The RC Deep Dive

The PBR (Pine Beach Raceway) in Japan is all about healthy and clean running of R/C buggies, cars, trucks, and fighting against the escalating war and costs of speed. The PBR teaches that fun is created by embracing limitations. To that end, this Japanese raceway has embraced that all racers should only use 380 motors, not 540 motors  and came up with a new style of deathmatch racing that has become a clean, high stakes demanding race that is beginning popular around the world now. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we review their tuned 380 motors, their motor mounts, and explore the unique history of Japan's Pine Beach Raceway and their vintage and rere with racing programs. 

Zealous Downhill Products makes ball bearings with a nano ceramic grease that not only can repair scratched, cracked, it deformed balls in the balls. But also protects the back bearings from water, dust, mud, sand, salt, and dirt. Although Zealous only makes these technologically advanced ball bearings for skateboards and longboards, could this technology help radio control model vehicle crawlers? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we look into the physics and chemistry of this nano ceramic bag bearing grease and come to a possibly surprising concluding for R/C enthusiasts. 

Many of us are taught early on the safety rule to always cut away from yourself with a knife to stay safe. But is there an exception to this rule in the radio-controlled model vehicle hobby? Can scoring R/C model vehicle Lexan polycarbonate body shells and cutting out intricate decals be done easily and effectively while cutting away from yourself? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we dive deep into cutting safety and how the exceptions can sometimes prove the rule. 
NOTE: We recommend always using a finger blade for any cutting on your R/C model vehicle, when possible, and only moving the decals, not the knife. whenever possible for both safety plus the best biomechanics and ergonomic control. 

In the radio-controlled model vehicle hobby you never want to use high speed electric drills, as they can melt plastic. So your options are either a low speed drill or to use a pin vise. But what are the best low RPM (rotations per minute) drills and pin vices for use on R/C cars, buggies, trucks, vans, jeeps, busses, tanks, etc.? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we review and rank the best radio control model hobby pin vises and electric drills and the results night shock you! 

Streetstyle and Crawling, Vert Ramp/Park Skating and Bashing, Freestyle and Drifting, Contest Skating and Racing, Downhill Racing and Speed Running, while skateboarding and the R/C model vehicle hobby have diverse disciplines, these diverse styles match one another in some very interesting ways. In this episode of the RC Deep we connect those dots and show the connections between these passionate, seemingly different hobbies of radio-control and skateboarding. 

In 1984, something happened that made the Tamiya Frog a truly Mighty Frog and an icon in the radio-control hobbyist community. In the A-Main finals of the German National 1/10th scale R/C off-road  Deutsche Meisterschaft, 6 of the 8 finalists were Tamiya Frogs vs. a Kyosho Scorpion and Tomahawk. Not only did these Mighty Frogs qualify, but they also claimed the entire podium: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! We dig in deep to give you all of the details of this epic race that turned the Tamiya Frog into a champion class radio-controlled 2WD (Two Wheel Drive) racing buggy. 

Hop-ups used to only be about physical upgrades, but these days there are digital hop-up options in the radio-controlled model vehicle hobby. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we plug in to the many firmware and software updates that can bring huge feature enhancement gains to your R/C cars, buggies, trucks, vans, jeeps, busses, and tanks' ESCs (Electronic Speed Controllers), batteries, smart battery chargers, as well as your radio transmitters and receivers. 

Tamiya's CC-01 (CC stands for Cross Country) chassis was the x-country choice for Tamiya for decades, but recently they replaced it with the improved new generation CC-02 chassis. What are the differences in these two iconic chairs and what remained the same, allowing them to share some hop-ups? In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we answer all of these questions and more about these cross-country classics. 

Upgrading your vintage or rere (re-release) radio-controlled car, buggy, truck, jeep, van, bus, or tank to brushless motors isn't as easy as a plug-and-play hop-up. There's many other things you need to be aware of including the limits of your R/C model vehicle, ESC (Electric Speed Controller), and gears in your gearbox. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we go over all of these specifics including giving specific advice for some of the most popular radio control vintage and rere icons. 

X beats O every time when it gives to shock rings. But why? What makes x-rings so superior to o-rings and which shocks should immediately upgrade from o-rings to x-rings? We cover this and more in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.