RC Nightmare Community Blog

A lot of us start out in the smaller scales of RC, typically smaller than 1/10 scale.  Something like 1/16 or 1/24 is usually where people get started.  Me personally my first RC was a 1/10 scale traxxas slash 4X4 but I got into the hobby a little later than most.  Our lead tech Van was into the the hobby early on with 1/24 scale carpet racers.  If you are anything like me with each new RC you get you are drawn to getting bigger and faster, but with that comes a larger and larger price tag.  You have to be ready before you run up in size.  Ebay is littered with examples of people that jumped in too quickly and ended up with an $800 paper weight.  Below are a few tips to think over before you take the plunge. (more…)

I must confess, I am a basher.  A low down dirty, RC breaking, earth churning basher.  Sure I love racing, I like the competition not the tedious circling of the track.  Once I found enough other people to bash with, found things like RC bashing tag and demo derby I was able to merge the fun of bashing and the competition of racing.  When it comes to no holes barred bashing there are really no rules in terms of what you choose to run, in fact the people that I race with run about the widest variety of RC’s I have ever seen.  That said there is one clear rule I have and that is 4X4 or nothing at all. (more…)

With Traxxas engineers pumping out new models seemingly every week and awesome upgrades seemingly every other week it leaves one to wonder what the likes of HPI, Team Associated, and Losi will do to keep up if they wish to get any share of the mainstream market.  It’s no news that Traxxas dominates the local hobby shops in terms of model selection and parts availability but what will the others do should they wish to get a little share of those shelves. (more…)

What is steering dual rate? As the name implies it has something to do with rate of your steering! Also, ‘dual’ for two???

Many, if not all, radios these days come with a ton of features. One of those is Dual Rate (DR). The term dual rate is a little misleading. I’ve not seen a car/ truck radio where there are two (dual) steering rates. The control for the DR is of the knob variety (potentiometer) meaning you have a ‘range’ of steering rates. By varying the knob position (like the volume on a radio radio) you change the rate and affect the truck’s steering. This steering rate affects both left and right steering. (more…)