New to RC? There are different ways to enjoy the radio controlled hobby. Planes, helicopters, boats or cars, there are a lot of options to choose from. Some things to consider before making a purchase are:
1) Decide on air, water or surface.
2) What price point are you shooting for?
3) Is this something to just play around with or do you want to get serious?
4) How mechanically inclined are you?
If you are just getting into the hobby, you might want to go with an entry level kit. Most of these come in what’s commonly referred to as RTR or Ready To Run. The idea with these kits are you just put batteries in the transmitter and charge the batteries for the vehicle and you’re ready to go. In most cases these kits are priced reasonably and the performance is for the most part, geared towards the first time users. Slower vehicles are a good idea for people just starting out. Slower vehicles are much easier to control and tend to break less, which will be less frustrating.
Pricing can run the gamut from around a hundred dollars to a couple of thousand dollars, as with most things, take an honest look at what kind of investment you want to make. Generally speaking, repairing most kits isn’t expensive. The biggest investments will be in electronics and engines in the case for nitro/gas.
Radio Control (RC or R/C) can be a lot of fun for people of all ages. Some people like to just ‘bash’ or take vehicles and see how far they can jump or just run around the yard. Others want to feel the rush of competition. There is also groups of ‘scalers’ that will outfit scale vehicles for realism and run them through obstacle courses (sometimes referred to as crawling). So there is always something for someone no matter what the skill level.
As with anything mechanical, maintenance is important. The models should be checked before each run, any fasteners should be tightened and broken parts should be replaced. After each run, a general cleaning should be performed so the model lasts as long as possible. If you are just getting into the hobby, this can be daunting as some kits can get quite complex. Most of the entry level or RTR kits are built right out of the box and are generally pretty simple to work on.
In short, as with anything in life, practice makes perfect. The more you use the models, the better you will get at controlling them. If you get into the hobby, eventually you will want to get bigger, better, faster. At that point a couple of old axioms come to mind:
Speed is just a question of money, how fast can you afford to go?
Quality, Price, Performance…pick any 2
Mention this article and receive $20 off any RTR vehicle over $100 8/8/2018
