In Control specializes in radio-powered fun
POST FALLS – If you’ve ever had the urge to defy gravity or test the physical limits of kinetic energy, only from the safety of spectator seating, then Paul Dworshak has something to show you.
At the In Control Hobbies shop off Seltice Way in Post Falls, Dworshak, who co-owns the business along with wife Brindy and a brother-in-law, offers radio-controlled thrills for folks of any age and interest level. Ever wanted to launch a scaled-down monster truck through the air or careen a miniature race car around an asphalt track? How about take to the sky without taking your feet off the ground? Or maybe just take a leisurely Sunday drive in the backyard? “There is something for every ability and every interest,” the owner said.
The hobby shop has a fleet of radio-controlled off-road and on-road cars and trucks, airplanes, helicopters and boats, ranging in size from 1/8 scale models, which are mostly gas-powered machines as big as an average household pet, to 1/18 scale, battery powered cars that can fit in the palm of a hand. Dworshak added that these aren’t the ditch-them-when-they-die type of toys – also known as hobby-grade machines. They are more expensive than most store-bought crafts, going for anywhere from about $100 to more than $500, and can take years of wear and tear through vehicle modifications, alterations and tune-ups. It’s not uncommon to hear of after-market upgrades capable of boosting cars up to almost 100 miles per hour.
“They can take a lot of beatings,” he explained, holding up as proof a picture of a replica monster truck soaring 20 feet above the ground at a recent exhibition. “They can break, but the good thing is that replacement parts are inexpensive … We do all repairs and stuff here. We offer free labor to customers who purchased from us.”
While the business only recently opened in Post Falls, it isn’t new to North Idaho.
A fan of the miniaturized motor vehicles for more than 20 years, Dworshak decided three years ago to turn a childhood hobby into his full-time vocation. That’s when the former owners of the TNT Hobbies store in Hayden put the business up for sale, prompting the Southern California native, a frequent customer at the time, and his wife to buy the business, move it a few blocks south and rename it In Control Hobbies.
“I’ve been in the RC industry racing cars for about 20 years now. It’s just something I’ve always enjoyed and it was an opportunity we decided to take,” he said. “It just kind of fell in our laps. This is actually the first business we’ve ever owned.”
However, after three years in the Lake City, most of their customers were coming from out of town.
“The biggest reason for the move was over 60 percent of my customers in Coeur d’Alene were from Post Falls,” Dworshak said, while standing behind the part-laden counter, while several RC aficionados wearing In Control Hobbies T-shirts milled around the two-room store. With a new high-traffic location and other offerings including plastic model kits and other piece-together items, he added “We’ve picked up so much business over here it’s just amazing. We’ve been treated so well while we’ve been here by the city of Post Falls and the people.”
The battery- and gas-powered sport has experienced a spike in popularity in recent years, according to Dworshak, especially now that cheaper crafts and ready-to-race models, which are ready right out of the box, have hit the market.
But the hobby shop isn’t the only place feeling that effect. After fielding many inquiries from local RC enthusiasts, including the Coeur d’Alene Aero-Modeling Society, Post Falls’ officials are looking into the option of allowing RC operators to add a dirt track and airstrip for the scaled-down motor vehicles at the 460-acre city-owned wastewater treatment site on the Rathdrum Prairie, said City Administrator Eric Keck. “We are looking what the impact would be for purposes that aren’t wastewater related,” he said, adding that any site would be public-use area.
While a decision is still a few months away – and any construction even further out – Keck said, “I think it’s a great idea. Something like that is becoming very, very popular and we’d love to see an area specifically for those people. I think it would be a unique thing for the people of Post Falls to have.”
Dworshak is one of many local voices pushing for an RC site.
“That’s one of the biggest obstacles in the area is finding a place to play,” he explained, adding that Spokane, with two tracks open to the public, has the best local racing.
But there’s no shortage of great outdoor terrain in North Idaho, interjected longtime customer James Franz, as long as the operator drives responsibly. “As long as you are being respectful, people do not mind. In fact you usually gather a crowd,” he said.
Franz had stopped in on a recent afternoon to pick up what is his roughly 10th radio-controlled vehicle in five years, a new ready-to-race, 1/8 scale model called a Savage XL monster truck, which features a .36-cubic-inch gas engine that can handle almost any terrain. Without saying exactly how much he spent, except for more than a few hundred dollars, Franz had the look of a kid in a chocolate-covered candy store.
About his connection to all-things radio controlled, the Hayden resident said they pulled him out of darker days. “They kind of saved my life,” he said. “I was into drugs and other stuff and life wasn’t really going my way.”
Heeding advice he’d heard over and over, Franz replaced one addiction with another. “This is my new drug,” he said. “You always hear that to get away from an addiction you need to find a new hobby, and this is the most fun thing I’ve found.”