Machine heads
The day I got my driver’s license was a momentous occasion. There weren’t any banners, pompoms, cheerleaders, or anything like that; but the fireworks were definitely going off in my head. The shiny new car in the garage was officially going to be my ride and I was excited knowing that I had legally increased the range of my mobility. Point A could end at Points B to Z now, just as long as I had enough petrol for it. Likewise, I was excited to use the “Are you driving? No? Then don’t touch my stereo!” line.
But this wasn’t the first time I was excited about a set of wheels. Even before the car and the license, I got the same feeling when Santa put a bright red bicycle beside the Christmas tree. The logic behind mobility and “from Point A to Point B” was surely not processed in great detail by my young mind, but these ideas must have struck a subliminal chord. Similarly, these feelings presented themselves once again when St. Nick gave me my first RC car.
The car was a bright yellow thing that resembled a Lamborghini in design, but with certain differences; made perhaps to avoid licensing issues and copyright infringement. It was a very basic toy: it moved right and left, and had one speed for backing up and moving forward. But those basic movements set the framework for other thoughts: If it could turn, it could turn sharper, and if it could go forward, it could go forward much faster.
The possibility of totally pimping out an RC is not far-fetched. You can tune an RC almost like a real car, and understanding the basics of setting one up can result in a competition-ready machine. Furthermore, one can really appreciate the technical know-how that goes into setting up one of these bad boys.
“There are 2 main types of RC, the hobby grade RC for racing enthusiasts and the toy grade RC for kids. The main differences are durability, speed, upgradability and availability of parts,” says Mike Nocom of Xtreme Toys, a distributor of air soft guns and radio-controlled devices just to name a few. There are electric and gasoline variants (gasoline models run on a special fuel called “Nitro Fuel,”) and everything from engine to wheel to chassis to drivetrain upgrades can be made. If you like to nitpick and customize, this is one hobby worth looking into. Just remember, when it comes to driving anything, the ratio is always 90 percent driver 10 percent car, so it would help to know your car and practice.
Apparently, Manila is very accommodating when it comes to RC racing. Sonic Speedway, located at Boom na Boom, is an off-road track that has a lap counter, a decoder, and bright floodlights for those who only have time to race at night. If you don’t have an off-roader, you can always just bring your drift or tuner RC to the wide, flat car park right outside the Speedway and zoom about.
The great thing about RC’s is that anyone can get into them. “There is no age-limit or gender limitation for this hobby,” says Mike. “Kids as young as eight and men aged 50 and up may start RC racing.” But Mike has some words of advice for would-be enthusiasts: “Driving is one thing, tuning is another. For kids under the age of 13, parental supervision and support with the pit work is necessary. Battery powered RC’s are also advisable for kids with short attention spans and for beginners who are not adept in tuning.”
But aside from getting all technical with race rules and upgrades is the natural joy and thrill of speed, without life threatening accidents. Now that summer is here, it is a great chance for parents and their kids to bond. Apart from figuring out physics, torque, and nanometers, kids get to learn responsibility: taking care of their RC’s, being mindful of other racers on the track, and learning from their elders. By getting into this hobby, one automatically receives a license to have a lot of fun.
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Visit Xtreme Toys at SM Mall of Asia, or visit www.xtreme-armory.com. Call 211-3320 or SMS 0917-8617676.
E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@gmail.com.
