Here it is, a list of how to get into on-road R/C racing in two different classes (your choice) on the cheap. I’ll update this list and go into detail about the the components I find important. Mostly I wanted to make a list of everything I’ve purchased to keep things honest.
Mega Mini
My son Jules has really taken to R/C driving – and crashing. My formerly pristine Subaru WRX body has officially been put through the ringer:
So I asked Jules what sort of body he would like – hoping that I could save the Subie body from further destruction. But he has a hard time getting past the fact that lexan bodies are clear and can be painted in any color scheme, so he’s often influenced by the presentation color rather than the shape. Unable to get him to commit to something, I made an educated guess.
Mighty Mini
When we race at the Twin City On-Road Club in Cottage Grove during the winter, he usually winds up running in the Tamiya Mini B-main if there’s not enough people for a novice class. We even discussed getting him a Tamiya Mini at one point.
R/C racing for half the cost
After my son badgered me to bring down my old HPI RS4, I caught the bug… again. So we went to the local track to find out what classes they run so I could get my car prepped. While cul-de-sac crashing is fun, I find competition is a better measuring stick to live by.
The track manager told me that any spec class car would cost $1000 to build. Yes, 1000 USD, as in $1k. I was stupefied. [Read more…]
Young Kids in R/C – Training Mode
Since Jules was so excited to get out my radio control car from the garage, he was naturally excited to drive it. I failed to explain to him how fast it goes before turning the controller over to him. It was like the first time I shot a rifle with a hair trigger. As my friend had just begun to explain how sensitive the trigger is, I had already shot it. It went something like, “Now, you’ll want to – BOOM!”
Racing, and seeing things through
My son has been pestering me for the better part of the year about this box which he keenly spotted in the garage:
I hesitated because I didn’t know if there’s any sort of indoor track near Minneapolis that we could go to and race.
[Read more…]
