There is a fascinating story behind every RC 4×4 model

I wanted to interview him about his radio-controlled models, but instead – and to a greater extent – we chatted about all the picture stories that life so often present us but that we miss, because… well, its a story for another day.

Colyn has been a magistrate, a broker with Sanlam and an industrial mining supplier of pipes and things. He stood up after life had knocked him down really hard, and started another company that builds timber and log homes. Not the South African version, though.

No. You see, Colyn is an intensely passionate person to whom the concept of half measures is utterly foreign. He studied the Canadian and American models which are strong enough to withstand earthquakes and tornadoes. The result was that he became one of the most respected and sought-after timber house and deck-builders in the country. In 1994 he built the Songimwelo Camp for the Mpumalanga Parksboard.

He also loves cooking, and you can follow his Colyn Kook Man Kos Facebook page. I promise that you will be enthralled, delighted and, well, I guess always hungry too…

He once owned a professional commercial photography studio in Pretoria, but incessantly dictating and demanding clients eventually got the better of him and he moved. His computer programming business, bragging some impressive international and local clients, is thriving and still growing. So this cyber-savvy traveller has been around the block more than just a few times. He was one of the first beta testers for D-Base, he did a lot of programming for the Americans in the 90s, he was one of the first to become ACPAC-certified, and, well, I think you get the picture…

So the story is – Colyn is really the story.

And, with so much more than just the radio-controlled cars. Even this has more to it than meets the eye. RC model-building became life’s most precious and underrated healing methodology and a most appreciated gift.

“Although I built small models from a young age, the RC-building started in 1982. I saw a Pajero in the window of a Pretoria model shop. My heart stopped. It was love at first sight – I had to have it. I bought it, worked through the night to assemble it and the next day I drove it around the office like a boy. The dealer showed it to his customers and everyone wanted one but was not prepared to build it themselves. So over the next year and a bit, I built more than 200 RC cars (part-time) for the dealer’s customers. Those days, though, the batteries did not, and frustratingly so, last long.”

Over the next few years, life presented him with some significant and life-changing challenges which dictated taking a shot’ left – actually more than one, but he recovered.

He related his absolute heartbreak when two of his models, left with a dealer for refurbishing, vanished. During lockdown, they had a burglary apparently it was lost. Much to his delight, the shop owner found it in a box in a storeroom.

“Building RC models are an excellent past time for seniors and well-matured adults,” he said. “It improves hand-eye coordination, brain function and the physicality of driving these on your daily walk demands much concentration and mental effort.”

One can buy these models as partly assembled units (gearbox, diffs and so forth) or you can assemble each and every single engine part. The latter is particularly challenging because assembling these very intricate gearboxes, diffs and suspension systems dictate absolute focus and meticulously following the diagrams. “If you fit something the wrong way round or neglect to fit a small component in the correct place, it can and will often require hours to establish why something is not working as it should. Fortunately many are now available as RTR (ready to run) units.”

What does it cost? Well, this is dependent on the size of your wallet and your appetite for building and driving these cars. The Crawlers (4×4) can reach speeds up to 10km/h. Yeah: it does not sound like much. But then, we took his Bronco for a drive along the 4×4 obstacle track in his back yard. The articulation of the suspension is unbelievable. And as soon as the drive started, Colyn was in another world, despite him explaining certain things to me.

“When I assemble or service these models, I become completely isolated from all and everything outside of me – I become one with the models – it is a healing and relaxing experience,” he related.

There is so much more and one cannot separate Colyn from everything that he does – he is the story.

Should you interested in joining the RC group, email Colyn at colyn.serfontein@gmail.com.