By this point RC vehicles have become commercially produced by Mardave out of the UK.

Other companies such as Model Car Enterprises INC. and WEN start producing their own RC cars. These were sold as "build yourself" kits known as "Pan Cars". Pretty much all of them were 1/8 scale and powered by 2-stroke model airplane motors.

In 1971 Team Associated an American company (known then as Associated) releases their first RC car, the RC1. The 1/8th scale RC1 was one of the first nitro-powered RC cars. Nitro-powered cars used a mix of oils such as nitrogen and methanol. By this point, most manufacturers had switched from single-piston engines to two-piston engines.

Tamiya, a Japanese model company releases their first RC vehicle, the Sherman Tank to the Japanese, Asian and European markets.

Team Associated released their second model the RC100, also a 1/8th scale nitro-powered RC car.

Tamiya releases the Porsche 934, their second release since the Sherman Tank. The Porsche 934 from Tamiya is sometimes credited as the first RC that was based on a real model, although the existence of the Ferrari 250LM from El-Gi disproves that. Regardless, this was Tamiya's first on-road vehicle, it was an electric model sitting on a pan chassis. Shortly after this Tamiya began producing incredibly detailed plastic and remote kits. They also released the Ferrari 312T, Tyrrell P34, Toyota Celica, and Lamborghini Countach shortly after the release of the Porsche 934.

Team Associated released another RC car, the RC12E, a 1/12th scale electric RC car. Following other manufacturers in the switch to electric.

Tamiya paves the way for off-road RC vehicles, releasing two models, the Rough Rider and the Sand Scorcher. These models completely changed the game featuring a die-cast model suspension system and large rubber treaded tires. Shortly after this they released more models such as the Frog, Hornet, Grasshopper. They even began producing monster truck style models such as as the Blackfoot and Clodbuster.

Thunder Tiger is founded in Taichung, Taiwan and begin producing RC vehicles, such as planes, helicopters and land vehicles.

The first ever RC Championship was held in Geneva in 1979. It featured 1/8th scale, nitro powered cars. Phil Booth won the championship with a PB Racing Car. PB was a smaller RC manufacturer during this time, there is not much information about them available on the internet.

The 1980's are typically referred to as "The Golden Era" for RC. More manufacturers joining the RC madness, the shift from scale models to high-performance models, and a lot more racing.

Team Associated wins the 1/12th Scale RC World Championship with their RC12i.

Pro-Line Racing is founded in Beaumont, CA. They immediately gave focus to improving the tires and wheels for the off-road market, claiming brands like Tamiya wasn't giving this enough attention.

Team Associated releases an award-winning buggy model RC car, the RC10. It went on to win the first-ever IFMAR Championship in 1985. It featured an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy chassis. It featured a transmission with an adjustable ball differential that would allow you to tune the car to any track condition.

Tamiya releases a 4WD buggy, the HotShot. This vehicle was designed to handle dusty, slippery surfaces and be faster than its 2WD counterparts. Later models of the HotShot were able to hit speeds of 40MPH.

In 1985 Tower Hobbies and Great Planes Model Distributors combined to form Hobbico Inc. They put their headquarters in Champaign, IL.

In 1986 HPI Racing is founded in Southern California. HPI Racing will go on to become one of the biggest, most established RC manufacturers in the world. They started by just producing parts for existing RC racecars.

Traxxas is founded by Jim Jenkins and David Katz in 1986 in McKinney, TX. They release their buggy, The Cat. Traxxas instantly became a hit, with all their models being "RTR" (Ready to Run). Up until 1986, almost all RC cars were kits you had to build yourself. Traxxas was the one who paved the way for all models being Ready to Run.

In 1988 Team Losi is founded by Gil Losi in Canada. Their very first release was the JRX2, a 2WD buggy that completely changed the game and gave some fierce rivalry for Team Associated in the American market. Team Losi, did not, release their first or following models in the RTR format, they were kits.

Team Associated was quick to respond to the new competition they were facing in the American market from Traxxas and Team Losi. They released an absolute game changing car, the RC10L. During a run with the RC10L, it was recorded going 57MPH. Which was nearly unheard of at this time.

Tamiya releases the TA01. A 4WD 1/10th RC Touring car. Which became very popular in the later 90's along with it's companion model, the TA02.

Horizon Hobby had grown rapidly, opening operations in California and West Virginia. In 1992, they acquired Hobby Dynamics. The idea behind this was Horizon Hobby realized it needed to be able to provide more exclusive products. Acquiring Hobby Dynamics gave them the distribution rights to JR radios (a big player in the RC world at the time) and Saito engines. This would later lead to them transforming from an RC distributor to an RC innovator. They turn their attention to innovating and improving RC airplanes.

Traxxas releases their first nitro-powered vehicle, the Nitro Hawk.

In 1992 Team Associated was still producing blistering fast pan cars such as the RC12LS, RC10LS, and RC10LS0. These vehicles featured dynamic strut front suspension, leading the way for other vehicles in the same class.

By 1993, the hobby began to decline as vehicles were becoming too advanced and parts were becoming too expensive to manufacture. This did lead to some shifts in the market, as fast-paced trucks began to take over the market over monster trucks.

Traxxas releases its 2WD monster truck, the Stampede and it's 2WD stadium truck, the Rustler. Also sold in the RTR format.

Team Associated goes back to gas and releases it's 2WD, off-road 1/10th scale RC10GT.

Tamiya releases their first glow engine RC car, the TR15T. It was 1/10th scale off-road "truggy".

Pro-Line secures its forth and fifth IFMAR World Championships in Japan.

Pro-Line racing acquires PROTOform Race Bodies. They retained the original founder, Dale Epp. They used this new partnership to expand their market share and to this day Pro-Line is known for being one of the best RC Body manufacturers.

Team Losi releases the XX 'CR'. It features a completely revised rear suspension, which completely changed the vehicle's performance. The rear-end used in this vehicle was used in some Losi vehicles for 20 years after the XX 'CR's release. The vehicle featured 5-Spoke wheels, which many Losi fans were not happy with as they much preferred the old dish-style wheels.

Official release dates are a bit scattered, but around 1996 HPI releases the Micro RS4, a 1/18th scale version of their very popular RS4 model. This started the trend of Micros and 1/18th scale vehicles.

After 20 years, Team Losi finally wins the IFMAR world championship with the XX 'CR'. To celebrate they released the XX 'CR' Kinwald Editon, which had a very long list of optional parts. Team Losi did add the dish-style wheels back to the Kinwald Edition.

Traxxas releases their first full-size monster truck, the T-Maxx. This was a major release in the RC world, finally shifting other manufacturers to RTR, from kits. It also really gave Traxxas their mark in the RC community. The T-Maxx was one of the first of its kind to feature a forward/reverse transmission, able to be switched by a third channel on the receiver. They also released an electric version dubbed the E-Maxx, the E-Maxx is still used in the United States Military as a basis for radio-controlled "bomb sniffers".

Horizon Hobby acquires Team Losi and rebrands the company as TLR (Team Losi Racing).

In 2004 an enormous game changer came from Horizon Hobby. Working with an avid RC Airplane Pilot, Paul Beard, together they changed the way RC Airplane/Car/Boat remotes worked. Instead of the old school AM/FM radio system, they used a 2.4GHz technology, something found in most phones and WiFi routers. The first one was marketed as the Spektrum DSM radio system, marking the beginning of Spektrum.

In 2005 Team Associated was acquired by Thunder Tiger from Taiwan.

In 2005 Redcat Racing is founded. Redcat is based in Arizona, United States and offers 1/5, 1/8, 1/10, and 1/18th scale vehicles manufactured in China.

Horizon Hobby releases Spektrum DSM2. This new technology increased range drastically and made it much easier to race vehicles together of all shapes, sizes and types.

Axial is launched in 2005 by a group of RC enthusiasts, Jeff Johns, Matt Kearny, and LeeRoy Chaffin II after leaving HPI.

Axial releases their first product, a Nitro Motor. The motors were a hit and it definitely put Axial on the map for what they were planning next.

Hobbico acquires Revell-Monogram which were famous for their Revell plastic model kits from Germany.

In January of 2007 FMS is founded in China. FMS makes vehicles and airplanes. They focused on making very realistic RC models without sacrificing performance.

In 2007, Axial releases the XC10 Scorpion. It was released as a kit, but Axial made it much easier to assemble. The XC10 Scorpion was one of the first mainstream Rock Crawlers and it was a smash hit. Rock Crawlers were instantly a hit.

On April 1st, 2009 Arrma was founded by Jason Dearden after having disagreements with his current employer, HPI.

Arrma teases its first release, the Raider, a 2WD 1/10th scale electric buggy.

In September of 2010, Hobbico was appointed as the exclusive distributor of Thunder Tiger, giving them some control over Team Associated/Associated Electrics.

Arrma debuts its first lineup or "range" as they call it. Including the Raider, a Baja Buggy, Fury, a Short Course Truck, ADX-10, a Race Buggy, Mojave, a Desert Truck, Vortex, a Stadium Truck, and the Granite Monster Truck, all of which were 1/10th scale, 2WD electric vehicles. They also debuted their first remote, the ATX300. The ATX300 was immediately recognized for its "funky" design as it was ambidextrous, meaning the steer wheel could be positioned on either side of the remote.

Team Losi Racing releases the 22. The first completely redesigned buggy the company has released in years.

Team Associated wins the IFMAR World Buggy Championship, they have been continuing to improve their models and produce award-winning RC cars.

In 2012, Hobbico acquires Axial.

In 2012, Hobbico acquires Arrma.

In 2012, Hobbico acquires Team Durango.

In 2012, Hobbico acquires dBoots Tire Company.

In 2014 Traxxas filed a patent infringement lawsuit against HPI and HPI Racing. Traxxas specifically named the Sprint 2 Flux, Blitz, Firestorm, Bullet Flux, Trophy Nitro and Bullet Nitro. The lawsuit was over a radio control box design that featured a rubber seal making the box waterproof.

In October of 2014 Arrma turns heads with the release of the Typhon and the Kraton, both being 1/8th scale electric vehicles. These vehicles were the first of many "6S" vehicles Arrma offered, the "6S" models were able to hit insane speeds, manage large jumps, and really left a mark for Arrma. Although a small percentage of users reported ESC issues, after an investigation Arrma realized the issue happened when the vehicle was going quickly forwards, jumped, and landed in such a way that it rolled backward. This would cause the chip in the ESC to pop, eliminating the ESC. Arrma addressed and fixed the issue but it did cause a struggle for Arrma's beginnings.

Hobbico is no longer the exclusive distributor for Thunder Tiger, all distribution of their products through Hobbico ceased.

HPI is acquired by Ripmax, a European RC distributor.

On July 12th, 2016 Traxxas filed for "Patent Infringement Action" against Hobbico and its subsidiary, Arrma. One vehicle specifically named in the lawsuit was the Arrma Nero 6S BLX. Traxxas claimed they had violated multiple patents. These patents were related to shock position, LED Light Bars, Center Mounted Servo/Protection, and E-Boards. In response, Arrma removed the Nero from their lineup in North America. This later led to all existing parts affected in the lawsuit to be surrendered by Arrma and Hobbico to Traxxas in the North American market.

On August 17th Hobbico shuts down Team Durango after the brand remained stagnant for over a year.

FMS is acquired by Horizon Hobby after they purchased Diamond RC, the main distributor for FMS models.

Tower Hobbies drops Traxxas vehicles entirely and cancel all of their backorders for the Traxxas TRX-4. The TRX-4 was released shortly before Tower Hobbies revealed this. Tower Hobbies was a distributor of Traxxas for a long time prior to this.

In 2018, Traxxas is declared the winner of the Traxxas/Hobbico lawsuit. Hobbico is ordered to pay $10,300,000 by January 10th, 2018 to Traxxas for infringement damages.

On January 10th, 2018 Hobbico files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection. On August 8th of the same year, they filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.

On April 13th, 2018 Horizon Hobby acquired Axial, dBoots and Arrma from Hobbico.

January 1st, 2019 Horizon Hobby discontinues distribution of Traxxas vehicles.

In late 2019 Arrma introduces the Kraton 8S, a 1/5th scale, 8S version of the Kraton. This new Kraton was a huge hit and finally gave a worthy competitor to the Traxxas X-Maxx.

In August of 2020 Pro-Line Racing is acquired by Horizon Hobby. This also gave them control over PROTOform.