BELLA VISTA -- A convoy of compact crawlers clambered carefully across crooked outcrops, crossed creeks and climbed precarious cliffs, facing treacherous ascents at times in the tens of feet tall.
The vehicles -- 1/10-scale radio-controlled trucks -- more often than not piloted by tinkerers who tower over the rigs they've optimized for loose surfaces and steep climbs.
Bella Vista's Smokie Adams, who hosted a driving session at Tanyard Creek on a recent weekend, said he runs a small mobile business providing RC truck parts and service, RC Crawler Creations, and he works for Powershift RC. He's also worked closely with Rogers-based RC shop and race track NWA RC Raceway, he said.
"It's RC 24/7," he said.
Adams said the drive schedule can be found on his business Facebook page, RC Crawler Creations.
Winter drives such as this one tend to see a relatively low turnout, but the crawling community has about 80 regular participants in Northwest Arkansas who go on trail and wilderness drives, typically picking up trash along the way, he said.
It's a great area for crawling, because there are a ton of spots with great, technical terrain for the small trucks. Bella Vista alone has several, he said.
Bella Vista resident Shawn Puryear was among the enthusiasts who showed up for a drive last weekend.
The style of RC truck is slower and designed for more technical driving, making it a much better fit for driving in smaller spaces. A RC race vehicles are fun, but can be harder to find the space to use, he said. Someone could easily set up a few obstacles to tackle in their home for one of the trucks, he said.
Puryear said he's had the interest but didn't get a rig until fairly recently, after he dropped a few other hobbies to make time and budget space -- and it was a good call, he said.
"Using them is fun, but building them and customizing them is just as much fun," he said.
Adams said he's been tinkering with radio-controlled vehicles since the early 1990s in St Louis, where he drove gas-powered road cars.
He spent a lot of time fiddling with cars during adulthood, but health issues in the family became expensive and the full size "hot rod" had to go.
Adams said RC gives him a chance to work on vehicles with a far smaller budget and workspace.
Crawlers in particular don't require near the budget a racing rig does, he said. It's entirely possible to spend well over $1,000 on one, but someone can put together a rig on a much tighter budget and have a good time.
Anyone wanting to get started should expect to budget in the neighborhood of $400 to $500, he said, noting a healthy chunk is investing in a safe, high-quality battery charger and batteries.
Trucks are sold either ready-to-run -- typically assembled but without a battery -- often abbreviated RTR, or as a kit, he said, noting a kit is a better option for someone who's really interested in building.
"You build one, take it out, drive it, build another one," he said.
Adams suggested purchasing something made by an established manufacturer such as Cross, RC4WD or Axial because parts availability and aftermarket support is significantly better.
For Adams, it seems to have been a great investment, spawning a business and keeping his hands busy for the past few years.
"Some guys like fishing. Some guys like hunting. I like all of them, but I'd rather be doing this," he said.
NW News on 01/26/2020