I imagine a lot of households are like ours. Somewhere there's a drawer or perhaps a box holding a tangled mess of miscellaneous cords with varying sizes of "wall warts" at the end. You may not recall exactly which long-gone appliance they go with but we keep them around just in case. At The R/C Battery Clinic Red Scholefield has a fun read that explains how to make use of those orphan wall chargers for charging up your RCs. Now if you're the sort who would never, ever tear the tag off a mattress, you might not want to try using a wall charger with an item that it was not specifically manufactured to go with. But if you can read and understand Red's wall chargers article, then you're fearless and gadget-friendly enough to give it a try.

You might also be interested in A Dummies’ Guide to Working with Wall Warts

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I gotta admit that the first time I ran across the term "radio controlled bait boat" I thought it was an RC modeled after some kind of fishing boat. Turns out that an RC bait boat is a type of radio controlled boat used by some fishermen (seems to be popular in the UK) to drop bait in the water. I'm not really much for fishing but that would be one way to keep me interested while waiting on the fish to bite.

Technology that is a little fishy when the bait boat comes in explains it nicely -- how they are used and why some anglers aren't too crazy about the practice.

I've had both good and bad experiences with used RCs, some purchased on eBay and some obtained from friends. Our About.com Guide to Toys, Dipika Mirpuri, has a good article on general things to look for when buying a second hand toy. The advice applies to both toy and hobby-grade RC vehicles too. Checking for recalls is important, and something RC buyers probably don't even think about. In the US, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is the place to go for up-to-date online info on recalls.

When buying used RCs online (such as on eBay) you can't always try-before-you-buy so check out the seller and the listing carefully. About.com Guide to eBay, Aron Hsiao, describes what to watch for in listings. Check to see if the seller frequently sells RCs. A seller with a good rating but who is unfamiliar with RCs may not know what he's got (which could be a good or a bad thing for you) and the description could be unintentionally misleading.

If possible, check your local retailers and hobby shops and online retailers to double-check the price of the same RC new and to see what is supposed to be included in the box. If some item that came with it new is not included with the second hand toy, it should be clearly stated and reflected in the price -- and make sure that if it is an essential item (such as a special battery pack) that you can obtain replacements.

If you are new to radio controlled vehicles, do your homework first (About.com Radio Controlled Vehicles is good place to start) and seriously consider starting with a new RC.

Here are more resources to help you make a good purchase:

• Buying New or Used (sometimes new is the better deal, includes a video)
• eBay Radio Control Vehicles Buying Guide (good but general info)

Earlier I wrote about a scheme to smuggle cellphones into a prison using an RC helicopter. Well, this time the RC of choice is a blimp. A prisoner in Spain was going to make his escape with night vision goggles and climbing equipment that his buddies planned to smuggle in using a remote controlled zeppelin. Chances of success... remote.