The RC car thread. Anyone into these things?

[inlinefour]

Don't underestimate calf power, im a little powerplant, spool up my turbo au!

Then why did you not ride your bmx to do the job offer from Jimmy?
Ah, thats right, you like to stay in bed. Those arms must be getting bigger, do you shave your hairy palms? I think also its time you stopped spamming the site up because most of your recient threads have been bollocks IMO. So Mark, this thread is abour RC Cars, not for you to try to boost your ego and talk dribble. I've been given an infraction of taking thread off topic for far less...

[Leong]

Yes I was heavily into these things when I should have started riding bikes. As it's one of my only claims to fame - would it be OK if I had one skite paragraph?

I started in 1984 when I had a Tamiya Frog. We went to he first Off road nationals in Wanganui that year (Be interesting to know if the other KB'er from Wanganui who started in 1984 was there too). Finished 5th. The following year I got a Team Associated RC12i and won the 1/12th Nationals (modified class) After that things were a bit of a blur - In 1986 I was a sponsored dirver and won the off road 4WD open class at the nationals in Palmerston North. Went to Christchurch for the SOuth Island Champs that year and won the 2wd Modified class. Got into the 1/8th Gas on road scene in 1987 and betweeen then and 1993when I got married and quit the scene, I won 5 or 6 National titles....

Getting into these things, joining a club and getting into the racing scene was in many ways a great thing to do. My closest friends to these days were met while racing - (one was the guy I went to Wanganui with in 1984). We used to travel to New Plymouth frequently for Regional or even club events, and Christchurch whenever they had national events. Quite cool in those days - I remember one time in Tauranga they ran an teams electric off road enduro event and my mate Tony and I teamed up to win it on a track we'd never driven on before. Still have the newspaper clipping about that somewhere! Hmm... I could go on for hours....

Another mate gave me a really neat present last year - A DVD of the 1988 1/8th Gas Nationals which I won. He got raw footage taken by another club member - we used to call him Grandpa though he was probably only around 50 at the time - and edited it well incorporating Queens "We are the Champions". I should edit it down to 10min and upload to youtube. There is nothing like the sight and sound of a well tuned 1/8th Gas car as it revs and changes gear half way down the straight. I can almost smell it watching the video. It's probably why I like the 600cc inlinefours...

So as with anything I guess, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out. If you join a club and start racing, it's much like any other form of racing, just as competitive (but a lot safer than bikes - for the racer at least - gas powered RC cars can dangerous to spectators, thats another story) and just as expensive at the higher levels.

I met three people in wheelchairs that I can remember who raced regularly. I can be a problem getting up onto the drivers stand, but that depends a lot on each venue. Otherwise an excellent way to quench one's need for speed and excitement ie 1/8th Gas Racing. (I hope it still exists)

[Headbanger]

I started in 1984 when I had a Tamiya Frog. We went to he first Off road nationals in Wanganui that year (Be interesting to know if the other KB'er from Wanganui who started in 1984 was there too).

I lived and raced in Marton at the time, By the time we moved back to Wanganui the club was in serious decline. check out http://rcracer.co.nz/ some of them have been around the racing scene since back in the day, and they have some "vintage" footage from a couple of large meetings. The F1 stuff is killer, I'd get back into on road racing if that were a strong class.

[Kendog]

I also started with the Grasshopper. Raced a fair bit years ago.

Looked into getting back into it, but it seems a little quiet in Wellington. The I discovered buckets, so getting my fix that way.

[Headbanger]

Looked into getting back into it, but it seems a little quiet in Wellington.

Wellington http://www.rcracing.co.nz/

They have 2 impressive tracks, excellent facilities, constant club events, and host a number of national level competitions.

[lb99]

Allways been told Im a bit rough with things. I also had the original grasshopper but it did not take me long to kill it to the point that it was no longer worth fixing. Happy to report that the grasshopper 2 is a much more sturdy unit, but Im sure I could break it if I tried...

I had an origional grasshopper too, I kept breaking front wishbones, and the stupid heavy solid plastic body kept getting chunks smashed out of it, I brought a bigger battery and promptly burned out the old 380 motor, so replaced it with the 540 motor out of my mates hornet, and a lighter polycarbonite body a much faster beast. I have some weird japanese thing now that I picked up at a garage sale to relive my youth, 4 wheel shaft drive, 4 wheel double wishbone bla bla bla, complex as fuck, and too rare to contemplate breaking, tamya wheels fit, as do the shocks, everything else seems pretty tuff.

if you remove the front drive shaft she'll spin the centres out of the rear wheels on grass, or smoke 'em (a bit) on ashpelt, not bad for a 'leccy one....

[lb99]

I know they only go round in circles but f%^k me, these things haul.

theres an old guy here in blenheim who has a couple he built in the 50s or 60s, he reckons there good for 120mph, he still runs em occasionaly, I have a crappy cellphone vid somewhere, the model engeneering soc. here has a pole like that in the boat pond too, maybe for hydroplanes?, never seen it in use though.


Im slowly getting the parts togeather to build an rc lawnmower, with a webcam on it so you can mow the lawns from anywhere in the world

[deanohit]

theres an old guy here in blenheim who has a couple he built in the 50s or 60s, he reckons there good for 120mph, he still runs em occasionaly, I have a crappy cellphone vid somewhere, the model engineering soc. here has a pole like that in the boat pond too, maybe for hydroplanes?, never seen it in use though.

I used to run my electric boats at the club ponds there, just with the remote though.
Saw some guys running the tethered cars as well.
My dad was saying they used to have a sealed track, long gone now.

[inlinefour]

I had an origional grasshopper too, I kept breaking front wishbones, and the stupid heavy solid plastic body kept getting chunks smashed out of it, I brought a bigger battery and promptly burned out the old 380 motor, so replaced it with the 540 motor out of my mates hornet, and a lighter polycarbonite body a much faster beast. I have some weird japanese thing now that I picked up at a garage sale to relive my youth, 4 wheel shaft drive, 4 wheel double wishbone bla bla bla, complex as fuck, and too rare to contemplate breaking, tamya wheels fit, as do the shocks, everything else seems pretty tuff.

if you remove the front drive shaft she'll spin the centres out of the rear wheels on grass, or smoke 'em (a bit) on ashpelt, not bad for a 'leccy one....

The grasshopper2 puts the original to shame and I've been doing a fair bit of drifting on the courtyard outside the flat. Tyres are looking pretty shagged though and I'll have to go and look for some more. One of the reasons I got it was because its a RWD and its the same story with the baja. I suspect that once I get the tarmac tyres on the baja it will be the drift car from hell. Be funny as fark to race with the road nitro drifters. Although I might need some better gear like a preformance exhaust to get some more power and top end to be competitive. Although Im sure if I ran over a nitro, the baja would cope...

[CookMySock]

Im slowly getting the parts togeather to build an rc lawnmower, with a webcam on it so you can mow the lawns from anywhere in the world

lol! woohoo! I used an electric mower once - it was surprisingly powerful.

DB

[Kendog]

Wellington http://www.rcracing.co.nz/

They have 2 impressive tracks, excellent facilities, constant club events, and host a number of national level competitions.

Thanks.

I had looked at that site a while back and went out to find the track, but I must have picked an off weekend.
Will try get up there on a scheduled day for a look.

You race?

[lb99]

lol! woohoo! I used an electric mower once - it was surprisingly powerful.

DB

pfffft, electric....... this fucker is six horse 4 stroke elecric start petrol, a HONDA no less, I just have to figure a few things out, like brake steering, and an emergency stop bumper so if ya hit something it will kill the engine.

[Headbanger]

Thanks.


You race?

At the Manwatu track, And I have built my own track in Wanganui. I have made a couple visits to the Wellington track but only to be nosy and say hello.

[inlinefour]

Thought this thread was gone burger so here is something to get it going. Anyone wanting a baja or bits etc, here is the linkage to the dudes website that I got mine from, cheaper than what they are going for on tardme.

http://www.rcinnovations.co.nz/shop/catalog/

[lb99]

anyone got any controllers for a cheapo 2ch warehouse type buggy, my boy just scored a good one but no controller, sometimes they cross over but none of the ones I have got will do it......

saw a re-release grasshopper on tm for $135 I paid $308 for mine in 1988