What is YOUR most memorable RC(s) of all time?

[jojobeans]

Title says it all. Toy grade or hobby grade, it doesn't matter. I think this will be fun to expose everyone to the cars that inevitably brought us all together. Mine is a tough tie between the AirHogs Micro Terrain Titans or the Nikko Formula Evolution F1 race car. What's funny is everything I have now is WAY better than those two cars, but I find myself thinking about them pretty regularly.

The terrain titan is what exposed 9 or 10 year old me to the existence of "hobby grade" RC's since they looked like various Tamiya models. I had the "fox mini" which looked just like a Nova Fox. I remember doing research and finding the Tamiya website and drooling over all the options they had. Little did I know a $20 department store micro RC, was the start to my addiction and probably the best advertisement for Tamiya. I ended up destroying it beyond repair after trying to modify it like I had seen people do online. I see them for sale NIB from time to time, but can't stomach paying $100+ for the sake of nostalgia.

The Nikko Evolution was probably the closest thing to hobby grade I had access to at that point. It was the fastest thing I had ever seen at the time (whopping 20mph) and I smacked a full unopened soda can with the front splitter and cut it clean in half in the kitchen, which made a huge mess. It was an outside only toy at that point. I remember it came with the wheels off of it and it was partially disassembled, so my dad and I had to put it together in the basement. I was infatuated with it and would take the wheels on and off constantly, pretending to be a nascar pit crew. Complete with the air gun noises! (I still do this by that way).

Here is an Ad for the Nikko for your viewing pleasure:

 

[jimdavis577]

This was my first wish i could find another original one for decent money

 

[WickedFog]

Marui Big Bear. The first time I hit the throttle and those big tires ripped through the loose gravel in our driveway, I was in love with RC. I still hear those tires ripping every time I think about it. It was the fastest thing I had ever seen at the time. Mine was painted black, and I cut the side windows out and added window nets.

 

[332_RC]

You can't jump it- oh wait, I did. These machines are insane.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Most memorable has got to be between the Hornet and the Optima/Mid.
The Hornet was my first R/C. I loved that car. I was so proud of it! I knew every screw in that buggy! I still remember walking down the cellar stairs and the smell of the tires hitting me... more fun!!!
The Optima and Mid were my first race grade r/c's.
Racing on a track was GREAT!!!
Just a different level of AWESOME!!!
Racing those cars all those years ago was so much fun I came back to build the same car and do it all over again!!!

 

[jojobeans]

Marui Big Bear. The first time I hit the throttle and those big tires ripped through the loose gravel in our driveway, I was in love with RC. I still hear those tires ripping every time I think about it. It was the fastest thing I had ever seen at the time. Mine was painted black, and I cut the side windows out and added window nets.
View attachment 220828

 

[Suburban_Hooligan]

i have a list.
Nikko High Roller Camaro monster truck i got when i was like 5. at the time it was huge and heavy and i had to lug it around leaning over so it didn't drag the ground. (it's probably considered 1/12 scale ) but its 4x4 and my dog would chase it and yeah, good times. with me on the grass and the neighbor kids Radio Shack truck on the sidewalk i would still beat him in a drag race. actually still own it retrofitted with hobby grade guts.
Tyco Fast Traxx pickup. monster tank trucks were a thing and i was big into monster trucks. that truck felt unstoppable. the battery was held in with duct tape. the gearbox was broken and the treads kept coming off. finally destroyed the gearbox hucking it off the porch. it was like living the TV commercial. funner than hell.
Tyco Lamborghini Countach. it was a black Lamborghini Countach, need i say more? put more miles on that than some actual Countach owners put on there real cars. and at the time it was fast. it's currently broken, but i still own it.
RC10T. watched them race at So Cal Raceway back in the early/mid 90's. my cousin had one. they were always painted in bright colorful graphics, they were fast. they looked like trucks. a few years later a friend of mine had one and compared to my Kyosho Stadium Baja it was just better. i bought a T3 because of the 10T. they left an impression. and now i have the truck my cousin raced at So Cal.
RC10T3. it was my 3rd or 4th hobby grade RC. but getting it felt like i had arrived! i had the best of the best. and i beat that truck more than my willy back in high school. its probably the one i ran most with friends. launched it off the roof, off trees, over cars, over fences, off fences, off BMX jumps, drove it in parks, on baseball fields, drainage ditches, drove it under a fence and onto a golf course on numerous occasions. looking back at it it kinda feels like 4 years of an RC version of Jackass. still own that truck to, only I'm a lot nicer to it now.

 

[boomsling]

I got a Grasshopper for Christmas in ‘85…been hooked since then…Bought my own RC10 with grass cutting money.. Lots of good memories with that one…

 

[fstnd]

Probably my maxx. I've driven it somewhat every weekend in a local spot while making a walk, after which I hardly ever cleaned it. When I did, I used water, but I was surprised when the LHS told me parts were rusted tot he point I should replace them. It was 5 years ago, so I was 10, and it took me like 3 years of ownership to actually look further in the hobby.
Glad I did

 

[NitroR/C]

The RCs that have marked my path in this fantastic world are those that I always carry in my heart. For years I have been accompanied by the two OFNA LD3 Pro, together with the CD3 Pro (still to be assembled) and the extraordinary Edam Spirit VDS, all new in the box and ready to give new emotions. I remember with great nostalgia the times when I enjoyed racing with the OFNA LD3 in RTR version: unforgettable experiences that made the difference.
Currently, for personal reasons, I have put this hobby on hold, but I passionately guard my small collection of RCs. Maybe one day I will dedicate myself to assembling the OFNA CD3 Pro kit, still intact in its box, having already purchased some optional extras that I love to mount on my RCs.
It's been a long time since I last wrote here on the forum, and I hope to return soon to show you my OFNA CD3, which I now consider a rather rare model.

Greetings!

 

[WickedFog]

View attachment 220840

To this day, ain't no other RC had more of an impact on me. It's like how ya never forget your first car, your first bike, girlfriend, etc. @Littlemotor and I were just talking about that the other day. How sights and sounds, and even smells will come back from the past. Yup. That is all true of the Big Bear. Terrible gearbox on the thing, but it was a blast for the couple hours it ran (total) through the 4 spur gear changes before it got put in a closet and later sold

It's the RC I wish I never sold I have a few like that. But if I could go back and right a wrong in my RC history, the Big Bear would be it.

 

[hood52]

It was definitely the Losi JRXT, wish I still had it.

 

[xjtorc]

My dad’s Tamiya Lunchbox. One of my earliest memories in life is Dad painting the body out the back door of our tiny townhouse, all the fumes blowing back in, and Mom being PISSED . I was 4 years old.

Fast forward a few years to 1996. It was finally time, Dad was handing it down to me with the understanding that whatever breaks, I fix with his help. I learned A LOT that summer about mechanical speed controls and NiCd batteries and I am 100% confident that my hardheaded DIY nature my wife knows and loves today was sparked that summer.

Fast forward one more year to 1997. I had the RC bug and I had it bad. The Lunchbox was on its last leg. We already upgraded all the electronics but something was causing the trans to eat gears every time I drove it…looking back, I’m guessing Dad picked out a hot motor that was just too much for it lol. I had been saving my pennies while working summers doing plumbing with Dad and I was ready to purchase my very own RC. We loaded up as a family and drove 2 hours to the nearest RC hobby shop and I came home with a brand new Traxxas Nitro Sport.

From that day on, the RC hobby has been an undying passion of mine. I don’t have a huge collection of vehicles and I may go months or even years without picking up a transmitter, but that fire never dies. I love this hobby because of that Lunchbox and because of my dad.

Here’s me and that Lunchbox. 1991:

 

[Tunedfrog]

My favorite was a toy grade buggy any I had more fun with it than my modern rigs
My gf would mop the kitchen floor and while it was still wet I would drift around until the next mopping.
20 minutes or so later. I'm sure we had the cleanest kitchen floor in the neighborhood.

 

[Lucifur10]

I would say the RC10. So versatile. I learned a lot with the RC 500 also. I vividly remember hanging the tail out with that thing around a race course. Nitro two speed and RWD. Total blast.

 

[RBRC]

The Lunch Box is what got me in the hobby all those years ago!

 

[CertifiedMike]

The RCs that have marked my path in this fantastic world are those that I always carry in my heart. For years I have been accompanied by the two OFNA LD3 Pro, together with the CD3 Pro (still to be assembled) and the extraordinary Edam Spirit VDS, all new in the box and ready to give new emotions. I remember with great nostalgia the times when I enjoyed racing with the OFNA LD3 in RTR version: unforgettable experiences that made the difference.
Currently, for personal reasons, I have put this hobby on hold, but I passionately guard my small collection of RCs. Maybe one day I will dedicate myself to assembling the OFNA CD3 Pro kit, still intact in its box, having already purchased some optional extras that I love to mount on my RCs.
It's been a long time since I last wrote here on the forum, and I hope to return soon to show you my OFNA CD3, which I now consider a rather rare model.

Greetings!

Well well WELCOME BACK!!!
You're in like Flynn with those buggies of yours whenever you decide that r/c's just don't belong in a box!!!
I'm a vintage fan too... really hoping we see some of your gear up and running soon!

My dad’s Tamiya Lunchbox. One of my earliest memories in life is Dad painting the body out the back door of our tiny townhouse, all the fumes blowing back in, and Mom being PISSED . I was 4 years old.

Fast forward a few years to 1996. It was finally time, Dad was handing it down to me with the understanding that whatever breaks, I fix with his help. I learned A LOT that summer about mechanical speed controls and NiCd batteries and I am 100% confident that my hardheaded DIY nature my wife knows and loves today was sparked that summer.

Fast forward one more year to 1997. I had the RC bug and I had it bad. The Lunchbox was on its last leg. We already upgraded all the electronics but something was causing the trans to eat gears every time I drove it…looking back, I’m guessing Dad picked out a hot motor that was just too much for it lol. I had been saving my pennies while working summers doing plumbing with Dad and I was ready to purchase my very own RC. We loaded up as a family and drove 2 hours to the nearest RC hobby shop and I came home with a brand new Traxxas Nitro Sport.

From that day on, the RC hobby has been an undying passion of mine. I don’t have a huge collection of vehicles and I may go months or even years without picking up a transmitter, but that fire never dies. I love this hobby because of that Lunchbox and because of my dad.

Here’s me and that Lunchbox. 1991:
View attachment 220876

You look just like I did as a young kid around my Dad's 1:1 projects. Bare foot, 3 foot tall and ready to wrestle a bear if needed to get the job done!
I thought I told you to cut that hair ya hippie!!!

This pic really does remind me of myself as a boy.

 

[ahr43]

What an impressive collection of favorites and memories in this thread. Adding mine to the mix - a 1/8 nitro bug DuraTrax Axis RTR. Not my first RC, but my first nitro and first among many fond RC memories.

Raced it in the THRC (Team Houston RC) series 2003-2005. Later hung on the wall in my shop until selling on Ebay. Big mistake. Liked it so much that when I built my MBX7 years later, had the body on it painted to replicate the Axis.

All-electric here now but still regard my nitro days as the most fun. -AC

 

[Chubaka]

View attachment 220892
The Lunch Box is what got me in the hobby all those years ago!

My lunchbox got me through school back then. Now it gets me through my work day.

 

[Chubaka]

Mine is my traxxas nitro sport and traxxas stampede. Stampede was midnight and I whacked the stp sign at speed. Nothing like a loud bang when it's quiet.

My boys bandit vxl also. Used to race cars on the road next to the lot. Beat a Honda civic and a Pontiac g6 after the g6 went into overdrive.