Being an RC hobbyist in 1992 Compared to today! A boy's story.

How Much Further Your Money Goes in RC Today: A Look Back from 1992 to Now

If you’re getting into RC today, you might not realise just how lucky you are. Modern prices. Modern performance. Modern durability. It’s easy to take it for granted.

But for many of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s, the RC landscape was completely different — and far more expensive for far less performance.

I know this first-hand.

Let’s take a quick ride back to 1992…

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1992: Saving for Months, Scouring the Free Ads, and Hoping for the Best

In the early 90s, there was no Marketplace, no eBay, no YouTube reviews, no “best budget brushless RC cars UK.”
There was The Free Ads paper.

That’s where I found my holy grail: a used Tamiya Top Force.

At the time, I was 12, earning around £5 a week from my paper round. I saved for months. When I finally scraped together enough, I rang the number, biked across town, handed over my carefully hoarded cash — and proudly brought the Top Force home.

Then came the punch in the stomach.

It didn’t even come with an ESC.

All my previous cars had used those old mechanical speed controllers, so this was my first time needing a proper electronic speed controller.

The cheapest one I could find?
£90.

That was more than I’d just paid for the entire Top Force, and I was absolutely distraught. Months of work and saving… and I still didn’t have a running car.

But once the ESC finally arrived and the buggy came to life, all the frustration melted away. The Top Force became my pride and joy. It handled beautifully, it looked incredible, and it was the car that truly cemented my lifelong passion for RC.

In the end, it was worth every penny — even the painful ones.

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2025: The Golden Age of Value

Fast forward to today, and we’re living in an RC renaissance.

Your money goes so much further now that the difference is almost unbelievable.

Performance That Would Have Been Unthinkable in ’92

A modern budget truck from brands like MJX or FMS offers:

• Brushless motors

• 60A ESCs

• Metal drivetrains

• Oil-filled aluminium shocks

• Digital servos

• 2.4GHz radios

• LiPo batteries

In 1992, this would have cost hundreds and hundreds of pounds, and still wouldn’t have been as reliable.

Durability That Makes 90s RC Look Fragile

Cars then were brittle.
A bad landing meant:

• bent dogbones

• cracked chassis

• stripped nylon gears

• snapped shock towers

Modern RC trucks under £150 can survive cartwheels at speeds the Top Force could only dream of.

Parts Availability Has Never Been Better

Today:

• Parts are cheap

• Parts are everywhere

• Upgrades are easy

• Tutorials exist for everything

Back in 1992, if you broke a suspension arm, you might as well have written off the car until the local model shop (if you had one) ordered the part… weeks later.

The Price-to-Performance Ratio Is Insane

Let’s break this down:

We don’t just have better RC cars now — we have an entirely better ecosystem.

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Why This Matters to Newcomers Today

If you're getting into RC now:

• You get more power for less money

• You get more durability for less money

• You get more tech for less money

• You get fewer headaches and more driving

• You get support, reviews, guides and communities everywhere

This is what makes the modern era feel like a miracle compared to the 90s.

And it’s exactly why at The Truck Monster, we focus on the best price-to-performance RC gear — the sweet spot where you get maximum fun for minimum cash.

We spent decades paying high prices for low performance.
You don’t have to.

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Final Thoughts: Enjoy the Era We Dreamed Of

If 1992 me had seen what £120–£150 buys today — a tough, fast, brushless, metal-gear, LiPo-powered monster — I’d have thought it was science fiction.

We truly are living in the golden age of RC value.

So whether you’re buying your first truck or returning to the hobby after years away… enjoy it. Appreciate it. Take advantage of it.

Because right now, your money has never gone further.