The RC Deep Dive

"Curiouser and curiouser," Alice said, as she saw the vintage R/C model vehicles in front of the denizens of Wonderland. There was one for the Queen of Hearts, the White King and his White Knight, the Mock Turtle, the Dormouse, the March Hare, the Jabberwock, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatte, the Rabbit, and now. But which radio controlled model vehicle was hers? We look through the looking glass a...

Many R/C hobbyists will use J-B Weld to repair their radio controlled vehicles when they break, such as a broken axle on a Tamiya BRAT or Frog. However, repairing it outside a specific humidity and temperature range will cause catastrophic results when fixing your RC model vehicles. We define and explain what happens when you don't keep your repair in this heat and moisture range in this episode o...

Many people think that the 1976 Porsche 934 Turbo RSR was the first radio controlled model vehicle created by Tamiya. However that title actually belongs to the 1974 1/16th scale M4 Sherman Tank. We dig into the design and explain exactly what caused it to be such a mechanical marvel with clutch and brake steering and it's many more advanced rere (rerelease) models in this episode of the RC Deep D...

Did you know that you can charge your R/C model vehicles batteries using your personal automobile? While it is possible, there are some important precautions to take before, during, and after RC (Direct Current) charging your radio-controlled model vehicle battery with your automobile. We uncover the directions and concerns on this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

Have you ever seen a Tamiya Grasshopper 2 just rolling around on its two left tires or it's two right tires and wondered how in the world did they do that? Well we here at the RC Deep Dive podcast found one out in the wild and are teaching you today how to build one for yourself.

If you've ever taken a lot of tumbles on the concrete with your Grasshopper II or Super Hornet, you may have cracked, broken, or friction rubbed off the functional part of your body posts off your chassis. How can you repair, replace, fix, or upgrade this essential part that keeps your your Lexan polycarbonate body shell on the chassis?? We go over multiple ways to fix these problems in this episo...

Both the BBX and the Fighter NX Gen are modern R/C buggies, yet definitely vintage inspired. While on the surface, the two radio controlled cars may look very similar, there are many differences below the surface. Which one is the right RC buggy for you? We dig deep and discover the differences between these two amazing Tamiya model vehicle creations in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

Wild Willy has had many radio controlled model vehicles from the Wild Willy Jeep, the Willy's Wheeler car, the WW2 Jeep, and now the rere car, the Honda City Turbo rally car. What inspired this dynasty, what caused it to prosper, and what connects each of Wild Willy's multiple Tamiya T/C model vehicles? We go wild and drive deep in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

What R/C Model Vehicle matches up with Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Saturn, Chibi Moon, Sailor Pluto, Sailors Uranus and Neptune? You might be surprised how easily the Sailor Scouts and their allies match up with vintage radio controlled cars in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

If you want a spectacular metallic sky blue color on your Lexan polycarbonate body of your radio controlled model car, truck, vehicle, jeep, or van, it is going to to take a few steps, but in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we show you 3 very different ways to get it done with slightly different effects. We also go into exactly what colors to use for backing your primary paint layer to ge...

Sometimes you will see a meticulously painted radio controlled buggy racing on the track, but it has a clear unpainted tail wing that looks completely out of place. Why do some R/C racers do this and what is the advantage of this very different look? We get our Scotch Brite scrubbing pads out and scrub down to the source of this recent trend answering the whos, whats, and whys about it in this epi...

When you paint your radio controlled model kit's Lexan polycarbonate body shell with a fluorescent color like PS-28 Fluorescent Green, how can you make it glow like a fluorescent light without adding additional electronics and lights? It all comes down to how you back that color. We go into the physics and chemistry of these Tamiya polycarbonate spray paints and your many options to make your R/C...

Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Goblins, Orcs, Half-Dragons, and Succubi are all standards in the fantasy fiction novel and movie genre as well as popular TTRPGs (Table-Top Role-Playing Games) like D&D (Dungeons and Dragons). However, in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we ask and answer the question of what vintage radio controlled model vehicle kits match each of these fantastical archetypes...

Have you ever seen a radio-controlled model car, car, truck, or buggy go by and it seems to change colors as your viewing angle changes? These are due to the technology behind Tamiya's Iridescent paints like PS-47 Pink/Gold and PS-46 Purple/Green. But how exactly do they work? We break down the chemistry and physics behind these Tamiya spray paints for polycarbonates in this episode of the RC Deep...

Have you ever seen a radio controlled car, truck, or buggy with super long body posts sticking far outside the the body shell? Have you ever wondered why they do that, when it looks so ugly? In today's episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we measure the advantages and disadvantages of extremely long body mounts and how to trim them or replace them with other mounting technologies if you think yours...

If you want to replicate that TS-52 Candy Lime Green paint for plastics color from the Tamiya Grasshopper Candy Green Edition on a clear Lexan polycarbonate GH1 body from Parma PSE, you don't have a direct color match in Tamiya's PS line of paints for polycarbonates. However it's still possible to get an exact match and we go over exactly how to do that, along with a couple other unique options in...

How do you fix a shock mount ball joint that keeps throwing your oil-filled damper off? It seems like there should be a simple fix, but for the bulletproof solution, there's actually 3 necessary hop-up options necessary to ensure it never happens again. We give you the step-by-step instructions to make this much-needed upgrade in your vintage or rere Tamiya Super Hornet, Grasshopper II, and other...

Tamiya makes some AA batteries branded as Powerchamp RX that have some very powerful and interesting features. This might make you wonder if they are are a good option for use on your radio controlled transmitter. We check out the chemistry of this battery type, discover its best usages, compare and contrast it to other battery types, and deduce what the best option is for radio control transmitte...

Previously on the RC Deep Dive podcast we discussed how you can used TRF (Tamiya Racing Factory) Buggy Aeration Oil-Filled Dampers to replace the shocks on the Frog and some other ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis R/C model vehicles. But what about other vintage and rere radio controlled cars, trucks, and buggies like the Grasshopper, Hornet, and HotShot families? The answers and the whys behind each...

These days, AI (artificial intelligence) is taking over many pre-existing and new positions in the competitive world of radio controlled vehicle racing, many of which you may not be aware of. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive we combine AI along with our real human intelligence to expose these fascinating AI takeovers in R/C car, truck, and buggy racing in most of the biggest radio control races...

The radio-controlled vehicle racing hobby has a unique part of it called turn marshals it just marshals. Except on the highest levels, these are R/C car, truck, and buggy drivers taking this position to help their competitors. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we take our turn at explaining this unique phenomenon that reinforces fairness and empathy amongst the competition. 

Why are low profile servos so highly recommended for the Tamiya HotShot Family (HotShot, SuperShot/Super HotShot, HotShot II/Hotshot 2 Blockhead Motors Edition, Boomerang, Bigwig, Super Sabre) of R/C buggies? We dig into the monocoque chassis of these iconic radio controlled buggies and explain why this suggestion is so important, especially in the vintage versions in this episode of the RC Deep D...

We've covered how to restore, upgrade, and reserve nylon hop-up parts for your R/C model vehicle previously on an episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast, but how do you do this to ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) radio-controlled car, truck, buggy, jeep, van, jeep, or tank's plastic chassis? We go over the dos and donts and 3 different options for restoring, upgrading, and preserving your vintag...

This episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast details the history of the Tamiya RC Car Grand Prix, a weekly Japanese television show that ran for fifteen years from 1984 to 1999. The program was a pioneering piece of branded content that successfully blended real-world race coverage with charismatic hosts and expert technical advice, fueling a nationwide boom in the radio-controlled car hobby and estab...

With a name like RC10TALK, you'd expect the forums at this site to be solely enthusiasts talking about AE (Associated Electronics) radio controlled model vehicles, but it's not. In fact, it actually has a lot of discussion about vintage, rere (re-release), and modern Tamiya R/C cars, trucks, buggies, jeeps, vans, busses, and tanks. Some Tamiya radio control fans even consider the site to be more w...