Editing Radio-controlled car (section)

==Toy-grade RC cars==
[[File:Collection of Taiyo and Tyco RC toys V1.1.jpg|alt=A photo of a collection of radio controlled toys from Taiyo RC and Tyco RC.|thumb|A collection of Taiyo Toys Co. Ltd.-manufactured radio-controlled toys, sold under the Taiyo, and Tyco RC brands sold in the 1980s and 1990s]]
[[File:Rastar range rover sport.JPG|thumb|Radio controlled vehicle toy 1:24 [[Range Rover Sport]] replica developed by Rastar with hidden antenna]]
Toy-grade RC cars are typically manufactured with a focus on design coupled with reducing production costs. Whereas a hobby-grade car has separate electronic components that are individually replaceable if they fail, toy-grade cars are typically made with cheaper components that are harder to find as spare parts, and a single electronic circuit board is integrated into the design of the vehicle.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Although hobby-grade enthusiasts may look down on toy-grade RC cars, their maintenance is much easier than that of hobby-grade models since the number of components is drastically smaller, and parts can be harvested at almost no cost from any RC toy car of a similar size. Performance is generally much less than hobby-grade cars but can be upgraded by adding hobby-grade parts. Stock toy-grade cars are equipped with weaker motors and are powered by alkaline or NiCad batteries, which means their top speed is usually only {{convert|3|–|7|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Cheaper ones lack any form of a suspension and the ones that do feature a suspension that has very primitive or rudimentary designs. Steering typically lacks [[proportional control]] (with only three positions: straight, full left, and full right) and there is typically no proportional "throttle" either, with stopped and full power usually being the only options.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Most toy-grade cars are primarily marketed toward children, although some older enthusiasts enjoy tinkering with them and improving them. Many toy-grade cars also have highly detailed scale body shells, which are often adapted for use on hobby-grade vehicles to give them a more scale appearance. However, you can get hold of larger more powerful real-looking RC cars but they are not exactly "toy-grade".{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Many hobby-grade enthusiasts began their fascination with radio-controlled models starting with Toy-Grade models during the 'Golden Age of Toy RC' from the late 1980s—early 1990s when the companies Taiyo Kogyo Co. Ltd (Japan) and Tyco Toys (USA) dominated the market and became household names, with their products starring in TV shows, Hollywood movies,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1996 Tyco Mutator - Taiyo Tyco Collectors |url=https://tycocollectors.com/product/1996-tyco-mutator/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |language=en-US}}</ref> and featured under Christmas trees worldwide just as often as the leading Sega and Nintendo game consoles of that era. It was during this time that some of the most popular radio-controlled toys ever made were manufactured, beginning with the 1986 Taiyo Jet Hopper<ref>{{Cite web |title=1986 Taiyo Jet Hopper MK1 (Japan) - Taiyo Tyco Collectors |url=https://tycocollectors.com/product/1986-taiyo-jet-hopper-mk1/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |language=en-US}}</ref> (Japan, Europe, Australia), later sold as the Tyco 9.6V Turbo Hopper (in the United States), followed by the Typhoon Hovercraft, the Fast Traxx, the Scorcher 6x6, the Bandit, and the Eliminator to name just a few. The designs for many of these toys can be traced back to only a few inventors, namely Shohei Suto (owner of now defunct Taiyo Kogyo Co. Ltd.) who was responsible for many of the early Taiyo cars such as the Jet Hopper, and who contributed together with Neil Tilbor, and Michael G. Hetman (inventors at Tyco) to the Bandit, Eliminator, Fast Traxx, Typhoon, Mutator 4WD, Scorcher, and Python.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-28 |title=The Inventors of your Childhood Toys - Taiyo Tyco Collectors |url=https://tycocollectors.com/the-inventors-of-your-childhood-toys/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |language=en-US}}</ref>