Two Grades of Radio Controlled Vehicles
There are two broad classes of RC or radio controlled vehicles: toy-grade and hobby-grade. Toy-grade or mass market radio controlled vehicles (RC toys) are those typically sold at Wal-Mart, Target, and other retail stores. They usually come preassembled, have limited or no extra features and are suitable for children and beginners. Most toy-grade vehicles are electric-- they run on battery power.
Hobby-grade vehicles are those usually bought at hobby stores, which can come with little or no assembly required to a completely unassembled kit. They are often upgradeable, customizable, have many more features than toy-grade, and are used in professional RC racing and other competitions. These vehicles may be electric or nitro-powered RCs.
All Kinds of Radio Controlled Vehicles
Radio controlled vehicles are not just cars and trucks. There are radio controlled motorcycles, airplanes, helicopters, blimps, UFOs, sailboats, powerboats, ships, submarines, military aircraft, warships, tanks, semi-trucks, bulldozers, and walking toys such as robots and animals. Just about any vehicle that comes in a full-size model (and some that don't) can be found in a radio controlled version.
Radio Controlled Without the Radio
Not all vehicles that are called radio controlled vehicles actually operate with radio signals. The term is often used interchangeably with other remote control options that include wired controllers and optical controls that use infrared.
