R/C.....where to start.

Hey guys, I need some help with a little project. I need to find out what I need to make a 2 channel (two motor) R/C transmitter and receiver. I can build the circuit and all but I don’t know where to start. I want the motors to go (independently) forward (multiple speeds if possible), off, and backwards. I just don’t know what chips to use to build such a circuit. Any help would be appreciated.

Buy a radio control system!, there's no way you're going to build one at any where near what they cost ready made. Speed control (for model cars) used to very crudely move a wiper (with a servo) across contacts on a piece of PCB - this switched in different value resistors. Better ones use an ESC (Electronic Speed Control) which takes the servo pulses and PWM's the motor.

Is you're not looking for a proper radio control system?, you could easily make your own with a couple of PIC's and licence free radio modules.

rc circuit

yes it would be cheaper to go out and buy one all these components are intergrated circuits and surface mount components you would have to have experience in rf this would include building a oscillator circuit that would be crystal controlled or syn controlled and then tuned with frequency counters etc. good idea though