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History and Evolution of RC Cars
The 60's
R/C cars started in the mid-sixties. Pioneers made 1/8th scale pan cars using .19-cubic-inch 2-stroke model airplane engines. 1 Around 1967, companies like WEN, Model Car Enterprises, Dynamic Models, and Associated started to produce car "kits". 1
The 70's
Besides disco, this was also the era of 1/8th scale "gas" powered R/C cars. Companies such as Wencon, Control Technology, Delta Systems, Dynamic Models, and Model Car Enterprises produced cars such as the Wen Car, Scorpion, Delta Dash II, and the MCE car. 2
Powering these cars to incredible speeds were two-stroke, internal combustion engines mounted on an aluminum chassis. These engines used fuel made of a special blend of nitrogen, methanol, and lubricant.
Electric powered cars started to emerge in 1974. WorkRite and Leisure were some of the companies that produce these electric powered cars. 3
In 1976, Tamiya Inc. released their very first R/C car, the 1/12 Scale Porsche 934 Turbo. This was powered by an electric motor with a pan chassis and direct drive transmission. 4
Three years later, the first 1/8th Scale On-Road Gas World Championship was held in Geneva. Phil Booth, from England, was crowned World Champion driving a PB Racing car. 5
Cars in the 70's were designed to run on-road, such as smooth parking lots. Tamiya followed up the Porsche 934 Turbo with others such as the Lamborghini Countach, Toyota Celica, and scale Formula 1 cars such as the Ferrari 312T3 and the Tyrrel P34 Six Wheeler.
The release of the Tamiya Rough Rider in 1979 brought a new dimension to the hobby. The car was capable of running in off-road conditions such as dirt, rocky terrain, and water. It had a die-cast suspension system and large rubber tires.
Immediately following the Rough Rider was the Tamiya Sand Scorcher. Both cars are now collectibles, sometimes fetching over a thousand dollars in eBay.
These off-road cars could be run anywhere. In backyards, rough parking lots, or baseball fields. Little did anyone know that this would start the R/C craze in the 80's.
The 80's
These were the fun years of the hobby. The 80's saw an explosion in the popularity of the hobby, most notably in the 1/10th scale off-road category. This was an era when you could expect to see 400 competitors in a major race.
The 80's also saw World Championships, held every two years, for the 1/12th scale on-road electric cars. In 1982, Associated Electrics became the first 1/12th Electric On-Road World Champion. 5
1985 was the year of the first IFMAR 1/10th Electric Off-Road World Championship. Again, Associated Electrics won with the RC10. 5
This was also the year that Tamiya surprised everyone by introducing a 4-wheel drive (4WD) buggy called the HotShot. This was the first true off-road racing car from Tamiya. It was faster than its 2WD predecessors, especially in slippery and dusty conditions.
1986 was the year of the first IFMAR 1/8th Gas Off-Road World Championship. 5 These were awesome 4WD beasts capable of speeds of 40 mph, off-road!
By 1988, 4WD off-road cars exploded in popularity. Top electric cars were the Schumacher Cat (1987 World Champion), Kyosho Optima Mid, and Yokomo C4.
In 1/8th Gas, the Kyosho Burns 4WD took 2nd place in the 1988 IFMAR World Championships.
This year also saw the emergence of a new class, the 1/10th electric on-road racing cars. These lightweight cars had incredible power-to-weight ratio, capable of circling oval tracks at speeds in excess of 40mph!
In 1989, cars went even faster. At the Encino velodrome, a 1,000 feet bicycle track, Kent Clausen drove an electric RC10L to an incredible one lap average speed of 57 mph! 6
The 80's were truly the best years for the hobby. Crowned were World Champions in 1/12th scale electric on-road, 1/10th scale electric off-road, 1/8th scale gas on-road, and 1/8th scale gas off-road.
The 90's
The decade of speed. Kent Clausen drove an electric RC10L to a staggering speed of 70.1 mph at a bicycle track. 7 This heralded a new type of racing, Superspeedway. Here, cars are run in large oval tracks, sometimes in bicycle tracks 1000 feet long.
At the second International Electric Drag Racing Association World's Drag meet, in 1992, electric cars covered 132 feet in 1.8 seconds at speeds over 75 mph. 8
This time also saw the emergence of 1/10th scale gas cars and trucks, such as the Serpent Impact and electric trucks modified to run using 2-stroke engines.
1992 was the inauguration of the first IFMAR 1/10th scale electric on-road World Championship. Held in California, USA, the event was won by Joel Johnson driving a Trinity Evolution 10. 9
By 1993, 1/10th scale electric truck racing was popular. What started out as monster trucks for backyard bashing, these racing trucks are as technologically advanced as their buggy counterparts.
There was a downside to faster speeds. Battery, motors, tires, and cars became more advanced. Money became an issue, and to an extent, a necessity to win races.
To make racing more affordable and fun, parking lot races were organized. It was a move back to the origins of R/C car racing of the 80's. Fun was the name of the game.
It is worth noting that Tamiya started to introduce scale and realistic looking cars similar to real cars that we drive everyday. These would eventually lead to the popularity of "touring" cars in the year 2000.
1994 saw the arrival of 1/10th scale gas trucks. Associated released the RC10GT, and Tamiya the TR15T. This was also the inaugural year of the Tamiya Racing Championship in the USA, set to promote low cost racing.
1995 saw the first IFMAR 1/10th scale I.C. On-Road World Championship. This was won German Michael Salven from a company called Serpent.
1996 saw the trend towards smaller scale cars. Tamiya had the mini series, cars that were technically 1/10th scale but had dimensions similar to a 1/12th scale. The Roadrunner GTO 962 was a 1/12th scale, 4WD touring car. BRP released a 1/18th scale on-road truck.
In 1997, the first Kyosho World Cup was held in the Philippines. With 30 teams from 17 countries, the winning team came from the Philippines. These cars were 1/10th scale powered by 2-stoke gas engines. Adding to the realism was the 1-hour long race, which included several pit stops for refueling and repairs.
Touring car mania was on. Companies such as ABC, Associated, HPI, Kyosho, Losi, OFNA, Roadrunner, Schumacher, and Tamiya produced over 40 different cars to choose from.
1/8th scale on-road gas was a domination of an Italian driver, Lamberto Collari. He won 5 straight IFMAR World Championships from 1989 - 1997. The car was a Serpent Vector with a 2-speed transmission and a 3.5cc engine. Racing speeds were in excess of 70 mph!
1999 saw the rise in popularity of gas-powered cars. Off-road gas buggies from Mugen and OFNA. Tamiya even joined the gas car craze by producing the TG10 Pro.
2000 - Present
The year started of with Atsushi Hara winning the 2000 IFMAR International Scale Touring Car (ISTC) Electric World Championship for Japan.
2002 was a shocker, when Surikarn Chaidejsuriya of Thailand won the 2002 IFMAR ISTC Electric World Championship, driving a Tamiya car. It was a surprise because this was the first time a Tamiya car has won an IFMAR World Championship.
The Future of R/C
The fun hobby of R/C is currently experiencing dwindling interest and slow growth. Does the future look grim for the hobby? Will it, like a fad, eventually die out? Personally, I believe that this hobby is too much fun to die out.
As to the future growth of the hobby, I believe in the concept of "self-fulfilling" prophecy. If we predict that the hobby will grow, subconsciously our actions will lead towards achieving that goal.
As a mere hobbyist, what can I, or we do? Well, we can start by helping out newcomers and beginners by giving them helpful advice. And that is the main motivation for me in writing this book. To help newcomers, and see this hobby grow and exceed the glory years of the 80's.
The next step would be to organize low cost, non-competitive, and fun racing events. The idea is for us to all experience the fun of racing, win or lose. And for newcomers and beginners, you can help the hobby by inviting your friends to get into the fun hobby of R/C cars.
Radio Control Systems and How they work
The radio control system is the heart of the RC airplane. Many people use these wonderful systems with hardly a thought as to how they work. Here is some info that could prove useful.
Every radio control system contains a transmitter (Tx) and receiver Rx). There are also actuators, or servo motors. The pilot uses the transmitter to send a radio command to the receiver. The Rx then relays this command to the servo, which moves and also creates movement of the airplane surface to which it is connected. Most modern rc systems feature proportional control, i.e. the amount of joystick movement at the Tx determines the amount of movement of the airplane’s control surface.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has designated certain portions of the frequency band for radio control use. For example, 72MHz designates the frequency band most often used for RC aircraft (50MHz is another, but requires an amateur “ham” radio license). 75 MHz is used for rc cars and boats. Note that the permitted frequencies vary from country to country.
That 72MHz is really not a single number, but designates a “band” of frequencies that can be used. For example, one of the sub-frequencies is 72.030 MHz, also known as Channel 12. It’s vitally important that you know what channel your radio uses! Why? Because switching on your Tx while someone else is flying on your channel will create radio interference for that person’s aircraft, very likely resulting in a crash. This unfortunate event is called a “shoot-down”, and is a generally unpleasant event (not to mention unsafe). The model could have cost thousand of dollars or man-hours. So, the first order of business when you go flying should always be to check that no else is on your channel. Look at the back of your radio for a frequency sticker, or check the box that it came in.
Also note that radio control systems for planes should not be used interchangeably with those for cars and boats. The reason is that surface models and airborne models inhabit different regions of space. Someone running a model boat in a pond near your flying field is likely to be unaware of your airplane (and you will be unaware of his or her boat.) Using separate frequency bands helps reduce unnecessary incidents.
When buying your system, you will probably see the terms FM (frequency modulation) and AM (amplitude modulation). These are simply different ways of transmitting a radio signal. FM tends to be less prone to interference, and is generally a better choice for radio control of flying models, where the cost of a radio error (glitch) could be high. AM is still a fine choice for surface models.
You will probably buy a complete radio control system, either included with a ready-to-fly plane, or as a separate package. If you do buy radio components separately to save cost, be aware that a given transmitter is not compatible with all receivers. Both Tx and Rx need to be on the same channel. They also need to be both FM, or both AM. There is another distinction that makes different manufacturers systems incompatible with each other. This is the concept of “shift”, which is one feature of the radio wave. Positive shift (JR, Airtronics) is not compatible with Negative shift (Hitec, Futaba). Just something to look out for if you are mixing and matching.
You will also see the terms 4-channel, 6-channel, etc. What is a channel and how many do you need? In this case, channel is not referring to your radio frequency, but is referring to the number of separate radio functions that the system can handle at the same time.
The most basic radios available are two channel. These can work fine for gliders, or some very basic powered aircraft.
My recommendation for beginners is to get at least a four channel radio control system. These may be more expensive than 2 or 3-channel, but they have more potential for your growth in the hobby. Even if your trainer airplane only needs three functions (throttle, rudder, elevator), you will someday want the more advanced flying performance of a 4-channel airplane. If you are thinking that you are just trying the hobby, a 4-channel radio generally has a higher resale value.
If you are already convinced that you will be staying with the hobby, and perhaps someday build scale planes or fly helicopters, get the best radio you can afford. A good 7- or 9-channel radio can stay with your for many years. These have not only more channels, but many other useful features. These include mixing of channels, as well as the ability to store model configurations (memory). You will not believe me when I tell you that you will use these features someday, but it’s likely to happen. Again, these more complex systems have good resale value.
Once you have decided on number of channels, you still have a large number of manufacturers to choose from. Any of the major brands will work: Futaba, JR, Hitec, Airtronics. I generally like Futaba systems, for their ease of use and quality. Supporters of JR equipment will say the same thing. Hitec offers really good value at lower prices; I especially like their components (receivers and servos).
Whichever system you get, read the instructions carefully. Your typical 4 channel radio system will be setup as in the diagram above, depending on your aircraft needs (3 function or 4 function).
