Parents you're facing a dilemma. More and more children and teenagers are staying in playing video games. It seems that at least two or three major games come out a month!
The problem is that kids need to be outside having fun too. They need the sunlight and the social aspect of playing in the streets or on the dirt with other kids. Sitting on the couch playing the latest version of "Halo" isn't going to get that done is it?
Then what should you do? Action figures and basketballs can't summon the excitement that violent video games with flashbang graphics can. Maybe there is something that can be just as exciting though; RC vehicles.
You may be curious at this point because they don't offer flashbang graphics or large imposing explosions. But like videogames they offer a controller which will be very familiar to your little gaming guru. They also offer speed and versatility.
For example, say little Joe Gamer really loves flight simulation games. Then buy him a starter RC helicopter or airplane and let him take the simulation to the next level. He'll be outside all the time practicing his landings and take offs, not to mention learning tricks to dazzle his friends with.
This is also going to get other children outside too. RC's are really great at captivating the imagination of people, especially kids. So, if you really want to get that couch potato gamer outside try giving him or her something that feels familiar but has to be played with in the great outdoors.
It happens to us all, that terrifying moment. Everything seems to stop for the briefest amount of time, and then. Crash! It's all over; you've wrecked your RC. It takes a few minutes to set in. The initial shock has to fade. But then you realize that your wonderful hobby has just broken into a thousand pieces.
What do you? Well you could give up the entire radio control vehicle hobby. Call it a fun experience and move on with your life, but that just doesn't seem kosher now does it? These RC cars, trucks, and helicopters are just too fun to walk away from. It's in your blood now. You can't quit.
So you do the logical thing. You take stock of your vehicle. What parts are broken? Are there any parts that can be salvaged? After looking over the broken mess that is your crashed RC vehicle you have two options. You can buy a new one, which will be the more expensive route and you'll have to learn the intricacies of a brand new vehicle.
Or you could just repair the vehicle you have. Replacements parts are relatively inexpensive and just as good as the originals. They usually come with all the parts necessary to repair your RC vehicle and you can find vehicle specific parts.
It sure beats starting from scratch with a new RC or leaving the hobby altogether. RC replacement parts have saved many a broken RC in the past.
You really did it this time. You got caught in the heat of the moment racing your friends. It was such a close call, you almost lost, but right and the end you pulled it out! In your excitement you began throwing your arms high in the air and jumping with the euphoria of victory. You didn't even feel it slip, but you sure heard the crash. Now it's gone, all lost, you're RC controller is a jumbled, broken heap on the asphalt.
The sweet taste of victory is now replaced with the bile of broken dreams. You were the king of the street corner. Your RC vehicle was unbeatable. Now it's nothing more than an expensive door stop.
As you and your friends stand there in a mixture of disbelief and shock you let slip those horrible words. "It's broken." Reality is settling in. "What am I gonna do, man?" You ask as your mind begins to function again. "Can't you get a replacement controller?" Your best friend asks hopefully.
Hope springs once more in your heart as you kneel down and pick your broken piece of joy. You rise up with a half hearted smile and race for your house.
To your surprise you find an assortment of different types of radio controllers. Selecting the one that matches your cars frequency you click purchase and in no time you're king of the RC track again.
There are a couple of things to consider when you select your second RC. What kind do you want? There's so many to choose from; helicopter, airplane, sleek racing machine, or off road warrior.
But before you choose you need to take stock of your situation. Maybe you live in a rural area with a lot of streets. Well in that case you would want your next RC vehicle to be a sleek street racer that can outrun those on coming cars and trucks. Maybe you live on a farm with a lot of nice little hills to climb. Then your perfect RC would be one of the many off road vehicles that climb almost anything like the Traxxas T-Maxx.
You could choose to go the route of air based RC's. Airplanes and helicopters are incredibly fun and easy to control. They're comparably priced when measured against the other RC vehicles, and with the helicopters you don't need a lot of space to fly it. The airplanes typical require a little more expertise because of the delicacy of landing them.
The most important thing to consider though is what you are comfortable with. If you're first RC vehicle was a street blazer and you can drive it like a mad man then opt for a bigger and better model. You'd don't always have to make radical purchasing decisions to keep the fun alive. Each RC vehicle controls differently and learning to master new ones is at least half the fun of the hobby itself.
It seems obvious that you could make a list of a hundred reasons that RC's are so fun. They're cool; some of them go really fast; the choppers can hover high above your house; other people will think you're cool for having RC's; you name it and it could be a reason. But there's one big reason that wasn't mentioned. RC vehicles can help you connect with family members.
There's a story you should know. It's about two brothers, the older of them in his mid-thirties and the younger his mid-twenties. Neither of them had spoken to or seen the other for a few years now and there was a definite and noticeable rift between them. By happenstance they are thrust back into each others lives.
Neither is terrible pleased with the circumstances that brought forth this completely unexpected event, but being brothers they try to muddle through. The problem is that over the years they have become different men and in many senses outgrown one another, the younger specifically. Still they get into a routine of doing things together on the weekend and it brings them somewhat together.
In their typical weekend routine they go to the local shopping centers. One weekend they are walking passed the toy isles when the older of them mentions that they should check out the RC Vehicles. They walk over and look around a bit before settling on buying an inexpensive beginners helicopter.
So they take it home, unpackage it, charge the batteries, read the instructions, and wait anxiously to fly it. Once they each have a turn with it they both realize how intensely spectacular these wonderful toys are. They quickly buy another, more expensive, radio controlled chopper and plot the purchase of an even bigger and better one. Racing RC cars becomes a passion they share.
The most amazing thing though, was that through all of this they form a bond akin to the one the shared when they were children. Each remarks upon this in his own fashion and chalks it up to the purchase of an RC Vehicle.
RC's are fun, we all know that. However, sometimes they can be a headache. Like in this case, let's say you've had your RC Vehicle a while now and something goes wrong. You crash it in a major way for the first time. You check it out and nothing seems broken so you set up for another run. You press on the accelerator but nothing happens.
You stand there ever so briefly in a state of shock and then you remember that your manual has a troubleshooting guide in the back. Like a crazed and hungry leopard you dart off for the box your RC Vehicle came in, but when you dig through your closet, take out the box, and finally pull out all of the material and sift through it you discover your manual is gone.
Frantically you search all the usual spots, desk drawers, under the bed, anywhere papers are piled. You find nothing but a lot of dust and an overwhelming sense of doom. You may not get your RC working again, but there's one last option you haven't considered. You can check online. Many radio controlled vehicle sites offer the manuals online as adobe reader files or pdf' files.
They include everything that came with the manual from troubleshooting guides to operating instructions. It's usually a pretty scary thing when your RC Vehicle doesn't work right and you lost the manual, but you're in luck, we have a good number of manuals online and you can read or download whatever you need.
Being an uncle has many of the same benefits as being a grandparent. You get to spoil your the spoil the children of your brother and sister truly rotten and then send them home. It's fun to be the "cool relative" and one that the kids always look forward to spending time with. No one has to know that time when your sister left her kids with you that you skipped the nutritious lunches she thoughtfully packed and ate the chocolate cake she left for dessert instead. Hey, you at least drank a glass of milk with it right?
If you are looking for a fun gift that your nieces and nephews can enjoy even when you're not around, consider gifting your favorite little ones an electric RC vehicle. They can even bring it along when they visit and if you happen to have one of your own, you can race!
A great electric RC for the kiddos to start with is the Team Associated RC18T. This fun machine comes Ready-to-Run and was designed from the ground up by Team Associated’s award-winning team of engineers for competition-level performance and rugged durability far beyond the competition. It's made to last and will give the kids hours of fun play both as a speed demon and it will tackle off-road obstacles as well.
Get one of these bad boys and pack it away until next time the kiddos visit for an afternoon and then as your sister's car leaves the driveway - take out the RC18T and watch their eyes get big. Best of all, when it's time to go home, you can thrill the kids by letting them take the vehicle home with instructions to bring it back so you can have another afternoon of racing fun!
It happens to us all, that terrifying moment. Everything seems to stop for the briefest amount of time, and then. Crash! It's all over; you've wrecked your RC. It takes a few minutes to set in. The initial shock has to fade. But then you realize that your wonderful hobby has just broken into pieces.
What do you? Well you could give up the entire radio control vehicle hobby. Call it a fun experience and move on with your life, but that just doesn't seem kosher now does it? These RC cars, trucks, and helicopters are just too fun to walk away from. It's in your blood now. You can't quit.
So you do the logical thing. You take stock of your vehicle. What parts are broken? Are there any parts that can be salvaged? After looking over the broken mess that is your crashed RC vehicle you have two options. You can buy a new one, which will be the more expensive route and you'll have to learn the intricacies of a brand new vehicle. Or you could just repair the vehicle you have. Replacements parts are relatively inexpensive and just as good as the originals. They usually come with all the parts necessary to repair your RC vehicle and you can find vehicle specific parts. Best of all, it's easy to find the parts you need as they listed by vehicle.
It sure beats starting from scratch with a new RC or leaving the hobby altogether. Many RC enthusiasts can tell you with pride about the parts they've replaced themselves to keep their favorite RC cars running. A crash doesn't mean it's all over - learn how to fix your RC vehicle yourself and stay in the fast lane!
There are two main types of RC vehicle drivers, those that love to race and those that love the off-road experience. You can spot the racers on the tracks or their favorite parking lots on the weekends and the off-road RC lovers are a little bit harder to spot as they tend to meet in places that challenge their driving and navigation skills with their RC vehicles.
One of the main competitions for off-road drivers is to create obstacle courses for their vehicles to conquer. Usually it entails rocks to climb, obstacles such as "logs" (which are actually large sticks) and boulders (usually large-sized stones). You will need a monster truck to accomplish these challenges and if you're only been thinking of getting into obstacle course competition - a great vehicle to jump into the game with is the Wheelie King.
This scale model monster truck has the power to climb obstacles, roll over barriers and the wheelie ability makes it able to get up and over taller road blocks that will stop other RC vehicles in their tracks. The powerful engine combined with the smart design make this a fun experience for anyone from the newbie to the RC vehicle sport to the seasoned driver. This vehicle is so balanced it can even drive for long stretches of track with the front wheels in the air.
If you're getting ready for obstacle course competitions, practice your climbing skills by starting with a low angle and gradually increasing it until you learn the maximum that you can push it without tumbling your vehicle down the obstacle. Then, after honing your driving and control skills this way, the next competition you enter - you will rule the day!
