Kraton RC Etiquette

[slick2500]

I've never had parents ask me to drive it as most of the time I think they understand how much power these things have by the fact that I am launching them 20-30 feet into the air and like 100 feet out. It's always the little kids that are out by themselves that ask. I remember I went out one day and this kid who was maybe 10 was just standing next to me repeatedly asking "can I drive" for like 10 minutes. I told him I grew up with 5 siblings there's nothing he can do that will annoy me.

 

[slick2500]

 

[blaster27]

Now that's funny. . Can I shoot your fire arm? Ha

 

[Doddski]

I got asked by a younger teen at the park one day when I has the Senton out, if he could have a go.
I just said no, too expensive to share around and walked off.
I've let friends who also have Rc cars, have a go - only because they know the financial investment required to get into this themselves.

Don't feel bad for not letting rand strangers have a go, it's your car to do what you want with

 

[hobo]

people just think there toys full stop. but if they saw the investment and time you put into them it would be a different story

 

[Jerold]

I was out bashing my Kraton 6s when a lady with her kid, around 5 years old approached me. She said her son has rc cars at home and could he try mine.

Honestly, at that moment being caught off-guard, I did not know what to say. I asked if he has experience with large scale rc cars (in hindsight not a good question if she said ‘yes’). She looked at me but did not answer. I just continued talking about the dangers of large powerful cars if someone is inexperienced. Did not mention my headache if the car met a tree at full throttle or worse, someone. She was not overjoyed but understood what I was implying and walked away, kid unhappily following behind.

Has anyone experienced similar situations? What is the proper rc etiquette to tell someone “NO”

You did the right thing. You don't know this kid or the mom. In reality it's much more dangerous than a BB Gun and I bet she wouldn't let her 5 year old play with that.

I would have just said, it's very expensive and not really a toy.

 

[mutosan]

I was out bashing my Kraton 6s when a lady with her kid, around 5 years old approached me. She said her son has rc cars at home and could he try mine.

Honestly, at that moment being caught off-guard, I did not know what to say. I asked if he has experience with large scale rc cars (in hindsight not a good question if she said ‘yes’). She looked at me but did not answer. I just continued talking about the dangers of large powerful cars if someone is inexperienced. Did not mention my headache if the car met a tree at full throttle or worse, someone. She was not overjoyed but understood what I was implying and walked away, kid unhappily following behind.

Has anyone experienced similar situations? What is the proper rc etiquette to tell someone “NO”

Just say "Sorry no" or "Do you have that or that amount of money to pay if he crashes it?. Its your car, your time your decition. There is no etiquette and hell no you don't have to explain anything. If they ask, you can point out what can happen and that it needs practise. I never ever let someone else except my girlfriend or realy good friends drive my fast and powerfull rc cars. Especially not strangers or kids.

 

[GamwToInsomnia.gr]

It's an awkward moment when a child disappointed.
But it's better than cry, blood and ambulances (and maybe a statemanet in police)

 

[NitroK]

Lots of valuable input from members on how to handle the situation. Thank you. Kids are generally inquisitive even more if there is a rc car bashing nearby. We would be too if someone turned up with the latest release...Kraton 9s EXB ver 7.85 for example . Most of us know better than to try someone's rc.

"Sorry, No" is the answer for anyone asking but with kids it warrants a little context as to why they cannot drive it. They need to learn and understand the potential dangers and be aware of it in the future.

NOTE:
In this thread, nearly everyone who had good intentions and passed their rc to someone they did not know, ended in disaster.

 

[blaster27]

Never encountered a request yet. I should had made my response a bit clearer. Sorry but I can't, Its just not safe for you to try it. The ambulance, and police thing would worry me. The Lawyer thing isn't good either.

 

[Dan B.]

My RCing generally tries to stay away from any interaction with the non-RC public. Only run my RCs at home during the week when school is in session and never on weekends in my residential area. That minimizes interaction with the public and generally negates any requests by passers-by to run my car.

Weekends I seek out an industrial area for RC running. No residential homes, no kids, no animals and minimal motor traffic. It's as isolate as I can get without having reasonable access to any RC track.

Drawing on and quoting Hector_Fisher, post #42 above, "It was a stark reminder to me that politics generally don't favor the minority." Very possibly why our hobby does not have community support in the way of RC parks or run sites. Result is, as a hobby group, we are stuck with running where we can. That's always a dicey do. That and there are so many disciplines within the surface RC niche: bashing, boating, crawling, drifting, off-road running and racing, on-road running and racing, RC speed runs and RC drag racing immediately come to mind. Hard then for a community anywhere to come up with a one-size-fits-all approach to providing RCs a place to run.

RC air seems to have managed this challenge with its private flying fields. RC surface (hard surface and water) hasn't broke the code yet. RC air is fortunate to have a powerful lobby in its membership to a national organization. Until surface RC can find a way to represent itself nationally to the general public and esp. elected officials holding the purse strings, we as hobbyists will continue to have to seek out run sites on our own. Inviting yet again, repeat experiences OP relates at start of this thread.

Whew. Long post.

As you and others have pointed out several times, public perception is the most important thing for acceptance. RC people who do really dumb sh’t are not helping the hobby at all. There have been several members here post videos of themselves doing some colossally stupid things, and I pretty much stopped responding with suggestions that they don’t do that, or try to be safe, etc.
One person in particular, doing speed runs on a busy street in a crowded neighborhood comes to mind. After several videos of seriously dangerous and totally disrespectful behavior (to which I responded) he hit a persons car at speed (the motorist was simply driving down the street when he hit them) and complained about their response! He was like, “sh’t happens, what’s the big deal?” He’s lucky the guy didn’t jump out with a gun, or at the very least beat the living sh’t out of him. I would have.
But I won’t respond to these any more. I’m not their mother, and if they’re dumb enough to do this crap to begin with I doubt if they would heed warnings or use common sense anyway.

 

[LipoShirly]

I told him I grew up with 5 siblings there's nothing he can do that will annoy me.

classic...

 

[blaster27]

As you and others have pointed out several times, public perception is the most important thing for acceptance. RC people who do really dumb sh’t are not helping the hobby at all. There have been several members here post videos of themselves doing some colossally stupid things, and I pretty much stopped responding with suggestions that they don’t do that, or try to be safe, etc.
One person in particular, doing speed runs on a busy street in a crowded neighborhood comes to mind. After several videos of seriously dangerous and totally disrespectful behavior (to which I responded) he hit a persons car at speed (the motorist was simply driving down the street when he hit them) and complained about their response! He was like, “sh’t happens, what’s the big deal?” He’s lucky the guy didn’t jump out with a gun, or at the very least beat the living sh’t out of him. I would have.
But I won’t respond to these any more. I’m not their mother, and if they’re dumb enough to do this crap to begin with I doubt if they would heed warnings or use common sense anyway.

Times 2. You get what you pay for. It's not a toy. Mess around too much and you will have a run in with the law.

 

[Luke66]

I've never had parents ask me to drive it as most of the time I think they understand how much power these things have by the fact that I am launching them 20-30 feet into the air and like 100 feet out. It's always the little kids that are out by themselves that ask. I remember I went out one day and this kid who was maybe 10 was just standing next to me repeatedly asking "can I drive" for like 10 minutes. I told him I grew up with 5 siblings there's nothing he can do that will annoy me.

HAH! Same here, except I’m still growing up with 5 siblings.

So yeah, if you’re gonna start crying cuz u can’t play with my RC, I don’t give a crap. I’ve seen it all before

 

[blaster27]

Family is always different. That is between you and God. And Mom and Dad.

 

[Snacktime]

I let them drive my crawler around, its to funny not to. Wreck at 5 mph, can't figure out the steering or roll it over.

 

[blaster27]

Can't blame you there.

 

[Dan B.]

Family is always different. That is between you and God. And Mom and Dad.

You’re statistically less likely to go to jail if you beat on a sibling as opposed to a stranger, too. So if a sibling wrecked my car…

 

[blaster27]

You’re statistically less likely to go to jail if you beat on a sibling as opposed to a stranger, too. So if a sibling wrecked my car…

Now you got the go ahead. . But only till he says uncle.

 

[Luke66]

You’re statistically less likely to go to jail if you beat on a sibling as opposed to a stranger, too. So if a sibling wrecked my car…

It wouldn’t be that bad here. I’d just yell my head off at them and force them to pay for the parts. Sadly when my younger bro rammed me head on with his stampede (he broke the lights on my monster slash) my parents didn’t side with me. So therefore I have no lights on my slash anymore.