Wltoys 12428b (part 1: how we chose)

So after playing with a toy grade RC car that my boy was given, I decided I'd like to get into the hobby some more.  If you've been here you know how hard it can be to choose, so maybe this might help someone.  My decision was based on a few criteria:

1. Had to be initially cheap (we paid ~$120AUD delivered), I wasn't sure we were going to stick with this hobby.
2. It had to be able to be fixed and have parts readily available.
3. It has to have an active modding community, from which i can pick an upgrade/mod path if required.
4. Has to be fun to play with outside but not be ultra fast because we're just going to crash it otherwise.
5. Generally look tough and not like a toy.. yeah.. ;)

After much consideration i decided to purchase a pair of Wltoys 12428b 1/12 4WD RC buggies, one for me and one for my boy.   It's the successor to what seems to have been a wildly popular RC car the 12428.  I think this model looks better and has more metal parts as well.