The RC Deep Dive

In the 1970s and 80s the dual stick radio was king, but the pistol grip controller took over as the popular way to run cars in North America and Japan, with the rest of the world following this trend later on. Why the change and are pistol grips really the superior radio controlled transmitter?

[NOTE: this was recorded before May 2025, when the expected date of restock was changed to an August 2025 anticipated restock date on some sites.]  Why do the majority of hobby shops and Tamiya itself no longer have any Cera-Grease left in stock? We take a deep dive into this persistent issue.  If you are in need of this product, currently Hearns Hobbies has plenty in stock and will ship it anywhe...

Many people are surprised that Tamiya RC Model Cars didn't use Phillips Head screws which are made to can out. Instead they use JIS screws which are made not to cam out. Using the wrong tool can strip out your allen wrench, screws, nuts, Allen tool, screwdriver, and nut driver. So let's take a deep dive into the best tools to build your remote controlled vehicles! 

Servos are one of the things that make fitting a larger battery into your Hornet and Grasshopper family of Tamiya remote control buggies. But can a low profile servo help you use a bigger battery? We take a deep drive into your battery case and servos in this episode of the RC Deep Dive! 

Tamiya and other radio control model hobby companies make a lot of different cements, puttys, solvents, and glues for your radio controlled vehicle. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive we look at which ones you should use where, and how to use them! 

The ORV chassis has a weakness, especially in the re-release models that use a shock plastic in the shock arms. This can lead to breakage or knocking the dog-bones out out the rear wheels. This simple piece of plastic can help prevent these two run-ending problems. We take a deep drive into why and how to install them on your Frog, Brat, or other ORV chassis RC vehicle.

What radio controlled vehicle is the best selling one of all time? Is it the Frog, the Hornet, the Blackfoot, the Lunchbox, the HotShot, or the Grasshopper? We will go over the ten most popular RC cars and what sold the most over the last 50+ years. The rankings may surprise you!

The Grasshopper II (GH2) likes to kick out grub or set screws from that required Lunchbox pinion gear when upgrading the stock silver can 380 motor to a speedy 380 sport tuned motor. But why? The original Grasshopper (GH1) doesn't have this have issue. We dig into why this happens and possible fixes beyond thread lock.

What are the Tamiya Super G RC Buggies and what made them so special? How can we use the modern re-release of the Grasshopper II and Tamiya's it third party aftermarket Hop-Up options to recreate this super-popular limited edition classic RC buggy? We'll find out today in the RC Deep Dive! 

Tamiya was the king of RC, making kits that need to be built, until a new company from McKinney, Texas, USA came up with a whole new kind of RC car. These super-fast, aerodynamic, unrealistic, non-detailed, RTR (ready to run) took the RC world by storm, especially with children and became a huge brand. Traxxas was very much against 3rd party hop-ups for it's vehicles, which soured some RC enthusia...

Horizon Hobbies had been accused by some of being a monopoly after owning at least 23 different hobby brands. But are they really? And how did they come to own so much of the RC hobby world? Likewise, with AMain buying Hobby Town, we compare and contrast each company's philosophies and strategies to take over the radio controlled hobby, looking looking at how this affects the hobbyists around the...

Do you like the Special Black Edition Tamiya RC vehicles? Do you like the Candy Green Edition Grasshopper? Did you know that there was a Special Blue Edition Grasshopper II (and no, we're not talking about the Rising Fighter)? We uncover so the different colored special editions and what made them special, besides the different colors in the episode of the RC Deep Dive. 

Recently it was revealed that a 380 Sport Tuned motor can outperform a silver can 540 motor in certain conditions. We deep dive into why this could happen and review different types of motors that you might want to put in your RC vehicles, comparing and contrasting many different features of each.

Tamiya's classic starter hobby grade RC car can be upgraded to its racing basher, the Hornet or a Super Dragon. Likewise, the Grasshopper 2 can likewise be upgraded to a Super Hornet or a Rising Fighter. We go over how to do these upgrades and what parts you need to get to make it happen on this episode of the RC Deep Dive.

Clicking Gearboxes, differential gears going bad, dog bones popping out. These are dinner if the issues that Tamiya's classic RC cars with the ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis may have work more powerful motors and batteries. MIP cane up with a great solution, but we also talk about other options available for your favourite radio controlled cars and buggies! 

A quick acceleration or braking can cause the gearbox to pivot and over-extend your shock dampers causing a loss of control and an annoying clicking noise. AmPro Engineering and others have created 3rd party and DIY solutions, and we go over them in this episode off the RC Deep Dive.

What are the best options for upgrading your remote control vehicle's wheels and tires? It all depends on what you are looking for, but you need to know how to make each wheel work on your vehicle, if it is possible. We unlock the mystery behind the various styles and adapters for all wheels and tires from vintage options to modern ones 

RC cars used to use NiCd batteries, and Tamiya later recommended LiFe batteries, but most of the discussion in the RC car community of whether you should use NiMH or LiPo batteries in your remote control car. We look at the pros and cons of both and give you all the information that you need to make the correct decision for you and your vehicles.

Different greases do different things and go in different places. Tamiya has advice for which grease to use, but the community does not always agree. We'll talk about the basics of these greases, along with some others, as well as oils and come to the definitive answer of the often asked question, "Which grease to use where?" 

We were asked if you could upgrade a GH2 (Grasshopper II) with Rising Fighter Parts and if it was a good idea. Then, we inquired if these same parts could also upgrade the suspension an original Grasshopper or Hornet.    In the name of fun, we called the Grasshopper 2 by the name of the "Grasshopper the Second" as our listener did. It is a cool nomenclature choice that we liked and emulated here. 

We review a popular hop-up for the Tamiya Grasshopper: front CVA oil shocks via parts from the GH2 (Grasshopper II) or the Rising Fighter or Super Hornet, and talk about the history of the Grasshopper, it's suspension problems in both the original and the re-re, and things you need to know about the upgrade, evaluating if it is truly plug and play, if you need to use grease, oil, spacers, or make...

We review a popular hop-up for the Tamiya Frog, the Xtra Speed G45 Steel CVD (Continuous Velocity Drive) Drive Shaft a.k.a. UJ (Universal Drive Shaft) and talk about the history of the Frog, it's drive shaft problems in both the original and the re-re, and things you need to know about the fixes, evaluating if it is truly plug and play, if you need to use grease, and/or the original rubber boots t...