Readers write

Radio Control Car Action, Nov 2002

SPONSORED BY

TRINITY(R)

4WD FINDER

I need help; I can't decide which 4WD buggy to buy. My choices are Yokomo MR4-BC, Schumacher Cat 3000 and Team Losi Double-X4.

Jason Tang

Do you plan to actually race the car? The short-wheelbase MR-4 BC never really gelled on the racetrack, but I had a blast playing with the BC when I reviewed it (and its truck counterpart, the MR-4 MT) in the July 2000 issue. If you are out for play, don't forget Tamiya's Manta Ray and Top Force Evo ready-to-runs; they aren't as performance-oriented as the Yoke, but they are super-tough. If you want to race, choose between the Los! and the Schumacher, and the best way to make that call is to check out our "Head to Head" shootout between the two buggies in the December 2000 issue (we picked the Losi, but it was close).

-Pete

RC PERSONALS

Hey, all you smart people, I just got into RC last Christmas with a beginner (and I do mean beginner) RTR, and I recently got a shiny new T-Maxx; however, I can't find anyone to race with! I've heard of everyone going out and racing with their buddies, but I haven't found anyone! In case others have this problem, I thought perhaps you could make a kind of "friend finder" on your website; then again, that might not work out very well. Anyway, great job with your magazine and website; I look forward to it every month!

By the way, I live in Charlotte, NC, and my email is Skip@perigee.net.

Nicholas

Visit rccaraction.com and join the "RC Zone" bulletin board; post in the "Regional Forums" section, and I'm sure you'll hook up with some Maxx guys in your area.

-Pete

UH,THANKS

I think your magazine is the greatest! The "Backlot" section got a little worse after Chris left, but it is still pretty good. I am 13 and very new at the "action sport." My first and only car is the HPI Dash. Why haven't you guys tested it? I'm just kinda disappointed that my first car hasn't been tested (yet?). I am saving for a DuraTrax Evader ST, though. Keep up the great mag!

Robbie Sellers

We'll get to the Dash; it deserves a look. HPI did a good job of bringing hobby-shop quality to the toy-store price level, and the car's compatibility with standard touring wheels and HPI bodies is a big plus. And thanks for your compliment on the "Backlot," I think.

-Pete

SPEED STICK STUMPED

On "Street Muscle" Project Speed Stick (September 2002), you said you installed a receiver pack so the radio wouldn't get the power of 12 cells. After about 15 minutes of "late-night insomnia" searching, I can't find a receiver pack on the car. What did you use? I do see that you took the red wire out of the ESC's receiver plug. Also, why do you guys remove the body posts for photo shoots? Other than being confused by those items, I enjoyed your "Street Muscle" article. Keep up the good work, and have fun-which is what it's all about.

Mott Clemens

Kevin Hetmanski lent me a tiny 600mAh pack he built for some long-forgotten project, and I installed it on top of the T-plate-- but only after the chassis shot had already been taken! Good eye, though; sorry the missing pack tweaked your melon. As for those body posts ... we usually leave them on-unless they're distractingly ugly or ridiculously long and we're afraid to cut them down because we haven't mounted the body yet. You'll also notice that the receiver antennas are always missing in chassis shots; we wrap them up and hide them behind the receiver or under the chassis. We just do it for a cleaner shot.

-Pete

NO NEED TO KEEP RACING AFTER YOU'VE WON

In the race coverage articles, I frequently read that drivers sit out the third Main because they've already won the first two. I think that's really arrogant and lazy. Out of respect for the other drivers, they should race in all the races; that's what I would do. [email]

Paul Milleman

Actually, Paul, it's out of respect for the other racers that drivers in such situations don't race the third Main if they've won the first two. Let's say I just won the first two Mains (I know it's a stretch, but work with me). It is now mathematically impossible for anyone to win the event. Even if I ran dead last in the third Main, that result would not be counted; in a three-Main format, each driver's worst finish is thrown out. Legally, I could race the third Main, but all I would really be doing is screwing up the guys battling for the lower positions. What if I tangle with the guy who's been working hard all weekend to do the best he can-and who stands to get second place-but I knock him back to last in a race I didn't even have to be in? Now that would be arrogant!

-Pete

YOU SAID IT

"The only line I can agree with is the title"

Your "Starting Line" editorial in the September 2002 issue couldn't be further from the truth. The only line I can agree with is the title. Radio control is more than a hobby, it's a study in evolution, invention and a driving force of technology. So you wanna call it a sport, eh? Is chess a sport? How 'bout video games? What about jacks? Seems you're confusing competition with sports. If people want to get together and race their RC cars, that's fine. They want to compete, that's all. But they can also race their turtles or their belt sanders, all without knowing how to adjust linkages and set camber. It seems you want everyone to walk into the K-Mart sports department and pick up a box of "RC car" and head to the races. That's the opposite of what this hobby is all about. That car or truck is supposed to be an extension of you, your creation, or at least your expression-that teaches you something. I'd rather learn something, no matter how insignificant, than have all the trophies in the world. You think it's "... important not to have a hobby mindset"? That's because it pays your bills. Hobby: an activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure. I have been involved in RC for more than 25 years. I worked in a hobby shop for two of those years and noticed something: the people who couldn't build their own cars did not stay involved in RC for long. Driving them around was fun, but not understanding what made them work left them unfulfilled when the novelty wore off. And they could not be competitive at all without the knowledge. So when someone says, "RC is too difficult a hobby for me," I say "OK. It probably is. It's too difficult for most people. That's what makes it so interesting."