·        Basics of Construction: Boats are primarily made of three types of materials: wood, fiberglass, and plastic. If it is wood, you’ll find wood construction to vary. They will come in pre-formed panels to actual hull planking. As for fiberglass, they are built faster. Some are built with the hull and deck separate, while others are pre-joined. Plastic boats are referred to RTR (Ready-To-Run). They are made of ABS plastic and are usually made as pre-joined hull and deck. They usually come with running hardware, motor, and decals for the boat. If you are a beginner and can’t wait to get out there, this type is for you.

 

·        Boat Power: Most boats are powered with electric motors. And most boats use two batteries at the same time. This gives them a running time of up to 2 hours in some cases. Racing boats are usually the type that uses electric motors. They can go up to 25 mph using an electric motor. On the other hand, gas power provides superior performance and greater speeds. Installing outboard engines are not hard. All you do is just bolt it on, hook it up, and away you go. If you are using an inboard engine instead, this type requires running hardware, a flywheel, and water-cooled cylinder head. The newer boats are made with pull-start units that make starting them a snap.

 

·        Atlantio 059 RC Electric Boat: If you are looking for an electric boat this is the one for you. This boat comes fully loaded and is ready to go. No assembly needed. It includes a pistol grip radio, rechargeable battery, charger, and 8 AA batteries. This one sells for $65.

·        EP Racing 28 Inch RC RTR Electric Boat: This boat runs at amazingly fast speeds. It is powered by a standard Sub C NiCad Pack that runs two powerful motor spinning propellers. The motor is a 380 Type racing motor. The PC twin-propellers provide thrust up to 20mph. It comes with a Hi-Capacity rechargeable battery pack and A/C adapter. This one sells for $59.

·        High Wind 30 Inch Twin Motor Electric Speed Boat: This is a new top of the line speed boat that is powered by twin motors, which makes it super fast. You get everything you need with this boat. It is ready to go so no assembly required. The boat comes with a 7.2 volt rechargeable batter, battery charger, and 8 AA batteries. This boat is also powered by a 380 Type racing motor. The boat also comes with a Pistol Grip Radio Transmitter that is fully functional and is ready to go when you want it to. The price of the beauty is $80.  

·        Traxxas Villian 12 Cell Ex RTR Boat: If you are looking for a boat that operates that a V-Hull boat, this will do it for you. It is powered by dual motors and a 14+ volt electric speed control that puts the power in your hands. When you start it across the water, you’ll be amazed at the speed it goes. You won’t be able to keep up with it. It is fully assembled and ready to go. Why wait. Put it to action right away. All this for $300.

·        Hobbico AquaCraft Hammer EP RTR: Here we have an electric powered and radio controlled boat that is ready to go. No assembly is required. The frame is made of ABS plastic. The hull is made of V-Hull design so that it can whip through the water at amazing speed. It has a 550 motor with a water-cooled jacket to prevent the engine from overheating. The radio comes as a pistol grip type for easy handling. The propeller and rudder are made of nylon for fast turning. You need 8 AA batteries to run the radio and a 6 or 7 cell flat battery pack for the boat. This one sells for $130.

·        Megatech Caribbean Cruiser 2 RTR: This is a ready to run, electric powered boat, guaranteed to give you plenty of fun and joy. This boat also has the V-Hull design to make going across water a breeze. The radio has two speeds to it and comes in a pistol grip style for easy handling. There are two 550 size engines. It needs eight AA batteries for the transmitter and four AA batteries for the receiver. It sells for $250.

·        Nikko 1/30 Wind Chaser: The Nikko is a boat that is ready to go. No assembly required. The hull is made of plastic and is painted red and yellow. It comes with a Mabuchi motor and a two channel, two stick AM radio. It cost about $72.

 

The best part of buying a remote control boat is using it in the water. You and your child will have so much fun as you run that boat along the water, watching it skip along the surface at high speeds. Just become familiar with the way it works, and how it is suppose to move, and identify with the controls, and you’ll be amazed how much enjoyment you’ll get out of it.

 

·        Challenging: Helicopters are challenging to build and to operate. They are not easy to put together.  

·        Complex: They are rather complex. You need to master two skills: forward flight and hovering. On top of that you have to be alert at all times to what is going on or else.

·        What Helicopters Do: Anything that involves flying remote control helicopters will do it. You can get them to hover in one spot or have them fly backwards and even sideways. Helicopters will also do stall turns, loops, rolls, and whatever else you want them to do.

 

·        Century Hawk Pro 30 Kit: The Century Hawk is glow powered and runs by radio control. It comes in a kit so you have to put it together. The only part that is pre-built is the main rotor assembly. It has a rudder control servo mount installed in the tail to control how the tail moves. It also comes with full ball bearings – 47 in all. This gives it more precise flying ability. The kit comes with all required hardware, instructions, muffler, and decals. The engine is a .32 - .40 cu inch heli type. It runs on Heli fuel which is 15-30% nitro. The cost for this is $199.

·        Century Hummingbird 3D Pro ARF: This is an electric, radio controlled, almost ready to fly helicopter. It comes 95% assembled. It comes with a purple colored, dual step aluminum frame. The helicopter has 3D horizontal and vertical tail fins for easy maneuverability. It even comes with a built-in autorotation unit and shock absorbing landing gear with aluminum skids. It comes with a 95% completed helicopter, servo mounting tape, zip ties, hardware, and instructions. It sells for $139.

·        Global EvoFlight Sabre RTF: The Global Sabre is an electric model that is fully ready to go. The frame is made of composite mold and carbon fiber. It comes with a 4 channel FM radio running at 72MHz. It also has a servo that allows it to reverse. It has a twin electronic speed control plus a receiver, mixer, and gyro. It also comes with two separate motors. One motor is the main and the other motor is for the tail. The cost is $150.

·        Walkera Dragonfly04 4CH Electric RC Helicopter: This helicopter comes with a 4 channel transmitter and wing stability. It has a built-in mixer and gyro for more reliable flying. It also comes with a powerful 280 main motor for a better flying experience. This sells for $96.

·        Esky E012 Lama-2 Co-Axis 4 Channel Electric RC Helicopter: The Esky Lama-2 comes with a 4 in 1 electric board with two speed controllers and control unit. When it flies, it is quiet and steady. It is easy to fly. Only takes a short time to learn the controls. The helicopter comes with two blades that share one axis. The price for this one is $126.

·        JABO II Electric RC Helicopter: The Jabo II as the stability you need in a helicopter, especially for beginners. One good thing about this kind of helicopter is you can have it up and flying in five minutes. It uses a 4-channel PCM radio system. This too has a 4 in1controller board. This one sells for $131.

·        HeliMax MX400 EP ARF: The HeliMax comes 90% completed. It runs on electric power and uses a radio control. The frame, tail, and skids are made of aluminum. The tail rotor operates by a drive belt. This helicopter also has an autorotation system built-in. The blades are made of wood. It also comes in 22 ball bearings. The kit includes the helicopter, two main blades with mounting hardware and instructions, for the blades, two 14 teeth pinion gears, one horizontal stabilizer, helicopter assembly instruction manual and decals.

 

·        Throttle: This function allows the helicopter to move up and down. It allows engine power to transfer to the spinning rotor blades and increases collective pitch so as to force air upward, in turn lifting the helicopter.

·        Collective Pitch: This function moves the helicopter up and down. This is controlled by the throttle by way of automixing.

·        Tail Rotor Pitch: This allows the helicopter to turn left or right and tells the helicopter which way to face.

·        Fore-Aft Cycle: This function tilts the helicopter forwards and backwards and allows it to move in the desired direction.

·        Left-Right Cyclic: This allows the helicopter to lean left or right and provides the power it needs to move in the desired direction.

 

·        Transmitter: This is actually the hand-held controller. This is what sends the signals to the vehicle.

·        Receiver: The part that is in the helicopter is the receiver. This is what receives the signal and converts it into the proper electrical signals to allow the servos to work. It works the same as your car radio except it receives commands instead of music.

·        Servo: This is the electromechanical device that moves the control surfaces on the helicopter.

·        Batteries: Obviously, without batteries, no system would work. The air radio controller uses AA batteries to operate it, if it is a two to three channel system. If it is a four or higher channel system, it will use NiCd rechargeable battery packs.

 

 Having a remote controlled helicopter is a lot of fun that you and your child will enjoy flying as long as you understand the helicopter’s make up and design, as well as how the controller works. It may be frustrating to learn at first. However, with some practice you’ll be flying and enjoying it in no time.

 

·        Airplanes: Seeing an airplane in the air is a child’s delight. It will keep in occupied for a long time.

·        Sailplanes: This is a classic. You’ll see many kids playing with one of these. These are quiet to since they have no engine.

·        Helicopters: Of all the remote controlled vehicles, helicopters are the most challenging. Why? They are mechanically complex and require skill to operate.

·        Cars & Trucks: This happens to be the kid’s most favorite toy. You give him one of these and he’ll be occupied for hours. He’ll feel like he’s driving a car as he tries to maneuver the car around.

·        Boats: Ifyou like water and a combination of fun, action, and relaxation, you’ll love a remote controlled boat.

 

·        Radio Controlled Cars and Trucks: Many of the newer remote controlled cars and trucks are made with newer, more sophisticated technology that makes them do more than their older counterparts. Many kids take their cars and trucks and race them. This is the best way to have fun with them. There are many types of remote controlled cars and trucks: off-road, on-road, electric, nitro, and kits.

o       Off-Road and On-Road – The most popular of all remote controlled cars are off-road buggies. They have big tires with spikes. They also have full-travel suspension parts. Most of them are about 15 inches long. You’ll find them as two-wheel or four-wheel drives. They can go up to 30 mph. On the other hand, on-road cars are close to the ground, have slick tires, aerodynamic bodies, and can go at higher speeds.

o       Electric and Nitro cars – Electric cars are very popular. They use rechargeable NiCd battery packs. You can get up to 10 minutes of charge on a pack. It only takes 15 minutes to recharge the pack. Nitro cars are powered by small engines. These engines are fueled by glow fuel. You can actually get these vehicles up to 50 mph and over.

o       Kits – In some cases you can get remote controlled vehicles in kits. You have to take these models and put them together before you can play with them. Or you can get the factory-assembled units that are already together and ready to run.

·        Radio System: When buying your remote controlled vehicle, you will need to get a 2-channel radio system. You will find two types available: two-stick and pistol-grip with trigger.

·        Airplanes: Most airplanes come in wood that you will need to build yourself. Of course the kit also includes the plans, instructions, and accessories. However, there are airplanes that are ready to go. These are the most popular ones.

 

·        Control Channels: Every radio system has controls that do various functions. The various features include bomb drops, dive brakes, parachute drops, and more.

·        Radio Modulation: There are three types of modulation used in radio controllers. They are AM, FM, and PCM.

o       AM – AM stands for Amplitude Modulation and transmits by a variation in the amplitude of signals. The only problem with AM is interference.

o       FM – This stands for Frequency Modulation and transmits signals by variations in frequency.

o       PCM – This stands for Pulse Code Modulation and uses binary code to digitize the signal.

·        Servos: The servo is the muscle behind the movement of the rudder, elevator, or any other control surface. It contains an electric motor that moves the object.

·        Radio Receivers: The radio receiver is what receives the signal from the controller. Without this the vehicle would not move.

 

·        Classic Lazy Bee: This one is almost in ready-to-go mode. You just need to hook up the radio controller to it. It comes with a 40 inch wingspan and round shaped wings. It includes directions and hardware. It sells for $90.

·        Goldberg Extra 330 ARF: The Goldberg airplane is radio controlled, uses glow fuel, and is almost ready to fly. It is made of balsa and plywood double beveled control surfaces for great 3D maneuvers. This sells for $600.

·        Dynaflite Bird of Time ARF: The Dynaflite is radio controlled sailplane is made of fiberglass and wood. It has enough room for a full size radio receiver. The main wing is made of MonoKote white and orange film. It comes prebuilt with fully-illustrated manual. It sells for $140.

·        Dynaflite Skeeter Kit: This is great for both novice and experts. It is made of all wood and comes with the wood to build it, along with illustrated instruction manual, full sized rolled plans and pushrods. You do need a radio receiver to operate it.

·        Associated TC4 4WD Team Touring Car Kit: This electric powered, radio controlled 4 wheel drive car kit is just the right choice for your child. It is made of black nylon. This particular model the batteries are closer to the centerline allowing for quicker directional transitions. The chassis has also been made narrower to allow the body to move side-to-side and roll over easier. This car also has ball bearings, shocks, a gearbox, differentials, transmission, tires, wheels, steering system, and more. This one sells for $215.

·        Associated RC10B4 Stealth Team Buggy Kit: The Stealth Team buggy is electric powered, radio controlled, and is operates as a two-wheel drive vehicle. It comes with fully adjustable caster. Camber, and toe-in for the best front end alignment, full ball bearings, shocks, differential, and more. This car sells for $178.

·        GS Racing 1/20 Mini SUT RTR: The GS Racing car is electric driven and operates by radio control. It comes with a host of features including four wheel drive, bushing and bearings, shocks, gearboxes, differentials, tires, wheels, and more. This one sells for $160.

·        DuraTrax Street Force GP2: Here you have a glow fueled, radio controlled, prebuilt on-road touring car. It has a tough Duratrax .18 engine with a max pull-start engine. It also has an aluminum tuned pipe with header. The transmission is two-speed. All of this to give it that racing look and feel. It sells for $200.