Radio-controlled car
Radio-controlled cars, or RC cars for short, are miniature vehicles controlled via radio.
Nitro powered models use glow plug engines, small internal combustion engines fuelled by a special mixture of nitromethane, methanol, and oil. These are referred to as "nitro" RC cars. Nitro fuel can be dangerous. It causes complications like cancer if ingested and blindness if in the eyes. Exceptionally large models, typically of scale 1:5, are powered by small gasoline engines, similar to string trimmer motors, which use a mix of oil and gasoline. Electric cars are generally considered easier to work with compared to fuel-driven models but can be equally complex at the higher budget and skill levels. Both electric and nitro models can be very fast, although electric is easier to upgrade and more versatile.
In both of these categories, both on-road and off-road vehicles are available. Off-road models, which are built with fully functional off-road suspensions and a wide tire selection, can be used on various types of terrain. On-road cars, with a much less robust suspension, are limited to smooth, paved surfaces. There are also rally cars, which fall somewhere between on-road and off-road and can be driven on gravel, dirt or other loose surfaces. In the past decade, advances in "on-road" vehicles have made their suspension as adjustable as many full scale race cars, today.
History
The Academy of Model Aeronautics, recognized and documented early radio-controlled model aircraft as having been developed in the 1930s. However, radio-controlled model cars have only been documented more recently. There may have been earlier model car hobbyists, inspired by RC airplanes, tinkering with RC cars but not documented. Here are the RC car projects that have been documented.Early experiments
- 1954 Design Competition RC Winner - A streamlined radio-controlled vehicle won a third prize in Ford Motor Company's 1954 Industrial Arts Awards program. David Swinder of Warren, Ohio used a large control console to demonstrate the operation of the six-foot vehicle to Al Esper, Ford's chief test driver.- 1955 Ford Motor Company RC Model Car - Automobile manufacturer studios used scale models to reduce new design development lead times and save money. Among Ford designs executed in 3/8 size were the LaTosca, a futuristic bubble-top dream car, and the Mexico, an aerodynamic reskin of the 1955 Thunderbird that was designed to top 200 mph. For these two models the designers constructed radio control systems, adapting six-volt car batteries, convertible top motors, and other full-size components from the Ford parts bins. Along with motive power, braking, and turning, the radio control system also reportedly operated the headlights, brake lights, and turn signals.
- Early 1960s Bill Johnson Experimental Car - In an article in the first issue of ‘Pit Stop’ magazine, Bill Johnson of Burbank, California is credited with building “in the early 1960s”, an internal combustion engine-powered, radio-controlled, 1:12th scale, model car. The date is not specific, but it seems reasonable that “the early ‘60’s” would mean the car was built around 1963 or earlier.
It was described as an all metal, radio-controlled race car using an early Bonner reed radio control system. The car was composed of two sections, in the forward section the radio, power pack, two servos, and front suspension; the rear section contained the motor, rear end, rear suspension and the fuel tank.
A Veco.19 engine was chosen for its ability to deliver power at any given RPM. Bill experimented with a 4:1 direct drive gear ratio and finally settled on a 6:1 ratio. Using -inch diameter rear tires, Bill achieved a 600 to 2,500 RPM range resulting in speeds from 6 miles per hour to 29 miles per hour.
His independent front suspension, while not having adjustable camber, caster or other adjustments, and although on the heavy side by later standards, proved quite durable. The car tracked well in a straight line or in circles as small as 8 feet in diameter. Bill utilized a leaf spring front set-up to reduce jolts on rough surfaces. He had tried a worm drive to eliminate the jolts to the steering servo but that proved impractical.
For the rear suspension Johnson also used leaf springs because of the ease of installation in the car and to facilitate the changes that he anticipated as the car design evolved. Working alone, Bill achieved a remarkable degree of success and sophistication with a model car that was a very early functioning RC car, more remarkable because it was built from scratch, since no RC car parts were yet available.
- 1964 Ken Balz Experimental Car - Ken built an electric-powered, radio-controlled model car which combined a Monogram 1:8 scale Big “T” plastic model car kit with an Orbit 4-channel radio transmitter and receiver. Two “Micro Mo” motors with 485-to-1 gear reduction were used, one for steering and one to power the car. Rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries supplied the energy. Steering was proportional but required two channels, one for left turns and one for right turns. Drive was not proportional but was single speed, radio-controlled “forward-stop-reverse-stop” sequence switch.
- 1965 Chuck Eckles Experimental Cars - Chuck's first experiment was a 1:8 scale plastic kit Monogram Jaguar E-Type, McCoy35 internal combustion, radio-controlled car with a stainless-steel chassis. His initial clutch was designed to engage and turn the engine to start it and then disengage so that the engine could idle. It would then re-engage centrifugally as the engine speed was increased.
The car ran well, but the combination of a fragile plastic body, more power than needed and a complex clutch led Chuck to do a major redesign. He used a 1:11 scale Wen-Mac 1965 Mustang to make a plaster plug master for more durable vacuum-formed 0.060 butyl-acetate bodies. He developed a simplified centrifugal clutch more like current designs. Two servos were used, the forward servo being used for steering, while the rear servo for both brake and throttle. The Mustang's rear axle ratio was 12:56 with a 56-tooth gear that was as large as space and ground clearance would permit. Wheels and tires used were semi-pneumatic, -inch Veco aircraft wheels.
After several experiments, the engine used was a Cox Medallion.15 with part of the throttle control used as a collector ring for exhaust and excess oil. The carburettor spray bar had been reworked to give a better idle, while an adjustable stop was installed. The top speed achieved was 35 miles per hour.
Steering was rack and pinion with an independent front suspension. The overall length of this pioneering vehicle was -inch, with a height of -inch, a width of -inch and an all-up weight of 3 ½ pounds.
Early commercial RC car kits
Toy and hobby companies had been selling various motorized model vehicles for many years but interest in commercial production of radio-controlled model car kits began with hobbyists -- 1965 - In the July/August 1965 issue of American Modeler magazine, Walter McEntee, called the “World’s best-known writer of radio control news” published a picture of five people with transmitters racing five cars and the caption, “West Germany’s Schuco-Hegi outfit offers Porsche Carrera 904GT racing coupe kit for multi-channel operation. Car is 22.8” long on 12.6” wheel base, uses two Monoperm electric motors. Kit has ready-made plastic body, special front suspension parts and diecast wheels. These demonstration cars were said to have Metz Mecatron 10-channel superheterodyne radio receivers".
- 1967 – In the March 1967 issue of Car Model magazine, an article by an experienced RC airplane hobbyist, Tom Dion of Michigan, USA, outlined how to build an RC car and announced the availability of 1:18 scale RC car and radios in component kits.
Early commercial ready-to-run RC Cars
- 1955 Radicon Radio Control Bus - Masudaya is Japan’s oldest operating toy company, tracing its history back to 1724. The Masudaya Toys “Radicon Radio Control” series of toys from the middle 1950s included a bus which was said on the box to be “The First and Only Complete Radio Remote Control Toy”. From eBay company “Yuzuhina Shop” in Japan, I received this: “According to my research…it was the world’s first radio-controlled toy, launched in November 1955”.- 1965 Astroguide Astro Car – In the July/August 1965 issue of American Modeler magazine, on pages 50 and 75, the Radio Control Equipment Report section included announcements from the 1965 Toledo RC Conference about several radio controlled models made by the Astroguide Corporation of Addison, Illinois. Along with the Astro Cruiser boat and Astro Plane; the Astro Car was included. It used a plastic 1:25 scale AMT 1962 Ford body with proportional steering controlled by the single channel Astro Fli radio. Five different frequencies were available, range was listed as 150’ and scale speed at 180 mph.
The car, with three nickel-cad pencells and a charger was announced at $36. These items were listed in a later Montgomery Wards catalog as complete packages, the Astro Car with radio was $59.95. It is interesting to note that the range was still listed as 150’ but scale speed was up to 200 mph.
- 1966 Wen-Mac/Testors Mustang - In the early 1950s, toy company Wen-Mac produced a cast aluminium,.049 gas engine powered Indy tether car, the Wen-Mac Automite. By the ‘60’s they were producing plastic, gas-powered tether cars. Then, in the November 19, 1965 issue of Life magazine, Ford Motor Company advertised an exclusive – “Only at Your Ford Dealers” - 16-inch, 1966 Poppy Red Motorized Mustang GT made by Wen-Mac. The price was $4.95. The ad showed a young boy playing with it indoors to show that it had a battery-powered electric motor. However, the ad also noted, “For racing buffs a conversion kit and remote-control throttle may also be ordered.” The conversion kit also included a pylon and spikes for attaching the pylon to an outdoor racing surface and a line to tether the car. The revolutionary advancement was the “remote control throttle”. This consisted of a second line fed from the car, through the pylon and back to the “driver” to control the throttle of the.049 cubic inch, two-stroke gas engine. Remote control by radio was the next step.
Apparently that next step was being developed during late 1965 and early 1966. Wen-Mac was purchased by Testors in 1966 and, in the April 1966 issue of Car Model magazine, coverage of the February 1966 Hobby Industry Trade show in Chicago included the Testors model company announcement of a radio-controlled, electric powered version of what was apparently the same basic 16” 1966 Mustang GT. It was mistakenly called a 1:9 scale model when actually, a 16" long 1966 Mustang is 1:11 scale.
It was powered by electric motors and had rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries. To operate the car, a switch on the bottom of the chassis was first set to select Low Speed or High Speed. The transmitter had 3 channels, one connected to a push button that transmitted a simple “Go or Stop” signal to the drive motors. The other two channels were very early proportional controls, activated by a single stick; pushing it right activated the right turn channel and left for the left steering channel. The innovative drive system had two transverse motors, one for the right rear wheel and one for the left. Both motors powered the car when operated in a straight line but in a turn, the inside free-wheeled, creating a form of rear differential. Three different 27MHz channels were available to allow running 3 cars at a time. The price announced in 1966 for the complete, ready to run car was $69.95, a clear indication of the high price of radio control in what was originally a $4.95 battery electric car without radio control.
- 1966 ElGi Ferrari 250LM - Another commercially viable RC car was available by mid-1966, produced by the Italian company El-Gi from Reggio Emilia. Their first model, an electric 1:12 Ferrari 250 LM had a radio-controlled on-off motor function with no reverse. Steering had two on-off switches, turn radius was determined by how long the operator held down the appropriate left or right switch on the transmitter. An extensive article about the car and its driving characteristics appeared in the June 1966 Italian magazine Quattroruote.
Concerning viable 1:8 scale race cars, information received by David Palmeter in a November, 2018 email from Mardave founder Wes Raynor stated: "When I started Mardave R/C Racing in 1969/70 we claimed to be the first r/c car manufacturers in Europe. These cars were 1/8 scale, I.C. engine powered cars."