If you’ve ever been curious in regards to the minds behind the design and innovation of your favourite radio-controlled autos and their equipment, you’re in for a deal with. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Ian Roberts, a seasoned product engineer at Pro-Line Racing, to debate his journey into the world of RC, his experience within the discipline, and a few thrilling insights into the way forward for RC.
RCCA: How and when did you start in RC?
IR: I’ve been round RC my whole life, even earlier than I may learn or write I had been engaged on RC automobiles. My first reminiscence of RC was being informed I may play with my dad’s RC10 gold-pan solely after I completed my writing sheet homework in kindergarten.
RCCA: Sounds such as you’ve bought RC in your DNA. What RC do you specialise in?
IR: I specialize within the RC crawler phase, and extra particularly the Axial Adventure model. I’ve over 12 years of expertise within the phase constructing crawlers and have attended numerous occasions and group crawls. In the previous 5 years I’ve been working at each Pro-Line by the Fire and Axial Fest occasions.
RCCA: That’s a whole lot of RC occasions to go to. What kinds of RC do you get pleasure from essentially the most?
IR: My go-to RCs are 1/10-scale monster vans for seashore or dunes and 1.9” crawlers for something scale.
RCCA: Which is your favourite RC automobile and why?
IR: The Arrma Kraton 6s is essentially the most enjoyable I’ve ever had with any RC automobile. They can deal with any terrain and are powerful as nails. Driving this automobile within the Dumont paddle tire video shoot blew my thoughts on what the automobile was able to.
RCCA: What was your first RC automobile?
IR: My first RC that I known as my very own was a Tamiya Blackfoot Extreme package that my dad helped me assemble… and the remainder was historical past after that time.
RCCA: What are two must-have upgrades you’d advocate for any RC?
IR: Firstly, I’d recommend getting an aggressive set of Pro-Line Racing pre-mounted tires tailor-made to your terrain for optimum traction. Secondly, a custom-painted physique can set your RC other than the remainder.
RCCA: What future tasks are you able to inform us about?
IR: While I can’t reveal specifics, I can trace at an upcoming physique for the SCX24 and an thrilling new 1.9” efficiency crawler tire. I’m personally desirous to see these launched.
RCCA: As a plastics knowledgeable, are you able to elaborate on why polycarbonate is a better option for RC our bodies in comparison with supplies like fiberglass?
IR: When it involves weight, sturdiness and ease of use, polycarbonate (PC) is the most effective of all worlds. It’s light-weight, will flex and bounce again after impacts, making it extraordinarily sturdy, and is the simplest to color and mount to your chassis, because it solely requires 1-2 coats of paint on the within then a few holes drilled for the physique posts. You can get extra element out of an injection-molded ABS physique; nonetheless, it requires considerably extra effort to attain the identical outcomes as PC whereas being noticeably heavier. When comparedto fiberglass, PC goes to be considerably extra sturdy on heavy impacts whereas additionally being lighter. Finally, PC is essentially the most cost-effective resolution in uncooked supplies, tooling (physique mould) and processing labor.
RCCA: What is the challenge you’re proudest to have labored on?
IR: Pulling from a few years of each RC and full-sized off-roading expertise and a number of months of growth for the challenge that nearly by no means bought permitted initially, the Cliffhanger physique line was a sport changer for the crawling phase and one I’m proud to have led the event on with the assistance of our staff. The design was a mixture of hand-sculpting and CAD design, pulling inspiration from {custom} full-sized rock crawlers with most efficiency in thoughts.
RCCA: Is there the rest you need to let our readers know?
IR: You don’t need to spend some huge cash in your RC to have a very good time! The most smiles I’ve had with RC have normally been with cheap, unmodified autos. Get out along with your family and friends, carry no matter automobile that runs, and have a good time!
Ian Roberts’ journey via the world of RC is a testomony to ardour, innovation, and a love for the passion. His insights into the finer particulars are academic and eye-opening. As he continues to form the way forward for RC, we are able to solely anticipate the thrilling developments that lie forward. To study extra about Ian and take a look at cool stuff he’s created, try his Thingiverse webpage at thingiverse.com/robskii/designs.
Text by Jerry Tsai and Leigh Guarnieri
Images courtesy of Ian Roberts