Origins of RC models...

[43rdRecceReg]

Well,a topic came up in passing in another thread, that of the possibility of a creating a Museum dedicated to RC modelling, and that set me wondering where the hobby really began, and what was around before Tamiya came on the scene. Interestingly, as far back as 1952, the "Beano' comic in Britain (published in Scotland, ahem) created a character called 'General Jumbo' (also known as Admiral Jumbo at other times) who had RC controlled Tanks, Aircraft, helicopters,Ships, and Troops at his disposal- all managed through a TX on his wrist, or a large button operated hand held TX. Perhaps it was a case of fiction anticipating, or predicting, future science; but for me it created a (then unfulfilled) wish to own such an obedient miniature army. This doesn't indicate incipient megalomania, I hasten to point out.. as world domination, and owning fluffy white cats, have never been part of my personal development. No, I'm just the typical bloke programmed to like gadgets and gizmos. Rc modelling therefore has begun to give me equality with General Jumbo at last; if only as a Lance-Corporal, and partially fulfilled that decades old fantasy..

[wibblywobbly]

Oh my God, I had totally forgotten about him! I used to love reading his stories. I am smirking now!

[Max-U52]

Hey, it's your story, you can tell it any way ya want to, but I ain't buyin' that part about no designs on world domination. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn you've been in cahoots with Stewie and that stupid dog the whole time.

[43rdRecceReg]

Well, if I were Ernst (Mc)Blofeld, bent on world domination with RC models, I'd need a fluffy white cat; but all I have is a fluffy white dog... Anyway, the point is, a quick google reveals very little about the history of RC models...and thus it's all the more extraordinary that the prescient 'General Jumbo' character- created in 1952- was decades ahead of any real developments: Mardave's commercially viable RC cars (Mardave a UK company) in the mid-60s, and then through to Tamiya's cars and tanks in 1976, to cite two examples. Then we have Joe Dante's film "Small soldiers' in 1998, some 24 years after General Jumbo disappeared (sadly) from Beano's pages. An engrossing hobby like RC modelling deserves more history. Does anyone here, for example, possess one of the first RC model tanks produced? If so, let's see it

[Rocketman]

Oh how I remmber general Jumbo.

What really caught my eye was a feature on an evening show back in teh seveneties called Nation Wide about a bunch of guys with RC tanks. Never been able to find that footage again but boy dod that inspire a seven year old boy at the time. never in my wildest of dreams would I have guessed some of the gizmos and toys I have now at my disposal!

K

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning all,
When I was 7 or 8 years old in mid 1967-68, I had a large scale ( to me at the time ) Remote Control tank. It was based on American armor and looked like a Pershing or early Patton. Sadly lost to the years, the memory of how cool it was drove me to pursue large scale tanking from the late 70's onward. I've never been able to determine the manufacturer of that tank or even which country it came from. Today, we really live in a Golden Age of RC Tanking. ;o) I certainly don't take the wonders available now for granted.
regards,
Painless

[43rdRecceReg]

I think you're probably right, Painless, about being in the 'Golden Age of RC Tanks', but what surprises me is that if you google 'history of RC models/ history of radio control' and related use related search terms, not a lot comes up, even on Amazon. I found links to useful websites, but not much in the way of literature. Given the use by the military these days of RC and digital technology, and now by hobbyists, you'd expect a large body of literature to be available. Not so, it seems, so....time to get writing then.

[DRC]

I remember reading General Jumbo as a child, I always wanted an army like his! Does anyone remember the Mighty Joe remote control tank?

I was bought one for Christmas, it was enormous, it fired huge bullet shaped projectiles that appearred to be the size of a 12 bore shotgun shell and was controlled by a walkie-talkie that was connected to the tank by a wire. The tank also had a rear machine gunner that seemed to sit in what would have been the engine bay. I kept that tank for years but it disappearred out of my toy cupboard when I was about forty. I've tried looking on Ebay hoping to buy a replacement but no joy.

[Swamprat33]

Surely this is the original Remote control tank.

600x500xPowerTool.jpg.pagespeed.ic.QLaubY2iXC.jpg (86.45 KiB) Viewed 3150 times

n late 1940, inspired by a French miniature tracked vehicle prototype it recovered from the Seine, the Wehrmacht Ordnance Bureau ordered Bremen-based automaker Carl F.W. Borgward to develop a similar vehicle, capable of delivering at least 100 pounds of high explosive to a target by remote control. In spring 1942 Borgward rolled out its SdKfz. 302, nicknamed Goliath, powered by two 2.5-kilowatt Bosch electric motors. Its limited range (less than a mile on flat surfaces) and high cost eventually led to its discontinuance. In late 1942 Borgward introduced the SdKfz. 303a, powered by a Zundapp two-cylinder gasoline engine with improved street range of more than seven miles. Two years later it produced the slightly larger 303b, which could carry a 220-pound payload. Borgward built more than 7,500 Goliaths during the war. The Allies called it the “beetle tank.”

Operators used a joystick control box connected to the vehicle by a 2,145-foot triple-strand control cable—two strands for steering, one for detonation. Issued to combat engineers and special armored units, the Goliath was designed to disable enemy tanks, disrupt infantry units or demolish strongpoints. Its control cable proved vulnerable to cutting, however, most notably when the Germans deployed it against the Polish Home Army during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Though the Goliath saw little use, it did serve as the precursor of the modern radio-controlled robotic vehicles.

[43rdRecceReg]

Fascinating. Not only would this appear to be the forerunner of RC tanks, but also an early type (in principle) of the wire-guided missile. Also, I expect it was a lot safer for the attacker than running alongside a tank, trying to attach a 'sticky bomb', or a magnetic mine. It bears a resemblance the a WW1 British tank, and would serve as a good basis for a model..without the dynamite optional extra, of course!