When I was younger I always scanned the catalogue magazines to look at the remote control cars. I would also see the occasional races on tv (remember those Saturday morning kids shows) and in Hyde park, London. I had several when I was younger including a radio shack porsche 959 (I think). However I was fascinated about the tamiya cars. At that time I wondered why they were sooooo expensive! I like the grasshopper but loved the rugged looks of the hotshot! I would show my parents so often but they said it was far too much. It was only later I realized they were kits and not complete cars. The magazines sold them for more anyhow and I remember phoning around shops (e.g. Beatties and Antics) to find cheaper deals but my parents were still refusing.
Anyway, when I was ten my parents bought me a turbo blaster...I would consider it my first 4wd. It had a black body with a few decals and on back of the rear gearbox had a switch to change from low to high gear and vice versa. It took 8 AA batteries. The remote was a stick affair but had trim control...so at the time this was no cheap and basic package!! However, it broke down twice for reasons unclear to me. My father took it back for repairs but by the second occasion it was beyond repair. After that I forgot about it and we moved to Gloucester. My interests then changed to computer gaming.
In the last 3-4 years I have come back into it and not looked back. I bought that hotshot I always wanted. It was a pleasure to build and since then I've caught the building and renovating bug! The racing aspect is something I want to get more into though.
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