The state of RC hobby in 2024 and beyond?

[Mechanic AH]

It's been four years since I joined the forum, around the time the pandemic happened and I was wondering what your thoughts and experiences are with the current state of the hobby? And at present, do you find yourself spending more or less on the hobby? Although there are more products and re-releases it's been quite challenging cost wise to find spares and parts for the originals and vintage cars (I gravitate mostly towards the 80s-90s RC era). I've been fortunate enough to amass some parts eons ago before the pandemic when everything was much cheaper and abundant. Now the cool stuff no one cared much about before are so sought after and if I do find them they're shockingly expensive or in an undesirable condition. Before, I can wait a few days or even weeks to decide a purchase especially for parts and electronics. But now there are times when I have to decide in an hour or so before things sell out. Occasionally, I still find good deals but it's not what it used to be. 

Is the hobby situation different for vintage and new? Is vintage still a thing and is it getting more popular? Or somewhat in the same state as before? Or starting to fade out because newer designs and products are scaling up? Is the hobby doing well or is it just a Gen X phase and will fade when Gen X goes away? It seems the next generation's interests lies closer to drift, drones, and perhaps those insane RTR speed trucks/bashers--and maybe that'll stay? 

[markbt73]

It's looking pretty good from my perspective. I've got all the cars I wanted when I was a kid (or have had them, wasn't fond of them after all, and sold them), in some cases multiples. After I move I'm going to build a new workshop, and set it up just how I like. And I'll have 1.8 acres of land, so I should have no problem finding a spot to build a track if I want, or plenty of space to bomb around freestyle if not. I'm not hard on my cars, so spare parts aren't a huge concern. And with fifty cars, if something breaks, it's not the end of the world if it's out of commission for a while; I'll just grab something else. Or make replacement parts myself if necessary.

Apart from that, I don't really care what everyone else does. There are a couple of kits I'd still like to pick up if I'm able, but they aren't a huge priority. In years to come, I'll keep an eye out for sell-offs or estate sales if interest does wane. Other than that, I'm just going to have fun with my toy cars.

[Twinfan]

I'm not interested in vintage stuff, and not having anywhere decent locally to run buggies I'm more of a builder than a runner and also a NIB re-re collector.  So for me the hobby is flourishing at the moment.  Re-res of most of the key late 80s/early 90s Tamiya cars I have nostalgic links to are (or have recently been) available and then there are the Kyosho Legendary series and a few new models (TD2, TD4, Dirt Master etc).  For folks with broader tastes in cars than me there's the RC10 and Super Dogfighter plus all the on-road and rally stuff etc.

I think we'll see more re-res over the next few years as there's plenty of models all the manufacturers could bring back if they wanted to.

[gogsyfinnie]

I'm also not too fussed about vintage stuff, in fact the idea of brittle plastics, less evolved designs etc. does not appeal greatly.  Nor am I bothered about blister packs (although I do appreciate why they appeal to collectors)  Like Twinfan I am more than happy to buy ReRes of the models i aspired after as a kid, I run all my cars and want to get more involved in racing in the future too.  From the number of keen R/C fans I've met through the local club, and my two kids growing enthusiasm for building, hop ups and running their cars, I think the hobby is very healthy.

[Snappy1]

I got back into the hobby approx 10 years ago, in that time I have bought many, many cars, most were vintage requiring restoration, I must admit I probably have at least 25 cars yet to restore but for me currently the hobby is simply “too expensive “ , I will finish the cars I have but I doubt I will continue to make purchases with current prices.

[Elbowloh]

I only got into the hobby back end of 2022.

It's all about building for me and some light running. I don't have anywhere really to run them, so it's just for fun. 

Also, not bothered by vintage, just things that are different or interesting to build whether its touring cars or buggies.

So far have built (in order) a TT02, TT02 Type S, DF03, DB01, BBX, M07, CC02 and a TB04 Pro. I've also rebuilt a TA05 and a TB Evo 6. 

In terms of finding stuff different and buying hop-ups that I can't find anywhere else for a reasonable price, Buyee has been amazing!

I've got a Hotshot 2 BHM on the way and an XM01 pre-ordered. 

I think i'll try to stop building for a bit after that and just tinker and try to run them more.

[Badcrumble]

I'm in a similar position to @Snappy1 having entered the hobby around ten years ago now.

It has got more expensive, The new XM-01, for example, feels a bit too rich for me.

I've also run out of space for cars I don't get to run often enough! 

That said, it has been really great to see some new members on here over the past couple of years with great combinations of enthusiasm and expertise.

Great to see some superb scale builds and impressive 3D printed designs as well as just some good old (and new) Tamiya.

Looking forward to the summer and some decent RC weather.

[Saito2]

As to the state of the hobby as a whole, I'd say it will never return to the heyday of the '80s/early '90s but that's pretty obvious. Its often been discussed about the various things competing for people's spending money/time that simply wasn't around back then. There's also the rabbit hole of the seemingly reduction in interest that kids have with "getting their hands dirty". Indeed, how kids and people consume entertainment is vastly different now. Attention spans are short and the willingness to put in the effort is down. I've seen it in the 1:1 car world where young kids want glory and fame up front but don't want to put in the hours and hours of laborious work into the foundation of a truly solid build. These are general critiques. I'm sure everyone knows at least one kid who bucks the trend. Its also not a slam on those kids. Its what they've been exposed to and how they've been exposed to it that's shaped them. The same could be said for our generation that made us ripe to be RC enthusiast. Times change and change is constant. On the plus side, I don't see RC going away. Despite having a smaller appeal than BITD, there are still model train enthusiast and people swear that would be dead by now.

I'm very disappointed in the high prices of relatively poor condition used RCs. Everyone and their grandma is hip to the vintage RC scene now. So we see used Traxxas cars going for more than new ones in my area. We see $600 beat-to-death RC10s (wow at that price, I have over $5000 in RC10s in my basement, lol). Dried up, brittle Frogs for more than a  re-re? Sure why not. Its a bummer that that part of the hobby has been priced away but, times change.

Personally. I'm set. I have what I want and I have what I need. I wish topics were more about vintage restos, cool old details and stories from BITD and less about near-panic levels of getting some limited edition goodie or simply about buying stuff but, like I said times change.

[OldSchoolRC1]

I used to buy/sell/trade quite a bit, especially when I was buying up cheap rollers and fixing them up. But now with the US threatening to tax paypal/venmo transactions as well as the absurd 3x increase in shipping costs since 2020, all that has ground to a halt. I cannot sell a $100 rolling chassis when it cost an additional $75 to ship it. The last scale truck I sold went across the country and it was over $100 to ship, I almost had a heart attack. It used to be about $40 or so. 

Speaking of cheap used rollers, they've gone by the wayside as well as many have mentioned. Again, I think all the fees, charges, and shipping costs have killed that. If I'm not selling mine online anymore due to the costs, I would assume others have also stopped. 

I think the hobby as a whole is pretty strong. Lots of new offerings coming out, some are pricey some aren't too bad. Agree that the parts/paint and tools are getting a little ridiculous. $70+ for a plain lexan body? C'mon. 

 

[cyclonecap]

Its not the same RC hobby as some on this forum take part in but I think the plummeting cost of hobby grade or near hobby grade vehicles from china has massively increased the number of people playing with toy cars. I started in the early 2000s and even then this was a wealthy person's game. Now you can buy a fully proportional RTR car with parts support (slowly from china) for less than $70, which is a lot easier for parents and teenagers to afford. This has also made the hobby accessible to people in countries with lower wages.

[Kowalski86]

Just a warning, my post is going to be a bit gloomy since I'm currently going through burnout in the hobby.

I find myself spending less on the hobby, trimming my collection, and gravitating towards brands that are cheap to run. Lately I've been spending less time tinkering or running anything and spending more time with family.

To be frank, I'm not a fan of the current state of RC stuff. On the LHS side you've got tons of identical RTR bashers that break because skatepark, very expensive crawlers that are all the same Ford/Chevy/Jeep, and of course one specific brand dominates all of your LHS's, have fun finding parts if you run anything that isn't a T-word truck.

My first exposure to the hobby was back in the 90's, everything was a kit, there was a decent variety of brands, and the LHS didn't have a service department. I feel like as the hobby shrunk the variety and DIY of it went away. Everyone just wants the same thing as everyone else.

The less that I watch or say about the "influencer" scene, the better.

As for vintage stuff, I'm at a point where I simply appreciate vintage RCs but I have no desire to run them. Either too brittle or you have to pay inflated "vintage" prices.

2 hours ago, cyclonecap said:

Its not the same RC hobby as some on this forum take part in but I think the plummeting cost of hobby grade or near hobby grade vehicles from china has massively increased the number of people playing with toy cars. 

You used to be able to buy Xmods and Zip-Zaps from RadioShack, which were cheap and small but still sorta hobby-grade. Unfortunately when they vanished no one else made anything quite like them, enter China and their cheaper offerings.

3 hours ago, Saito2 said:

I'm very disappointed in the high prices of relatively poor condition used RCs. Everyone and their grandma is hip to the vintage RC scene now.

Personally. I'm set. I have what I want and I have what I need. I wish topics were more about vintage restos, cool old details and stories from BITD and less about near-panic levels of getting some limited edition goodie or simply about buying stuff but, like I said times change.

I question how many of those sellers are even in the hobby, vs just flipping something that they found at a garage sale.

I'd like to see more resto threads myself, or one-off builds.

[Kpowell911]

My issue is I feel I have ‘peaked’. Sounds strange, but as Ive got older, Ive started selling off and transitioning from my bashers (mainly Traxxas), and buying older Tamiya’s. My particular choice of poison is 90’s/early 2000s tourers. I was/am lucky enough to have (and still have) a lot of money invested in RCs, so I was able to sell some of my Traxxas models, and my nitro’s and start picking off these Tamiya’s with the money Id got back. First it was the TL-01 Focus, as thats what I had when I was a kid. I got that, then it was the Cosworths. Ive now got them. Then it was the JGTC R34 Skylines, and I eventually got those. I then managed to get my personal grail, thanks to this forum, the 58170 Castrol TOMs Supra GT. I picked up some Porsches, I picked up some Rally Cars, and 90’s touring cars. And you know what, Ive got them now? So now what? Ive kinda suffered from my own success as much as that comment makes me sound an idiot. 

Im after a Raybrig NSX, a Mini Cooper M-01, and pie in the sky, a 30th Anniversary Porsche. But when I was chasing the R34s for example, the search took over my life. Id search day in, day out. Multiple times, searching multiple sites, across the entire planet. Then I got one, and now Im like hmmm now what? Contast that to the Mini Cooper M01. Ive missed two perfect examples recently, because I couldn’t be bothered to buy them……

I apologise if this post makes me sound big headed. Its not my intention but Im personally over the moon with my current collection. I never ever expected to have even 25% of what Ive got now. Im so lucky to have got to where I am in this hobby. Im also aware that people have collections that blow mine away. But I just feel the chase to get the RCs is actually more exciting than the ownership.

To summarise. I was more “excited” about the Tamiya side of the hobby when THIS was my Tamiya RC collection:

Than I am now when this is my current Tamiya collection (and I have 3 more since this pic)