The Differences Between Hobby Grade and Toy Grade - Radio Control (RC) Vehicles

The RC cars and trucks that you see on TV and in toy stores offer a great way for young people to get involved in a rewarding hobby.  However, there are few similarities between  toy-grade RC vehicles and those found in a hobby shop.

1. Toy grade RC vehicles are typically found in box stores like Walmart , Radio Shack, and Toys R Us. Most are of the pre-assembled variety. Although, you can now purchase "ready to run" or RTR for short, most hobby-grade R/C vehicles are sold as unassembled kits.

2. There is a considerable cost difference between toy-grade and hobby-grade rc vehicles. Toy-grade vehicles can be found for as little as $20 and as much as $200. Even so, entry level prices for hobby-grade vehicles are more than their higher end toy-grade counterparts.

3. Hobby-grade radio controlled vehicles are built from the ground up, piece by piece, so that you will know exactly how it works and how to fix it if it breaks. With few exceptions, you will be able to make repairs yourself. Hobby grade RC vehicles offer replacement parts and accessories so that you can make repairs to the vehicle yourself. On the other hand, toy grade rc vehicles are not normally repairable and end up meeting their demise when any one part of the vehicle fails.

4. Power or speed is another major difference. Most toy-grade radio controlled vehicles are only capable of 10 mph or 16 km/hour. Toy-grade vehicles are often powered by cheap alkaline or NiCad batteries which result in short run times.

5. Hobby-grade R/C vehicles are also generally made of better materials than their toy-grade counterparts. This means that hobby-grade vehicles are better equipped to withstand the severe punishment of a backyard obstacle course or a high-speed cartwheel at the local parking lot.

Hobby kits are designed to provide long life and superior performance. Look for name brands that have good aftermarket support, so that when you do hit a curb a repair is only a few minutes and dollars away – unlike a toy-grade vehicle that will see the bottom of the trash can as soon as it breaks. In the long run the pay-to-play cost of a hobby grade vehicle can be much lower than with a toy-grade.