It all started when we both bought an RC car again after many years. At the time, we received a promotional email from a large shop that, amongst other things, stocked RC crawlers. Whilst browsing their website, the 1:10 scale Traxxas Defender caught my husband’s eye. With the words, ‘I really like that one’, the decision was made to get back into this hobby. We then searched online for a shop nearby and off we went to Bochum.
They had a special offer that included a battery: a red Defender from Traxxas. We already had a LiPo charger from our airsoft kit, so the initial costs were kept to a minimum.
Unfortunately, we didn’t stop at just that one Defender; two weeks later, a second Defender moved in with us. This one was the classic green and was also available with the battery included. And so began our RC crawler adventure. Having just one car and two people is actually a bit of a pain – one person is always watching, and you end up arguing over who gets to drive.
A sudden fault with the servo on the green Defender led me to meet Kai Uwe Nickel from RC-HP / ALT Foams, and this marked the beginning of a deep and close friendship. A Ford Bronco joined the two Defenders. At first, we’d found a small track almost round the corner, but we soon grew bored of it and set out in search of more challenging terrain.
Our neighbour then bought a blue Defender too, and another Defender driver from Essen joined us. The idea of the ‘Hanghühner’ was born, and we christened ourselves the ‘Hanghuhn Crawlers’. Towards the end of 2019, I set up a website so that we’d have a place to share the photos taken on our outings.
Over the years, people joined the group, whilst others left for various reasons. At times, there were about 20 of us who, in various combinations, would roam the woods at the weekend.
In January 2025, I suffered a severe stroke which threw my life completely off course and also changed the way I approached those very long walks. In the autumn of 2025, the Hanghuhn Crawlers disbanded and we went our separate ways. I deleted the website and recorded a few memories here on these pages.