The RC Deep Dive

There have been many complaints online that the old heads in the radio control hobbyist community from Generation X are implementing new age divisions in vintage and rere (re-release) radio-controlled car, buggy, and truck races because they are tired of the younger generations like Gen Z and the Alpha Generation smoking them in races. While this is a rumor, it isn't actually factual at most R/C racetracks. We break out the ruleboo...

The need for speed sometimes comes along with a need for cooling. You can get fans for your motors, ESC (electronic speed controller), and servo, but what is the best way to install them and power these active forced convection cooling fans? We blow past the fluff and get right to the coolest info in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

[NOTE: We are aware that there is a tiny glitch in the aud...

Onisiki is a favorite battery brand among many vintage and rere (rerelease) 1/10th scale radio-controlled model vehicle racers, speed runners, drifters, crawlers, and bashers. Why is this, especially when their batteries are smaller than similar Traxxas, Venom, and Gens Ace NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries while also weighing less than most of their competitors as well? We dig into the chemistry and physics that makes this bra...

In Japan, LiFe (Lithium Phosphate) batteries are popular amongst many in the vintage, classic, rere (re-release), and modern R/C hobbyist community, while globally NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries are popular among the vintage, classic, and rere radio control enthusiasts even though LiPo (Lithium Polymer) reigns supreme among modern radio controlled model vehicle fans. We ask why and find the unique answers in this episode of ...

"Boys Will Be Girls" is an iconic 2nd season episode of the original Punky Brewster television series that gets watched a lot by those in the radio control model hobbyist community via the Peacock streaming app. In this episode, Tamiya USA provided a large number of popular radio controlled buggies, cars, trucks, and jeeps. We identify all of those R/C model vehicles and their hop-ups, and who was their owner and driver in this epi...

Tamiya is known for scale accuracy and being number one in quality around the world. However, they went SD (super deformed) with their comical series of 2WD (two wheel drive) and 4WD (four wheel drive) versions of their iconic 1/10th scale radio controlled buggies in an effort to engage young children and families with these easier to build model kits. We turn back time to look at this series and the decisions that made them come t...

Do the otaku, waifu, weeb, and itasha community have anything to do with the Japanese radio control hobbyist and enthusiasts communities? If so, what are the connections besides Tamiya and Kyosho R/C model cars, trucks, buggies, vans, jeeps, and busses being from Japan? We take a deep look into psychology and philosophy and uncover any hidden or visible radio-controlled micro vehicle hobbyist community connections in this episode o...

If you want to upgrade your front end suspension on your Tamiya ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis R/C model car, buggy, or truck like the Subaru BRAT, the Lancia 037 Rally, or the Frogfrom a horizontal spring and plungers damper to full oil-filled shocks you have many options from Parma to CRP (Custom Racing Products) to RC Channel to Tamiya. We spring into action and compare and contrast all these options in this episode of the RC De...

When applying a CRP (Custom Racing Products) rear bumper on a ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis gearbox with a gearbox support gear tensioner, like the ones from Skibby's Performance Mods, depending on the direction you place the metal pieces, your white dyeable nylon bumper will either bend outward or inward. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we check all perspectives to see which of these options, convex or concave, is bes...

A popular hop-up option is to replace the stock faux headlamp buckets on radion control cars, trucks, buggies, jeeps, busses, and vans with real working LED (Light-Emitting Diode) headlights. There are PnP (Plug-and-Play) hop-up options from companies like Tamiya, but DIY (Do-It-Yourself) options are widely available as well. We unwire and illuminate the step-by-step directions on how to assemble and install these enlightening hop-...

Tamiya's the (Mighty) Frog radio-controlled 1/10th scale 2WD (Two Wheel Drive) model buggy kit has box art livery and instructions that direct you to paint it like the Mazda K360 three wheeled delivery trucks that were famously called Frog Delivery Trucks in Japan. We drive deep into the swamp, below the lily pads, and get you all the details on the correct information for Tamiya's first national off-road R/C buggy race winner in t...

On the RC Deep Dive podcast we constantly talk about how Tamiya, AE (Associated Electronics), Kyosho, Schumacher, Losi, Arrma, and Traxxas are hobby-grade R/C cars, trucks, buggies, tanks, busses, vans, and jeeps. But what is the exact fine line between toy-grade radio control vehicles and the superior hobby model kits, and how has this line changed over the last half century? In this episode we define this moving point of hobby-gr...

We have covered the Tamiya Electric Handy Drill in a previous episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast, but today we still drill down to the route of when and where you should use another handy tool, the Tamiya Electric Handy Router. They absolutely are not the same and should not be used for a job associated with the other handy craft tools. However, some, but not all of the same suggested hop-ups are applicable to both tools. Let's ta...

While women and girls are welcome to participate in the R/C hobby as much as men and boys, there are certain patterns and preferences that are different among the majority of female radio controlled car, truck, buggy, van, and jeep builders, bashers, collectors, crawlers, displayers, drifters, on-road and off-road racers, and speed runners. We identify these differences and lean into the women's point of view on radio control in th...