Awesome R/c

What’s better than a LEGO tank? A LEGO tank that can drive into the water, of course. Brick & Gear shows off the latest version of his Behemoth, a remote-controlled Technic vehicle powered by four motors – two for the tracks and two for water propulsion. After some bathtub testing, he drove it into a lake to see what it could do.

In this video from The Wrench, the expert maker shows us how he created a miniature, remote-controlled tank. It’s driven by a pair of tiny motors and can be controlled using a smartphone app. The tank also packs an FPV camera, though he had some trouble getting it to work at the same time as driving.

We’ve seen a car and a motorcycle drive on a frozen lake using sawblades for wheels. Fortek_nine did the same thing, only they attached small circular sawblades to a powerful R/C car. After giving it a test, they raced the beast against another R/C car riding on spiky screw tires to see which would grip better.

Peter Sripol knows a thing or two about radio-controlled aircraft. In this video, Peter and his buddies outfitted some super cool Losi R/C motorcycles with various configurations of wings and propellers to help them take flight. Those little bikes are really impressive but also about $600 each.

Quantum Tech HD introduces us to the work of Vang Hà, a hobbyist who creates functional scale models of trucks and construction equipment from PVC pipes that he heats and bends into flat sheets. This video condenses his months-long quest to build a remote-controlled CAT 390F excavator down to about 20 minutes.

With enough solar panels and sunlight, it might be possible to keep a vehicle driving indefinitely. ProjectAir put that idea to the test with a DIY R/C airplane with solar panels all over its wings to see how long he could keep it airborne. The foam plane needed efficient solar panels and an autopilot system to keep it circling. We look forward to seeing more.

This tiny working excavator looks and moves just like the real thing. The 1/64-scale remote-controlled Nano TRX N320 is fully functional, with articulated arms, moving tracks, and a bucket for scooping up small piles of dirt. Register now to reserve your spot for the $99 Kickstarter launch price.

R/C aircraft are typically powered by electric motors or gas engines. James from ProjectAir has built a few R/C planes that are powered by rocket motors. His latest creation supersizes the idea with a much more powerful rocket and a lightweight plane with an enormous wingspan. The design was inspired by a basic balsa wood plane from Vintage Model Company.

From the creator of Kerbal Space Program comes another sim game that’s smaller in scale but just as limitless. Kithack Model Club lets you make virtual remote-controlled planes, boats, and cars. Like KSP, it has a physics-based engine. It also has a level editor and multiplayer matches for up to 16 players. Expect a metric ton of mods for this one.

Modern airplanes generally have two wings. But there was a time when biplanes and triplanes took to the skies regularly. Peter Sripol and his pals built a scale R/C model of the Caproni Ca.60, a wild-looking passenger aircraft with nine wings, arranged into three sets of three. The real version of the seaplane broke apart on landing. Will Peter’s plane fare any better?

When we think of remote-controlled aircraft, we envision small models that measure two or three feet across. Tail Heavy Productions compiled this video showing 16 of the world’s largest R/C planes, some of which are longer than a single-engine Cessna and some that weigh hundreds of pounds.

Prior to this video, the fastest recorded flight speed for a battery-R/C drone was 224 mph. Luke Bell and his dad, Mike, built a custom drone that set a new Guinness World Record of 298.47 mph and an unofficial top speed of 317 mph. But the feat wasn’t without its challenges, including multiple battery fires. Stick around til the end for some cinematic shots.

James from ProjectAir is on a quest to make R/C airplanes as fast as possible. After honing his skills in a few other experiments, he took an off-the-shelf model of an SR-71 Blackbird and tricked it out with a multi-stage propulsion upgrade, including powerful electric fans and a model rocket engine strapped to its back.

After seeing the airplane-like shape of Japan’s high-speed bullet trains, aerospace engineer Peter Sripol thought it would be fun to build a model airplane based on the design. It took a lot of experimentation with wing placement, but he eventually got his prototype to fly. Will the scaled-up model stay airborne or will it derail mid-flight?

The Mowrator S1 lawnmower can be operated remotely while you sit in your lounge chair. It mows perfectly straight lines with its cruise control feature and dumps clippings hands-free. It’s also got a vacuum for sucking up leaves, and the AWD model can drive on steep inclines. Its rechargeable battery pack can mow up to 1.125 acres per charge.

We have a hard enough time putting together an off-the-shelf model. Top One Maker is an overachiever and builds all of his models from scratch. In this video, he shows how he took some grey PVC pipe, heated it, and cut and assembled the pieces to form the body and chassis of a remote-controlled Mercedes-Benz AMG G 63 SUV.