MINICARS THROUGH THE YEARS
A LIFETIME OF RADIO CONTROL
MINICARS THROUGH THE YEARS
A LIFETIME OF RADIO CONTROL
It's the late 1960s. Sweden has just switched to right-hand traffic, the song "Vi ska gå hand i hand" by Gunnar Wiklund dominates the Svensktoppen charts, and Per Gustafsson from Ludvika decides to start Minicars. At the time, Per is 16 years old and passionate about his hobby—slot racing. Since finding the right parts is both difficult and expensive, he takes matters into his own hands and starts importing parts and accessories. Minicars is born!
In the beginning, the focus is on slot racing, and we import well-known brands like Parma and Associated Electrics (before they started making radio-controlled cars). Fun fact: Our company name comes from slot racing—small cars = Minicars!
Minicars moves to Uppsala in 1971! Alongside running Minicars, Per continues to pursue his passion for slot racing.
Associated releases its first radio-controlled car, the RC1—a 1/8 scale track car designed for a 3.5cc engine. Per quickly takes an interest in this new racing category and starts competing with an Associated RC1. At this time, the only competition class for RC cars was 1/8 track racing!
The photo shows Per competing in the European Championship for 1/8 Track in Switzerland in 1975. He finishes in fourth place, driving a Delta car with a Veco/McCoy engine and a Futaba stick radio.
In the late 1970s, we began manufacturing our own 1/24 slot racing cars under the name Minicars ZoomZoom. These were kits with metal chassis that needed to be assembled and soldered together. They quickly became very popular in club racing.
The image shows three illustrations of Minicars ZoomZoom cars (drawn by Göran Källstrand) along with a period-correct slot racing chassis.
We are one of the first to distribute KO Propo radio systems outside of Japan! KO is also the first manufacturer to develop a wheel transmitter with an integrated pistol grip—an innovation that later becomes the industry standard (KO Expert EX-1 was launched in 1982). We stop distributing KO in the late 1980s.
Per Gustafsson, the founder of Minicars, wins the 1977 European Championship in 1/8 track racing in Lyon, France! His fast Associated RC200 is equipped with a McCoy-tuned K&B 21 engine and a Futaba T2F wheel transmitter.
The same year that Per wins the European Championship in 1/8 scale cars, we (together with the company Bröderna Persson) develop our 1/8 scale car, which we call the Minicars Challenger (1977-1981). Unfortunately, the first version is not a success, as the entire rear end is made of "composite plastic," including the muffler. Yes, it gets hot, and the plastic melts...
After the Challenger project, we get a taste for success and, with the help of 1/12 expert Olle Söderholm, develop a 1/12 electric car that we call the Minicars XII. However, the market catches up with us, and manufacturers like Schumacher, Associated, Delta, and others race ahead of us in terms of development. A few years later, we sell the project to the American company Bolink, which manufactures some cars under their own name, using the Minicars XII chassis as the base.
Traxxas was founded in 1987 and two years later Minicars began distributing their models. Some of Traxxas' early models include the Fiero (1/12 scale car), The Cat & Bullet (1/10 2WD buggy), Sledge Hammer (1/10 2WD Monster Truck), and Hawk (1/10 2WD Stadium Truck). Traxxas was one of the first to offer models fully assembled and ready-to-run (RTR). The picture shows the 1/10 2WD Monster Truck called Sledge Hammer, released in 1989.
In 1989, Minicars started doing business with Juraj Hudy from what was then Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) and his "Hudy Special" products. At that time, they mostly made accessories for 1/8 scale cars – long before Hudy, Xray, and FX, and so on. We distributed their products until 2023.
Futaba was founded in Japan in 1948 to manufacture and sell vacuum tubes for radio receivers. In 1962, they began producing radio control transmitters and receivers. In 1993, they acquired O.S. Engine to further strengthen their position in the RC and hobby market. In 1990, we took over the distribution from the previous Futaba importer, RC Center in Huskvarna.
In 1991, FG Modellsport was founded in Germany, and during the early 90s, Minicars began distributing their models. They were the first mainstream manufacturer of gasoline-powered large-scale RC cars in 1/6 and 1/5 scale. We stopped distributing them in the early 2010s, and they shut down in 2014 after being acquired by a French company.
From the late 90s to the early 2000s, Niklas Edlund (a member of the Minicars team) was heavily involved with Serpent and competed with their Impact 1/10 nitro on-road cars. This led to him developing his own 1/10 body for racing: the Edlund Racing Volvo S40 (manufactured in Ockelbo, Sweden). There were three evolutions of the body, which went on to win all three IFMAR World Championships ever held in the 1/10 235mm IC Track class!
Edlund Racing Volvo S40 wins:
◊ 1998 IFMAR WC Apeldoorn, Netherlands: Timo Rinne
◊ 2000 IFMAR WC Kirschberg, Austria: Michael Salven
◊ 2002 IFMAR WC Hamilton, Ohio, USA: Brian Berry
Our range of RC airplanes is expanded with Black Horse and Seagull ARF models, which we still distribute.
When Thunder Tiger acquired Associated Electrics in 2005, the distribution was transferred to their distributor in Sweden. This marked the end of our 37-year history with Associated.
After many years in Uppsala, our premises started to feel too small. A growing workforce and inventory led us to decide to build new, spacious facilities in Enköping. Construction began in 2008, and in August 2009, we moved in. The new Minicars House is located just outside Enköping, strategically positioned next to the E18 and Highway 55 towards Uppsala. Now, we have plenty of space for both offices, a high-bay warehouse, loading docks, and goods reception.
Throughout much of the 2010s, there is a major drone hype! We distribute brands with "ready-to-fly" drones such as Walkera, Hubsan, UdiRC, and Dromida, as well as larger models (that you assemble yourself) from brands like Gaui/MRT. However, when Covid hits in 2019/2020, the hype has already faded, and large parts of the drone market start to decline.
In 2016, Minicars began distributing Hobbywing's electric motors and speed controllers for hobby use. Hobbywing was founded in 2005 and is the first company in China to focus on research and development, production, and sales of brushless power systems with high power density. Their products are widely used in industrial and agricultural drones, advanced radio-controlled models, and electric personal transportation equipment (two-wheeled scooters, four-wheeled skateboards, and electric motorcycles).
Since 2016, Minicars has been distributing engines from Saito! Saito was founded in 1959, and after manufacturing steam engines for models, they began developing engines for model airplanes. In 1979, after repeated research and improvements, they succeeded in developing a 4-stroke engine. With an affordable price and the pleasant exhaust sound unique to a 4-stroke engine, they started exporting worldwide.
In 2020, we decided to buy O.S. from the previous distributor (Model Craft in Malmö) and take over the distribution of O.S. Engine. Ogawa Seisakusho (later Ogawa Seiki Co. Ltd) began manufacturing model engines in 1936 and started mass production of 4-stroke engines for models in 1976. From 1993, O.S. Engine became part of the Futaba Group.
Futaba has become an increasingly important part of our business. The distribution of Futaba is expanded to include Germany, Austria, and the Benelux countries.
We are given the opportunity to take over Ripmax Futaba Service in Germany, which specializes in the technical service of Futaba's radio systems.
Once again, we have participated in the annual Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, Germany, from January 28 to February 2, 2025.
