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You know those people that say you’re too old for toys? Well, don’t listen to them, we don’t need that kind of negative energy. You can collect as many toys as you’d like, regardless of age. Remember that little kid that marvelled at the beauty of cars and how fast they were moving? It’s time to make that child proud. Collecting your favourite model car toys is perhaps one of the best hobbies to tap into your inner child.
With that said, model car toys have come a long way in recent years, with modern technological advances paving the way to interesting developments. One of the most notable advances is the remote-controlled model which allows you to play around with your toys for a bit. Most of them offer features such as increased acceleration and improved balance, both of which are bound to make the whole experience much more enjoyable. If you’re looking to kick start your model RC car collection, we’ve compiled all the basics to get you going.
How Are RC Cars Powered?
Before we jump into specifics, we’ll be taking a closer look at the three major types of RC cars, depending on how they’re powered. You likely won’t notice a difference in overall performance, regardless of which fuel method you choose. So basically, it all comes down to your preferences and how you want to maintain your RC models.
Petrol RC Cars
This particular type is somewhat bigger than the rest because it needs to accommodate the chunkier engines. Due to its size, it’s a tad bit more expensive than other models but they’re more convenient to manage and cheaper to run because you can get the fuel you need from a nearby petrol station. In other words, it might seem like a heftier investment initially but it pays off in the long run. But you can easily cut down on your expenses by finding petrol RC cars for sale.
When it comes to their build, RC petrol cars boast 2-stroke engines that run on a mix of unleaded petrol and 2-stroke oil. If you want to turn it on, you’ll have to use a spark plug, similar to the ones found on chainsaws. This particular movement generates a spark that is used to ignite the fuel which means you won’t need any extra tools or parts to get it going.
Petrol-powered RC cars are a great option for those of you that are looking for a reliable device with decent runtimes of about 45 minutes. You can even tune your exhaust pipe if you want to cut down on the power output. This, in turn, will make your model cars run much more efficiently by consuming less fuel. Plus, they’re highly unlikely to overheat or break down due to irregular maintenance. When you take all of these things into consideration, you’ll realize that you’re getting great value for your money. And if you happen to catch sight of any petrol RC cars for sale, your new hobby definitely won’t be as expensive as you thought.
Nitro RC Cars
These types of RC cars have a working combustion engine that runs on a mixture of nitromethane, methanol and oil. The downside is that every model requires a particular combination of all three to run properly. For this reason, it’s crucial that you either read the instructions or consult the manufacturer on fuel specifics to keep your engine up and running.
Generally speaking, nitro RC cars need around 30-45% nitromethane along with 10-12% of oil, with methanol making up the remainder of the percentage. Getting these numbers right ensures that your cars will run more smoothly and last much longer.
Electric RC Cars
This last type is pretty simple, all you need is the appropriate batteries to get it working. Seeing as they run on rechargeable battery packs, you won’t need a lot of mechanical expertise or maintenance to keep them in shape.
Moreover, battery-powered RC cars are making a splash in the collector’s world because they’re very cost-effective and have long runtimes of over 40 minutes. They also produce little to no noise at all which is a bonus if you’re looking for something on the down-low.
How Do You Choose the Right RC Car?
With the main parts out of the way, let’s dive into a few key factors that you should take into consideration when making a purchase.
Scale
The scale of model cars is measured as a direct fraction of the size of their real-life counterparts. So if you buy a 1:8 RC car, that means that it’s 8 times smaller than the actual model. The idea here is simple, the bigger it is, the more accurate the representation will be. So if you want to admire the beauty of your collection in greater detail, consider getting the larger models for your collection.
2WD vs. 4WD
This refers to the number of wheels that will be spinning according to your remote control commands. It’s thought that two-wheel drive is more convenient since it has fewer parts but a four-wheel-drive might be easier to handle for beginners. The latter also provides greater acceleration which could be a deal-breaker if you want to build on speed much faster.
Storage and Display
Building your collection requires a lot of space so you need to make sure you’ve got enough room at home to store all of your models. You likely won’t stop at one or two RC cars which is why we recommend having a designated spot with the appropriate storage space.
