The RC Deep Dive

HOW-TO: Get the Most out of Your A3 Hobby Mats and R/C Car Stands

Many radio control hobbyists, when building their vintage, classic, rere, and modern radio controlled model cars, buggies, trucks, and vans use an RC vehicle stand and an A3 self-healing hobby mat. Why use these two tools and what secrets can they unlock to make your building easier and more enjoyable? We dig deep into this question in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

What are CRP Hop-Up Nerf Wings, and Do You Still Need Them Today?

CRP (Custom Racing Products) made Nerf Wings for the ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) Chassis R/C cars, trucks, and buggies like the Lancia 037 Rally, the Subaru BRAT, and the (Mighty) Frog, as well as the HotShot family of 4WD radio controlled buggies. Were they a necessary hop-up when the vintage models of these radio control model vehicles came out? What about now, with reres and modern electronics? The powerful truth that we uncover may surprise you in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

To Paint the Windows or to Not Paint the Windows? That is the Question

As you finish building your R/C buggy, it's time to paint the body shell. But do you paint the rear window? And if it has a windscreen/windshield in the front and a space above it that you cut out, do you paint the windscreen, it do you leave it clear? Prevailing wisdom has changed over the decades, so we dig deep into the hows and whys of radio controlled model car window painting in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

The Tamiya Electric Handy Drill: A Great Tool for Hop-Ups that Needs Hop-Ups Itself!

The Tamiya Electric Handy Drill model kit is great for hop-ups that require you to make a hole in your R/C model vehicle chassis, such as many AmPro Engineering hop-ups. However, first you have to build the model kit. Once you do that and use it, you will realize that this tool, which is extremely useful for being a low RPM drill, needs hop-ups of it's own to reach peak performance. We dig into all the details about the Tamiya Electric Handy Drill and it's recommended hop-up options in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.

Power to the People: Alternate Placement of the Power Switch

The vintage Tamiya Frog instructed builders to attach the power switch to the rear window of the R/C buggy, causing massive issues for bashers and racers. However the hobbyists, hobby shops, and radio control magazines had an alternate way to attach the on/off switch following the Subaru BRAT instructions to place ot in the side of the chassis. Even now, with the rere (re-release) version, there are new instructions, but RCers are ignoring them and found yet another new innovative way to mount this switch. We dig into why the R/C hobbyist community fought against the instructions on powering on and off their Frog (and still do today) in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

Why do Some Tamiya R/C ReRes Come on Completely Different Chassis?

Many of Tamiya's rere (re-release) R/C model vehicles have been reissued with entirely different chassis than the ones their vintage release originally came with. We dig deep into this mystery of why these changes were made for the Mitsubishi Pajero, Lancia 037 Rally, the Audi Quattro Rally, and many other Tamiya rereleased radio controlled vehicles in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.  

HOW-TO: Paint Chrome Details on Your R/C Model Vehicles

How do you get perfect chrome on your R/C model vehicles? Airbrushing, markers, powders, inks, paints, glosses, polishes, foils, clear coats, etc. all claim to be the best solution, but they cannot all be right. We dig deep into chroming options for your radio controlled car, truck, buggy, or van models in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. You can find the markers we were discussing at https://amzn.to/3Tp4u4q 

Should you Combine Ball Diffs with Carbon Fiber Gearboxes and Support Tensioners?

It is often said to fix the ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis gearbox flex you either need to install either the MIP Super Ball Diff (Differential) or the RcAiDong Carbon Fiber Gearbox Plates or the Skibby's Performance Mods Support Tensioners. But if you want to make your gearbox figuratively bulletproof, can you use two of the above or all three? If so, are there any hidden benefits or disadvantages? We dig into these questions in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

The Super Sabre v Thunder Shot Problem of 1987 and 2022/2023

In 1987, the last member of the 1/10th scale HotShot 4WD R/C buggy family came out...
....but not in a vacuum. Along with it, radio control model hobby shops also received the first of a new generation of Tamiya 4WD radio controlled buggy, the Thunder Shot, often at a lower price than the last vestiges of the previous generation. This sabotaged the sales and popularity of the Super Sabre. 
Why did this happen and why did the same happen in reverse with the reres (re-releases)? We take a thunderous shot with our sabre into this mystery in this super episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

Anytime Baby! The Wild Story of Tail Wing Mottos on Tamiya R/C Model Buggies

Say, "No Guts, No Glory!" to an R/C buggy enthusiast and they think of the Frog. Say, "Being Nuts is Neat!" And the same be radio control model hobbyist will think of the Avante. Where did Tamiya come up with these crazy mottos for their iconic vintage radio controlled buggies and why did some models not have any motto? We dig deep into the history and reasons for these tail wing motors in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.