RC Car Info

I love charts and by chance stumbled upon this price range chart for the Megatech Tech Dark Thunder RC Nitro Top Fuel Dragster! I was surprised that the introductory price had increased from around $360.00 to around $445.00 in two years. While I recognize that this growth will change, I wonder if it has anything to do with the quality of the beast.  Now there was a downturn for a moment as the economy adjusted but the price is back and going strong.  If you are into RC drag racing or like me anything RC then the Dark Thunder may be a good investment as well as a very fast nitro top fuel rail cars.

According to Megatech the Dark Thunder will hit 60MPH in just 3 seconds using its two speed gear set and M16 motor. If this is true we have a dragster that has to be powerful and equipped with a very lightweight chassis that eliminates drag.Is the Dark Thunder capable of satisfying the drag enthusiast, well it look the part so I ask you. What do you think? I am open.

The world of RC vehicles is essentially split into two groups. There’s one group who views it as a fun pastime or hobby. They collect casually, and the main purpose of collecting is to have a weekend activity or a fun way to spend an afternoon with a son or grandchild. But the other group takes RC cars, RC racing, and everything RC much more seriously. For these individuals, buying an RC vehicle can be like purchasing a new car.

Whether these people are interested in new RC helicopters or RC motorcycles, no purchase is made until all the details and specifications have been reviewed. Buying online will allow these purchasers to see particularly detailed lists of car specifications. This way, even the pickiest RC enthusiast can always get the right car. And like an actual car enthusiast, you’ll soon learn how to repair and drive these cars like a professional. It just takes a bit of practice and exposure.

HPI RC body shells are fantastic when it comes to changing the look and style of your current street car or drift machine, at a great price!

Using HPI body shells is a fantastic way to customize your prize for a new life. That’s right, you can choice your body style replica and change your whole street car image. The change doesn’t require much time or effort and is well worth looking into.

These pre-painted body shells are custom painted, with drill locations to fit your touring, street or drift car chassis! You also get precisely fitted decals as well as wings or spoilers for your own fast custom look! They are very durable and painted on the inside of the body shell, so the paint stands a much better chance of not scratching during crashes. You can use the bodies (post holes) on HPI and Hot Bodies chassis directly, others may require drilling new holes. Each body is officially licensed and authorized by the car manufacturer so the ones that I have purchases have been totally accurate scale reproduction of real car!

Taking care of your RC car batteries is paramount for great performance!

Here are some things that I do to maintain my batteries life and effectiveness.

Make sure your battery is cool, meaning cold before you charge it be sure that the battery has had time to completely cool off. Always charge your battery slowly. This will give you more capacity even though the difference may not be that great If you can’t wait and want a fast charge, let the battery or pack completely cool down after the charge before you take off.

I recommend the following charge rates, they work best for me.

1 amp charge rate will charge 1000 mAH in 1 hour.
2 amp charge rate will charge 2000 mAH in 1 hour.

A 4 amp charger will give you a full charge on 1500 mAh batteries in about 30 minutes.

Your battery or pack will last longer and give you better performance if you store when it is fully discharged, even if it is only for a short period of time. I find the easiest way to discharge a battery is to run it down in the car. Don’t over do it leave a little juice in it and then stop. You don’t have to completely discharge the battery. All batteries are different so be aware that some can handle a complete discharge and others cannot. I take my batteries out when there is a lack of power.
Well, that’s it; I know you will maximize your RC car batteries or packs life if you follow these directions. It works for me!

Men who are into RC navigation are often misunderstood. Women often wonder what men see in these toys. What is it about radio control vehicles that make men, grown-up as they are, act like little boys again?

Let me tell you, these RC toys aren’t just ordinary toys. They come to life at the push of a button or a click of a switch. They are designed to perform like the real thing. It’s actually a challenge to maneuver any RC such as a Venom RC and allow it to perform at its peak. The adrenalin rush a man gets in being in control of something that can fly or race is unforgettable. You’d also be amazed how much science, particularly engineering, is applied to make these toys work.

A friend just brought a Traxxas E-Maxx RC, a fine rc truck that many consider to be the best rc truck around. I have always wanted one but choices are choices. Knowing that I wanted to experience controlling an E-Maxx, I was given the controls and made a few runs. I concluded that this is a wonderful rc truck with all the quality’s for complete rc enjoyment.

After my runs, I knew it would be tough for any other tuck of it size to challenge the E Maxx! The E Maxx had so much torque and acceleration that it surprised me pulling wheelies from a standing start and best of all its acceleration was awesome. At a proud weight of around 10LB, I felt empowered to crush anything in my path. The E-Maxx uses two 14 volt 550 size motors wired in parallel with a two 6-cell battery packs to handle the  Novak electronic speed controller (forward, braking, reverse). This power is put to the ground via 4 wheel drive. 1rst gear provides a lot of low end torque for mountain climbing, while 2nd gear pushes the E-Maxx to speeds of 23 miles per hour. I wondered, if you use a 7 cell batteries if even better speed was available? The parts seemed strong and we all know that Traxxas is a leader in rc technology! Well, the E-Maxx has it all, i.e.,  4 wheel drive, 2 speed transmission, ball bearings, 8 oil filled shocks, Novak speed controller, professionally painted body, 3 channel radio control system). So, I asked what it cost. Cheap for what I am getting, my friend said!

 Works for me how about you?

Forget it this is not happening. Those of us that see RC hobbies in a different light will not let it happen! I took my 4WD Tornado RC Buggy to the beach today to see how it would perform on the sand. Not surprisingly it stood out like a lost diamond that was newly discovered. People watched in awe and many asked about the hobby and how to get started.

 My point is don’t be afraid to show off tour rc hobby wherever you can, Be creative and you will find a world awaiting for you and the gift of over whelming enjoyment that awaits those who join us in in this great outdoor past time. Lets keep it going!

RC boats like the Megatech Caribbean Cruiser are found in four categories, electric, gas, nitro and sail.  Electric boats are easier to maintain that’s why I love my Megatech Caribbean Cruiser; other rc boat owners have expressed the same loyalty for this special boat. The boat operates at a speed between 25 – 30 miles per hour which is fantastic for a ocean racer. If you get the right battery combination you will be awed at the speed that can be achieved with this honey of a boat.

I favor Megatech and Traxxas boats. They have consistently been rated among the best! If you are looking for a true hobby class boat then you can’t go wrong with either of these choices.

Venom Space Warriors helicopters are perfect for a rainy day of fun with the kids. Getting my kids away from video games was a real chore until I found the Venom Space Warriors. At a price comparable to most video games this is an inexpensive way to enjoy real live helicopter battle action in a small area.

With these little helicopters the living room are any small area becomes a battle zone that’s filled with good old time helicopter fun. You are treated to precision flights, combined with a quick trigger to zap your opponent causing them to spin out of control.  With a quick recovery launch you can launch an attack of your own, how sweet. Admittedly, my kids are better pilots than I but that’s ok when you have their attention battling for supremacy of the skies!

RC Lithium Polymer Batteries are one of my favorite power sources! I find them to be a relatively cheap source of power that is light weight with excellent power holding ability. Here are a few things that I have learned about this RC power source. With a balance charger unbalanced-cells symptoms of the battery pack are eliminated by the charging of each cell separately; this ensures the cell’s voltage remain balanced at the end of the charge. A balance charger lengthens the life of the battery pack, maximizes its performance and keeps the pack stable and safe for operations.
Lithium Polymer battery packs have a different maximum charge rate. Never charge at a rating above the specified rate! Most batteries have a label that specifies this information. Generally, LiPo batteries are designed to be charged at a rate of 1C. That is, 1000 mAh pack can be charged at 1A and a 500mAh pack can be charged at 0.5A. Never ever exceed the maximum charge rate or boom! Lithium Polymer RC batteries are usually packaged as a pack with two or more individual battery cells. 3.7v is the nominal voltage for these battery cells. This means that each cell can operate when it maintains its charge between 3.0 to 4.2v. Don’t go above or below or below this range or you can ruin the cell and cause it to be useless or worse, cause an explosion.
During operation the power drawn out of each cell is not equal; this leaves the battery out of balance at the end of each flight. Be careful with non-balancing charger as they will stop charging the battery pack after the voltage of the pack is full without giving attention to each cell. This will causes the battery to be unbalanced with every charge and result in diminished performance.