This is one topic that often goes unspoken about. Today we will look at the common tools to keep in your tool box. Last minute tuning or adjusting of your RC vehicle is very common just before you are about to fly your plane or drive you Car or Boat. The RC tools that you will need are very important in order to make the necessary adjustments. We will look at the most common RC tools available and which RC tools I prefer to keep in my Tool Box.
When will you need to use RC tools?
There are many cases where you will need to use a different assortment of tools. This mainly depends on which RC vehicle you are using at the time and what kind of power source your RC vehicle uses. By nature of the nitro engine, this is where you will most definitely want to have some RC tools available at all times. As you already probably know, the nitro engine requires a different tune nearly every day.
Common General RC tools
The most common types of RC tools that you will be using include precision screw drivers which is just a fancy way of describing small screw drivers such as the ones in the photo. The second most common tool that I prefer in my tool box is wrenches and or a socket set, Precision screw drivers are excellent for making any tune changes to a 
nitro engine or just ensuring that all the screws are in fact tight before you go to run that 120km/h on road car. These RC tools are very common in almost any tool box but are especially important for RC as they become used nearly every run. Or at least you should be checking for loose screws etc. A flat head precision screw driver is perfect for preforming that tune on a nitro engines Low Speed Needle and High Speed needle. Most needle valves use a flat head screwdriver to make the necessary tuning adjustments.
The Most Common RC tools – Allen Keys
The mos
t important tool in my tool box for RC is most definitely Allen Keys. Allen Key screw heads exist a lot of the time in RC land vehicles as well as many RC Airplanes. Come to think about it, they are also all over the place in my RC boat. Allen Keys make excellent RC tools due to there extreme high use. Now one of the biggest reasons of there high use is due to the performance of the screw head. On small screws it is difficult to get a good bit grip when tightening up the screw. Using Allen head screws maximize the grip and reduce the chances for stripping to occur. Make certain you include Allen Keys in your tool box.
RC tools for Repair
There are a couple items that I like to keep in my tool box just for those days where there is damage done or I just can’t keep a screw in it’s place well enough. What I like to use is CA glue. I tend to use CA glue a lot as it offers a very quick solution to some minor problems that you may encounter while running your RC. Without CA glue, it’s difficult to re-stick that tire on its rim or that control surface hinge.
The other item I like to keep in my tool box is Loc-tite which is a thread locker. I use the red permanent Loc-Tite for pesky screws that vibrate loose over time. Now just because it says permanent doesn’t mean it actually is permanent. The one easy way to break a screw loose that has fastened using Loc-Tite is to apply heat. There are a couple different ways you may apply heat, my preference is with a soldering iron directly on the head of the screw. This is usually enough heat to crack the screw loose with a bit of force.
Temperature Gun – RC tools
This is probably one of my most used and favourite of all the RC tools in my tool box. No matter which RC vehicle I am using on any particular day this tools gets used. After a run of the electric RC’s, I like to get an idea of how hot the batteries, ESC, and motor are getting. This is great for dialing in that gearing on an RC car or for dialing in that prop on a boat or airplane. For nitro or gas vehicles this RC tool becomes an excellent confirmation for tuning. When you feel the RC is running too lean, the Temp gun may be able to confirm this. It’s not always easy finding the perfect tune for a nitro vehicle.
Radar Gun – RC tools
Bushnell Radar Gun
By far my most favourite tool is the Bushnell Radar Gun. I can use it to dial in a nitro powered boat or car for absolute maximum performance. You can really see the difference in how a slight mixture change can gain so much potential speed from a nitro powered RC vehicle. You can also see the difference gearing makes with an electric powered vehicle and combining the two tools makes for a very powerful tuning session. Not only can it be used for dialing in a tune but it can also be used to determine the overall performance of your RC vehicle. This RC tool is great for finally getting to know just how fast that boat or car is traveling. And then you can either impress your friends with the real world results or challenge them by seeing if they can beat the speed you achieved.