Radio control is an engaging and fun 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 my favourites are 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. Radio control cars tend to fall into two categories: those that are powered by an electric motor and those powered by a little engine that uses a Nitro Methanol fuel mix.
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. My personal interest in radio control led to my career in electronics, all because I had to build and maintain my own radio control equipment. If you are looking for an educational gift for a child that is great fun and doesn’t look like an educational toy I strongly suggest you consider a radio control car.
For a first car I would recommend you choose an electric model. Firstly because of the price. Electric-powered radio control cars are much cheaper than their Nitro powered equivalents. Secondly simplicity. Electrically powered cars are much simpler than Nitro but don’t be surprised if you soon want to upgrade. There is a truly fantastic selection of electric cars to choose from so you are bound to find a model that fire’s the imagination. My personal favourite are fat-wheeled off-road models. Great fun on a little rough terrain, bouncing through puddles and over muddy humps.
But I started out with a radio control model aircraft. I can still recall the thrill I got when I took those RC controls for the first time. Making the plane swoop toward the ground and then climb almost to the limit of the radio range.
As for rc cars, these days there is a great selection of model aircraft to choose from with a range of price tags. For a small amount of money you can get yourself a little RC aircraft that can be launched from the palm of your hand, great fun in the office or 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.
Duxford Focke Wulf 190 and Messerschmitt 109 WW2 Fighter
Squadron Signal Focke Wulf FW-189 In Action #142 OOP
