Don't put them off no matter what you say or do. They are new and they need to welcomed to the track WITHOUT any comments or suggestions implying that what they have in their hands is just not quite "there". It is not their fault.

Anyone wanting to get into the hobby/sport would be easily confused. In fact, earlier this year I thought about expanding 3hobby.net's coverage to include electric on-road and after studying it a bit, I decided I was very confused and I'm no newbie to RC cars! Let's just take a quick look, and I mean a really quick AND simple look at the world of RC racing from a newbie's perpective ...

Do I go for off-road or on-road?
I don't have a club with an on-road track nearby where I live so I prefer to just bash around. I'll go off-road.
Hmmm ... so do I buy a buggy or a rallycross or a monster truck or a short-course truck or a rally car?
Errr, what scale? 1/10th, 1/8th or 1/5th? I do like the look of those Baja buggies!
Wait a minute - I've seen how messy those off-road cars get. Muddy and wet and mum is just going to kill me for walking in with my muddy boots and clothes too!

Aaah, wait a minute - there's a club with an oval track nearby! Hmmm ... maybe not, I'm not too interested going round and round with a lop-sided winged car.

OK, maybe I'll go for on-road. Looks more like real racing - precise driving, close racing and the cars look like the real things. I'll worry about finding a track later.
Do I get a car or a bike or a drift-car? Hmmm ... let's go for normal cars.
OK, what scale now? 1/18th? 1/12th 1/10th? 1/8th? 1/5th?

Do I go for petrol or nitro or electric powered cars?

Hmmm ... people say electric is not messy, simpler cars and battery changes are quick and I'm off again. I'll go electric then ...
OK ... stock or modified motors?
Brushed or brushless motors?
Hmmm, maybe sensorless? What on earth are those?
Do I need to a commutator lathe? Maybe avoid that - I'll go brushless.
What are "speed controllers"? And what's a "speedo" (hint - its not a swimming trunk!).
Are the ESCs the same for brushed and brushless motors?
Do I need those cute mini-fans? Where do they sit in the car?
How many turns motor do I need?
What batteries? NiCads? LiPo? LiFe?
How many cells? 1? 4? 6?
7.2 volts? 7.6? 9.6?
2C? 35c? Whaaaaaat?
Which charger will I need?
Do all chargers charge all kinds of batteries?
How long do they take to charge? How many batteries do I need?
What tools do I need?
Soldering iron perhaps? Are there DC versions or do I need AC?
Will there be AC at the track?
Do I need spare tyres?
My car came with threaded tyres - how come I see some people use slicks at the local club?
I also heard about hardness - 28R, 30R, 32R - what's that all about?
2WD? 4WD?
Some racers were discussing inserts - what are those?
Are there many kinds of inserts? Ratings perhaps?
I also saw them paint some liquid on their tyres. Were they cleaning them?
No wait, I remember ... they were using "traction" liquid! These cars have traction problems then?
I also overheard a "pro" discussing the stiffness of his tyre rims. What's up with that?
Do I need to use superglue all time to assemble my tyres?
I love those dainty tyre warmers too - makes it all look like real F1 racing. How much do a set of those cost?
Where do I buy a tyre-balancer?
And what's RTR by the way?

Alrighty, never mind, I'm sure this is simpler than it looks. Afterall, they're just toys aren't they?
No wait! What class do I race in?
Cup Racer? Mini? Micros? Sport? Touring? Super-Touring? Pan-car? GT-10? Formula-GT? Formula Ten? Pro-Ten? F1? Stock? SuperStock? Pro-Stock? Modified? 5-Cell Mod? 27T? 23T? 19T? 17.5 BL? 13.5 BL? 10.5?

Hmmm ... I thought people said electric is not messy, simpler and quick? Yeah right, I'll go nitro then ...

OK, 1/10th or 220mm or 235mm or 1/8th or 1/5th?
What engine size? .09? .12? .21? .28?
Two-stroke or four-stroke engine?
Nitro or petrol engine?
16% or 25% nitro?
Can I have any size fuel bottle?
Pull-start or non-pull-start engines?
I need a starter-box then?
A glowplug driver too? I thought I was the driver?
How do I tune a nitro engine?
And what's a "temp-gun"?
Do I use touring, saloon, coupe or Lola shells?
Foam or rubber tyres?
Do I need a tyre-truer?
Who will be my pitman?

And so it goes on and on for the newcomer with this "quick look". If a would-be newcomer is UK-based, it would be reasonable to assume that he or she would have heard of HPI. It is a well-managed brand and is very visible through its multimedia sponsorships including TV programmes. If this would-be newcomer were to visit HPI's website, you can imagine the confusion that I've tried to potray with the "quick look" above. Just take a quick look yourself at this page. How many off-road models are there? How many on-road? Electric? Petrol? Nitro?

I've not even started on the "common" items yet such as handtools, transmitters, receivers, servos and car set-up equipment. Then there's the "soft" issues such as racing and club etiqutte or what it takes to stay in the hobby/sport for a reasonable but enjoyable period of time (assuming you have the resources that is). the list can go on and on.

The fact is that this is where we are at the end of 2010 and who knows what 2011 will throw at us in our hobby/sport. More confusion or simplicity? More rules or less? More classes or less? More tracks or less? More racers or less?

And so we come to the obligatory new year's resolution. For me it is to race as much as I can because 2010 was a disaster. Of course I see obstacles to this resolution but I'm just going to have to try. I also resolve to continue to keep 3hobby.net online and active and interesting (with everyone's help of course). And I'll keep it simple - the decision is just to stick with nitro on-road then. With the occasional "excursions" onto the dark side.

SlowSteady - signing 2010 off and wishing a Happy 2011 to everyone.