My name is Marc Leone and I am a fan of your magazine and of your “hobby” as well. Actually , I have been a fan of both for 20 years now which is what this “story” is about . I have been a subscriber for about 7 months now and I couldn’t be more pleased with the magazine . Anyway , rewind 20 years ago to about December 1987. I was 13 years old and in jr.high school . Back then about 95% of the kids at my school were heavily involved in Nintendo ( including myself) but a few weeks before Christmas of that year I discovered another hobby ( obsession really) that about 50% of the boys were into. I saw my friend’s Lobo buggy from Sears and thought it was cool but never desired one. Then it happened . In 4th period study hall , I saw a magazine rolled up sticking out of my friend’s back pocket . My curiosity peaked so I wispered ( no talking in study hall so I had to be stealthy) ” what’s in your pocket ? ” . He then threw the battered magazine to me and said ” I’m getting an RC10 , check it out “. What ever that means” , I thought , so I began to look at the magazine which was entitled ” Radio Control Car Action Buyer’s Guide 1987 ” . I was captivated by all these “hobby quality” RC vehicles. Electric buggies were number 1 back then so the pages were filled with back to back reviews of wonderful machines such as the Kyosho Ultima , Futaba FX10 , Tamiya Grasshopper and Associated RC10. Before I knew it the bell rang and the period was over . My friend asked for his magazine back but I talked him into letting me hold on to it until the end of the day. Needless to say I never gave the mag back to him . The next day in home room I gave him 3 bucks . “What’s this ? ” he said . I told him it was for the Rc buyer’s guide because there was no way I was giving up that book for anybody. I would have paid him 20 bucks for the magazine if he wanted but I didn’t tell him that. This new discovery of the RC world led me to reading and learning as much as I could from that one buyer’s guide and eventually coaxing my mother into buying me my first “real” RC car for that Christmas . I got the Traxxas Cat . It was one of the only RC cars that was RTR ( most were kits back then) and it was afforable ($129.99 for everything) . Others such as the Ultima , the Frog and the Hornet were great but a little too pricey for me at the time . Plus I was’t exactly mechanically inclined so the thought of assembling an RC car intimidated me. I loved it and drove it all the time for months and months. I steadily honed my RC skills and continued buying and reading every issue of RC Car Action to increase my knowledge ans learn more about all things RC. Fast forward to March 2007 . I’m 32 ( an “adult”…on the outside anyway) and on the way home from work one day I heard what I thought was a squadron of angry hornets. Turns out it was a group of guys driving RC cars in a parking lot . Those things were f*cking hauling ! The light smoke made me think they were “gas powered” of some kind. Then , for reasons unknown , I kept dwelling on the thought of those RC cars and how much fun the guys were having driving them . I recalled my old Traxxas Cat from 1987 and all the fantastic memories that came with it. I then went looking for “any” RC magazine and while at Borders I saw it . Low and behold , it was RC Car Action !!! I couldn’t believe my eyes . It was still being published. “Holy crap” i said out loud ( to the dismay of the old woman to my left but oh well for her) . I immediately snatched up a copy of the iconic mag and read it cover to cover numerous times. By the next week I subscribed . When last I left the RC scene back in 1988 the Kyosho Ultima and RC10 were the two cars battling for number one . Everything was elecrtic buggies . Oh how times have changed ! Traxxas which was a small , lesser known RC company back in the 80’s was THE RC king now and made the term Ready-to-Run a standard option for almost all of the RC cars and trucks available now. Now there was electric and nitro power. Brushless motors were the new wave of electrics.and LiPo power was taking over. And the hobby had grown into a giant with every kind of RC vehicle one could ever want . From 1/8 monster trucks to 1/36 micros. The hobby certainly has come a long way and it seems to be rapidly expanding . After months of learning and re-learning RC I finally made my new RC car purchase : A brand new Traxxas Rustler VXL . I drive it about 2-3 times a week , every week. I L-O-V-E it !!! In conclusion , I just want say how much I’ve enjoyed and learned from RC Car Action magazine . From 1987 to now. From my old Traxxas Cat to my new Traxxas Rustler VXL. I’m really glad my old flame of a hobby has been rekindled and I plan on sticking around this time. -Marc
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