The Radio Control (RC or R/C) car hobby is hardly new. People of all ages and walks of life have enjoyed the hobby for decades. From the early days of control line racing (where the cars were literally tied to a pole and raced in circles) to the 1970’s when enthusiasts were provided the freedom of a hand-held wireless transmitter with throttle and steering controls, to today’s vehicles with built-in stability control, ABS-style braking and more, the RC hobby is certainly one that the whole family can enjoy – on road or off!

Over these many decades, RC companies have come and gone but there are a few mainstays that change and grow along with the hobby, and one of those is Traxxas – located right here in the United States. Traxxas began in 1986 and has offered numerous motorized RC products over the last 30-plus years. From cars and trucks to boats and even a quadcopter (a.k.a. drone), they have produced some timeless vehicles that they still offer to this day. We’ve been to their facilities in McKinney, Texas, and while some may consider RC cars “toys,” they are serious business for everyone at Traxxas.

Rarely has the RC industry bothered with realistic bodies for their cars and trucks until just a couple of decades ago. And that was usually a company that made replacement bodies, not an actual RC vehicle with a real-world body on it (and we’re not talking about the toy store hard-body stuff, but true hobby-grade RC vehicles that are repairable and upgradable). Traxxas itself had relied on its own body designs for its RC cars and trucks. For one, it keeps the overall cost down a few dollars (licensing does cost money per unit). That all changed in 2010 when Traxxas and Ford began a licensing agreement that brought many popular Ford models to the hobby shop shelves through Traxxas’ lineup of RC cars and trucks.The first offering in this partnership was a home run, thanks to not only the licensed body and graphics but because of its driver! The 1/16^th scale Ken Block Gymkhana Fiesta, replete in its Monster Energy green “M” logos and full Ken Block racing livery, was a blast to drive. We still own one to this day and it has been gently used, although now has become a “shelf queen” as it is called in the hobby, since the body is considered a collector’s item today. If you can find one if these, be ready to open your wallet wide, as limited-run RC cars can fetch a pretty penny, just like a diecast car or other collectible.Feeding off of the high that was the Ken Block Fiesta, Traxxas teed-up its next Blue Oval hit, the 2012 Mustang Boss 302, also in 1/16^th scale. This release in early 2011 featured the new Boss 302 Mustang S197 model on the same AWD chassis as the Ken Block Fiesta, but with a licensed Mustang body in the same colors available as the real deal. As luck would have it, I was able to snap a pic of the Competition Orange model that I own with an actual Competition Orange Boss 302 Mustang -- and it’s one of my favorite RC photos!Late 2011 brought the first Ford licensed truck to the Traxxas lineup. The Traxxas Slash, a 1/10^th scale short-course racing truck, available in 2WD and 4WD models, was blessed with the new Ford F-150 SVT Raptor pickup body (available on 2WD models only). Once again, like the Boss 302, it was available in true-to-life Ford-only colors, including the “digital mud” body graphics the real truck came with, and it was a hot seller!Possibly one of the most interesting models that came to market was in 2012 in the form of the NHRA Mustang Funny Car. It came complete with a special transmitter that allowed line-lock style burnouts and used an optional scale drag-race Christmas tree timer. It was Traxxas’ answer to its then-NHRA sponsorship, and featured a huge 1/8^th scale funny car Mustang in John Force and Courtney Force liveries. The NHRA Mustang Funny Car sponsorship with the Force family ended in 2017, and Traxxas then re-issued the NHRA Mustang Funny Car with a generic Traxxas livery.

Over the next few years, the Ken Block Fiesta, Boss 302 Mustang, NHRA Mustang Funny Car and first-gen Raptor carried the Ford flag for us, and we began to notice them being displayed at many car shows and being used at Ford events. Traxxas has traditionally supported major automotive events, including Barrett-Jackson auctions, the SEMA show and others, with displays, on-site sales and usually a demo or “try me” track surface for everyone to get a little throttle time, and where the big kids can get all their questions answered.After we said goodbye to Ken Block’s Fiesta and the Boss 302 was no longer in production, Traxxas had to go back to the design lab for its next round of officially licensed Ford products, and in 2016 surprised us all with a great heritage piece. It was the monster truck that started it all for many of us -- Bigfoot #1! Released in 2016 on the company’s long-standing Stampede 2WD monster truck chassis, Traxxas worked closely with Ford and Bob Chandler’s Bigfoot 4x4x4 to recreate this historic vehicle. From the chrome roll bars to the Predator carbs coming through the hood, it is a time machine that you and your kids will love.With the success of the Bigfoot #1 and knowing how popular the new S550 Mustang had become in just its first two years of production, Traxxas knew it had to offer the new Mustang bodystyle. But there was something a little more pressing on the “front burner,” and that was Ford’s new GT supercar. Launched in 2017 to coincide with the launch of the actual car, the 2017 Ford GT from Traxxas was a thing of beauty. Available in limited factory colors with an optional LED light kit, the new licensed body was the first body to be fitted to the company’s all new 4-Tec 2.0 1/10^th scale AWD on-road touring car chassis.It would end up being a banner year for Ford RC enthusiasts, as we would see no less than five Ford licensed models throughout 2017. After the launch of the Ford GT, the Ford Performance S550 Mustang was released on the same 4-Tec 2.0 chassis. A new 2017-spec Ford F-150 Raptor with 3D plastic grille insert and side view mirrors on the same 2WD Slash chassis, plus a Fiesta ST Rally edition with AWD and rally car inspired suspension and graphics, debuted as well.One of the newer Traxxas/Ford licensed RC products to hit the stores was another retro throwback vehicle, the Ford Bronco, in 2018. Now while it would be easy to assume it would be a classic “flat-glass” Bronco, you would be wrong. Traxxas turned the way-back dial to 1979 and the second-generation “bull-nose” Bronco for its new TRX-4 Scale and Trail Crawler 4WD chassis. Available in a glistening gloss black, the Bronco Ranger XLT, with either the cool Sunset graphics (a real option package from 1979) or black/red two-tone, it is one super-capable rock crawler and mud slinger!Just as we were wrapping this overview of Traxxas’ line of Ford licensed radio control vehicles, a knock on our door brought us Traxxas’ latest entry, the 2021 Ford Bronco! Based off of the same TRX-4 chassis as our 1979 Bronco, it features an extremely realistic body with hidden mounting system (no “hood pins” to ruin the looks) and an LED-ready headlight and taillight setup that is designed to work with Traxxas’ upcoming Pro Scale LED lighting system. A Pro Scale electric winch with remote is coming soon as well! The new 2021 Bronco is available in licensed colors of Rapid Red Metallic and Cyber Orange Metallic.

Except for the Ken Block Gymkhana Fiesta, the Boss 302, and the NHRA Mustang Funny Car, all of the Traxxas officially Ford licensed vehicles discussed here are readily available through your local hobby shop, through online retailers, and of course directly at Traxxas.com. The latest models include fresh body colors (the Ford Performance Mustangs are now available in Grabber Blue and Competition Orange) and more option parts are added to the Traxxas catalog all the time, such as wheels, suspension pieces, gears, LED lighting kits, and more.

The radio control hobby is a fun one that any age can enjoy, either alone or with a group of friends, and the aftermarket support -- just like for your real Ford vehicle -- is huge. From wheels and tires to bigger motors, upgraded suspension pieces and much more, these vehicles are tons of fun to drive and to work on. We can’t wait to see what Ford and Traxxas partner up for next! Could it be a Mustang on their upcoming Drag Slash drag-race spec chassis? Or perhaps the Mustang Mach-E GT on the new 4-Tec 3.0 chassis? It is electric, after all, and that would make a Traxxas version even more realistic!

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / MARK HOULAHAN AND COURTESY TRAXXAS