Toy car racer, building carpet rc cars and slot car blogging are my stress relievers.
I used to think that carpet race cars were only buggies jumping. Being wrong about it introduced me to touring cars for rc carpet racing.
Being able to run an RC all year around is perfect for me. Finding a car that I’m passionate about allows me to have something to do on the weekends.
Ready to run (RTR) all wheel drive racing is my new love. I like to go out and see what lap times I can put down. I’m not necessarily big on racing against other people at the moment.
Every time I go to the track I’m getting exposed to drifting. Haven’t committed to those types of cars yet but I do find it interesting.
Race ready cars are the easiest way for any racer to begin; whether they are preparing for carpet or road track racing.
The hardest thing for any beginner to master is getting the right traction and control. It will take some skill but also an understanding of the right tires for their vehicle.
I’m not new to RC cars by any means but I am to indoor carpet racing.
My RC journey started with a Kyosho Raider my mom gave me in middle school. Now I buy my cars specifically nitro and gas. But I’ve branched out into kits and started learning to race.
Race or Build: I’m just starting to build my first kit. I’m curious to see how much I will enjoy building my car. I’ve always loved to tinker around with things so I think I will truly enjoy building.
Interesting how fast things can change, I started out working on RC buggy kits. I didn’t have enough desire to finish them because I didn’t want to travel to the track that was almost an hour away.
On a whim, I purchased a Kyosho Fazer without knowing anything about them. Took it to the High Voltage Garage RC track for the first time and realized that the car was a handful. I was hooked and then decided to install a transponder to track lap times.
If you don’t want to spend hours cleaning your car after every dirt race this is where carpet racing comes into play. Preferably street racing for me because I’m not a big basher. I don’t like to break my cars or be brutal on them.
It is possible to break your rc carpet car but that’s mostly from running into the wall at high speeds or clipping another car. All of these things will be truly fixable without breaking the bank.
What I like most about this type of racing is that you can get into it with a $250 car and be competitive. Most of the racing buggies are close to $1,000. You can see some of the cars here that I recommend for RC carpet racing.
Race-ready cars can pretty much be purchased anywhere. These cars come with everything that you need right out of the box. Many times they are also referred to as ready-to-run (RTR). These cars can be RC carpet racers or road track RC racing.
Carpet racing is a real adrenaline rush if you’ve never experienced it. It’s the carpet road track against your driving skill. The cool thing is these tracks are starting to give new life to old retail spaces. Where I’m located the track is located in an old shopping mall.
Toy cars can reach a very high speed, fast enough that you can blow the tires clean off the rims. Newbies usually learn this lesson the hard way by instantly trying to run at full speed. Starting out it’s a good idea to run the cars at half speed.
Toy Car Dad Hobbies
Dad’s hobbies include purchasing their first RC car. A good car for any dad is a Traxxas Rustler VXL. Be careful because it is one of the cars that can blow tires off for sure. It has enough power to do front wheel stands. It has an option to purchase a wheelie bar. It’s also a race-ready car, around my area these are good for road track racing if you put street tires on them. Traxxas makes a tire called the Anaconda specifically for these cars to achieve high-speed traction and control.
Toy Car Hobbies to Keep Your Hands Busy
If you are looking for something to keep your hands busy and not much of an RC carpet racer try a nitro RC car. These fuel cars can be a little testy so it requires someone with patience. They use special hobby fuel and a spark plug called a glow plug. There’s also a carburetor like on a lawn mower or real car.
Many hobbyists shy away from these cars because they have to be tuned just right to run correctly. If you need a challenge it’s the car that you’ve been looking for. It’s truly a love-hate relationship; when it’s good it’s awesome but when it’s bad things can get very frustrating.
I own quite a few nitro cars myself, some purchased new and a couple used. I also have some project cars to try and build from the ground up.
Vintage Traxxas Nitro Rustler Project – Hobbies to Keep Your Hands Busy
Toy Car Blog For the RC Carpet Racer
My goal for this blog is to be the ultimate place for anyone learning about any type of carpet racing. Racing carpet at any track is tricky if you aren’t used to it. I don’t even know if I knew anything about carpets at all. When I think of any type of RC car I’m assuming it’s outside. Not sure when the indoor carpet racing idea took off.
Anyway, use this site as a way to learn and get introduced to one of the best hobbies currently growing. New blog posts are being added all of the time, you’ll find something that you enjoy.
Not An RC Carpet Racer It’s Okay, Find Another Toy Car
You don’t have to be a hardcore racer to have fun with these types of cars. Some tracks will let you pay a fee to practice. While you are practicing it’s the same experience as racing but a lot of times no one else is there. In these situations you are racing against yourself, the track, and the lap timing system.
If you end up working your way up to being competitive against others that’s great, if not it’s fine too. Tracks are enough to challenge on their own, they can beat up a car. If you come back from a track and nothing is broken consider yourself a winner.
One of the biggest competitors at road tracks is walls. If you hit a wall there’s a good chance something on your car is going to break. A lot of times this is how you can lose a wheel, especially if the car is four-wheel drive. It’s pretty easy to lose control and slam into a wall even when you are practicing alone.
Run What You Brung Any Toy Car on Carpet
A way to get involved without spending a ton of money is to switch the tires on buggy cars. You can turn an off-road buggy car into a street racer by swapping out the back tires. That’s something that I give credit to my local carpet track is that there are no rules on what you can drive at their track. They do have rules around racing classes but that’s it.
RC Toy Car And Coffee
You’ll see guys out at the track with all different models of cars having a great time. They are all excited to talk about their cars whether it’s ready to run or a home-built kit. While racing is predominant there seems to be a different type of RC hobbyist evolving. The guy who just comes out to hang out.
The local track has been participating in “RC Cars and Coffee” events. They allow you to come out and set up your cars like a car show. They give a discount to anyone who wants to run their car on both the touring and drift tracks.
Not an RC carpet racer; how about a 1/32 slot car?
Slot cars specifically 1/32 are an experience of their own. Whether you want to play with them or are interested in collecting. These small versions of the real thing are so beautiful and detailed. From luxury to sports cars, there are types for every taste.
If you are more of a collector like me this blog is the perfect place for you. Helping you understand pricing and what to look for to get a good deal. Will you be a long-term investor or a flipper?
The main cars right now are Scalextric (Hornby Hobbies) or Carrera Toys. There are others such as Ninco, Autoart, and NSR but if you are just starting I recommend not starting with them. I would prefer that you purchase an entire slot car set new This way you’ll get an idea of how the cars should run. Not all slot cars function the same.
Scalextric 1/32 Slot Car
An analog Scalextric 1/32 slot car set was the first track that I purchased as an adult. I had no idea about the brand, just came across it in my local hobby store. It was a little overwhelming because of the price of the sets. Without really knowing much it’s a huge investment for anyone.
Turning an analog track into a digital track has its issues. If I could go back in time I would have spent the extra and gone digital from the beginning. The one main digital trackboard alone was the price of my entire analog set.
Blue 1/32 Scalextric Lamborghini Slot Car
Carrera Slot Car Set
The Carrera 1/32 and 1/24 slot car set was the natural next step for me. I wanted to play with bigger cars, so I bought the track for it being 1/24 digital.
The 1/24 slot cars are big and are pretty advanced. They come with lights by default and can switch lanes. You can also turn the lights on and off manually by pressing a button; I’ve never seen that before.
What I didn’t know is that you can run the Carrera 1/32 digital cars on the same track. You can’t run analog on this track, I learned that the hard way. Put one of the analog cars on the track and it just took off at full speed as soon as I sat it down.
Blue Carrera 1/32 AMG Porsche Slot Car
HO Toy Car Slot Cars are Small But Mighty
If you are working with a small amount of space the best cars to buy are HO. Because they are small many make the mistake of thinking they were built for kids. These cars are some of the fastest cars and can be a challenge to drive.
They fit into the palm of your hand and have their tracks; they can’t be run on 1/24 or 1/32 track. The cars can come with lights but can’t be digital – they are strictly analog. Since they are basic these are good tracks for beginners.
Because they are small don’t make the mistake of thinking they are cheap. These tracks start around the same price as a basic 1/32 set. So don’t let price be your determining factor of why you want to purchase HO.
One advantage of HO cars is since they have never changed from their basic design you can buy cars from the early 70s to now and they will work on the same track. But many of these cars will be just as expensive as buying a new one. This is why many people look at them as investments like stocks.
