Our story begins with a dedicated model helicopter pilot, Colin McGinn, searching for a good pair of prescription sunglasses that would be tough enough for use at the flying field, whilst providing wrap-around protection from the sun and the wind - he couldn't find any that would be anything other than ruinously expensive. Colin immediately realized he was not alone with this problem; thousands of RC loving spectacle wearers faced the same dilemma. A breakthrough came when Colin's friend, the former Editor of UK based Rotorworld magazine John Clark, who also wears spectacles, discovered a way of manufacturing just the frames they needed. Realizing the potential for making RC-specific glasses for non-prescription wearers too, the two men formed 'Model Glasses' (the company name has since changed to 'Rapid Eyewear') as a business and set about selling their products to the public in September 2005. From the outset, the plan was to provide three sets of interchangeable lenses as standard, thus making the glasses perfect for use in all light conditions, at affordable prices.Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength, with distributors worldwide making Model Glasses available to all. Colin and John are continuing to develop the range - look out for some more exciting products soon!
How RC Model Glasses got started
Conforming to British and European safety standard EN1836, our sunglasses are shatterproof, and offer great protection against flying debris should you suffer a mishap. All of our glasses carry the CE compliance mark.
The interchangeable lenses are: yellow (category 1) low light - these actually enhance light and contrast; beige (category 2) average sunlight; smoked mirror (category 3) bright sunlight.
All glasses come with 3 x sets of lenses as standard, a cleaning cloth and a carry case with belt clip and internal compartments for housing the extra lenses.
Polarised sunglasses greatly reduce glare, which is an effect caused by light hitting flat surfaces. Polarised lenses filter out this horizontal light, without reducing levels to the point where the wearer's vision is impaired.
Other manufacturers of interchangeables rarely offer polarised lenses as standard - they certainly don't give you TWO sets for your money! For that reason, we believe our Nimbus glasses are some of the best value sports sunglasses on the market for ANY sport.
Featuring 100% UVA / UVB protection, these polycarbonate glasses feature an especially high-quality, wrap-around frame design that blocks unwanted and annoying light and wind from the sides. Conforming to British and European safety standard EN1836, our sunglasses are shatterproof, and offer great protection against flying debris should you suffer a mishap. All of our glasses carry the CE compliance mark.
The interchangeable lenses are: yellow (category 1) low light - these actually enhance light and contrast; beige (category 2), polarised, average sunlight; (category 3) polarised, bright sunlight.
All glasses come with 3 x sets of lenses as standard, a cleaning cloth and a carry case with belt clip and internal compartments for housing the extra lenses
Featuring 100% UVA / UVB protection, these polycarbonate glasses feature a wrap-around design that blocks unwanted and annoying light and wind from the sides. Conforming to British and European safety standard EN1836, our sunglasses are shatterproof, and offer great protection against flying debris should you suffer a mishap. All of our glasses carry the CE compliance mark.
The interchangeable lenses are: yellow (category 1) low light - these actually enhance light and contrast; beige (category 2) average sunlight; smoked mirror (category 3) bright sunlight.
All glasses come with 3 x sets of lenses as standard, a cleaning cloth and a carry case with belt clip and internal compartments for housing the extra lenses.
Featuring 100% UVA / UVB protection, the polycarbonate glasses feature a wrap-around design that blocks unwanted and annoying light and wind from the sides. Conforming to British and European safety standard EN1836, our sunglasses are shatterproof, and offer great protection against flying debris should you suffer a mishap. All of our glasses carry the CE compliance mark.
The interchangeable lenses are: yellow (category 1) low light - these actually enhance light and contrast; beige (category 2) average sunlight; smoked mirror (category 3) bright sunlight.
International shipping is included in price. All glasses come with 3 x sets of lenses as standard, a cleaning cloth and a carry case with belt clip and internal compartments for housing the extra lenses.
ELEVATE Sunglasses with Interchangeable Lenses Price $60.00
The all-new Elevate is one of our first 'Model Glasses' branded products. Elevate sunglasses have been specifically designed and manufactured for radio controlled modellers, with interchangeable lenses for different light conditions - with the Category 0 yellow lenses fitted, you can even enjoy the benefits of light enhancement on a cloudy day! Featuring 100% UVA / UVB protection, the polycarbonate glasses feature a wrap-around design that blocks unwanted and annoying light and wind from the sides.
NIMBUS Sunglasses - with TWO sets of polarised lenses and light-enhancing Cat 0,Price $80.00
The all-new Nimbus polarised is one of our very latest 'Model Glasses' branded products, and represents our top-of-the-range frame. Nimbus sunglasses have been specifically designed and manufactured for radio controlled modellers, with interchangeable lenses for different light conditions - with the Category 0 yellow lenses fitted, you can even enjoy the benefits of light enhancement on a cloudy day!
STRATUS Sunglasses with Interchangeable Lenses Price $60.00
The all-new Stratus is one of our very latest 'Model Glasses' branded products. Stratus sunglasses have been specifically designed and manufactured for radio controlled modellers, with interchangeable lenses for different light conditions - with the Category 0 yellow lenses fitted, you can even enjoy the benefits of light enhancement on a cloudy day!
Featuring 100% UVA / UVB protection, these polycarbonate glasses feature a wrap-around design that blocks unwanted and annoying light and wind from the sides.
GLIDE Sunglasses with Interchangeable Lenses Price $60.00
The all-new Glide is one of our first 'Model Glasses' branded products. Glide sunglasses have been specifically designed and manufactured for radio controlled modellers, with interchangeable lenses for different light conditions with the Category 0 yellow lenses fitted, you can even enjoy the benefits of light enhancement on a cloudy day!
At the heart of the design is a polycarbonate frame that houses your prescription lenses; this clips onto a main frame, which in turn houses the coloured shades that simply clip on to a hinged section. These hinges allow you to temporarily turn up the outer lenses in order to closely inspect a model in the pits etc.
Whatever time of year you happen to go flying, these glasses are ideal for nullifying the harmful effects of the sun or other bright light conditions - the yellow lenses are actually light enhancing, making them superb even in cloudy or dull weather! Featuring 100% UVA / UVB protection, the glasses have a wrap-around styling that blocks unwanted and annoying light from the sides. The lenses are dark grey / blue, red and yellow - a choice that allows you to pick one which contrasts the colour scheme of your model perfectly against any sky. The frames and lenses are made from polycarbonate, a light and tough yet flexible plastic that allows for maximum comfort.
All of our glasses conform to British and European safety standards BS EN1836, and carry the CE compliance mark. This means they are tough enough to withstand a sizeable impact from flying debris should you crash. (Note: Rapid Eyewear do not guarantee our sunglasses against such an impact and cannot be held responsible for any injury or loss resulting from an accident).
The glasses come with the interchangeable lenses, a cleaning cloth and a superb carry case with belt clip. All frames and the carry case display our 'Model Glasses' logo.
NOTE - Prescription lenses are not included, nor can we arrange to have these made. Your local optician will be able to help.
BRAND NEW DESIGN FOR 2007! Price $68.00
INNOVATION prescription sunglasses frames with Interchangeable Lenses - developed by modelers, for modelers
Do you have to wear prescription glasses? Fed up with seeing your buddies turn up at the field with great looking and practical glasses you just can't wear? We have the answer in the form of these stylish prescription model flying sunglasses! These brand new frames are our own branded products, and have been especially developed for radio control model use. They feature a number of enhancements over our previous prescription frames, including a better quality front lens clip section, better clearance for the prescription frame section from your eyes and a better carry case that comes as standard.
Please Note: Glare is caused by the sun's rays hitting a flat surface and creating horizontal light. Polarised lenses remove this glare by using special filters. As with all of our other glasses, Innovation Plus conform to British and European Safety Standards. They offer 100% UVA / UVB protection, and being shatterproof, will significantly reduce the chances of a serious eye injury in the event of a crash. Each pair comes complete with the three sets of lenses, a carry case and a cleaning cloth as standard.
Note2: When wearing polarised lenses, some users may find they cannot see certain types of LCD or other electronic / digital transmitter displays. This is a normal cause of wearing polarised glasses. We recommend using the glasses with the front sectionflipped up, or the glasses removed, when model trimming prior to use
INNOVATION PLUS Price $88.00
The very latest addition to our range, Innovation Plus provide all the benefits of standard Innovation frames, but with two sets of polarised lenses for significant glare reduction. As with the standard Innovation glasses, the 'Plus' frames feature a polycarbonate clip that houses a pair of prescription lenses, slotted into a tough polycarbonate frame with rubber side arm inserts and nose pieces for an ultra-comfortable fit. The three sets of interchangeable lenses provided - Cat 0 (light-enhancing), Cat 2 (beige polarised, for general use) and Cat 3 (smoked grey polarised, for bright light conditions) - clip onto this at the top. A spring mechanism ensures a sturdy fit, and also allows the front lens to be flipped-up if necessary for transmitter adjusting, or when in the pits.
