RC toys can provide countless hours of fun not only to kids, but adults as well. Whether you're on a sandy beach, the local park, or that unused warehouse just down the street, remote control toys aren't just about incredibly fast speeds, but they also have the same driving characteristics of full-sized vehicles. Long gone are the days when RC toys were used by the geeks exclusively, and you don't need an engineering degree to put one together as well. The days of piles of plastic and metal parts, as well as wires are long gone.
Nowadays, most RC toys come ready-to-run right out the box, and all you have to do is unbox it, charge it up, put in some batteries and let it rip. The majority of these ready-to-run remote control toys are packed with everything you need - a remote controller, batteries and a charger. You can find a wide range of remote control toys online nowadays, all of which come in different shapes and sizes. Generally, you want a versatile RC car as your first one, just so you can drive it everywhere you want and see what type of driving you prefer. For that reason, buggies and truggies are the most popular types of RC toys, but there are interesting hybrids as well that allow you to drive on walls, etc.
Regardless of what type of RC toy you end up choosing, you'll need to decide between an electric or nitro powered model. Nitro vehicles run on a mixture of nitromethane and methanol and they're the most popular type among experienced enthusiasts. These vehicles are usually noisier and more powerful, but their engines require a lot of tuning and maintenance. Electric RC toys, on the other hand, aren't as authentic in terms of sound and performance (although there are models with brushless motors that perform very well), but they're much easier for someone like yourself to handle early on, and require less maintenance.
Nitro RC vehicles used to be superior in every way until brushless motors came about. Before brushless motors, all electric RC vehicles sported brushed motors, which can be still found on the more affordable electric models today. These motors are perfectly functional and capable of providing you with a great driving experience. However, brushless motors go above and beyond in terms of performance, durability and energy efficiency. In fact, brushless motors can now go faster than most nitro motors.
Next, you have to consider the type of battery the RC toy uses. Most of today's cars use NiMh, NiCd and LiPo batteries. LiPo batteries are considered the most durable and energy-efficient ones, but all of the aforementioned types will perform well. The capacity of the battery should be something to consider, and make sure you get an appropriate charger. Battery chargers can be used for charging a specific type of battery only, or they can be universal. Although AA and AAA batteries are rarer nowadays, you'll still find RC models that use them.
The trick to buying the ideal RC toy is to get as much information as you can before making a final buying decision. The best way to get as much information is to read guides like this one, or go through relevant forums and check out reviews made by buyers. Buying from a reputable brand is also something you should consider, even if you end up paying more for the toy upfront. When exploring brands, look at their track record, awards and recognitions, user reviews and return policies.
At the end of the day, for most beginners, an affordable battery-powered model that can drive through all types of terrain is probably the ideal choice. They're safer to use for people of all ages, require only recharging with a charger instead of having to handle dangerous chemicals use in nitro-powered cars, and they're much quieter and cleaner. By cleaner, I mean they don't require an exhaust system to release the byproducts of burning fuel, which also allows you to use the toy indoors. As briefly aforementioned, nowadays, electric vehicles can match the performance and power of nitro-vehicles, so there's really no reason you should be getting a nitro-powered RC toy over an electric one.
As long as you get the right RC toy for you or your kid, you're going to enjoy hours of endless fun. It can be a great bonding activity for adults and kids, where you can race each other, put together a car from the ground up, or bump against each other. Kids will learn the value of responsibility, since they'll have to maintain and take care of their RC cars. Further, RC toys can encourage more outdoor time, something that most kids nowadays lack. Things like hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills can also be developed as a byproduct of playing with RC toys.