I had the good fortune recently to win a small amount of money ($500) and decided that I would spend it on something fun for myself.

One leading idea is the Shuttle Discovery in the Lego Creator Expert series which I've had my eye on for a while.  But I also like the idea of a robotics kit or even an RC car kit, as something I could also possibly enjoy with my two girls (aged 6 and 4).

I had a look around the local Jaycar on the weekend and saw a few that look interesting.  There was a "lego-compatible" robot kit called Apitor Superbot for $149.  They also had a few RC cars, including this one for $129 and a simpler one for $95.  I quite enjoy RC cars, but haven't had one since I was a kid.  I knew someone who was building a kit RC car (Tamiya I think), which seems like it could be fun but it sounds like it's quite expensive, and most kits don't seem to include the transmitter gear or other key components.  I had a look on a few websites and it wasn't exactly clear what parts I would need to make a full kit, so maybe a ready to race option is better.  I did take a look at this thread on GZ about RC cars, and there was talk about Aarma gear - I found someone on Trademe selling this  for $349, which looks like it could be fun.

Does anyone have any views on the Apitor Superbot, or a better alternative to suggest.  Not looking to get heavily into robotics - something simple but interesting, and maybe also to introduce some simple coding concepts for my kids.

What about RC cars/kits?  The Jaycar options are cheaper, but then as with the robotics I'm not planning to get super into racing - something to take down to the park with the kids to muck around on the weekend.  Or is the Arrma option on Trademe worth the extra spend?