Radio Controlled Vehicles Blog

Ever wanted to move mountains? You can. Losi has this little plastic mountain designed for rock crawling with your littlest rock crawlers (such as the Losi 1:24 Micro Rock Crawler). I honestly don't think this is a must-have for me (and $25.00 for a plastic mountain seems a bit much). If you are really into micro rock crawling and don't want to carry a bunch of rocks or desk-size obstacles around with you, you might like this Micro Terrain Mountain. It measures 16x28 inches by 10 inches high so it's not tiny but still portable (or movable).

Traxxas is releasing (May 25) a 1:16 scale brushless race truck replica of the #18 Toyota Tundra that Kyle Busch drove in the winning 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

"...Kyle raced Chicagoland, Talladega, and Homestead with Traxxas sponsorship and took the checkered flag every time he flew Traxxas colors."

Sure, the paint job is great but what we really care about it what's under the hood (or under the whole body in the case of an RC). Also available with a Titan 550 brushed motor, get the specs on this 4WD, RTR truck featuring "Velineon^® Brushless Power with VXL-3m speed control."

There's also a Kyle Busch edition of the Slash for short course or off-road action.

Will you be taking to the streets (or the dirt) with Kyle Busch?

We've had a bit of rain but it's mostly dry where I am. Perfect weather for some backyard bashing or some sporting activities (with RCs of course).

Unfortunately I won't be doing any flying. The wind has been almost non-stop and strong. But if you've got a pool, your RC games can take to the water.

What RC games are you creating to take advantage of good or bad weather? Tell us about 'em.

Your shocks may be the first thing you think about when considering your suspension, but there are other factors you need to take into consideration as well. The tilt of your tires and the center of gravity, for example, also have a role in getting the best performance from your RC. Here's what you need to know about the basics of RC Suspension Tuning with pointers to more detailed information when the manufacturer's recommendations aren't good enough.

You can go it alone and use trial and error to learn how to fly that new RC airplane or helicopter. Or, find an experienced pilot to fly with you using a buddy box. Find out how this works. It's a safer (and potentially less destructive) way to learn how to really fly RC aircraft.

Another way to learn to fly is to start with RC Flight Simulation software. Use both methods. The flight sims let you practice flying night and day in any weather and the buddy box system lets you put that flight sim experience to use with a little less risk than going it alone.

The lastest reader response to What Was Your First Hobby RC Car or Truck? talks about the Midnight Pumpkin by Tamiya. dash909 writes:

"My first rc car was my brothers broken midnight pumpkin that i bought for $40. Me and my dad made a new shaft for it in the gearbox which held one of the gears in place. I bashed that truck like no other untill pretty much tires were hanging off and everything else was broken. Now i have a traxxas revo 3.3 and a stampede."

The Midnight Pumpkin is an electric 50's style pickup/monster truck kit (compare prices). Like other classic Tamiya RC kits an updated version was released in recent years. When I went to do a search for more info on the Midnight Pumpkin one of the first things I found was an entirely different sort of radio controlled pumpkin. If you want something more interesting than RC spiders and bats this coming Halloween, start building your own RC pumpkin. This RC Pumpkin instructables tutorial includes a video and complete instructions. That's one way to recycle an XMODS RC. Although you might need something a bit more powerful if you use a much larger pumpkin.

The Midnight Pumpkin may be a classic RC but I bet the kids will get a real kick out a radio controlled vegetable rolling around the kitchen or down the sidewalk.

Check this out on YouTube: RC Huge Jump HPI Savage Flux Amazing Driving skills My first Control "Misty Front to Back" by SavageJunky is 7:38 minutes of jumping. The one described in the title occurs in the first few seconds of the video and is repeated in slow motion. Quite a few flips (and near flips) and great landings nearly every time on a wide hilly dirt track. Here's the lastest Savage Flux 2350, a 1:8 scale electric 4WD off-road RC from HPI Racing (compare prices).

No, I didn't repeat myself in the title (and the rhyming is purely coincidental too). New Bright is a major toy manufacturer but for years now they've had a really bad website. However, it recently  got a makeover and it looks and performs so much better than before.

You can look for New Bright RCs by type of vehicle or product line such as Monster Trucks or Mud Slingers or select by scale to see everything they offer in 1:15, 1:8, etc. Get the specs, download a manual, or watch a product video. And if you're looking for support for an older New Bright RC, they've got a Radio Control FAQ that answers a few common questions.

Of specific interest to those looking for replacement parts: "New Bright does not supply replacement parts. Toy and hobby shops typically stock generic replacement parts that fit New Bright radio-controlled vehicles." And if you can't find what you need? There's a contact form for submitting questions and comments about New Bright products.

So, since they don't do replacement parts and warranties are only for 30 days, what do you do with a broken New Bright RC? Start here:

• Troubleshoot an RC That Won't Run - Some items apply only to hobby-grade but other items are applicable to toys as well.
• Repair a Broken RC Toy - Some fixes are easy. Others require more time, expense, or expertise so consider whether it's really worth fixing.
• Fix RC Radio Problems - Sometimes the problem isn't with the RC car or truck. The problem may be the transmitter.

Glow plugs are tiny little spark plugs for the glow engine in your nitro RC. In addition to the plugs themselves, there are several specialty tools for when you're using glow plugs.

• Light 'em up with a glow plug igniter.
• Take 'em in and out with a glow plug cross wrench. Additionally, needlenose pliers can be useful when removing and re-installing your glow plug when doing after-run maintenance.
• A holder for storing our glow plugs can keep the safe and handy. Here's an OFNA keyring glow plug clip/holder for taking your plugs with you. For storing glow plugs in your toolbox on on your workbench, you might want to use  this hocky puck-looking  6-plug caddy or this oval-shaped 6-plug holder by Trinity.

I have to admit that I often just put my glow plugs in one of the small compartments of my tool box. Probably not the best way to store them because they can rattle around and possibly fall out. How about you? Do you use one of the multi-plug holders that the glow plugs can screw into or do you have homemade storage method that works just as well?

HPI has gone outside the box with their newest RC RTR kit called the Switch. The Switch is based on HPI's true tenth scale RCs, the Cup Racer series. I like the fact that it has cool features like adjustable wheelbase width. It's HPIs first FWD (front wheel drive) vehicle, has McPherson strut suspension, and runs with a 35T Saturn Motor.

With the Switch being a true tenth scale RC you aren't so limited to just having that one body (it comes with the boxy Scion xB body in gold, white, or silver). The Switch can accommodate the other style bodies the Cup Racer series has to offer which includes the Datsun 240Z and the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR. You can see the complete specs and learn more about the Switch on HPI's website. You can also read about more info on HPI and learn a little history as well in this HPI Profile.