The Exciting World of Radio Controlled Cars

Remember back in the day we had those notorious toys called remote control cars? The antennae sliding out and 9 volt batteries... well some guys who had the geek bug/budding engineer syndrome kept on at it, and today we have met up with some serious hobbyists who have taken the cute concept to heavy duty, adrenaline pulsating levels. We are talking about scaled down versions of real cars and trucks, and they are no more termed as remote controlled, rather we prefer the term 'radio controlled' thank you. As physically speaking that is how they operate.

The cars are made from DIY kits, or come 'ready to run' too, with every possible part resembling those of real vehicles from disc brakes to petrol tanks. Yes petrol tanks, some models actually run on normal petrol, the kind available at pumps. We caught up with the brand HPI (Hobby Products International), spoke to their official representatives in India for Maharashtra and Gujarat, a company called The Tritech Group. HPI is represented in many cities in India, and these guys manufacture over 50 models of RC cars, all different types, shapes, speeds, budgets etc. Their range starts at around Rs. 10,000 and we showcased 2 flagship models by them, but first a little basic gyaan on the concept of Radio control cars...

Few noob facts
These cars come mainly in 'build from scratch' kits, and also ready to run  units. The guys at HPI here are very knowledgeable and helped us out assembling a model. As with all purchases, you get a full, in depth instruction manual with step by step instructions that allow you to easily disassemble and reassemble your car. There is a part by part explanation of the internal parts in our video at the end of this story. Building a kit from parts you get in a box is a form of entertainment that most of us will surely love, after all DIY will never get old. But before buying any piece one must realize stuff like where is he/she going to drive it, what speeds is he/she is looking at, what tricks can be done etc. And off course once the initial learning curve is climbed, there are the numerous races that can be attended, communities joined etc. So firstly we have 3 types of RC cars based on engines. One is Petrol powered- top of the line stuff- while the other 2 are electric and nitro powered cars.

The petrol-powered kits such as the Baja 5T truck (the one we have shot) use normal pump petrol like you would use in a real car, mixed with 2-cycle engine oil, in a large engine similar to those used in lawn mowers. These kits are huge, nearly a meter long and are quite wide.
The extra cost of these massive kits is offset by the fuel cost, which is much lower than regular nitro car fuel. Engine maintenance is also less intensive and the size of the kits make them seem much more real.