How I Got Hooked on RC – The Tyco Days That Started It All
Hey everyone – welcome to the very first blog post here at NM-RC. I figured I’d kick things off by sharing how this whole RC obsession started for me. This isn’t a tutorial or build guide (those are coming soon) — just a story. One I hope some of you can relate to. Let’s roll back to the early ’90s…
Christmas 1991 – The RC That Lit the Fuse
Right after Christmas in 1991, my best friend down the road got a Tyco Fast Traxx. I had never seen anything like it before. Not hobby-grade, but it may as well have been magic to me at the time.
We spent hours running that thing in the snow and across the driveway, and I was instantly obsessed. It moved like a tank — literally. Each tread had its own motor and you controlled it with sticks, not a steering wheel. Push one forward and the other back and it would spin in place. I was blown away.
Saving Every Penny
Hey everyone – welcome to the very first blog post here at NM-RC. I figured I’d kick things off by sharing how this whole RC obsession started for me. This isn’t a tutorial or build guide (those are coming soon) — just a story. One I hope some of you can relate to. Let’s roll back to the early ’90s…
My First Real RC Mod
We weren’t supposed to take our Fast Traxx through water, but come on — how could we not try? Especially when “field lakes” started popping up. If you’re from the north, you probably know what I mean — those big pools of meltwater that show up in low farm fields when the ground’s still frozen.
So we got creative:
- Glued styrofoam underneath the Fast Traxx to help it float
- Added fins to the treads for “propulsion”
- Launched it into a field lake
It worked. It actually floated and moved.
That was it — I was hooked for life.
Building, Not Just Driving
Even back then, I started to realize something I still love today — I didn’t just enjoy driving RCs. I loved tinkering with them. Thinking up weird mods, testing stuff that probably wouldn’t work (but sometimes did), and figuring things out along the way.
That Typhoon might’ve been cooler on water, but our little hack job on the Fast Traxx felt like a win.
A Quick Side Note About the Photos
Yep — that original Fast Traxx is still around. My dad actually found it recently and cleaned it up for me. He even found the Mini Fast Traxx I got a few years later. That one looked even more awesome… but it could only turn one direction.
Cool to look at. Not so great to drive.
Fast Forward to Now
A lot of years passed before I jumped back into the hobby, but I’ve fully caught the bug again — mostly crawling, but some light short course racing too.
It’s the perfect balance for me. After a long day at a desk, there’s nothing better than taking one of my builds outside and seeing how it runs. Tuning things, solving problems, and finding that perfect line through a rough section… it all just hits right.
What about you?
That’s my story. What about yours?
Did you start with a RadioShack RC? A beat-up Slash? Or are you brand new and still figuring things out? Either way, I’d love to hear how you got into the hobby. Join our Facebook Group and let us know! (Link is at the bottom of the page) This blog’s just getting started, and I want it to be a place where everyone—from seasoned bashers to total newbies—can share stories, ask questions, and keep learning.
