You can satisfy that desire to see the spectacular and the death-defying today -- as long as you don’t mind watching the pint-size version of extreme sports.

Scoff if you must, but radio-controlled vehicles, ranging from one-fifth to one-twenty-eighth scale models can inspire just as much excitement as the real thing for fans who come out to the RCX Radio Control Expo in Pomona.

"It blows you away," said Warren Lucas, spokesman for the event. "You don’t get to see that kind of stuff on a normal day. It’s one of the most alternative remote control shows you’ve ever seen."

Cars, motorcycles, helicopters, boats, trains, tanks -- for every full-scale method of transportation, there’s a radio-control version to match.

As Lilliputian as these gadgets are, they display an amazing amount of raw power. RC motorcycles reach speeds of up to 60 mph and can jump up to 40 feet in the air. Mini hot rods often zoom faster than 100 mph. Modified trucks can clamber up scaled-down mountains.

The expo will feature all this and more.

A "Try Me Track" will give those new to the game the chance to test out a variety of vehicles, and there will be an opportunity for visitors to build model airplanes or rockets to take home.

You might not know how to man a yacht, and you might not have the money to get your pilot’s license, but you can definitely live out your dreams, RC style.

"Anybody can do it, and it doesn’t require thousands and thousands of dollars," Lucas said. "(They might think) ‘I can’t race real dune buggies, but I can race an RC dune buggy.’ "

Hard-core RC hobbyists spend hundreds of dollars on keeping up with their hobby. Pay a visit and you might become one of the fanatics.

"Once you have a love for radio control, it’s just all over," Lucas said. "When people come, they don’t just come for an hour or two. They stay all day." (New York Times Service)