Been Gone 10 years!!! Whats Happened??

[turbodisel]

I used to have an ULTIMA II when I was 12-13 and some kind of Losi I think on road car. I raced the indoor car on a carpet oval. Anyways I left the hobby and just went into my first hobby store in 10-11 years. WHAT HAS HAPPENED WHILE I'VE BEEN GONE?? I remember Nitro was an expensive option and that everyone built their own cars. I actually enjoyed the building part as much as the racing, so I was amazed to see prices lower and products preassembled. Also, when I left the NASCAR stock cars were the in thing on the on road level. Everybody decorated them like there favorite racer. Mine was Davey Allison at the time who happened to win the Daytona 500 1 month after I started racing my car? I'm excited to get back into action, so please help give me the lowdown over the past 10 years of RC. Thanks.

[RussTKD]

Dude, I'm with ya...

I left the hobby about 10 years ago and recently came back to it to find the changes and was pleasantly surprised by many of them.

Touring cars seem to rule now. Nitro, AWD, street car bodies, and very fast!!! I bought a RS4 3 SS kit and my reintroduction to RC and let me tell ya, it's a blast compared to the old electric pan cars. Last night I got my car in a drift and kept it sliding completely around the cul de sac in front of my house.

Also, BIG monster trucks. T-Maxxs and HPI Savages. That's going to be my next toy.

3300 maH batteries are new... expensive, but new. :)

Welcome back...

[TrickSpeed]

Ok, so just think of all the stuff you remember, now imagine it 10 times better and you'll get the picture. RTR's are common now, better instructions, less parts breakage, but the driving part is still just as hard :). The kits have gotten bigger (monster trucks) and smaller (1/18th micros), and all around better, longer running, and faster.

Go pick up a copy of RCCA to see the selection nowadays.

[Becca]

The good thing about RTR is that it opens the hobby to a lot more people. I began about a year ago with an RTR and just recently finished building my first 1/8 scale (off-road nitro) pro kit. I realized I got the enjoyment out of driving, but once I got into building, it created a monster :D RTRs make it much more accessible for some people to get into the hobby, and pro kits and upgrades work well for those of us who are more serious. When I was growing up, I had an r/c car, probably from Radio Shack, it was the Smokey and the Bandit car. You are so right about the levels we have progressed through! At this point in time, I do more "wrenching" than driving! I love it all though.

Welcome back to the hobby! Have you got yourself a new r/c car yet???

'Becca

[old phart]

LOL! I had culture shock too when I got back into r/c 2 years ago after a 15 year hiatus. A guy brought a T-Maxx to work and I totally was blown away. This after Kyosho "zip start" cords and converted airplane engines with clamp on heat sinks.

Everything is available as a RTR now. That is great IMHO. Some people bemoan the lack of "kit building" but I think it has been a big boon to the industry to have RTR's. Lots more people in it now. That makes for more choices in cars and accessories. And you all need to fix and repair and replace and upgrade them anyway so you all get to learn how to teardown and rebuild them!

Radios are way more sophisticated and 1/4 the price. Electric and pull starts; 2 speed and 3 speed trannies; reverse; ain't it grand! :D

If you were into r/c airplanes back then you should see how that has changed! ARF's! Even the most complex kits we had to build over months are now in ARF form and look great!

Be prepared to spend lots of money. You're gonna get hooked again, big time! :lol

[rusty89]

and we now have GP 3300 batterys and they cost less than 3000 batterys!!!

battery cost is going down and battery quilty is going up as long as you buy name brand.


and the battery war is between sanyo and GP but GP stole the market for 3300 batterys and they created a great cell that has long life, low ir, high voltage and long battery life. and they cost less. what more could you ask for.

check out www.promatch.com for some great deals on the new GP cells.

[403forbidden]

i'm in the same boat...left the hobby back in thr late 80's

anyhow, 1/5 scale racing is where it's at for me

http://www.fg-america.com/site/images/event_SPORTSMAN_PODIUM.jpg

[rusty89]

you must a lot of money to afford thos BIG cars.

[403forbidden]

nah not really...the inital cost of a 1/5 scale setup is more expensive...but the overall cost is cheaper because 1/5 scale parts last so much longer, uses cheaper pump gas, and the tires last way longer

[cummins driver]

Why is your user name turbodisel? Check out my user name:D .Anyways, monster trucks are the way to go i think.I really like mine,and you can modify most trucks for racing on road.I have an electric traxxas stampede,and like it a lot.:D

[MaxxBlaster]

Whoa, what hasn't happened in 10 years?!?! Nitro is easier, faster and more powerful. The parts and engineering are amazing now. Right now, there are two trends. Big monsters and little Micros, not to mention the touring cars which are really popular right now, too. Nitro Off-road is where it's at for me.

Welcome back!

[Upstate Bob]

Tekin is out of business.

Unfortunately.

:(

[turbodisel]

I'm just amazed at how it has changed. JUST LIKE COMPUTERS, BETTER TECHNOLOGY AND LOWER PRICES THAN 10 YEARS AGO!!! These monster trucks are very cool. I saw a T-MAXX and a TITAN at the local hobby shop. Still not sure though what I want to buy. Anybody in the Sweetwater,TN area? Thanks again.My userid is Turbodiesel because I have a VW Golf, not because I have one of the big trucks. Bet you didn't see that one Cummings. (Do like the Hemi 1500 though)

[Lapster]

Cant forget the new 1/18 scale and the little mini z's. Those are sweet.

[cummins driver]

Nope, i would have never expected that!:D Thats ok though.;)

[hoodiegadoo]

.........Now you don't need a cord going from your controller to the car.....

[jeepinator]

Been Gone 10 years!!! Whats Happened??
The Internet happened.
I found out about it. Then RCCA found out about it. Then I found out about RCCA finding out about it. That's when I got a username here. Then I became a psycho active poster. Then I became a moderator. Then I got banned. Then all my posts were deleted. Then my own forum got really popular. Then a few months went by and I was unbanned. Then I started posting again, with a renewed vigor and enthusiasm not seen by many.

I wonder if they'll let me be a mod again? :D

http://home.attbi.com/~teshreve/moon.gif http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/splat.gif

[spenzalii]

ROFLMAO! So much has happened in th elast 2 years, let alone 10. It's a whole new world out there. Unfortunately, what hasn't changed is the view this hobby has on the general public and how we foster it. But that's a whole 'nother topic. The industry is like the $6,000,000 Man: Bigger, Stronger, Faster. It's hard to go wrong with any choice you make, even though your LHS or people will have you believe that only one make is th eway to go and everything else is crap. But Nitro or Electric, On or offroad, brushed or brushless, 1/5 or 1/28th, you will not be disappointed. Just have fun!

[rejokerr]

www.slixx.com has the NASCAR stickers for 1/10 R/C's you might be interested in if you want to go that route again.

[jeepinator]

RC kits are primarily made of plastic now.
Some very high tech wiggy plastic.

Trinity has become the Microsoft of RC.
Traxass is now sold at Toys R' Us
RCCA has become the worlds thickest advertising catalog
Losi sold out to a company practicing anti competitive tactics
AE appears to be exactly the same, only they have progressed from B2 to B4 and have a touring car.
Mini, micro, and other teeny RC cars are in
Large wheeled, 4 wheel drive buggies are now called "monster trucks"
The nitro fad might be here to stay
Bashing is almost cool now
Spending $1,500 on "hop up" parts for your T-Maxx makes you cool
Everyone is a brushless motor expert
I now have far more RC10's than Steve Pond
Usagi was (thankfully) banned
We had at least five 8+ page threads about religion where Haunted Myst proved to us that religion truly is silly.
I saved about 20 deleted threads from this board and will be selling the collection soon :D
Derek Buono left RCCA for the top dog position at a competing RC publication and they are now putting out some quality stuff.
Trinty owner Ernie Provetti got drunk one night and posted on his own public forum that brushless will never go anywhere. HAHA!
LHS's are still struggling
Off road tracks are now three dimensional on road tracks (no dirt).
Intentionally mispelling words is cool now.


...that is all I can think of for now.

[crank throw wei]

That's a pretty good list! What exactly does a moderator do?

[jeepinator]

The exact opposite of the intended function... they piss people off.
Moderation does not work. Never has, never will.

[S13 Drifter]

jeepinator: Do you mind If i ask why you were banned? Most of your posts seem above the belt to me...:confused:

S13

[micrors4racer]

well turbodisel day invented lithum batteries dat actually work.kind of expensive though:D

[jeepinator]

Originally posted by S13 Drifter
jeepinator: Do you mind If i ask why you were banned? Most of your posts seem above the belt to me... It's a long story. It was my fault. I would not have handled it like they did, but their response was not out of line.
My posts are now "above the belt" because I choose to adhere to the rules. It makes little sense to break the rules in a place that is free, voluntary, and not owned by one's self. Basically: If you don't like it, leave.
I kinda forgot that for a while and was nuked. It is very sad that all my posts were deleted, however.
I still try and keep the line well defined! hehe :D

[rx78gp03s]

dont forget that i joined this and got this kewl rsx body i made for a concourse:

http://members.shaw.ca/rx78gp02/rsx/pictur~3.jpg
you also forgot to mention ppl are getting lazy and letting computers do the battery charging.

[AudiTT-Quattro]

Mike Reedy is still alive and is arguably the God of motors.

[kartrun]

LOL Jeep,you keep it above belt now huh??? Guess that shot at haunted was directed at his nose, right???? :D :p j/k

[S13 Drifter]

rx78gp03s : whats going on with that body? I mean why is the back wheel almost up to the rear window, not to mention too narrow?

[rx78gp03s]

well a best street/race scheme contest was goin on and i had 10 mins to get pictures before the deadline was ended. and i didnt have time to drill holes plus this is my concours body so it pretty much sat on the ground instead of sitting on the chassis. not many ppl kno that.

[aspiringrcracer710]

Originally posted by kartrun
LOL Jeep,you keep it above belt now huh??? Guess that shot at haunted was directed at his nose, right???? :D :p j/k


Hey kartrun, whats the URL for Mindblown Mods again?

[kartrun]

www.mindblnmods.s5.com Aspiring.

[spenzalii]

Jeep, you're one of a kind, my man. Hard to say what's true and what's sarcasm there! Although if I so see a Maxx in Toys R Us, I'll be a bit confused. Then again, the way HPI is going, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Radio Shack label on any of their products (Radio shak Dash, anyone?:D )

[drader]

In ten years electric power has got 3 times the torque, 3 times the run life, and double the rpm. Nitro is, well, still the same. Quality of cars is way up. If you really want to trip out - check out what has happened to RC aircraft: seems like everybody has an 11 ounce indoor flyer. For $100 you can get an FM radio with a tiny receiver, speed control the size of a nickel, and 2 tiny servos you can barely see. With nicads. This equipment was MUCH bigger a decade ago and cost about $400!

[syntax_error]

Well, I just jumped back in after a 14-year hiatus myself (Kyosho Ultima, Futaba Mag Jr). Since I was gone, nitro became affordable(?), receivers became half their previous size, kids seem to be about half the R/C crowd these days (damn their quick reflexes) and the smaller scales seem to be pretty cool.