Grownup toys, grownup prices
These grownup toys come at grownup prices, with a single RC car typically costing around NT$20–30,000 on the low side, all the way up to several hundred thousand NT dollars on the high end. Virtually every kind of vehicle is available, from monster trucks to SUVs to sedans, typically manufactured on a scale of 1:10, 1:8, or 1:5. The larger the vehicle, the more it costs, so a 1:5-scale RC car with additional customizations could run as high as NT$300,000.
Lin Zhengxiong once ran an RC store on Penghu, but has since moved to mainland China to manufacture lithium batteries for the models. Over the years he’s owned over 100 different models, and his current collection boasts more than 10 vehicles of varying dimensions. He estimates that in the 30-odd years that he’s nurtured his hobby he’s invested at least NT$10 million.
SUVs seem to be the standard choice around the world. According to RC store owner Zhan Mingzhang, the quick learning curve and durability accounts for their popularity. A remote-control SUV could plunge off a two-story building and keep ticking. If a sedan, on the other hand, were to slightly bump into something at 80 or 90 kilometers per hour, it would most likely be unsalvageable.
Airplanes require more skill and are more expensive, to boot. They come outfitted with a number of different kinds of engines, from turbine, to jet, to electric motor. Zhan explains that in the past jet engines cost NT$10,000 for every pound of thrust, meaning that an RC airplane engine alone would account for as much as NT$80–120,000. Put in perspective, that means that an RC jet plane streaking across the sky used to carry a NT$300–400,000 price tag, equivalent to a small car.
“RC requires finesse and coordination,” says Lin. Airplanes are the most challenging, since one has to have a grasp of air flows—for taking off and landing, one must fly into the wind—and a bad landing can easily destroy the plane.
The inherent difficulty in piloting RC planes combined with unpredictable weather has produced more than a few crashes. For example, last year the media made much of an incident in which two planes collided in midair, one crashing into the Dahan River and the other striking a cyclist.
Three years ago, a man accidentally flew his plane into a 26-story residential building in Xindian, causing extensive fire damage to a living room in one of the units. He was found guilty of violating public safety laws and fined more than NT$8 million.
Radio-controlled boats are comparatively easy and safe, but they remain less popular, perhaps owing to the need for sufficient navigable watery spaces. Unlike ground vehicles and aircraft, as yet there are no competitions for watercraft.
The RC kingdom is indeed expansive, with models to rule the air, land, and sea. Thunder Tiger’s Odyssey 2 looks just like a real sailboat. (right) a monster truck.