So how often are you taking your Ferrari out for a spin? Is it your daily driver or do you just save it for those pleasant Sunday afternoons? Personally I like to run mine as much as possible with a portable charging station always by my side. Did I mention my Ferrari F-50 is electric….and about the size of a shoe box? That’s because remote controlled toys are about as close as I’ll ever get to my dream car, and I’ve decided to settle for a RC 1:20 scale model to satisfy my need for speed.
The remote control toys market isn’t limited to just fancy Italian sports cars. You can find everything from boats, planes, automobiles, to construction equipment and so much more! With the ability to fly, swim, and drive it was only natural we added some remote control toys to our own inventory. So without further ado, let's power up our controllers as we fly into the supercharged world of remote control toys!
From Gas to Electric: The Early Days
So if you’re unfamiliar with RC or remote controlled toys, then you’re in for a treat. Remote control toys have been around for well over 60 years, carving out humble beginnings as simple gas-powered toys achieving top speeds of anywhere from 6mph to 29mph on the higher end. Before we go any further, I’d like to address the ‘RC’ in RC cars. Early enthusiasts may know these types of toys to be ‘radio controlled’ but as time has passed on the ‘RC’ abbreviation has become interchangeable with ‘remote controlled’ and has expanded to include toys in the name as well due to the addition of toys beyond just standard automobiles.
Despite their introduction in the mid 1960s, most remote controlled toys were still unavailable for commercial distribution. It wasn’t until the 1980s when retail shelves would be flooded with remote controlled toys from manufacturers like Tyco creating a massive presence in the USA and Taiyo Kogyo making their mark in Japan and Europe. Considered the golden age of remote controlled toys – the 1980s and early 90s saw RC cars pop up in everything from commercials on your TV to Hollywood blockbusters on the big screen. Even Brad Pitt and the Ocean’s 11 cast got to play with their own RC monster truck.
With their growing popularity throughout the world, remote controlled toys would only see greater upgrades with a stronger emphasis on electric batteries. If you thought sharing the big screen with George and Brad Pitt was something, wait until you see what the newest generation of remote controlled toys has to offer.
The Present: RC Everything!
It really didn’t take long for remote controlled toys to branch out with planes and boats joining the mix of RC fun. Boats have especially made a splash in the market with some of the higher end models packing motors strong enough to fight against river currents. Just check out this video from Youtube user RCDriver_Online with a beautiful model from ProBoats. RC planes still maintain some popularity amongst the diehards, but the introduction of drones over the last few years has definitely swayed most aviation enthusiasts in that direction.
Losing some of these planes is tough, but that doesn’t mean things just come to a halt when it comes to remote controlled toys. Actually, the solution is to take what you have, and make it better – something the industry picked up on quickly. Long gone are the days of 10 minute run times for remote controlled toys. Nowadays most units are equipped with a battery that can be re-charged for hours of run time.
Trainz.com and the RC Experience
Our bread and butter at Trainz.com may be our locomotives, but make no mistake, we’re not oblivious to the obvious demand for remote controlled toys. We’ve got plenty in our inventory, and even a couple of curveballs to really spice things up.
Take for example this die-cast remote controlled hydraulic excavator from Die-cast Masters. This is a fully operational excavator capable of scooping small piles of dirt and rocks – check out this YouTube video from user ToeShifter showcasing the excavator’s capabilities. The remote controlled toys market has expanded quite a bit in this direction with a variety of construction vehicles getting an RC adaptation.
Things are only getting more exciting with licensed products too, allowing for well known brands like Ferrari and Subaru to enter the remote controlled toys market. Racing enthusiasts would be hard pressed to find a better driving experience than some of these cars – excluding the driving the real thing of course. Companies like HPI Racing are able to offer incredibly realistic cars like their Subaru Impreza, capturing all of the great real life details of the car into their RC model. It’s especially exciting to see that more automobile manufacturers are allowing companies like HPI to continue to use some of their most popular cars.
A Remote Controlled Future
The remote controlled toys market doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, and will hopefully continue to grow alongside a massive drone market. RC cars are only getting better and faster, and I personally feel we’ve only scratched the surface of the RC car craze. With slot cars being a thing of the past now, all signs point to a remote controlled future.
If you’re somebody like me, that’s wonderful news because it only means our toys get cooler and cooler. Vehicles like tanks have recently entered the market and well known manufacturers like Lamborghini and Ford are eager to provide scale models of some of their most popular cars.
For now it’s fun to just enjoy what I have. And while a Ferrari F-50 is likely out of my price range, I can at least enjoy my little 1:20 scale model as it zooms around the bowls in my local skate park. Remote controlled toys are here to stay, and we’re proud to offer a great variety of RC fun at Trainz.com.