Welcome to RC Roundup, a site dedicated to everything radio controlled!
Whether you are a beginner, an avid driver, or a professional, I hope you will find your place here.
RC Roundup is a place where you can learn everything you would need to know about RC cars.
On this website, you can see which RC vehicles are the best rated and get an in-depth view of the more popular ones.
I have spent hours writing about radio controlled vehicles, and I hope you can benefit in some way from it.
A Little About Me
Hi, my name is Mark.
Ever since I was a little kid, I have been obsessed with everything that can be controlled by radio.
I can still remember getting my first RC car on Christmas morning, and how much of a delight it was.
Throughout my years I have driven every kind of car out there and enjoyed them all.
I created this site so that I can share my love of radio controlled vehicles with you.
Hopefully, you get something out of RC Roundup, and I hope you stick around for more!
What’s an RC Car and How Do They Work?
An RC car, or vehicle, is any vehicle that can be controlled by radio waves.
While the way RC vehicles operate can vary between different vehicles, the basic principle remains the same.
Each RC vehicle has a transmitter, receiver, motor, and power source.
Transmitter
A transmitter is what people usually refer to as the “remote.” It’s the funny looking thing that you hold in your hand to move your RC car.
The transmitter sends radio waves to the receiver and the controls on it are used to operate your vehicle.
Receiver
The receiver is made up of an antenna and a circuit board. The circuit board is inside the car and is something you won’t see unless you take it apart.
The receiver “receives” the radio waves from the transmitter. The receiver then activates the motor based on how it is instructed to by the receiver.
Motor
The motor is self-explanatory.
The motor turns the wheels, steers the vehicle, spins the propellors, etc.
Power Source
The power source on the majority of entry-level RC cars is electric. This means it’s powered by batteries.
Once you get more experienced and have more money to spend, you can get a nitro powered RC car.
Nitro cars run on nitro (Methanol, nitromethane, and oil) and have a motor that is similar to a real car’s motor.
Types of RC Cars
The term “RC Car” is a generalized term that refers to most everything RC that stays on the ground.
So when someone says “RC Car,” they could be talking about an actual car, or they could be talking about a truck, a buggy, etc.
With that being said, there are tons of vehicles that are radio controlled. Some stay on the ground, some can fly, and some can even run in the water.
- Cars
- Trucks
- Buggies
- Truggies
- Airplanes
- Helicopters
- Quadcopters (Drones)
- Blimps
- Boats
- Submarines
- Tanks
- Robots
- And More
A Little RC History
RC cars have been around for over 50 years now.
In 1966, the first RC car became available to the public. The car was a nitro powered Ferrari 250LM made by Elettronica Giocattoli.
In 1967, RC cars started being produced commercially. The first to do it was a British company named Mardave.
1967 was also the year when companies like Model Car Enterprises, Dynamic Models, and Associated Electronics, began producing RC car kits.
In 1971, Team Associated released their first vehicle, a 1/8 scale nitro powered pan car called the RC1.
In 1974, electric RC cars began to emerge. Tamiya released a Porsche 934 Turbo in 1976, and Team Associated followed with another pan car in 1978.
In 1979 Tamiya introduced the first real off-road cars, the Rough Rider and the San Scorcher.
1979 was also when the “Golden Era” of RC started.
The 1980’s was a decade when many huge names in the RC industry emerged. These brands included names like Traxxas, Team Losi, and HPI Racing.
Many new cars emerged in the late 1980’s, and many championship races started to pop up around the globe.
The 1990’s and 2000’s took a turn from cars to monster trucks, rock crawlers, and short course racing trucks.
Still, to this day, the major companies are innovating and producing RC cars like never before.
The Major Brands Today
If you’re in the market for a new RC car and budget is of no concern to you, then look no further than these four brands.
Traxxas, Team Losi, HPI Racing, and Team Associated are the major players in the RC industry these days.
If you read the RC history before this, then you’ll see these four names mentioned.
Team Associated emerged in the 1960’s before the other three. They started off in the slot car industry but made a shift when RC cars began to take off.
The other three companies followed close behind in Team Associated’s footsteps. Traxxas, Losi, and HPI all emerged in the mid-1980’s.
While you can’t go wrong with any of the four companies, each one is known for something different.
- Traxxas is known for being fun and innovative
- Team Associated is known for their premium parts and excellent service
- HPI Racing is known for their cool designs and reliability.
- Team Losi is known for high performance and aftermarket parts.
Welcome to the World of RC
That was a brief but hopefully informative intro into the RC hobby.
RC is a great hobby but can get confusing quickly if you get into the nuts and bolts of it.
When you’re just starting out, it’s best to find a car that looks good to you and dive right in.
Most of the topics I just covered, I have written about in depth on this site. Feel free to click around and let me know if I missed anything that you want me to write about.
Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
Cheers!
-Mark
