REVIEW – As an 80’s child I can’t help but be a little jealous of the toys on the market now. Especially any toys that require batteries since battery technology has improved so much since then. So when the Bezgar HP161S Brushless 1:16 Scale Radio Control Car came up for review the little kid in me said I had to try it out. Let’s see how much RC car technology has improved since 1989. Spoiler, a lot.

What is it?

The Bezgar HP161S Wild Beast is a 1:16 scale radio control (RC) car using an 11.1V 3S type lithium polymer (Li-Po) battery and brushless motor that sends power to all four wheels to propel it up to 38 mph and it does so quickly.

What’s in the box?

• Bezgar HP161S RC Car
• Remote controller with AA batteries included
• USB charging cable
• Wheelie bar
• User manual and warranty card
• Wheel wrench, screwdriver

Hardware specs

• Model: HP161S
• Drivetrain: 4 wheel drive with full metal drivetrain
• Shocks: Four oil filled metal shock absorbers
• Motor: 2845 four pole brushless motor with cooling fan
• Servo: 2.1kg digital servo
• Battery: 11.1V 3S/25C 1050mAh Li-Po battery
• Charging time: 2 hours if using a 5V 2A charger
• Battery duration: 20 mins
• Ground Clearance: 1.5 inches
• Electronic Speed Control: 45A independent brushless ESC
• Remote Control: 2.4GHz
• Max speed: 62kph / 38mph
• Weight: 2.35 lbs
• Dimensions: 12.2 x 8.7 x 5.1 inches

Design and features

The Bezgar Model HP161S Wild Beast 1:16 Scale RC car looks like a typical RC car with a shell over chassis design. It has four rubber wheels that all spin to get the car to 38 mph. The oil-filled

Over the summer last year I took my daughters out to Bong State Recreation Area in Wisconsin. The massive park offers miles and miles of walking and riding trails, large camping areas, a place to ride your dirt bike, and even a model rocketry range. During my stay I was reminded that it was once an Air Force base, and that it’s named after Richard “Dick” Ira Bong, the United States’ top ace of World War II. Active from 1941-1945, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions over the Pacific. By the end of the war, and before his untimely death as a test pilot for one of our country’s first combat jet aircraft, he was credited with 40 air-to-air kills.

As a thank-you for the trip and the brief history lesson, my daughters got me a model of his airplane — the P-38J, perhaps the best airplane of WWII and, incidentally, one of the very latest designs by Japanese model-maker Tamiya. It was even made in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and The Richard I. Bong Center.

I was touched, honestly, but also a bit overwhelmed. I haven’t built or painted a model airplane since I was 12 — although I have spent the past several years getting back into the hobby of painting Warhammer 40,000 miniatures. Once I dove in, I found that taking some time off to create something completely different was refreshing — and educational. I ended up devouring hours of YouTube tutorials and fan-made guides along the way, as well.

So here’s what good old Dick Bong’s twin-boomed warbird taught me about Space Marines — and the people who love them.

Model planes get way more expensive than 40K

Turns out that while 40K is considered an expensive hobby, scale modeling can