Back in 2017, an Italian TV show called I Fatti Vostri featured a segment about collecting that featured vintage R/C cars.
Who knew? Not me (until this week). But it’s a fun little segment featuring a lot of 1980s models, and well worth a look. So here’s the video (with English subtitles)…
Full credit for this information goes to my friend Carmelo’s Italian-language website Nikko Garage, where I recently stumbled upon this little gem…
As I have written in the past, it’s pretty uncommon to see R/C cars featured in any sort of TV show about collectibles. Perhaps the best example I can recall, is back in 2009 when the Australian ABC TV show Collectors aired a segment about them. (Luckily I managed to record it at the time, and have since shared the only video available).
But over the years, lots of lifestyle shows and specials and books about collecting or toys, or both, have come and gone without any mention of R/C cars…
And remember that time when James May, renowned motoring journalist and presenter, car collector, vintage toy author and presenter, Japan fan, toy car builder, and model enthusiast finally combined everything he has ever loved into his one, true destiny by presenting a special about vintage Japanese Radio Controlled model cars?…
No? Because it never happened 😒 Though he did corner the market on Plasticine flower bed TV specials.
(Disclaimer: I love all the James May specials, as evidenced by the rack of James May DVD documentaries I own. But seriously, what gives?)
Meanwhile in Italy, a fun, random little TV segment has surfaced…
I have no knowledge of Italian TV shows. But Google and Wikipedia tell me that I Fatti Vostri (translation: “Facts of yours”) is a long-running staple of Italian TV. One of those ancient variety shows every country has, whose format (and presenters) simply never die. And quite randomly on May 24th 2017, the show seems to have featured an interesting chat about R/C car collecting, with a collector named Fabio Venturini…
Unlike the ABC Collectors episode, this TV segment focused on both kit and ready-to-run vintage R/C toys. Dating from the 1970s through to the 1990s. Such classics as the Shinsei Mountain Man, Nikko Bison F10, Nikko Turbo Panther, Nikko Dictator, Nikko Brat… (as you can tell, Nikko were simply huge in Italy during the 1980s)… and many more can be glimpsed.
There’s even a rare Nikko Audi Quattro. (Albeit with extra fog lights – those weren’t standard on the Nikko Audi)…
Nice collection Fabio. He even appraises someone else’s Nikko Bison F10 at the end.
Check out the full video below. The language is Italian, but I have integrated the Youtube-auto-translated English subtitles into my copy (apologies for any translation mistakes, but it’s better than nothing!)
And if you’d like to read more about the segment, and even see some behind-the-scenes photos, be sure to check out Carmelo’s page about it too.
Cool article, thanks for sharing. I wonder if that Italian collector has seen this page.
James is of the generation for whom they were a bit old to be captured by R/C in the late 70s.
By that time, he was well into his teens he was aspiring to motorcycles (see Fizzie), having largely left behind such childish pursuits” as Airfix, Meccano and Hornby trains…
For this reason, I don’t think it’s likely we’ll see Cap’t Slow crashing R/C cars anytime soon.