When kids and teens are given a remote controlled car, it doesn’t take long before the little ones want to conquer the garden with the car. However, very few RC vehicles are suitable for off-road driving. RC crawlers are an exception. These vehicles are conspicuous because of their large tyres and the usually slow driving style. Rock Crawlers are not only popular as toys for children but are also great for teens and adults.
Different terrain, different modification
When he is not performing, musician Jackson Lian will occupy himself with auto parts and tools. And they’ve become his best friends, especially after his injuries sustained from extreme sports. However, they are not the usual parts that we use for cars — they are smaller.
The 39-year-old revealed his passion for remote control 4×4 crawlers and boats. “I like remote control boats because I love the water. During my free time, I would fish. Then, from real boats, I transitioned to smaller ones like these.”
His passion for remote control 4×4 crawlers stemmed from the challenges they provided him. “With crawlers, it is tactical to build one. We need to study the rig, the terrain it will ride on. That is why we need to change and modify it each time before we play it. Different terrain, different modification.”
Starting months before the pandemic, Jackson, who is a part of the RC Tasek Biru Club, revealed that he and his club members would often play at Tasek Biru, Bau. “From time to time, we will upgrade our trucks. And then we will bring them for a hike too!”
According to him, there are several types of crawlers available in the market. 1: 12, 1: 10, 1: 24, 1: 6 — and the most common scale is the 1: 10 scale the parts of which are universal and easier to obtain. “I enjoy building it and mixing with the remote control car community. I also enjoy learning new things from those with experience.”
A time spent with children
When asked, how his wife felt about his hobby, Jackson said she was supportive. “She saw how our children were playing with it together with me, so she just allowed me. It is better than doing extreme sports, hurting myself.”
At home, Jackson has a mini-workshop where he will work on building his crawlers. There, his children will join him and make the time worthwhile and enjoyable. “It is usually more fun to do it together. Initially, they thought they were toys. I told them yes, they were toys, but much more expensive compared to theirs.”
Revealing further, Jackson said to build a good and stable crawler could cost up to RM6,000. Whereas the most expensive crawler he had ever invested in cost him RM4,000. “That said, I taught them to value it. We can share it, we can build it together, but they must learn to take good care of it.”
Among his four children, Jackson said his younger eight-year-old son showed the most interest. “I would tell him how hard it was to get the parts, where to get it from. In that journey of building the rig, he knows how hard it is not only to build it but how to get the parts and everything. From there, he knows how to value them.”
Building a remote control crawler
Explaining further, Jackson said there were two types of remote control crawlers in the market. “One is Ready-to-Run. Just pop in batteries and play. Another type is the assembly kit for you to build it yourself.”
The process of the latter, according to Jackson was like assembling Lego blocks. “I like the challenge of building it. Sometimes I will modify it to be better by adding separate parts.”
RC Tasek Biru Club
He also elaborated how it was important for the crawlers to have a low centre of gravity. “This is to ensure a crawler can climb, go sidehill, smoothly ride on slopping terrains. Without a good low centre gravity, it will topple very easily.”
“Just like a normal scale car, the physics behind modifying a crawler is the same. You just have to build it low but with enough clearance to go over the obstacles. It is no rocket science, but building it can be a headache.”
Having been a member of the club for more than two years, Jackson said the club was first organised five years ago. The club was founded by a group of friends — Pak Wan, Vincent Tze, Steward, Didik and Leslie. The purpose was to gather all remote control vehicle fans to have fun together. With over 50 members, the club’s president this year is Albert Ace, while Jackson acts as the club’s treasurer.
On May 15, the club will be holding a competition — Ace King Crawler War 2022 where its focus is on the best crawler. There will be 70 participants from the whole of Malaysia. The competition will be held at Serembu Eco Park, Siniawan and is mainly sponsored by international crawler company Flatgekko.
Total prize money of RM12,000 awaits participants. To experience the thrill and heart-beating moments of controlling a crawler, visit ‘Kelab RC Tasek Biru’ on Facebook.
