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Choosing RC Model Cars

There are basically two types of RC Model Cars, electric powered and i.c.(internal combustion) powered. I.C. engines are powerful, will run for long periods on a thankful of fuel and sound and smell great. Electric power, on the other hand, is cleaner and easier to operate and we normally recommend beginners to start with an electric car.

Many clubs race indoors and electric is the only acceptable power here. Cars use rechargeable batteries which are fast charged using a charger operating off 12 volt or mains supply. The charge time is usually between 15 and 30 minutes. At race meetings, races will not normally be less than 30 minutes apart so there is usually time to recharge. To be safe however, and to achieve more efficient charging, it is usual to have an extra battery pack so that one can be on charge whilst the other is being raced. The popular electric classes are 1/10 scale off road buggies (430mm long x 240mm wide approx),b1/10 scale circuit racing touring cars ( 430 x 190 approx ) and the 1/12 scale circuit and oval track saloon racers ( 320 x 170 approx ).

Off road buggies are popular because of their ability to be raced almost anywhere on grass, dirt, or tarmac. 1/10 touring cars can be raced outdoors on any smooth surface or indoors in larger halls. 1/12 scale saloons, being smaller, are popular for racing in smaller hallsm which are less expensive to hire and easier to find. Off road buggies usually feature oil filled dampers, gearboxes, differentials, etc. but are quite easy to build. 1/10 and 1/12 saloons are usually simpler and even

I.C cars are usually larger ( 1/8 scale up to 570mm long ) powered by .21cu.in. glow motors. The fuel is ignited by a glow plug in the engine which requires a 2 volt power supply. This is disconnected when the engine is running. These cars race outdoors on circuits or oval tracks. They require a number of accessories; the main ones being a silencer, air filter, electric starter, glow plug power unit and fuel.

All cars require a 2 channel radio control outfit. A receiver and 2 servos are fitted into the car. One servo controls the steering and the other controls the speed of the car. (electric cars usually have reverse.)

Why Not Start Your Own RC Club?

Learning to drive an R/C car is great fun, but once you can drive reasonably well, the real excitement will come from racing it at a club meeting. Maybe there is one near you. Your local model shop should know. If there is not, you and your friends could always start your own. The encouragement of new clubs and new racers is very important to the hobby, to retailers and to manufacturers such as ourselves, but there is very little information or help available.

Consequently we decided some time ago to form our own local indoor club to try out ideas for organisation, track marking, lap counting etc, etc. So that we could learn from it and subsequently offer advice and information to anyone interested in starting a club. Although we manufacture 1/10 scale cars as well as the smaller 1/12 scale, we deliberately decided to limit our Club to 1/12 scale as this scale enables a smaller track and consequently, a smaller hall or room to be used. A room of sufficient size can be hired from £10 Per Evening. It is possible to race 12 Cars on a track 10 X 6 metres

It is of course necessary to have some space for "Pitting", I.E. for folding tables etc, or for working on the cars our own Club started in a small hall with 10 members but soon had to move to a larger hall as membership grew. We now average 30 racers per evening, all still racing 1/12 cars.