Electric vs. Nitro

Top: Front axles on electric RC. Middle: Front axles on nitro RC. Bottom Left: Slipper and pinion gears on electric RC. Bottom Right: Slipper and clutch bell gears on nitro RC.

© M. JamesThe gears, wheels, and axles of a radio controlled vehicle are known collectively as the drivetrain. Similar to the transmission and rear-end in a real car, the drivetrain is what gives the RC car motion when power (from the motor or engine) is applied.

Plastic Drivetrain
Toy-grade electric RC drivetrains mostly consist of plastic and the only metal part of the drivetrain is the pinion gear which is also somtimes made of plastic as well. The differential (a set of gears within the drivetrain) on a electric hobby-grade RC has both metal and plastic but can be upgraded to metal to give the electric hobby-grade RC drivetrain an overall boost in strength and longevity.

Metal Drivetrain
The drivetrain on nitro RCs contain primarily all metal differentials and other all metal gears that make up the drivetrain. These metal gears are necessary because the high torque of the powerful nitro engines can put too much stress on plastic parts. Some lesser hobby-grade nitro RCs may have some plastic parts in their drivetrains which can be less durable than the metal parts.

Introduction to RC Airplanes

Control Surfaces Are Moving Parts Location of Control Surfaces on RC Airplanes

© J. JamesMoveable portions of RC aircraft that, when moved into specific positions, cause the airplane to move in a certain direction are control surfaces.

Movements of the sticks on RC airplane transmitters correspond to the different control surfaces available on that model. The transmitter sends signals to the receiver which tells the servos or actuators on the plane how to move the control surfaces.

Most RC airplanes have some kind of rudder and elevator control for turning, climbing, and descending. Ailerons are found on many hobby-grade models.

In place of moveable control surfaces, some types of RC airplanes may use multiple propellers and differential thrust for maneuvering. It doesn't provide the most realistic flying experience but can be easier to master for novice pilots and children.

RC Boat Basics

High-flying helis and dirt-spewing monster trucks may be the darlings of the RC world, but they've got nothing on the RC boat. Whether gliding gracefully across the pond or kicking up plumes of water in their wake as they shoot from shore to shore, RC boats provide hours of outdoor RC entertainment.

RC boats operate in much the same way as other RC vehicles with a hand-held controller that communicates with an on-board receiver for adjusting steering and speed. There are both toy-grade and hobby-grade RC boats, with the toy-grade being more basic and less powerful than the hobby-grade versions. Many RC boats come in build-your-own-boat (unassembled) kits but Ready-to-Run (RTR) models are becoming more readily available as well.

While many RC enthusiasts are consumed with thoughts of power and speed, scale boats are more about authenticity and realism -- on a smaller scale. Scale boats, generally built from kits, are meant to be as true as possible to their full-size counterparts whether that's a sailboat, a powerboat, an ocean liner, or a battleship. Appearance and scale performance are more important than being the fastest, most tricked out boat on the water.

AquaCraft Bristol Bay Ready-to-Run Fishing Boat {Buy Direct) is an example of a display-quality, electric RC scale boat.

The main power for a sailboat is the wind. If you can master sailing, the RC sailboat can be a good beginner RC boat because there is generally less maintenance required -- no motors or engines to deal with. But sailing is different than flying or driving (on land or water) so you need to consider whether or not it's a skill you are willing to master. RC sailboats are not necessarily slow either. There are both sport and racing models.

The AquaCraft Paradise (Buy Direct) is a 26 inch long, 50 inch tall ready-to-run RC sailboat.

This is the type of RC boat that attracts beginners and it's probably the largest portion of the RC boat hobby. Powered by motors or engines, there are sport boats and racing boats. The sport boats are fun and relatively easy to operate. And because they aren't primarily about speed they are a good choice if your only body of water is a large swimming pool or small pond. Racing boats require more skill because ease of operation is sacrificed in order to get more speed from the boat.

The Pro Boat Classic Runabout (Buy Direct) and Traxxas Villain EX Deep V (Buy Direct) are two very different styles of sport boat while designs like the Pro Boat Miss Elam (Buy Direct) -- replica of the ABRA top speed record holder -- are built for racing.

Like RC cars and aircraft, RC powerboats come with electric motors, nitro engines, or gas-powered engines. Choose the kind of motor or engine you want.