Deep within the nature trails of Singapore, one may chance upon an unexpected sight: a convoy of vehicles on the move. These vehicles can traverse all sorts of terrain: mud, steep slopes, water bodies, and more. Most of the time, these vehicles make it across smoothly, but at times, accidents occur. Vehicles may crash, overturn, or go off course.
Fortunately, casualties are close to none because the drivers are not in the vehicles but controlling them from afar. This is radio-controlled (RC) crawling.
This essay tells the story of how this community was formed, how it is kept going and what keeps these enthusiasts so passionate about their hobby.
The hobby grew in popularity during the circuit breaker period, especially among those who had grown up in the 1980s and 1990s.
"I was really into RC cars, like the old Tamiya cars or Nikko cars back in the 80s," said 46-year-old Ahmad Zaki. However, as he began to prioritise his studies and career, this hobby faded from his life. Spending money and time on it had become impractical.
"What got me back again was the Circuit Breaker, when there was nothing to do and everyone was working from home," Mr Zaki said, adding that with disposable income, it is now a viable hobby.
With the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, RC enthusiasts began to coalesce into interest groups as they mingled at popular crawling sites.
BuddiesRC, formed by 31-year-old Jensen Teo (centre), is one such group.
While playing at a crawling spot in Woodgrove, Mr Teo began inviting people to join his group. He had wanted to gather people with similar interests together.
"If you play alone, you can entertain yourself for only a couple of weeks before your interest dies off," Mr Teo said. In contrast, playing with people adds adrenaline and fun to RC play.
For this community, a large part of their time is spent on nature trails. They usually meet on the weekends, from morning till noon.
During these hours, these RC enthusiasts would hike along the trails as they bring their crawlers across terrains. Nothing really fazes them, be it the distance, long hours or the weather.
"Rain or shine, some of us will try and go all the way because that's the point of it; it is to have fun," said Mr Zaki.
To them, overcoming obstacles is where the fun is at.
RC crawling is about controlling a realistic-looking model crawler along off-road tracks. Therein lies the challenge and fun, as these tracks are commonly filled with obstacles such as roots, stones and puddles.
Instead of simply picking up their crawlers and moving on, players figure out the best way to overcome them. Considerations include entry and exit points, routes and the build of their crawlers.
"It's like a puzzle. You have to solve it by finding the right line to get to the top. Once you've done that, it's like 'Wow, I did it!'," said 39-year-old Giovanni Bacalso (in white).
Here, he was attempting to manoeuvre his crawler from one rock to another that was higher up via two sticks acting as a bridge.
The group controls their crawlers to climb a steep slope.
Sometimes, the RC crawlers do not make it across. Like real-size cars, crawlers can get stuck in the mud too.
Yet, this does not mean that the players would pick them up either. Instead, when a vehicle gets stuck, a hauler truck may be deployed to rescue it if it is feasible.
For this trip, Mr Teo was the one to look for whenever that happened.
After controlling his truck to a suitable position, he deployed a string from a winch, connecting the crawler to his truck.
There was always a sense of awe when the rescue work began. Many would crowd around to observe the process. Some even whipped out their mobile phones to capture videos and photos of the process.
These challenges to the limits of their crawlers are undoubtedly key moments for every RC enthusiast.
"We really enjoy that kind of satisfaction," said Mr Teo, as Mr Zaki chimed in, pointing to its realism.
Pursuing realism can be expensive. Costs add up as they modify the aesthetics and capabilities of their crawlers. Both Mr Zaki and Mr Bacalso have spent thousands of dollars on their hobby.
Yet, the costs are not a cause for concern. Mr Zaki sees his hobby as a way to destress and chooses not to fret over the costs. After all, this is funded with his savings.
It is also about turning their crawlers into something they are proud of.
Aside from motor upgrades, a teddy bear and crates, Mr Bacalso has also added a "cheesy" saxophone soundtrack to his crawler as a prank, which shows off his humorous side.
"When I go on hikes, if I see other hikers coming, I would play the music and those near me would feel paiseh (embarrassed)," said Mr Bacalso.
Like the slopes traversed by the crawlers, the learning curve may seem steep for novices. Aside from the controls, knowledge of the components and proper ways for maintenance is also necessary.
To Mr Zaki, with "a community of like-minded people who desire to share their wealth of knowledge", picking crawling up is not difficult. At BuddiesRC, the hobby is introduced to novices gradually to avoid overwhelming them.
"Basically, we want the new guys to become interested in crawling first before we go down to the technicalities," said Mr Teo.
At its core, creating a welcoming environment is vital for members of BuddiesRC.
"It is important that the key members of the community share similar values and objectives in what we want to achieve," said Mr Teo.
The group currently has more than 200 members, and meet-ups are organised regularly. At every meet-up, the bonds are strengthened over chats, jokes and their passion.
After all, their objective is to have a place to relax and chat about RC, to continuously spread the hobby and expand the group.
