A RADIO-CONTROLLED MODEL (or RC model) is a model that is steerable with the use of radio control.  All types of vehicles imaginable have had RC systems installed in them, including cars, boats, planes and even helicopters and scale railway locomotives.

Radio control has been around since Nikola Tesla demonstrated a remote control boat in 1893.  World War II saw increased development in radio control technology.  The Luftwaffe used controllable winged bombs for targeting Allied ships.  During the 1950s pioneering work was done by enthusiastic amateurs to create valve based control unites.

Originally simple ‘on-off systems, these evolved to use complex systems of relays to control speed and direction.  Information was encoded by varying the signal’s mark/space ratio (pulse proportional).  Commercial versions of these systems quickly became available.  The tuned reed system brought new sophistication, using metal reed switches to resonate with the transmitted signal and operate one of a number of different relays.  In the 1960s the availability of transistor-based equipment led to the rapid development of fully proportional servo-based systems, again driven largely by amateurs but resulting in commercial products.  In the 1970s, integrated circuits made the electronics small, light and cheap enough for multi-channel fully proportional control to become widely available.

In the 1990s miniaturised equipment became widely available, allowing radio control of the smallest models, and by 2000s radio control was commonplace even for the control of inexpensive toys At the same time the ingenuity of modellers has been sustained and the achievements of amateur modelers using new technologies has extended to such applications as gas-turbine powered aircraft, aerobatic,

helicopters and submarines.

The first general use of radio control systems in models started in the early 1950s with single-channel self-built equipment; commercial equipment came later. Initially remote control systems used escapement (often rubber driven) mechanical actuation in the model. Commercial sets often used ground standing transmitters, long whip antennas with separate ground poles and single electron-tube receivers. The first kits had dual tubes for more selectivity. Such early systems were invariable super regenerative circuits, which meant that two controllers used in close proximity would interfere with one another. The requirement for heavy batteries to drive tubes also meant that model boat systems were more successful than model aircraft.

In today’s world remote control vehicles are so improved and user friendly.