Winner
Most Popular Categories Right Now
Remote control toys have come a long way. It used to be a big thing if you could just drive a toy car on the sidewalk with a remote control. Nowadays, even if you’re an amateur, you can get a realistic RC tank, that can go on all types of surfaces, make realistic sounds, and even fire artillery (albeit from plastic). You can select from a number of types of remote control devices, and upgrade the specs on your RC tank if you get bored with the model that you have. We've put together this guide to help you select the best RC tank that answers to your needs. It'll help you:
Choose the right type of RC tank,
See useful tips about that type of RC tank,
Read reviews of different brands of RC tank, and what customers are saying,
Select the right brand of RC tank, and
Compare prices and find the best deals.
There is a wide range of tanks, with different functionality. We can group them as follows:
Entry-level: You would purchase an entry-level remote control device if this is your first foray into remote control toys. These will have a minimum of features, and will understandably cost less. For example, the Liberty Imports RC Fighting Battle Tanks have the ability to go forwards and backwards, to turn left and right. But the turret doesn't rotate. They "fire" a ray of light, instead of a plastic projectile, and the tank "dies" if it is hit three times. So it’s an inexpensive way of getting into real RC tank combat.
Airsoft: If you want a remote control device that combines the action of airsoft, you’d get an airsoft tank. These are tanks that add the extra feature of shooting soft plastic pellets, to add some more excitement to the device. Heng Long offers packs of 6 mm. Pieces of plastic “artillery”, to spice up playing with your tank.
Ready-to-run versus those that need construction: There are tanks that are ready-to-run (RTR), where you just insert batteries into the tank and the remote control, and you're ready to go. But then there are those that need construction, or that you'll be expected to paint up the model or modify it according to your wishes.
Based on all the consumers' reviews we've scanned, these are the top things they mentioned about their new stuff:
Rechargeable batteries: A big problem with realistic RC tanks is the amount of power that they’ll consume. The controller for the Liberty Imports RC Fighting Battle Tanks uses button batteries, and they’ll use them up fast. But you can order a lot of button batteries at once, so your remote control is always charged up. On the other hand, the tanks themselves use “AA” batteries--there you can put in rechargeable batteries.
Investing more money: Customers notice that it’s worth investing some more money in a good RC tank. The cheap models will have an inferior motor and moving parts--and once these go, you pretty much have to get a new RC tank.
Amphibious vehicles: The Air Hogs Thunder Trax RC Vehicle can work on ground, mud, and in shallow water.
Upgrading: You have the option of replacing your tank's metal gears and tracks to something more durable, so that the tank can go on all types of terrain. For example, Top Race offers replacement parts for the Heng Long RC tanks, which allows you to optimize your tanks. It also is a good idea to get a tank where you can replace parts, in the event that something breaks. This is especially important for the tank tracks, which tend to break or wear down with time.
Size: The size of your RC tank can vary from palm-size to over 2 feet long. It’s understood that the larger models can also include more realistic details. HengLong make tanks that are 1/16-scale models of real tanks that were used in World War II.
Rotating turrets: One nice realistic effect is a tank where you can move the turret. The good RC tanks allow you to move the turret 30 degrees up and down, as well as rotating the turret 330 degrees or more!
Realistic sounds and lights/exhaust: There are tanks that are supplied with an engine that makes realistic sounds that recreate a real tank. They also are supplied with head and rear light, as well as being able to emit exhaust or smoke! Heng Long’s RC tanks take a special smoke oil that you inject into the tank, so that it will emit smoke exhaust.
Doing battle: If you have an RC tank with a pre-selected radio channel, you can do battle against another tank running at a different frequency.
Top Race--are makers of drones, remote control helicopters, planes, ufos, cars, and construction vehicles. They were established in New Windsor, NY in 2010. They now also have a branch in London, England, as well as dealing with retailers around the world.
Liberty Imports--are retailers of toys and games for children of all ages. They sell various remote control race cars, tanks, and trains. They also sell bath toys, kitchen toy sets, and more.
Hq--is a retailer of office products, pet supplies, and toys and games. They sell the iPlay RC Battling Tanks, which run on infrared remote control for engaging in combat.
Heng Long--is the best-known maker of remote control toys. They make rather advanced remote control tanks, modeled after real-life tanks--which even can fire artillery and emit smoke. Their tanks have replacement parts which are supplied by other toy dealers.