i remember buying the old australian rc mag, can't remember what it was called, mid to late 80's when i was at school. every issue seemed to have an airbrush job thar had some form of chequerboard or grid pattern on the car. chequerboard grid was IN!

yeah i remember 2100 nicads, and like 5 minutes run time in my boomerang before charging for another half hour. i had lot of fun with that car, but i drove it fully into the ground. being a kid with little money it didn't even ever get new tyres!