Dan .
Frankly I don�t think the Traditions kit would be to bad of a start .
Its got a reasonable lock and a fairly good set of triggers .
Not really much wood or metal work to learn . However if they took their time , did some research , which then resulted in them shaping the stock properly , adding some inlays �. Then one could learn more then meets the eye .
Caliber is small� so that works for small game like rabbits , squirrels and such.
Weight is also reasonable and stock is of average fit . Thus they should get a couple years use from it . At least tell such time as they discover they have outgrown the fit of the rifle .

You might take a look at what Ray Franks from Sitting fox has to offer . Not as high in price as ToW . In a lot of cases 2-300 less depending on what your looking for .
But then again its more of an advanced build unless you have Ray build it in the white . Which would then put the cost back up there .

Myself I think I would ask about the boys , what are their attention spans like . Will this be a in-depth father son type of build or something they just want to spend a weekend doing .
If getting out and shooting is really the goal then IMO the Traditions kit would be a real good option . But if they are already doing a lot of shooting then the more advance build maybe more to their liking .
At 12 years old its really hard to say as in another year or two they will be starting to get into other interests , so its really hard to say what would be best .

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