The origin story

It started with a simple thought: “Why doesn’t this exist?”

I didn’t start NANO NATION RC to build a company. I started it because I wanted something that didn’t exist — and when I couldn’t find it anywhere, I decided to build it myself.

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1 The Problem

Every tiny excavator I found was a toy.

I was looking for a tiny RC excavator that was fully functional — proportional controls, independent movements, something that actually operated like the real thing. On/off switches and single-speed motors weren’t going to cut it.

I looked everywhere. Nothing existed at this scale with that level of control. So instead of giving up, I decided to build it myself — with no formal background in manufacturing.

Every tiny excavator I found was a toy.
2 The Build

Three years of prototyping, testing, and failing... A lot...

I taught myself CAD and 3D printing. Learned injection molding from scratch. What started as a personal project turned into a grind — prototype, test, fail, improve — over and over, until it finally met my standard.

01

First sketches & CAD

Teaching myself CAD from zero, figuring out how an excavator this small could actually move like the real thing.

First sketches & CAD
02

Prototype after prototype

Relentless iteration — testing gearing, testing controls, testing everything, and rebuilding what didn’t work.

Prototype after prototype
03

The X100 is born

That process led to the creation of the X100 — the first version that finally felt right.

The X100 is born
3 The Leap

I shared it online expecting nothing. The internet had other plans.

At first, the X100 was just something I wanted to enjoy for myself. But after sharing the prototype online, the response was overwhelming — people didn’t just like it, they wanted one.

🚀 Successfully funded on Kickstarter
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Kickstarter backers
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Raised before launch
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Of prototyping & testing
Kickstarter campaign
4 The Mission
I’m not just building RC toys. I’m building a hobby-grade fleetfor the people who believed in this from the start.
Jonathan
Jonathan
Founder of NANO NATION RC

See what all the prototyping was for.

Designing is what drives me — functional, proportional, built to be used, not just displayed.