N
has an assortment of RC planes, helicopters, cars, and even boats.
Most of them seem to languish, but he's really taken to this new
truck. It's a Traxxas Stampede, and even by my cynical standards, it
has a lot going on. It looks cool and has a lot of power. It has
these killer knobby tires for going off-road so he can go pretty much
anywhere, and it can climb hills like they were nothing. We went to
the skate park to drive it and it was pretty amazing. Not only does
it go really fast, apparently in excess of 35 mph, but it was cool
watching it launch off of jumps, and it landed on it's feet almost
every time. I think it has a strong battery because he drove that
thing for nearly an hour and it could have kept going.
Now
what I find really cool about this truck is that you can actually
modify it, just like a real car. All the components are replaceable,
and there is some pretty interesting stuff. You can swap out the
frame for different designs, and you can modify the engine to make it
stronger or faster, as well as make changes to the suspension. There
is an entire industry geared toward customizing these trucks, and I
have to admit, it's pretty darn cool. N is completely hooked, and I
can't say I blame him.
What's
nice about it all is that it speaks to his creative and technical
side. Not only can he do cool things to his vehicle, but it helps to
understand how the engine works and how different modifications
affect the performance of his car. I, for one, am stoked that he's
passionate about it. Like his grandad and uncle (the Amazing PR Man),
that boy is an engineer at heart. We'll have to indulge this one for
as long as it lasts.
Until
the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to faisal fahad for the pic.
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