Victory Lap

Yesterday’s RC cars are making a comeback

Photos by the author and as noted

As seen in the May 2025 issue of Model Aviation.

If you were a fan of RC cars back in the 1970s, ’80s, or ’90s, you have probably been experiencing a bit of déjà vu lately. Many of the RC cars and trucks that were popular during the late 20th century are back in the limelight. Some examples seen today are meticulously restored gems, built with ultra-rare parts that were hidden away for decades.

At the other end of the spectrum are fresh, newly manufactured kits that can be purchased right off the shelf at your local hobby shop. Filling the wide expanse between are the myriad less shiny models, the still-active survivors that proudly bear the scars of a life well lived. All of these examples illustrate that the vintage RC car scene is growing in a big way.

Remote control car with blue body, yellow wheels, and red-yellow decals. — Numerous companies provide parts for vintage models. This restored Kyosho Ultima has wheels from JC Racing Products and a Team Bluegroove body. The linkages and antenna tube are from Du-Bro.

Orange and white RC car chassis with large wheels and exposed suspension. — The Associated Electrics RC10, with its gold pan chassis, is probably the most iconic RC car ever produced. It is a cornerstone of the vintage RC scene today. Image courtesy of Associated Electrics.

The Genesis

The Associated Electrics RC10 is probably the bestknown RC car around the globe. This two-wheel-drive, off-road buggy was initially released in 1984. It featured a distinctive gold-anodized aluminum tub chassis. It is no exaggeration to say that the RC10 completely redefined the standards of performance, tunability, and durability for off-road RC cars. As a result, the arrival of the RC10 triggered an explosion in the popularity of RC racing in the US and beyond.

I began racing in the early ’90s. The RC10 was still a top contender, but it had evolved significantly in those few short years. As Associated Electrics introduced updated versions of the RC10, third-party manufacturers also introduced countless hop-ups for them. Many of those add-on parts were quite popular. Everyone was looking for that winning edge, so it was unusual to see a box-stock RC10 at the track.

RC cars and parts, including wheels, a chassis, and a remote control device. — Older RC cars are seeing a huge surge in interest from both racers and collectors. What treasures are lurking in your attic?

Other manufacturers had come onto the scene as well. At my local track, the Team Losi JRX2 was the biggest rival to the RC10’s dominance. Buggies from Kyosho, Schumacher, and Traxxas were also in the field. It seemed that there was a new two-wheel-drive buggy released every month as these manufacturers constantly incorporated tweaks and upgrades to stay competitive.

Racing car with flame and checkered design, number 4, on a cracked dirt surface. — This RC10 is on the starting grid and ready to race at the Vintage World Classic event that was held in January 2025. Vintage-class racing is gaining popularity throughout the US. Image courtesy of Mark Baldwin.

The result was a tremendous variety of off-the-shelf racing buggies, with an infinite array of hop-up options, not to mention the four-wheel-drive buggies, stadium trucks, and on-road racers of the era!

The Racers

By 2006, constant evolution had morphed the RC10 into a machine that had little in common with the initial 1984 design. The gold-anodized aluminum chassis was long gone, replaced by super-rigid composite plastics. What about the distinctive "jelly bean" wheels? The six-gear transmission? Those white nylon suspension arms? All were victims of performance-driven progress.

The internet had also evolved by 2006. Fans of the RC10 flocked to online forums, such as RC10talk.com, to share their passion for the venerable racer. As you would expect, there was no shortage of people who were still enthusiastic owners of those ’80s and ’90s-era "gold pans." That is where the idea for vintage racing was spawned. The concept was to create a low-key, friendly competition specifically intended for those dormant—but much-loved—hasbeens (mostly referring to the cars rather than the owners).

Remote-controlled cars on a dirt racetrack indoors. — Many of the manufacturers of vintage cars are still in business. This lineup shows vintage racers from Traxxas, Associated Electrics, and Team Losi. Image courtesy of Mark Baldwin.

RC car racing on dirt track, number 5, with sponsor logos. — The Kyosho Optima was a popular four-wheel-drive racer back in its day. The author’s example shown here is a modern reproduction.

Erich Reichert took the reins and organized the first Vintage Offroad Nationals (VONATS) in 2008. There has been a VONATS every year since. Participants can choose among the traditional two-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive, and stadium-truck racing classes, as well as classes for beginner cars and "backyard bashers." If it has wheels and it’s old, you can probably race it at the VONATS. The event also hosts seminars that feature big names from the RC racing scene. The 2025 VONATS will be September 6-8 at Adrenaline RC Raceway in Winchester, Virginia.

If the thought of racing a classic RC car sounds appealing, you do not have to wait for the VONATS. Many RC tracks across the US now offer vintage classes as part of their normal racing schedule. The popularity of vintage racing continues to expand into new areas.

Identifying which cars qualify as vintage racers can be a little tricky. For the VONATS, the rules are specific to each racing class. For instance, the two-wheel-drive buggy class allows designs that were released in 1995 or earlier. Four-wheel-drive cars, however, are split into two groups. One is for cars released until the end of 1996. The other is for cars released between 1997 and 2004. The qualifying rules at your local track might be different.

Man holding an RC10 box in an office with shelves and memorabilia. — Brandon Rohde is a former professional RC racer. This unopened RC10 Team Car is the pride of his vintage RC collection.

You would expect the demographics of the vintage scene to trend a bit older than your average RC racer. That is a correct assumption. Many of those who are racing a gold-pan RC10 now are reliving their glory days in some sense. After all, that is kind of the point of vintage racing. Younger racers are getting involved too!

Erich pointed out an interesting phenomenon. Many tracks that host vintage racing events see participation across the age spectrum, as die-hard racers of modern buggies become curious about this "new" racing class.

Author’s note: As I contrast racers and collectors, I hope you will forgive me for speaking in generalities. We all recognize that members of any group operate on a spectrum of opinions. Some are die-hard and exacting, while others are loose and casual. In fact, many people identify as both racers and collectors. For the sake of clarity here, it is easier to treat them as distinct camps.

The Collectors

Often in sharp contrast to the racers of vintage RC cars are the collectors of them. Although racers yearn to zip their cars around a track as quickly as possible, the motivation of a collector is to have a spotlessly clean model perched prominently on a shelf—no zipping whatsoever. I find it interesting that many of the model features coveted by collectors are directly opposed to what is valued by racers.

Remember when I mentioned that it was rare to spot a box-stock RC10 at the racetrack? Collectors just love box-stock cars! The less tampered with and unmodified, the better. They often want it just as the manufacturer intended. Many collectors will even go to great lengths to paint the body of a car to look precisely like the one pictured on the box. Yes, they research paint codes to get the exact colors.

For some collectors, their most prized possessions take the term "box stock" to the ultimate degree: an unbuilt kit that is still in the factory-sealed box. Talk about rare! Some of these unopened kits sell for thousands of dollars! Similar to the sellers, the buyers likely have no intention of ever opening the box either.

To be fair, collectors can appreciate modified RC cars too. Homebrewed tweaks involving drills and hacksaws are generally frowned upon, but some thirdparty, hop-up parts are particularly prized. For instance, several companies produced alternate transmissions for the RC10 and other cars. At the time, most racers still used the stock transmissions, but having one of those aftermarket gearboxes in your buggy will turn the heads of collectors these days.

Hot Trick Stuff (commonly shortened to Hot Trick) made chassis and suspension components for the RC10 and numerous other buggies. Those parts were easy to recognize by their bright red color. Although a buggy could look really cool when outfitted with Hot Trick gear, I can’t recall ever seeing a red chassis at my track. They were just not very popular, at least in my area.

Those same parts from Hot Trick are certainly seen in a different light today. They are highly coveted and sought after. Nowadays, owning a classic buggy sporting that distinctive red chassis and red aluminum suspension arms is sure to boost your street cred among vintage collectors!

You might have noticed a trend here. For vintage RC car collectors, the desirability of an item is seldom related to its success on the track. It is more about having something that is rare and elusive. I think the same is true for collectors of stamps, Beanie Babies, celebrity autographs, or anything else. It is exciting to turn stones in search of a unique item, and you feel a true victory when it is uncovered. Collector Mike LeRoy provided a prime example: "I searched more than 10 years for the NIP [new in package] Composite Craft RC10 World’s chassis that I just acquired. The thrill of that hunt is what I enjoy."

As with the vintage racing crowd, there is also an element of sentiment with collectors. Mike explained, "I was into RC cars as a kid in the ’80s and ’90s. When I got older and had a steady income, I purchased an RC10 like I had as a kid. Then I started searching for all of the other models I wanted back then. I was hooked and it snowballed from there!"

Brad Geck, from Associated Electrics, commented on the sentimental feedback that he receives from customers: "It’s always great to hear stories of how the RC10 impacted people’s lives."

It would be difficult to be a vintage RC collector without also being a restorer. By their very nature, RC cars lead a hard-knock life. You’re not likely to find any pristine survivors on the market. That’s okay with most collectors—including me. I particularly enjoy the process of restoring cars from all states of disrepair and neglect. These cars are meant to be fun, without an expiration date.

The Repop Effect

While racers and collectors often rely on swap meets and eBay to find needed parts, there is also a handful of small businesses that cater to the vintage RC crowd. It is a global market. Team Bluegroove is a Canadian company that produces polycarbonate bodies for vintage RC cars. JC Racing, in England, offers reproduction wheels, tires, hardware, and other components. A Chinese company, Dhawk Racing, machines aluminum upgrade parts for classic RC buggies. Du-Bro is a US-based source for ball links, antenna tubes, and hardware. The list goes on.

Many of the companies that manufactured RC cars in the ’80s and ’90s are still in business today. They took notice of the resurging interest in their legacy products and responded by producing modern-day versions of numerous classic designs. Associated Electrics, Kyosho, Schumacher, Yokomo, and Tamiya have all begun to offer new kits of vintage models.

This trend indicates a significant investment by these companies to support the vintage RC community.

Reopening production lines is a much bigger matter than simply dusting off old jigs and molds. I spoke with several of these companies. Each of them stated that they had to reengineer and create new tooling to produce these decades-old designs in the modern era. The level of effort and expense is not much different from producing a totally new model.

Often called "repop" (reproduction) or "rere" (rerelease) cars, these contemporary buggies are exact replicas of the older versions in most respects. There are some minor exceptions. For instance, Kyosho’s repop of the Ultima now features a slipper clutch on the transmission. This upgrade helps the car handle the power of modern brushless motors. A cosmetic example is Associated Electrics’ 40th Anniversary Green Edition RC10. It includes a green-anodized chassis that was never previously available.

One notable dissenter among the recent bloom of repops is Team Losi. Marketing Manager Brian Nunez commented on the company’s decision to stay out of the vintage market. "It is a matter of resources. We appreciate our heritage, but our goal is to expand the RC market outside of what it is today. We want to make it mainstream." Brian cited Team Losi’s recent collaboration with NASCAR as an example of the company’s efforts to introduce RC cars to a new audience.

Team Losi did, however, offer a compromise for fans of the JRX2: the Mini JRX2. This ready-to-run buggy looks exactly like the original racer from 1988, including the unique five-link rear suspension. It has simply been hit with a magical shrink ray. While the original JRX2 was a 1/10-scale model, the Mini JRX2 is slightly smaller at 1/16-scale. It can be used as a runner, a desk model, or both.

For the most part, racers have embraced the repop cars. Anyone who is interested in joining the vintage racing scene no longer has to scour Craigslist or flea markets to find a valid car. They can just go to the hobby shop and buy a new "old" buggy. Erich credits these new releases for driving the recent growth of vintage racing.

More importantly, the repops represent a fresh influx of spare parts. To put it bluntly, racers break things. Most components are interchangeable between survivors and repops, so vintage racers no longer have to worry about breaking some unobtainable part in the heat of battle.

Collectors’ opinions on repops are divided. For those collectors who do not necessarily enjoy searching or restoring, these new cars offer a convenient source for pristine, box-stock units. Also consider that many of the repop cars are offered as limited editions, making them more desirable. For instance, Kyosho recently unveiled the Ultima ’87 World Championship Spec. It is a limited-edition car with a combination of parts and colors not previously offered from the factory. Likewise, Associated Electrics offers the Classic 40th Anniversary variant of the RC10 as a limited edition, with each unit having a unique serial number.

Red and white RC car chassis on black textured surface, labeled "08". — Mike LeRoy’s pristine AYK Radiant is like a time capsule from 1987. Note the chain-drive transmission.

Red and black RC car with white wheels on white background. — The Schumacher Cougar Classic is one of the many vintage racers that are available once again as reproduction kits. Image courtesy of Schumacher Racing Cars.

By contrast, some purists within the collecting community view the surge of repops as a bad thing. The market is now flooded with new versions of the once rare parts that they spent time and treasure to gather. Mike explained, "When the repops came out, the value of the originals plummeted. I don’t collect as an investment, but I didn’t want to watch the value of my collection take a huge hit."

Although a small minority, there are also ultra-purists who feel that these new models are polluting the vintage market. These collectors would argue that repops are not actually vintage; they just look that way. The age distinction is important to them. Who is to say whether a vintage car on the bidding block has been "tainted" with reproduction parts? The Ship of Theseus comes to mind.

There is a silver lining for the purists. Despite the large number of reproduction models that are currently being released, they represent only a tiny fraction of the cars and trucks that were available in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, so there will always be plenty of vintage models that cleanly avoid any concerns of dilution or impurity from repops.

Join the Fun

I suspect that many of you reading this article have at least one dusty, old RC car sitting in a storage shed or attic. Now is the time to dig it out! Whether you decide to fix it up and run it, clean it up and display it, or wrap it up and sell it (I call dibs!), there are numerous resources to help guide you. A quick search reveals several YouTube channels that are dedicated to vintage RC cars. I’ve also found numerous Facebook groups that cater to those of us who enjoy older RC cars.

Vintage RC cars are regaining popularity for a reason. They are still fun! Whether you want to race or collect, there are many ways to enjoy them. See where you fit in.