Date Published: 03/21/2008
RC Hovercrafts are unusual radio-controlled vehicles, but when used on the right terrain, they can be extremely fun. The concept of hovercrafts has been around for hundreds of years but was never perfected or manufactured until after World War II. They are useful for crossing mixed terrains or for transporting people and goods over great distances of water to areas not directly on the coast. RC hovercrafts operate with the same basic principles as full-sized hovercrafts—they use forced air to inflate a rubber skirt that is on the underside of the craft, and locomotion is provided by the propellers in the rear. One of the greatest properties of RC hovercrafts is that they can travel over water, mud, pavement, swamps, dirt or any smooth surface. Their versatility and obscurity within the realm of real-world vehicles makes them interesting to kids and adult RC toy enthusiasts alike.
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Radio Control Jet Hovercraft 2
Power over any terrain - land, water or ice - with this radio controlled hovercraft!
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Radio Control Mega X Morphibian
Power over rough terrain and through treacherous waters with this amphibious machine.
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RC hovercrafts can be more than just toys—they can be hobbies. RC enthusiasts are interested in designing, building and improving RC hovercrafts, not just operating them. Plans for building your own RC hovercraft are available, as are easy-to-assemble kits and no-assembly-required hovercrafts. Purchasing plans for RC hovercrafts is less common than the other avenues, but the end-product is often better. The designs are typically for high-end models, but users have to install the wiring, which scares some people away from building them from scratch. One of the best aspects of RC hovercrafts is the knowledge of physics that comes with designing, building or playing with them. They’re more complicated than a basic RC car and the controls are more difficult to master. Because RC hovercrafts use propellers and aren’t actually gripping the terrain beneath them, they react differently to user commands than simple, grounded RC toys do.
Before investing in an RC hovercraft for yourself or for your child, you should think about whether or not there are suitable RC hovercraft terrains around you. High winds can create issues for RC hovercrafts, so keep that in mind when considering purchasing an RC hovercraft. They do travel well over ice, so they are suitable for colder regions where RC cars and trucks are stuck in one spot with their wheels spinning. Some RC hovercrafts can travel great distances at high top speeds, reaching upwards of 35 mph. So, before purchasing one, make sure that you or your child will have access to an expansive, open area where an RC hovercraft could be utilized to its full potential. Of course, simpler RC hovercrafts, such as the Discovery Radio Control Jet Hovercraft 2, are available for casual users and kids. So, regardless of whether you’re an enthusiast or simply interested in playing with a great RC toy, there’s an RC hovercraft out there for you.


