My 1st Experience With RC Cars

  I grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, New York. My first RC cars were off road buggies. So, as you can imagine it was a little difficult to find a place other than the blacktop street, or concrete sidewalk to run them. Luckily enough just down the block from me on Avenue M, just off Kings Highway was Julio’s apartment building. It wasn't owned by Julio, he was the superintendent, but that is how the neighborhood kids referred to it. The building was an entire city block, made of red brick 6 stories high. Between the sidewalk and the building was 6 to 12 feet of dirt, around the entire perimeter. That was our track.

Brooklyn, New York

Our Playground in the 1980’s

  That entire block and building was our playground in the 80’s. Whether it was for skateboarding in the basement, or underground parking garage, or riding BMX on the dirt around the building which doubled as our RC track. Our little piece of heaven. My friends and I would take our father’s shovels to the track. We would spend hours designing the dirt around that building just the way we wanted it. Adding jumps, woops, dips, and berms.

  When I got my first car in the spring of 1984 only a few of my other friends had RC cars. I had the Tamiya Grasshopper (my first). Which I purchased with the money I saved from my allowance, and delivering the New York Post. From what I can remember my friends, Anthony C. had a Tamiya Frog, Eric G. had the Tamiya Hornet, and Tony R. had a Kyosho either a Scorpion or a Tomahawk. We would take the cars with fully charged batteries, that took forever to charge to the dirt around Julio’s building. Once there my friends and I would race our cars for what seemed like hours. But it was only minutes before the batteries died, or when we broke something on one of the cars. Then right home for repairs, or if we were lucky just to recharge. Then straight back to the track. Rinse and repeat until the sun went down.

Tamiya Grasshopper

Tamiya Frog

  That is when my passion for RC started. Before I was able to get my first RC car When I would watch my friends driving their cars, having so much fun, I just knew then I had to get one. Those summer days in the 1980’s were some of the best times. I don’t see any of those old friends anymore. We all moved away and started families. But when I take my cars out, now in my 50’s, I feel like that young teenager with all my friends driving around Julio’s building on Ave M.