Radio control is such a great hobby. I first got into radio control when, at the age of 10, a generous uncle bought me a model aircraft for my birthday. It was a scale model of a First World War biplane with a little engine that ran on what I think was methylated spirit. Today RC cars and aircraft are much more sophisticated, but still great fun and very educational.
Today I have several RC cars and a couple of high performance aircraft. I have dabbled with RC boats but I still tend to favour model aircraft and cars.
If you are thinking about buying a radion control model its worth taking a few moments to consider exactly what you’ll be spending your money on. You need to know that there are two basic types of radio control car: those powered by electric motors and those powered by little engines that run on Nitro Methanol.
Like many RC car enthusiasts I my favoured RC cars are those powered by proper little engines. For me, racing RC cars is not just about hurtling around a race track at break neck speed. Like formula one racing, it’s all about the cars, the engineering, the tuning and tweaking to get the best from your model.
Getting into RC cars at an early age can be very educational. For me it led to a career in Electronics as I had to build and repair my own radio control systems in order to save cash. If you are looking for a toy that is both fun and educational I strongly recommend you consider a neat little radio control car.
For a very first RC car I recommend you select an electric model. Firstly the price. Electric-powered radio control cars are much cheaper than their Nitro powered equivalents. Secondly, ease of operation. Electrically powered cars are the simplest. There are an incredible selection of electric RC cars to choose from so you’re bound to find a model that inspires your imagination. My personal favourite are fat-wheeled off-road models. Great fun on some rough terrain, bouncing over sand dunes and through muddy puddles.
But I started out with a radio control model aircraft. I can still recall the thrill of taking the controls for the first time. Taking the controls and making the model plane swoop and climb was such a thrill.
As for rc cars, these days there is a great selection of model aircraft to choose from with a range of price tags. For very little cash you can get a little palm launched radio control aircraft that can be great fun in the office or indoors at home. For a little more money you can get yourself an easy-to-control model aircraft that is capable of performing breathtaking stunts.
Some of todays model aircraft come with sophisticated technology that can detect the ground and the sky helping to prevent a costly crash. There are even some truly magnificent scale models of well known aircraft including the Spitfire and Focke Wulf.
Radio control is a great hobby that provides interest, excitement, fun and competition. If you are just thinking about giving it a go I’d recommend that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get yourself a very capable plane or car that will give you a good taste of how much fun this hobby can be.