Hobby History: Radio-Controlled Cars

You don’t have to be a car enthusiast to get into the hobby of radio-controlled (RC) cars. In fact, if you’re an avid do-it-yourselfer or electronics tinkerer, you’re probably one of the earliest owners of an RC car or two. That’s because in the early days of RC cars, you had to build the car from a kit as well as the radio controller.

Since then, a lot has changed about RC cars and RC toys in general. For one, electric models have emerged and become more popular over the years, especially since they are much more beginner-friendly. These are often powered by brushed DC motors and rechargeable batteries. However, more and more electric RC car models have begun using high-efficiency brushless motors, which have longer motor and battery life, as well as better heat dissipation.

On the other hand, modern nitro RC cars often use glow plug engines or small internal combustion engines; a blend of castor and synthetic oils usually serves as its own version of gasoline. There are also gasoline-powered RC cars, which are bigger and more powerful than electric or nitro cars but also much more expensive; however, these models also have a longer lifespan.

Here are a few more highlights in the evolution of this hobby.

The Early Years

The first commercially viable RC car, a 1:12 model of the Ferrari 250LM, was produced by the Italian company El-Gi (Elettronica Giocattoli). It first hit the market in December 1966 in the United Kingdom. It was swiftly followed by the 1:10 Ferrari P4 in 1968, which debuted at the Milan Toy Fair. Madrave, a British company based in Leicester, began mass-producing RC cars soon after, and their nitro- and gas-powered models were made available by the early 1970s.

In the United States, companies such as Heathkit and Team Associated (then-known as Associated) began offering RC car kits by 1971. Team Associated, in particular, released its first RC car, the RC1, during that same year. The RC1 was a 1:8 nitro-powered on-road pan car. They followed in up with another 1:8 model, the RC100, in 1975 and a 1:12 model, the RC12E, in 1978. The latter was their first electric RC car.

By December 1979, Tamiya, which began as a sawmill and lumber company, released the Sand Scorcher, one of the first electric off-road RC car kits and now one of the most sought after vintage models due to its high level of detail. The Sand Scorcher is generally considered as the car that kicked off the golden era of RC cars. It also made Tamiya one of the most popular producers of RC cars around the world.

RC car racing officially began in 1985, when the first International Federation of Model Auto Racing (IFMAR) launched the first 1:10 Electric Off-Road World Championships in Pomona, California. The tournament is held biennially since 1987, and has two events (2WD and 4WD) and two categories for each (stock and modified).

The Modern RC Arena

Today, the hobby has become much more accessible, with the emergence of toy-grade RC cars. These are a perfect entry point for beginners and those who are not quite as handy in building full-fledged kits. Toy-grade models are rarely customizable or upgradeable, however, and has likely limited or no replacement parts available in the market.

Hobby-grade RC cars are much more expensive, usually in the price range of $100 to at least $2000, but are definitely built to perform better and last longer. These RC cars usually come in two types: kit models and RTRs or “ready to run.” The former are ideal for professionals and experienced hobbyists, who are more well-versed in assembling and customizing their own units. RTRs require little to no final assembly and usually come pre-painted and trimmed. They are ideal for those who are slowly easing into the “serious” side of RC. However, high-spec RC cars for racing are often still sold only as kits, as they are easily customizable.

Beyond cars, there are also a host of other RC vehicles, like helicopters and quadcopters, planes, ships and boats, and even mini tanks, all of which have their own communities all over the world. But just like any other industry rooted in electronics, the RC hobby continues to evolve. Who knows what kind of technological advancements we’ll be seeing in just a couple of years!