watching paint dry for kids. Kids like action. When my son was younger I saw the Nylint Jeep Crawlers at Wally World for a fraction of what the Axial crawlers were going for at the time. I bought 2 one for me one for the kid.
They were 1:18 scale, came with everything including the battery and charger. I've got a lot of large river rock in my landscaping that is the perfect size for one of these. We used them a couple of times and I found my son lost interest because it just wasn't exciting for him. Sure for an adult who wheels the real stuff taking control of an RC is fun because we see the same challenge to navigate a bunch of rocks in the front yard as it is driving the real deal on a trail. My kid lost interest, but your results may vary. What I did was get a Traxxas Bandit for my son and a Rustler for me. The speed even with the brushed motor was fun with a standard 6 cell ni-mh battery. At first, I used the feature in the speed control to limit the power until he got used to it, but it wasn't long until I let him go wide open with it. Eventually, both of ours got upgraded to brushless motors/speed controls and doubled the speed. He got into that big time.
One other option is getting a brushed motor Traxxas Stampede 2wd monster truck. They are low in price and with the lower speed motor, almost bulletproof with a kid driving it. They wheelie, take jumps like a champ and are really a riot to drive. They work on pavement or dirt and have many options for stronger upgrades (RPM brand suspension arms and shock towers are twice the strength of stockers for a little over the price of stock parts) to really make the truck stronger for kid level abuse. I built one out of spare parts (The bandit, Rustler and Stampede share the same basic suspension design) for my nephew and kept it on a brushed motor. The little dude was 10 when I did it for him and he was addicted to it. Kids like wheelies I've found. But launching it off curbs and skateboard ramps is pretty fun too.
Lots of options for sure.
