RC model enthusiasts hope hobby takes off
RC model enthusiasts meet for races every weekend
Smoke, the roaring sound of engines and the buoyant cheers of spectators were engulfed by a small band of radio controlled (RC) aficionados in an empty Ho Chi Minh City lot recently.
The races play themselves out all over the country, as the vehicles hurtle themselves down man-made roads at speeds of 80 to 120 kilometers per hour. And while the people behind the miniature controller wheels don’t have to worry about, the odd passerby or spectator does.
According to veteran collectors, collecting and building models has been a hobby of residents in the southern hub since the 1960s, when U.S. troops used them as another outlet to escape from an increasingly stressful posting, Sai Gon Tiep Thi (Sai Gon Marketing) newspaper reported.
Scale models of cars, boats, planes, helicopters and even scale railway locomotives are all on display at the club.
RC models are scale models too, except they can be driven or flown by using radio control mounts on their controllers. The hobby isn’t cheap. Most RC models go for about US$2,000 - $3,000.
“If you want to play with the models, you’ll have to learn, (a lot)” Vi, a RC model collector in HCMC, said.
To build and control the units, a RC hobbyist needs to have a grounding in mechanics, electronics and aerodynamics.
Most collectors assemble the units themselves after trolling through toy and collector stores in Hong Kong and Singapore for spare parts.
They also need to know how to adjust engines dependant on the type of surface they are racing on. But that doesn’t seem to be much of a hindrance to the development of the pastime in Vietnam.
Clubs for model enthusiasts have sprung up in Hanoi and HCMC, becoming a breeding ground for information sharing and where the big races are held.
It is at the races that teams are truly measured and glory is won. Each race usually employs a different track complete with obstacles, slopes, pot-holes, jumps and sharp turns to bring more excitement to the race.
But it’s probably the RC model aircrafts, which are the most difficult to master, requiring a greater degree of skill and patience than cars or buggies.
“For newbies, they often have to sacrifice five to ten RC airplanes before (they) manage to make the planes fly a few rounds.”
“The more hot-headed you are, the greater chance that your plane will crash,” Trung Phuoc Dinh, who has 20 years of experience in District 11’s Dam Sen Cultural Park, said.
A lack of consistently available space is also a massive hurdle for the enthusiasts to overcome.
“As soon as we find an empty lot, we bring our models there to play,” Vinh, a player said. “But we will need to protect ourselves while guiding spectators to avoid getting injured by the planes.”
An empty lot in District 2 has witnessed the dive of the model planes every Sunday, but it has also witnessed several nasty accidents.
Most occurred when enthusiasts lost their bottle or spectators ignored the safety instructions of the guys on the ground.
An eight-year-old girl sustained a brain injury after she suddenly ran across the path of a four-kilogram airplane, traveling at 40 kilometer per hour.
The lot is also pockmarked where falling aircraft, plummeting to their demise have chewed up the earth.
“I was scared to death one time when a model airplane crashed into pieces right in front of me,” Dung, who is in charge of instructing the take off and landing of model airplanes, said.
“There is no safety standard applied on the lot so we are still worried no matter how careful we are,” he said.
Model vehicles were no longer just a source of entertainment, but tools to help young people practice their mechanical skills, Dinh said.
Many young collectors have now grown up and have built their own businesses by creating model aircraft for foreign clients.
“It would be a pity if we don’t have a playground for the models,” he said.