RC Cars & Trucks

Remote control cars and trucks are powered models that recreate the looks of full-size vehicles in miniature. They’re also known as radio control cars or RC cars. You control their speed and steering using a cordless, hand-held radio transmitter.

Remote control cars are commonly sold by toy and department stores, but the RC cars and trucks available from Horizon Hobby® are not the same. Ours are hobby quality remote control models. Compared to the toy cars, these are stronger, faster, more durable, and more realistic. Horizon Hobby remote control cars offer far greater capabilities, and they’re built to last for years!

Horizon Hobby remote control cars are available in ready-to-run (RTR) and kit completion levels. If you’re a beginner, you’ll enjoy the fastest and easiest entry into the hobby with the ready-to-run RC vehicles. RTR remote control cars come already assembled and painted. They include most or all of the compatible accessories you’ll need to make them go. Be sure to read the product descriptions, however, as you may need a few small additional items such as a rechargeable RC car battery and RC charger.

Remote control car kits, on the other hand, require some assembly. If you’ve never built one before, an RC car kit can take hours to put together and require some specialized tools. They also often do not include motors, tires, painted bodies, and other components that experienced RC car modelers like to pick out for themselves. For these reasons, kits usually aren’t recommended for beginners. Building your model kit is great experience, though. You gain a thorough understanding of how your RC car is made, which simplifies future maintenance and repairs.

Browse the Horizon Hobby remote control car online catalog and you’ll find an enormous number of choices. Start narrowing your options by deciding where you plan to run your car. Some are engineered to bash over rough off-road terrain, while others are made to speed down smooth asphalt roads. Sizes range from micro/mini RC cars that are small enough to race indoors, to 1/5 and 1/6 scale vehicles that measure over two and a half feet long! The most common size of remote control car is the 1/10 scale.

Two-wheel drive remote control vehicles are generally cheaper, less complex, and have fewer moving parts. They can also be bit more difficult to control than four-wheel drive. Just as in full-scale, 4WD RC cars plow easily through, up, and over difficult terrain.

Do you want an electric, nitro, or gasoline powered remote control car? Depending on the motors, batteries, and engines used, they’re all capable of similar speed and performance.

Electrics are easier for beginners to operate and don’t produce smelly exhaust. Gas and nitro RC cars and trucks are more realistic, but also require more maintenance.

Finally, there’s style. Name whatever excites you in the full-scale automotive world, and we’ve probably got it as a scale remote control vehicle. Choose fast remote control racing buggies and stadium trucks from Losi®…massive monster trucks with arena-rattling realism from ARRMA®…rock climbers, crawlers, and bouncers built for off-road expeditions by Axial®…and much more.

Perhaps the biggest advantage Horizon Hobby remote control cars have over RC toys is that you can make repairs and boost their performance. Our product pages include links to the replacement parts, upgrade parts, and accessories we have available for each model. Your RC car or truck will last while you learn, and it can grow with your experience.

Service and support are also available from Horizon Hobby. If you ever need help, just contact our product support team!