Pure Passion – Q & A An Interview With RC Girl

If you’re glued to social media for RC content like we are, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the channels and accounts of RC Girl. RC Girl, aka Hayley, is a rising star in the RC world who specializes in sharing video reviews, tips and tricks, unboxings, and tutorials with the intention of growing the remote control hobby. Her passion for RC is infectious and her friendly disposition comes across in her posts and videos, which allows her content to be inclusive and approachable. Join us as we sit down with RC Girl to find out more about her favorite things in RC, discover some of her other hobbies, and learn about her latest exciting plans.

RCCA: Tell us more about your RC Girl content.

RG: I try to make content that is approachable for all levels, and maybe even the experts will learn a thing or two! I have a large focus on scale trucks and crawlers, but also feature my journey and growth in flying model aircraft. I filmed one of my first videos in 2016 after a 17-year hiatus from the hobby, not realizing how big the RC community is online. I started off just filming things I was learning myself from others in the hobby—shock setup, fixing Lexan bodies, soldering, painting, etc. A few years in, companies started reaching out to me to review their products. I’m so grateful for all the brands I get to work with and products I get to try. I do not take it for granted!

RCCA: How did you get started in RC?

RG: I’ve been in and out of the RC hobby over the years but started when I was in my teens. There was a Thai restaurant my family and I would frequent that was above a hobby shop—Hot Rod Hobbies in Santa Clarita, California. You could see their outdoor dirt track from the restaurant and I used to watch people racing buggies and stadium trucks at night for years before I picked up the hobby myself. My brother had a broken Radio Shack car lying around the house and I wanted to try and get it back up and running. I brought it in to Hot Rod Hobbies and they quickly let me know that those cars are not upgradeable or easily fixable (and probably not worth my time to do so). I was introduced to the Team Associated B3 Buggy team kit, which was the latest and greatest at the time. My dad bought me the B3 buggy, some entry-level electronics, a 1800 mAh NiMH battery, a few decent allen wrenches, and I built the kit from the ground up. My friend at the time, Britt, also got a buggy, and we would run our cars around the track at Hot Rod Hobbies and around our neighborhoods. We’d break parts (as we learned was common) and spend time learning about our cars as we fixed them. As I moved away for college, my cars were packed away in a storage bin. It wasn’t until 2016 that I found my cars again and started learning about the progression that the hobby has made since I first started.

RCCA: What is your favorite category of RC?

RG: I’ve dabbled in a lot of facets of RC but my favorite has to be the trail trucks and scale crawlers. There are just so many fun things to explore with those builds and I’m always challenging myself to learn or perfect a new technique or skill with every video. From 3D printing to painting and weathering, vinyl wraps, lighting, scale accessorizing, building a rig that can take on the most challenging lines, and scale photography. I also like that it gets you out into nature with your friends.

Which RC car is your favorite?

RG: Oh wow, that’s a tough question! I was eyeing the Jeep Cherokee XJ SCX10 II for a very long time and really love how that one turned out. The Traxxas TRX-4 Defender was my first-ever trail truck and has probably seen the most miles. I’ve even hiked it up canyons in Moab, Utah!

RCCA: What recent projects can you tell us about?

RG: I just finished my RC Pro Rack lighted wall display! It turned out so well. I mounted Pro Racks to 2×6 boards and secured those to a wall in the RC room. It has color-changing LED lights as well. I now have 14 of my favorite trucks all displayed. [Editor’s Note: Look for a how-to tutorial for this in a future issue of RCCA.]

RCCA: Do you have any other hobbies?

RG: Yes! I play guitar. I also like anything that can keep me active outdoors. I live in Santa Cruz, California, which is known for its amazing redwood forest trails and its coastline, so I do a lot of mountain biking and kite surfing. I also recently got my motorcycle license and bought a Honda Rebel 500, which I take exploring on a lot of the back roads here. I’m hoping to get on a dirt bike soon, too.

RCCA: Is there anything else you want to let our readers know?

RG: I’d just like to say thank you for the support from the RC community! It’s been so nice to get messages from people saying that I helped to get their daughters or wives into the hobby. It’s also great to connect with people from all around the world who share the same passion. I’m looking forward to seeing where my channel goes, even starting to sell some curated products and explore new video formats. In 2023 I’m hoping to launch a hobby shop tour video series, so stay tuned!

To stay updated on RC Girl’s latest RC adventures, follow on her social media accounts:

YouTube: /RCgirl
Instagram: @RC_girl
Facebook: @thercgirl
Website: thercgirl.com

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Text by Jerry Tsai and Leigh Guarnieri
Images Courtesy of RC Girl