If you're concerned that your kids spend too much time glued to a TV screen while playing video games, there are some fun alternatives that the whole family can enjoy. I am talking about electric RC cars, those radio controlled toy cars that come in various sizes and prices. My kids have a number of them and probably get as much or more use out of them than of their PlayStation. Here are some of the games we play with our radio control cars:
Road course:
Here we are simulating a road-racing course for our remote control cars! Go to an empty parking lot or a similar place where you have a slot of space to run the cars. Outline a course using sidewalk chalk and mark the curves with pylons, sneakers or anything else that will stay put. Make the course interesting, but not overly complex (unless your kids are older and appreciate a challenge). Make sure it includes a long straight to let the cars run. Determine how many laps the race will be. Then it's, "Gentlemen, start your engines!"
Obstacle course:
This one is for older kids who have good hand/eye coordination. You don't need as much space for this as you do for a road course; even a driveway will do. Again using sideway chalk, design a fairly challenging course with six to eight obstacles. Be creative with the obstacles. They can be chicanes where the cars have to slow down and negotiate several curves, they can be gravel pits for the cars to go through, they can be bottlenecks that can only handle one car at a time, they can be ramps or steep inclines, or whatever else you can think of. Run the obstacle course like a road course with so and so many laps, or do time trials. Make sure the RC cars used are able to handle the obstacles.
Stunt course:
For some thrilling fun, build a stunt course! Mark the course on a driveway or in a backyard and include three or four stunts. Stunts can be ramps the cars must jump over, obstacles they must crash into or punch out of the way, rollovers, drops, or any other daredevil challenge you can think of. Points are awarded for successful stunts, and the driver with the most points wins! Warning: just like with real stunt driving, cars may get damaged. So pick sturdy, rugged RC toy cars for this one.
RC Sumo:
To RC Sumo, use sidewalk chalk to mark a circle with a diameter of about six times the length of the cars that will participate. Two cars play at a time, and the challenge is to drive the opponent out of the ring. A match is won as soon as two wheels of one of the cars are outside of the ring. Determine the winner in best-of-three or best-of-five challenges. For really wild action you can make the ring somewhat larger and have four or more vehicles compete, with the last one inside becoming the winner!
There are, of course, many other games you can play with electric RC cars, but the above will get you going. My family loves the RC car challenges and I love thinking up new games and course for the kids to enjoy.
At this stage of reading this valuable information, its assumed that you already have a fair understanding of what radio controlled vehicle racing is in general and rc cars racing in particular. If you don't, a good place to start would be to go to our website RCCarsSecrets.com and read the basics about understanding your RC Car. If you already made that journey, then you would be at a stage when you would have to choose the kind of car you want to experience your speed thrills in. Rtc rc cars are a great bet and so are rtc rc trucks. The fundamental choice however is should you go in for an electric rc car or do you want to go for a nitro rc car.
Both types of cars have their own advantages and disadvantages as do rtc rc cars or even rtc rc trucks for that matter. To make that decision you need to do some proper soul searching and identify that one goal that you want to achieve in the world of rc cars racing. The reason for that is quite simple, the skills that you learn coupled with the investments that the sport calls for makes it unviable to broad base one's learning. To put it simply, its better to not become a jack of all trades and a master of none. These are what we believe are the fundamental rules of life applying not just to rtc cars and rc trucks, but to every walk of life!
If you are just starting out and looking forward to honing you skills on the control, then its automatic choice to go in for an electric rc car. They are easier to source, easier to maintain and above all require just a basic ability to handle the controls. This means that steering the car and maneuvering it through a winding track is that much easier and is a good learning ground to understand the nuances of "distanced control" because you are not physically present in the car steering it. On a softer note, literally, electric rc cars are quieter than any other type of rc cars.
On the other hand, if you already have acquired a fine ability to control your rc cars and want to take your skills to the next level, and also if you are looking for a speed rush, then the nitro rc car is just the right one for you. What makes the nitro car different from the others is it's ability to provide extreme levels of acceleration in very short bursts of time. The speed freaks you see all across the town are not only good at what they do, but what makes them that good is the super powerful nitro rc cars they are using.
If you can make your mind now about which rc car to go in for, then the objective of this article has been served!
Did we just hear the revving of your RC mechanical marvel?
Both Chris Robertson & Saumil Patel are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.