Our Age / Location Etc!, How old were you when you first got into modelling?

[Malakite]

Hi guys,

As you all know I am a total Newbie to this site (and loving it btw!) and thought it might be interesting to see how old you all were when you first got into modelling, what your first car was, how you got into it, and also your age now and when you got back into it (if you ever left of course?!).

I hope I don't sound intrusive and of course you don't have to say your age if you don't want to, but I thought it might be fun and to see if there is a pattern at all?

OK i'll start:-

I always liked radio controlled cars, and a mate of mine in Junior school had a Turbo Panther (remember those?..there was a 'turbo' button on the controller for extra speed!). Then my old man got a Turbo Beetle from Tandy, then my uncle bought a 'Chipmunk' (remember those?!) and it went on from there. Of course all of these were pre built in their box.

I was about 11 when I first walked into a serious modelling shop to see the real big boys toys! I ended up getting for Christmas a Mauri Ninja and spent a few hours every night with my dad building it leading up to Christmas. Man I was STOKED when I actually got to use it!!

From there I purchased the Tamiya Monster Beetle, and the a Kyosho RS2000 Nitro (always broke down!!). I was then about 16 and getting into college when I gave up the hobby / discovered drinking etc and forgot about modelling for a while. I actually ended up selling my Ninja (shock horror!) for spares to a mate when I was about 13 as the thing constantly broke down and fell apart (I don't care i'd still buy one now and put up with it as part of the fun - how odd is that?!), my Monster Beetle was slowly taken apart for spares for my RS200, then THROWN AWAY! (EEEEEKKKK!) and my RS2000 was sold with controller and servos etc when I moved house at the age of 24 when I came across it in my dads shed!

Since 24 up until now I have not given them a seconds thought other than seeing the occasional Nitro and thought it would be cool to get back into it 'at some point', but after seeing the Hornet in a local shop, the bug has seriously taken over once again and i'm as excited as I was when I was 10!

OK so in closing and to stop waffling, i'm 32, and live in Nottingham


Next please!

 

[robmob]

I have been into RC since the mid 80’s and my first one was the Tamiya Hotshot. I also had the Tamiya Clod Buster, Thundershot and the Losi Junior-T before I put it all away in the early 90’s.

The last couple of years after getting back into the hobby, I have been collecting various vintage RC’s that I wanted back when I was teenager, but was unable to afford. I now have a nice collection of vintage RC’s along with my modern rigs. Some of them are new built, and some are still in kit form.

 

[Cupooterluvr]

Started early last year when I got a really cheap nitro Exceed RC buggy. Since then the collection has expanded to include a TMaxx 3.3 and an RC18t. Once I get a real job this summer I'm going to save up and buy either a Revo, Baja 5b, or a 1/8 buggy for racing. (stoked about that btw)

 

[Rolex]

How old were you when you first got into modelling?

I started modeling diapers as an infant, then moved up to little sailor suits a few years later.
After a brief break from the business, Home Depot hired me as a temp to model gloves and hats in the Garden department.
As soon as I turned 18 I started modeling Speedos in WalMart. I quit the business after security removed me from the premises and banned me from the store.

I then spent a lot of years messing with RCs, and now I'm the smiling guy walking into the sunset and dropping a load while modeling Depends.

 

[HeartBreak]

I started about 18 years ago, with my first car/truck being a Losi JRXT. It then spiraled from there, with many many cars following. It went from the JRXT, to a Gold tub RC10, then to a Kyosho Optima (chain driven 4wd), then a couple pan cars (a Parma 1/10th, and a Traxxas 1/12th - yes, Traxxas made a 12th scale pan car), then back to offroad with an RC10T, then a XXT, followed by a XXXT, and the group I have now....

I traded the XXXT off for a RC10T3, got my RC10GT, then bought an RC10B3. After that, I bought my first 8th scale buggy; a GS Storm, and a first generation T-Maxx (came with a clear body).

After that, I got my first plane (GWS Tigermoth), and a helicopter (JR VoyagerE). Sold them on ebay due to a cash crunch (and lack of time/space to fly at the time).

From there, I sold the Storm and Maxx, and got myself a Mugen MBX5 Prospec, a Savage, and an RC18B. I also picked up two micro-helis (Venom Nightranger 2 and Helimax Axe CP).

I was 13 when I got my first car, on my birthday, all thanks to a commercial on TV for a local hobby shop. 18 years later, and here I am, 31-and-a-day, and I have a small fleet, looking to add to it all the time.

I used to race competitively, but lately, I just bash. I quit the racing scene when the men turned to overgrown babies that would fight over a stupid point standing. The racing scene seems to cycle out the "idiots" every few years. When it does, I'll be ready for it.

 

[Malakite]

Hi guys, some fantastic stories here, very interesting reading everyone's background.

Ok who's next?

 

[grgbulldog]

I'm currently 16. I've loved rc cars since i was little(getting the cheap ones) and getting the better ones in the last couple years. the 1st ok car i got was just an xmod from radioshack when i was 13. then, late 2006, i got into this site then got the advice i wanted on what to get. i picked up and rc18t. in february i got a savage 25, in september to october i got an old rs4 2 from a neighbor. right after christmas '07, i got a micro t, then just last month i picked up a NTC3 from plaid. thats what i have right now

 

[itsalifeworthliving]

after i stole my mothers car, she brought me to an rc track and hobby shop and said.. here, you wana drive something!! now keep your mits off my steering wheel!! i was 14 and it consumed my life til i was bout 18 or so... i sold everything i had for a case of beer and a tank of gas.. for the next 7 years i consumed myself in alcohal and hard drugs. after many relapses and failed attemps at living a sober life, my sponsor said.. find something to do!! get a hobby, buy a computer, read a freakin book, but stop getting high!! a few dayz later cashed my paycheck for $600 with all thoughts on going on a short bender for the weekend and never going back to one of those stupid meetings again.. well, on my way to my "boyz" house i passed that very hobby shop that my mother dropped me off at when i was 14. zepplin hobbies and raceway on rt23 in kinnelon nj. i banged a you turn flew into the parking lot and ran thru the front door like the cops were chasin me. sweating with a crazy case of the shakes.. composed myself and walked around, there was sue who sold me my first rc, a tamiya boomerang. i took one look at the revo, saw the price tag and said i'll take one with every thing i need to keep me busy all weekend.. and that was it, i was hooked.. like i never left. i made it to a meeting that monday smelling like nitro fuel and grinning from ear to ear. i'll be 32 at the end of march, and i still hit 1-2 meetings a week. if it sounds crazy, it becouse i am..rc is my higher power.lol.. thanx for asking and thanx for letting me share.. jason..(ITS A LIFE WORTH LIVING)

 

[Rolex]

That's a really great story, itsalifeworthliving, and it also explains your user name. It's great that you were willing to share that, and we welcome you to another, but far more enjoyable addiction.

 

[olds97_lss]

Mine started when I was young... 6 or 7 yrs old. I've always been into tearing apart my toys and making them faster/stronger. Remember those little stompers that were 4wd and ran on a single AA? That's when I think my addiction started. I found a light gauge wire (about 6 feet long), soldered it to the little tabs (with the help of my dad) where the AA went and duct taped 6 D batteries together, then attached the wires to the batteries... 6 feet of cord wasn't enough.

My family had little money to spare on frivilous things of this nature, so most of my stuff was $20 or less until I got about 15. Then my brothers (8 years older) bought me a radio shack golden arrow for christmas. It was sweet for about 6 minutes. Living in Iowa at the time, it being christmas, everything was cold/frozen and we lived in the country. I barely had boots on running outside to run it. Man was it fast... then I hit a snow drift, it shot straight up in the air, landed on it's roof and fried it's built in ESC (all the electronics were one circuit board inside completely exposed to the elements). Not even a full charge through it and it was busted. My brothers patted me on the back and said the jump was worth it. They took it back and got me another after finagling with the RadioShack guy for an hour... broke it in the parking lot at radio shack. Water again...

Anyway, I didn't get anything again until my second year of college... at toys-R-us. A 9.6V lambo that topped out at about 25mph. Again in the winter... hit a curb sometime the second week and it shattered like glass.

Then, finally, after college, got a "career", got married... our first "married" Christmas together and we're wandering through the mall trying to figure out what to get each other. We spent 4 hours (and $900 later) shopping for her... and I didn't find anything until we were leaving the store. A Hobby Town. Oh glorious hobby town! All their truck lined up on the counter like candy just begging to be bought and cared for... I went home with a losi xxx-nt RTR (because of the sweet digital radio, should have got an RC10GT, more durable).

That was a little over 7 years ago. I beat that thing to death for over a year. Then about 2 years later, I bought a t-maxx... then over the course of the next 2 years, I spent enough on that maxx in hop-ups to replace it 5 times. Next was the savage from our very own SkyMaxx. That got me through the next year or so, then a XTM mammoth, 6 months, HB lightning buggy and HPI Nitro MT, 6 months, Revo, 1.5 years, Aftershock, coming up on a year. Immediately after the aftershock, I got a used jammin X1 buggy and jato stadium (I missed my first love, then xxx-nt).

I'm sure I missed a few in that series, but I've spent a lot of time, care and money over the past 7+ years and I now have 3 trucks that I'm torn apart each weekend trying to figure out which one to thrash. This coming season will be the most difficult for me. I have never had more than one truck that I "wanted" to run. Now I have 3. It's going to be a long spring-summer-fall bashing season...

When I bought the aftershock last april, I still had the savage and revo, but within a few months, I had sold them because I didn't drive the savage much after getting the revo and then I didn't drive either really after getting the aftershock.

With the Revo, I was almost happy to get rid of the thing. A lot of time/money/effort went into it and it just wouldn't do what I wanted.

The savage however, was more difficult to part with. As I saw it, it was my first REAL MT. Tough as nails and always ready for whatever I threw it over and through. Plus, it had sentimental value since I know SkyMaxx had it and cared for it for quite some time. Fortunately, I "sold" it to a friend that's local and we bash together whenever we get a chance, so I still get to see the old horse once in a while.

EDIT:
wow... I'm friggen wordy!

 

[Jman30808]

Well I've wanted a RC for a long time just never had the money to spare. Then last year a friend of mine was having a party, and i saw all of his rc's just sittin there. So we got them out and started bashin'. He had 4 a Aftershock, Lst2, xxx-nt, and a jato. Well now he's down too 2. I saved up and bought the aftershock and the xxx-nt. Now every last dime that i can spare goes into them. And not getting any better. Cause i'm getting another one this week.(Thanks Plaidfish) well i'm hooked. And my 4 year old wants me to teach him how to drive them. LOL.

 

[basher21]

names tyler i first got into this hobby when i was 13 around dec. by watching my neighbor play with his before tht i had know idea wht they we're. after watching him play after several days i asked my parents for one on x-mas they got me a t-maxx 2.5 i fought it was the best truck ever but then i bought a mmgt 3.0 and then my t-maxx tore up again so i decided instead of spending money to fix it over and over again i would just buy a new truck so i saved up and bought savage x 4.6 boy was i glad i did this. the savage had so much power and durbilty i decided to sell the t-maxx. my dad bought it and fixed it now with the money i got from tht i'm fixin up the savage x i'm just about to turn 14 in 8 days and i'm hopein for a new truck please be a mgt 8.0 i plan to stick with this hobby the rest of my life

 

[billym9]

well I'm 14 now and i got my first hobby rc 2 years ago and it was a t-maxx.

 

[Malakite]

after i stole my mothers car, she brought me to an rc track and hobby shop and said.. here, you wana drive something!! now keep your mits off my steering wheel!! i was 14 and it consumed my life til i was bout 18 or so... i sold everything i had for a case of beer and a tank of gas.. for the next 7 years i consumed myself in alcohal and hard drugs. after many relapses and failed attemps at living a sober life, my sponsor said.. find something to do!! get a hobby, buy a computer, read a freakin book, but stop getting high!! a few dayz later cashed my paycheck for $600 with all thoughts on going on a short bender for the weekend and never going back to one of those stupid meetings again.. well, on my way to my "boyz" house i passed that very hobby shop that my mother dropped me off at when i was 14. zepplin hobbies and raceway on rt23 in kinnelon nj. i banged a you turn flew into the parking lot and ran thru the front door like the cops were chasin me. sweating with a crazy case of the shakes.. composed myself and walked around, there was sue who sold me my first rc, a tamiya boomerang. i took one look at the revo, saw the price tag and said i'll take one with every thing i need to keep me busy all weekend.. and that was it, i was hooked.. like i never left. i made it to a meeting that monday smelling like nitro fuel and grinning from ear to ear. i'll be 32 at the end of march, and i still hit 1-2 meetings a week. if it sounds crazy, it becouse i am..rc is my higher power.lol.. thanx for asking and thanx for letting me share.. jason..(ITS A LIFE WORTH LIVING)

Jason that's a fantastic storey, good on you mate, it's a real pleasure to know you I have the bug again already but can't feed it until I get some cash in which won't be for anothe few weeks yet!....Still it gives me time to research and get up on all the latest with the hobby which I had missed out on for so long!

:celb2:

 

[TWOCANE]

after i stole my mothers car, she brought me to an rc track and hobby shop and said.. here, you wana drive something!! now keep your mits off my steering wheel!! i was 14 and it consumed my life til i was bout 18 or so... i sold everything i had for a case of beer and a tank of gas.. for the next 7 years i consumed myself in alcohal and hard drugs. after many relapses and failed attemps at living a sober life, my sponsor said.. find something to do!! get a hobby, buy a computer, read a freakin book, but stop getting high!! a few dayz later cashed my paycheck for $600 with all thoughts on going on a short bender for the weekend and never going back to one of those stupid meetings again.. well, on my way to my "boyz" house i passed that very hobby shop that my mother dropped me off at when i was 14. zepplin hobbies and raceway on rt23 in kinnelon nj. i banged a you turn flew into the parking lot and ran thru the front door like the cops were chasin me. sweating with a crazy case of the shakes.. composed myself and walked around, there was sue who sold me my first rc, a tamiya boomerang. i took one look at the revo, saw the price tag and said i'll take one with every thing i need to keep me busy all weekend.. and that was it, i was hooked.. like i never left. i made it to a meeting that monday smelling like nitro fuel and grinning from ear to ear. i'll be 32 at the end of march, and i still hit 1-2 meetings a week. if it sounds crazy, it becouse i am..rc is my higher power.lol.. thanx for asking and thanx for letting me share.. jason..(ITS A LIFE WORTH LIVING)

Brother I hear you! I have had my own life expierences with the life of an addict. We sound similar that we both like RC vehicles as a way to escape that place were my mind will take me. I am disabled now and the hobby
works my hand eye cordniation and fine motor skills. This hobby is great for alot of things.:yes:

 

[CharliesTheMan]

after i stole my mothers car, she brought me to an rc track and hobby shop and said.. here, you wana drive something!! now keep your mits off my steering wheel!! i was 14 and it consumed my life til i was bout 18 or so... i sold everything i had for a case of beer and a tank of gas.. for the next 7 years i consumed myself in alcohal and hard drugs. after many relapses and failed attemps at living a sober life, my sponsor said.. find something to do!! get a hobby, buy a computer, read a freakin book, but stop getting high!! a few dayz later cashed my paycheck for $600 with all thoughts on going on a short bender for the weekend and never going back to one of those stupid meetings again.. well, on my way to my "boyz" house i passed that very hobby shop that my mother dropped me off at when i was 14. zepplin hobbies and raceway on rt23 in kinnelon nj. i banged a you turn flew into the parking lot and ran thru the front door like the cops were chasin me. sweating with a crazy case of the shakes.. composed myself and walked around, there was sue who sold me my first rc, a tamiya boomerang. i took one look at the revo, saw the price tag and said i'll take one with every thing i need to keep me busy all weekend.. and that was it, i was hooked.. like i never left. i made it to a meeting that monday smelling like nitro fuel and grinning from ear to ear. i'll be 32 at the end of march, and i still hit 1-2 meetings a week. if it sounds crazy, it becouse i am..rc is my higher power.lol.. thanx for asking and thanx for letting me share.. jason..(ITS A LIFE WORTH LIVING)

Make that three of us, as this is not my first addiction. I was sitting in prison 2 years ago on manufacturing charges, and I decided that from the day I got arrested I was going to turn my life around. I was clean for about a year and a half, trying to work on my hot rods when I could and go to college and work too. For all of you that think you spend a lot of money on RC's, just remember that you do, but it could be a lot worse if you were building race cars, 1:1 race cars. Since I didn't have the time that I wanted to devote to building hot rods or the money to spend while I'm in college, I needed a hobby that I could fool around with on my time but that would keep me interested and would keep my mind off all the things that I really shouldn't be thinking about. So one day I thought back about when I moved out and got my first apartment and while looking for toys to blow money on while highly intoxicated and trying to pull a scarface, I had bought two nitro trucks. I said "Man, I could really have fun with those things now that I'm sober". So I got a T-Max in December and loved it. RC allows me to have a hobby (or addiction, as I now call it) that keeps my mind on the positive side of the law, but only requires the time that I WANT to put in. I built a Savage X SS about a month ago, and I just built a HPI Baja 5b SS over the weekend, cranked it up and ran it tonight, and my addiction has now jumped up to the next level. Nothing compares to piloting this 5th scale beast around a good bash spot. I can't wait till tomorrow (although it might rain) because I took off work to spend time with my girl (that would be the 5b).

Thanks for sharing that amazing story, Jason. Good luck with everything, and keep your head up. We're all hear for you when you need us.

 

[itxploded]

i was 11 and my uncle gave me a thiird hand rc10 gold tub and i put new electronics in it and it kept glitching and my step bro always broke it and i just gave up and gave it to him, then four years later i recieved a t-maxx 2.5r and now I'm hooked!

 

[marauder]

I'm sure most of you know my story because I'm still rather new here. My dad has always messed around with airplanes one way or the other. 1:1 scale, and model planes, he always had engines, parts, etc laying around the attic and garage. I always wondered what it would be like, but never got into flying model planes...I know my luck, and I don't think I would go well with that hobby. I've always had toy-grade r/c cars and trucks since I can remember, but never thought there were serious hobby-grade options to choose from.

I am much like a lot of people here, I worked on my 1:1 car but it just gets too expensive, time consuming, and frustrating if something goes wrong. The weather here is also not too forgiving for working on cars, and I don't have a big garage like I used to. I needed a hobby I could manage...

To sum it up, I started into Nitro RC in Feburary 2008 (Last month), and already have a good wealth of knowledge thanks to this forum and a lot of hours watching youtube. My dad really loves working with me on the r/c, and it's a way for him to escape the stress of his job and business travels. I enjoy spending time with my dad, and try to learn as much from him as possible. After all, he does design frames for 1:1 scale cars/trucks/suv's for a living.

My collection includes 2 T-Maxx trucks (2.5 and 3.3) that are both upgraded, an HPI RS4-2 kit that I got in trade and it is a great on-road for parking lot bashing, and an HPI MT-2 that is basically a roller for now and still undecided on what I will do with it.

That's about it, need to know more about me just ask.

 

[Mido]

OK MY TURN! I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED RC CARS MY WHOLE LIFE... started out when i was 5 my big bro had got me an electric car that twirled around and ever since then i have loved rc cars, driving and things like that,.. i think it was in the 88's my bro had a duratrax maximum bx and he used it for 1 year and then shoved it in his garage for the NEXT 12 . when i grew he gave it to me, and IT WORKED!! WORKED LIKE A CHARM I BROKE IT COUPLE TIMES THEN I SOLD IT... then I've had about 2 other nitros and i would say like 15 electrics down in the basement now. I'm GETTING SAVAGE 4.6 X TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOO EXFITEEEEEEEEEED
AND YEAH THATS MY STORY!

 

[Candyman]

I guess my story is in 2 parts. Waaaaaaaaaay back in the dark ages of RC, the early 80's, I started carpet oval racing with an Associated RC12E. By today's standards, a dinosaur. I raced that for a couple years. Then when I hit high school I found many better things to preoccupy my time with (wink wink nudge nudge). After growing up and dealing with college, job and family, it came back around. I started getting really interested in airplanes while in California in the mid-90's. Then when I came back to NY in the late 90's the car bug hit again. Instantly bought an RC10 GT. Loved it. Ran the hell out of it for a couple years. Bought a Nitro RS4 at the same time to get my on-road fix. And just moved up from there. Sold the GT. Bought a Maxx. Sold the RS4, bought an RS4-3. Sold the Maxx, bought a Savage. Bought a Mayhem. Bought a Mini-t. Bought a Combat Wing (plane). Bought a Tiger Moth 400 (plane). Bought a Matrix (plane). Bought a Belt CP (helicopter). And now I'm seriously debating a Baja 5B SS. Damn. It is an addiction.