What is vintage? Is the timeline moving?

[RCveteran]

I am sure we have discussed before but let's discuss again. At the track yesterday one of the guys mentioned they are working on a vintage race and said they are going to allow up thru XXX's. I said that's not vintage, but glad they were working on it regardless.

I suppose in a sense the XXX is vintage and maybe the early 90's stuff should now be antique. Let's fast forward 10-15 years, will a B4.2 be a vintage RC10 for example? Will the vonats have to have two classes.

I think we here sort of get the period we are talking about let's say 1985-1995 (at outside). But does that need to evolve over time? Should we be buying up all the remaining B5's or 22 3.0 or Ultima RB6 (pick your posion)now and holding on to them?

[Coelacanth]

I think "antique" refers to 25 or 30 years old (for objects, anyway...if it applied to people, most of us would be considered "prehistoric").

Usually "vintage" implies some desireability, perhaps due to better quality, rarity, collectability, etc...but as I've always said, "vintage crap is still crap".

[Coelacanth]

Here in Alberta, Canada, a vehicle must be 25+ years of age to be able to obtain an "antique" license plate, which is for a special kind of insurance rate. Of course, there is NO set age that denotes "antique", as what defines "antique" is all over the map...it varies with the item and country, and even state/province and jurisdiction.

Crap is still crap, regardless of its age, desireability or collectability. A piece of turd that you find dried up and petrified behind the TV in your basement is still a turd.

[mk-Zero]

Crap is still crap, regardless of its age, desireability or collectability. A piece of turd that you find dried up and petrified behind the TV in your basement is still a turd.

[RCveteran]

I often think about culture affecting value. People and especially kids are more and more short sighted and a throw away type culture. Will they want to capture their youth or will they simply see an old RC10B4 as a piece of the past.

In other words, is culture shifting such that people with a collector or valuing of the past mentality become so far and few between, that even something that was good in it's time has no value to them in the future.

[Coelacanth]

Mark my words...kids today, in 20 years time, develop a fascination with the smartphone devices they're using today. They'll probably have fond memories of their iPhones, tablets, smartphones, etc. and pay ridiculous money for NIB or fully-functional devices that somehow managed to last for 2 or 3 decades. One only has to look at their rapt fascination with the bloody things nowadays to realize how indelibly their devices will be marked in their memories.

It's pretty sad, actually. I'm glad we grew up in an era where it was fun to build and fix things, not just toss them out every year or so when Next Version X gets released.

[RCveteran]

I fear you may be right. But the networks won't support them so they will just be paper weights. At least our old paper weights can race.

[Speed Chaser]

Coelacanth we are already seeing that today have you see how much first gen nib iphone are going for? It insane. It is sad i am part of the throw away generation lol. Even car are becoming that way most German car now have like a self destruction feature when the warranty expire
Just one question for you guys i recently bought a Alex racing r2 what is that consider? Vintage ?

[RCveteran]

WIll there be old phone shows like there are car shows? A bunch of people displaying their old phone and others voting on who is best in show, good lord!

[Speed Chaser]

RCveteran it wouldn't be call old it be called retro electronic shows

[EvolutionRevolution]

I fear you may be right. But the networks won't support them so they will just be paper weights. At least our old paper weights can race.

Plus that the quality of modern-day electronics is rather unlike the quality of many electronics up to approx. 2000-2005: they fail faster and are harder (if not impossible) to repair due to massive use of SMD components and gluing everything down.

[Saito]

As far as vintage racing goes, I'm not too keen on continually moving the timeline forward. There came a time in RC when the "formula" for a competitive car got nailed down. Once that happens, everything forward is just tweaks on the proven design.

[proffesso]

agree with saito. there was a LOT of unique stuff before the B2/B3 era. now its just variations on turnbuckle length and how far a cab can move forward

[RCveteran]

We might see mid engine tweaks more frequently is my guess, IE, shorter model runs. B6M.1 .1. .3 .4 .5 .8 etc. Like a new app.

[Lowgear]

Vintage, antique, etc... It's all convoluted. Whatever terminology you choose to go with is up to each individual as there's no set standards when it comes to an age timeline in the world of R/C. Me personally, I've tried to stop using those terms altogether when referring to where my main interests in the hobby lie. When anybody asks me or I talk about my involvement in the hobby, I just say that I'm solely into R/C from around prior to the mid 90s. Yeah that doesn't sound as fancy as saying I'm into "vintage R/C" but it leaves no confusion or guessing to what I exactly mean.

Now changing gears, a good majority of my R/C stuff I consider as an investment. I usually make money on anything R/C related I ever sell. How do I do it? I simply don't buy anything that I know I can't turn for a profit down the road. Even parts I need for projects. If you're patient enough, you can buy just about anything in this hobby for far less than its actual worth. I don't have a steady income, and this method has gotten me out of a lot of jams in the past with paying bills. Buy low, sell high!