RETRO R/C RACER

By Frank E. Yost

Image

Photograph by Sam Murphy

RIVETING TALE

Using scrap sheet metal and pop rivets, you can construct a model 1930s British Midget racer that combines vintage “tether car” styling with modern R/C capabilities.

Radio control (R/C) toys are fun, but their plastic bodies are so obviously mass-produced. To create something more interesting, I wanted to find a metal toy racer 10 inches or longer that I could transplant some R/C insides into. I soon discovered that the best candidates were all precious collectibles.

I decided to build a metal body myself and soon stumbled upon an old hobby called “tether cars,” a type of ...

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