The RC Deep Dive

In previous episodes of the RC Deep Dive podcast, we've talked about why 24" deep and 72" wide are the perfect measurement for your radio-controlled model vehicle hobby workbench. We've also covered the ideal height For standing up at your R/C hobbyist workbench in another episode. So now we put it all together and find the top five workbenches for radio control model vehicle enthusiasts and help...

It seems like each year they're are more and more girls and women getting into the R/C model vehicle hobby, especially in the vintage and rere (re-release) Tamiya radio-controlled cars, buggies, and vans builder and bashing enthusiast portion of the hobby. Why? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we dig into the annual year over year increase of female R/C enthusiasts, builders, and basher...

AMain Hobbies started as a proof of concept project in a garage and became a giant in online radio-controlled cars, buggies, trucks, vans, jeeps, busses, tanks, boats, planes, helicopters, and drivers as well as hop-up options, replacement parts, accessories, tools, and more. But now that they have bought the largest franchise chain of local brick and mortar hobby shops, will this mean a change in...

Radio-controlled model vehicle clubs have existed since the 1980s both inside of primary and secondary schools around the world. But in the 40 years since they broke in to schools, a lot has changed with the flourishing clubs dedicated to radio control. They now are more S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) focused and corporate sponsored groups trying to build caree...

In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we talk about the boys and girls of South Park and their radio-controlled cars, buggies, trucks, jeeps, and vans that completely match their personalities, identities, and how they are seen and known as by the rest of the denizens of South Park, Colorado. You'll be surprised how perfectly these kids align with the Tamiya R/C model vehicles that have been...

If you are a Tamiya Frog purist and want to improve the front damping on your R/C buggy but don't want to ruin the look of your Frog by adding tall shock mounts and vertical shocks, your only hop-up option on the 1980s was the Parma internal front mono shock. But since they are now discontinued and rare, there's only one option: the RC Channel expert level shocks hop-up. In this episode of the RC...

It's called the R/C golden triad and it requires mild bashing in your backyard or in a vacant parking lot: doing a shakedown, calibrating, and drivers education of your radio-controlled car, buggy, truck, van, jeep, bus, or tank. That's why once you complete building your radio control model vehicle, whether your first or your one-hundredth, whether you are 8 or 80, you don't immediately take it t...

The PBR (Pine Beach Raceway) in Japan is all about healthy and clean running of R/C buggies, cars, trucks, and fighting against the escalating war and costs of speed. The PBR teaches that fun is created by embracing limitations. To that end, this Japanese raceway has embraced that all racers should only use 380 motors, not 540 motors  and came up with a new style of deathmatch racing that has beco...

Zealous Downhill Products makes ball bearings with a nano ceramic grease that not only can repair scratched, cracked, it deformed balls in the balls. But also protects the back bearings from water, dust, mud, sand, salt, and dirt. Although Zealous only makes these technologically advanced ball bearings for skateboards and longboards, could this technology help radio control model vehicle crawlers?...

Many of us are taught early on the safety rule to always cut away from yourself with a knife to stay safe. But is there an exception to this rule in the radio-controlled model vehicle hobby? Can scoring R/C model vehicle Lexan polycarbonate body shells and cutting out intricate decals be done easily and effectively while cutting away from yourself? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we di...

In the radio-controlled model vehicle hobby you never want to use high speed electric drills, as they can melt plastic. So your options are either a low speed drill or to use a pin vise. But what are the best low RPM (rotations per minute) drills and pin vices for use on R/C cars, buggies, trucks, vans, jeeps, busses, tanks, etc.? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we review and rank the...

Streetstyle and Crawling, Vert Ramp/Park Skating and Bashing, Freestyle and Drifting, Contest Skating and Racing, Downhill Racing and Speed Running, while skateboarding and the R/C model vehicle hobby have diverse disciplines, these diverse styles match one another in some very interesting ways. In this episode of the RC Deep we connect those dots and show the connections between these passionate,...

In 1984, something happened that made the Tamiya Frog a truly Mighty Frog and an icon in the radio-control hobbyist community. In the A-Main finals of the German National 1/10th scale R/C off-road  Deutsche Meisterschaft, 6 of the 8 finalists were Tamiya Frogs vs. a Kyosho Scorpion and Tomahawk. Not only did these Mighty Frogs qualify, but they also claimed the entire podium: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd pla...

Hop-ups used to only be about physical upgrades, but these days there are digital hop-up options in the radio-controlled model vehicle hobby. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we plug in to the many firmware and software updates that can bring huge feature enhancement gains to your R/C cars, buggies, trucks, vans, jeeps, busses, and tanks' ESCs (Electronic Speed Controllers), batteries,...

Tamiya's CC-01 (CC stands for Cross Country) chassis was the x-country choice for Tamiya for decades, but recently they replaced it with the improved new generation CC-02 chassis. What are the differences in these two iconic chairs and what remained the same, allowing them to share some hop-ups? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we answer all of these questions and more about these cross...

Upgrading your vintage or rere (re-release) radio-controlled car, buggy, truck, jeep, van, bus, or tank to brushless motors isn't as easy as a plug-and-play hop-up. There's many other things you need to be aware of including the limits of your R/C model vehicle, ESC (Electric Speed Controller), and gears in your gearbox. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we go over all of these specifics...

X beats O every time when it gives to shock rings. But why? What makes x-rings so superior to o-rings and which shocks should immediately upgrade from o-rings to x-rings? We cover this and more in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

Changing your damper oil in your radio-controlled model vehicles shock absorbers is not a simple drain and refill prices, even if you are staying with the same color and cSt (centestoke) oil. On this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we explain why and give you step by step directions in how to properly change your shock's damper oil properly for perfect results every time. 

On some R/C club forums they say that you can and should upgrade your Tamiya TRF (Tamiya Racing Factory) Buggy Aeration Oil-Filled Dampers to TRF Fluorine reservoirs, but this is absolutely incorrect advice. You should avoid these Fluorine dampers for your off-road buggy. However, there is an actual HL (High Lubrication) damper than you can upgrade to and Tamiya even recommends this upgrade path f...

Some Lexan polycarbonate tail wing spoilers have deep screw recesses where it attaches to the body shell, especially in vintage and rere (re-release) radio-controlled cars and buggies like the Tamiya Frog. How do you make these holes filled into a perfectly flat surface for applying the tail wing spoiler decals? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we give you multiple ways to do this and t...

One of the big arguments, especially in the vintage and ReRe (re-released)Tamiya radio-controlled model vehicles obvious community is whether you should use a serrated flange nut or a nylock nut as your axle nut a.k.a. wheel nut. Both have definite advantages and vulnerabilities but is there a hop-up option that shares both of deez nuts advantages, giving it a triple lock with nylock, flange, and...

In previous episodes of the RC Deep Dive podcast we've talked about how the HobbyWing Quicken. 1060 and 1080 are the most popular ESCs (Electric Speed Controllers) for brushed motors, respectively. But in this episode we look at the best ESCs for bashers and crawlers using the criteria of ease of use, budget friendly, and best overall for any R/C battery chemistry. 

In the 1970s on-road radio-controlled model vehicles were king, but as the 70s came to and end and the 80s came upon us, the off-road R/C cars, trucks, buggies, vans, jeeps, and busses ruled the radio control hobby and continued so throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. But the 90s would end with on-road model R/C cars being king again. I'm this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we expla...

If all things are the same in the chassis, gearbox, wheels, and tires, which Lexan polycarbonate body shell is aerodynamically superior, the Tamiya Hornet or the Grasshopper body shell by Parma PSE? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we let the bodies hit the air and give you the findings of which body shell is faster and at what speed you will actually start to notice the differences bet...

Should you upgrade your stock plastic rear trailing arms on your Tamiya ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis R/C model vehicle? The answer depends on how your drive your Lancia 037 Rally car, Subaru BRAT, Frog, Blackfoot, or Monster Beetle. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive we walk you through all of the steps you need to go through to decide if this hop-up options is right for you.