OH MY! What a day this turned out to be, and what a great way to end the year! I was getting some work done at the office when there was a knock on the door, a big box with HPI on the side was handed over as my jaw dropped. If there would of been video, I would of looked like that N64 Kid or some kid getting a Nintendo Wii for Christmas!
Here it is, the HPI Racing Savage Flux HP! A Brushless powered 1/8th scale 4wd rc monster truck! I believe this is a very early production run version since the manual isn’t even stapled together, it’s like 50 photocopied pages. Heh. The box isn’t the standard shiny/glossy look, but more of a matte finish. I actually like the look of the box this way. Not sure if this is how they will all be, or if this is just a sample box. First impressions, this thing is a beast! I pictured it being lighter since it’s electric, but it’s no lightweight! It feels pretty tough, and looks really good! Ok.. enough jabber, lets see the pics! Make sure to click the more button to see all 20+ Flux pictures! Looks like I’ll be heading to the track tomorrow for some testing action! Looking forward to seeing this thing scream! We’ll make sure to get some video up asap!

Click Here if you cant see all 20+ pictures

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With the new year comes a new radio system! We are about to start testing out the Futaba 4PK in house!
I was a huge fan of the Nomadio Sensor, but they have long abandoned their market, and it’s next to impossible to find their receivers any more.
So far the Futaba 4PK is looking pretty good! It feels good in the hands, and in use at the track. Programming and setup is no small task (120+ page manual) but you start to learn where stuff is, and get used to getting the settings and models programmed in. I do miss the PC plug and program options of the Nomadio, but it was time to move on to some newer more modern technology. We’ll have a review once we get to spend some quality time with our new friend. So far, one of the cool functions, changing the LCD colors. Honestly, I shut off the top one because it’s hella bright.. but still fun to play with!
Check out these almost professional looking picture I took of it!

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As another year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to thank all the people that helped make 2008 an amazing year for Big Squid RC. We grew leaps and bounds this year, and really have started to make some waves in the world of internet RC. From our viral videos, to our very much copied style, terms, and stories. We are happy to be the leaders watching the others scramble to be just like us. We woke up a lot of companies at iHobby Expo, and we promise to keep bringing you eye opening and original work in 2009!

Thanks to all of our readers who faithfully keep coming back for more news, reviews and incite. Keep telling your friends about us!

Thanks to all of our writers: Cubby, Jason Anis, Rey (Stangrey), Wesley Dennis (Microman), and our forum moderators Bill (firespring281) and Chris (thenewguy821).

Thanks and good luck in 2009 to our Pro Driver Tim Mohr! We can’t wait to watch you take over the electric 1/8th scale world!

Thanks to everyone who helped make iHobby Expo such a success for us! We could not of done it without you all! Tim, Jason, Jim, Bill, Chris, Geno, Anna, Ewa, Alfonso, Elizabeth and Cubby!

Finally a huge thanks to all of our sponsors this year! Without you all, we wouldn’t be able to pay the electric bill to keep this place running! Make sure to go visit these sites, show your support, and buy their products! Also tell them we said hi. In no particular order:
Duratrax, Max Amps, O’Donnell Racing, Traxxas, Futaba RC, Team Checkpoint, Best RC, HPI Racing, EDS Racing Products, Team Novak, Grand MotorSports, Leisure Hours Hobbies, RC Car Kings, RC Hobbies Naperville, Buku Power, Dragrace Concepts, Acer Racing, Roy Anderson Engineering, Pro-Line Racing, Parma PSE, Schumacher USA and RC Hardware!
Thank you all so very much! Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone, if I did, send your mail to Cubby, he gets lonely.

Don’t worry, Cubby should be back from his vacation next week (fingers crossed) and you will be able to enjoy your weekly soap box once again.

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We have had a good share of Wheely King news lately, and today we bring you a little more. HPI Racing is making monster truck fans happy with exact R/C replica bodies of the popular Scarlet Bandit, Bounty Hunter, and Iron Outlaw. The bodies come with large photorealistic decals and instruction sheets. The bodies are sized for the HPI Wheely King, but odds are good you could make them fit some other smaller monster truck vehicles. Very cool!

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So you bought a Wheely King that you just never seem to get around converting to that RC Rock Crawler you have been wanting to. Well HPI Racing is here to help! They have just released their Wheely King Complete Rock Crawler Conversion Set! The set includes:
* #87633 Wheely King Rock Crawler Conversion Set
* #87634 Reduction Gear Box Set
* #3212 Rock 8 Bead Lock Wheels (Black)
* #4896 Rock Grabber Tires (S Compound)
The set lengthens the wheelbase by 2 1/4 inches, adds a new servo mount to allow some good changes to weight distribution, and changes the gear ratio to 174:1!
The full press release will be in the NEW Product Forum.

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HPI Racing has extended their factory rebate program through January 31st! If you got some cash for the holidays and you are looking to spend it, you can get some cash back from HPI when you buy one of their vehicles. Head over to the rebate page here: http://www.hpiracing.com/rebate/ for more details.

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Ah, the holidays are once upon us. What better gift to find under the tree than a brand new RTR RC Traxxas Slash! I hope everyone has a great holiday this year, and are looking forward to some awesome RC bashing in the year to come! I figure the mini Squid is a little too young to start his internet fame so soon, hence the ‘Cubby’ effect. Heh.
Stay safe, eat lots, and get in some winter fun!

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Looks like Team Tekin has tossed their hat into the ring of the 1/8th scale brushless craze! This is their new RX8 Brushless ESC. Like most Tekin stuff, it’s tiny with a lot of options. Look for this ESC to hit the shelves in February.

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Ok, had a few people send this in. Thanks for the heads up! Looks like Kyosho does not want to be left behind in the new Corr truck craze with this video of their new Kyosho DRT. I don’t have a lot of details, but most people are guessing it’s built on one of their uber 7 something buggies. Probably a good bet.

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Exotek Racing releases the Pro Sider, a Losi Mini Slider conversion! This setup looks pretty sweet! Comes with a ton of Carbon and is ready to be built! Go check it out and get sideways! Here is a Direct Link to the info page!

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Ok, now that we have your attention! To help celebrate Acer Racing being an advertiser on Big Squid RC, for a limited time you can get 20% your order of $100 or more with the promo code “bigsquid” (without the quotes). That’s a pretty darn good deal right there, and all for just being our friends!

Not sure what to spend that $100 on while you are there, well of course a new set of bearings, but why not also pick up the Acer Chick Calendar! I just got mine in the mail, and suddenly the office is a little warmer than usual! Many of the pics are on their site if you want a preview! Also, a note, before you go buying it for the kids wall, there is a picture or two that shows a lot more then you are seeing here.. so you might want to keep it to only the 18 year old’s on your shopping list. Head over to Acer Racing for a preview! Don’t forget the promo code!

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For you nitro guys in need of a new receiver pack, Duratrax has just released their new 7.2v 1600mAh NiMH receiver packs. They are available in flat and hump pack options with universal connectors.

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Duratrax has just released their new 7.2v 1600mAh NiMH packs for 1/18th scale vehicles. They are engineered for a high discharge rate to help bring out the best in those 1/18th scale models. They are perfect for the mini vehicles such as the Vendetta, Mini Quake, and Cliff Climber.

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Ok, yea I know they are already the most popular RC company right now, and they sell like a million cars a day (haha.. maybe the big three US motor companies could learn something from these guys), but if you are not into RC already, the odds of you knowing who or what Traxxas is, isn’t good.
So I opened the Sunday paper, started off with the funnies, and then hit the sales papers to see if there is any last minute shopping I need to ask Santa to do. As I was flipping the pages my eyes just about popped out of my head as I flipped to the Pep Boys ad and saw a Traxxas Rustler staring me back in the face! Its listed it at $199, a ‘Hobby-Grade’ radio control, with battery and charger. 3 Models available.
Now Cubby and I have had many conversations on what it would take to help spread the world of RC to more people, and who’s gonna be the first real ‘Walmart’ vehicle. Traxxas is almost always the name mentioned because it just makes sense. Easy to get into, reliable, and cheap. I’m not sure if this was a Traxxas promotion, or if some genius RC fan at Pep Boys thought it would be cool to do, and I am glad to see it done!
Ok, before I get a call from Cubby that he wants his soap box back, I’ll step off and bring it to a end. If you have the money, and you know a young kid in need of a hobby, go get him/her a RC for X-mas! You’ll have a fan for life!

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The big draw to the Traxxas Slash is the racing. Where else can we all race a CORR Pro2 trucks fender-to-fender for about $300 (truck $200, batteries & charger $100)? Its good clean fun as long as you don’t take the class too seriously.

One of the reasons that I say this is because it gets a little rough during the races. With the Slash being so cheap to get in to, there are racers from all levels in the class. There are novices with this being there first class, and top level racers using this class as a stress reliever. At my local track there are two 2008 IFMAR Fuel Buggy World’s racers that run the class. I’ve also seen beginners show up and open their kits and start racing that night!

Full Fender Racing = Full Contact! With these trucks being full fender, drivers tend to get a little aggressive… ok, they will slam you like a 350 pound line-man would! On top of that the tires have so little traction that a good hit will send you spinning down the straight-a-way. Don’t think that if you’re in the lead that they are not going to hit you also.

The last issue I have about the Slash box stock racing is that mass produced gear is not all made the same. These motors and esc’s are mass produced on huge a scale by machines. I’ve heard of box stock slashes doing wheel stands on a 2s lipo at 7.4 volts. Some Slashes are so slow that you have to run a 7-cell nimh at 8.4 volts to just keep up. I really believe that the class needs a better controller motor, but that’s just adding more money.

So get your Slash, race it, and just have fun!!!! In the next report I’ll be going over so tips and tricks to make your Slash a little faster in both speed and lap times. So if you get slammed just laugh about it and just remember pay back is a …..

Jason Annis

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Caster Racing USA announced today the signing of multiple time 18th scale champion, Tim Mohr, to their Caster Racing factory team for 2009. Mohr will be racing the new Caster Fusion EX-1R Factory Team buggy at the 2009 RC Pro Series, along with selected other events.Caster Racing USA was the first company to release a rolling electric eight scale chassis. “We’ve been working real hard making the Fusion EX-1 the best buggy on the market. With Tim on board, our product will elevate to even higher levels.”, said Mike Mazza of Caster Racing USA. “Racing is core to product development, and by now having Tim on the team, it helps reinforce our position at the top of the product category.” Tim Mohr, of St. Louis Missouri, jumped into the public eye by winning many titles in 18th scale classes, including the 2008 18th Dirt 4wd and 2wd Pro titles and the 2007 RC Pro Series 18th Scale title, among others. Tim was also an early proponent of brushless motors and lithium batteries for use in rc car racing. “Electric eighth scale is at the cutting edge of technology in our sport, right where I like to be. I’m really stoked to be given the chance to race the Caster Fusion EX-1, as it sets the standard for the class.” said Tim. For more information regarding Caster Racing products, and to view their entire race team, please log on to Caster Racing USA.

Tim has been a good friend of Big Squid RC for many years now, and we are happy to see him sign on with Caster. Congratulations Tim!! Can’t wait to see you on the podium at the Pro Series!

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We all know that we need to be a little more careful with our battery handling with LiPO’s. Venom wants to help keep you safe with their new LiPO Safety Charging Sack. They have both small and large sacks (stop snickering!) for your battery storing and charging needs. If you have made the jump to LiPO, you should probably consider grabbing a few sacks (ok..you.. I saw the smirk) for yourself. I have added them to my shopping list.

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Wowza. We saw these packs at the iHobby Expo, and drooled on them as they sat there behind glass. Thunder Power RC is shipping their new 5000mAh Pro Race 40C series batteries that are designed for surface use. (Cars and Trucks). I can see the melted brushless speed controllers now!
They have a 2-Cell, 3-Cell, and 4-Cell pack. Head over to the Thunder Power RC site for all the details in info!

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28-time ROAR US National Champ Josh Cyrul has signed up with Thunder Power RC!

I’m glad to see Thunder Power putting some money behind their surface (car, trucks) batteries. A lot of people use their LiPO’s in cars and trucks when they are more designed to work in planes. Now that they have batteries designed for cars and trucks, it’s good to see they are taking it seriously and not just depending on their already known name. Congrats to Josh and Thunder Power.

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Acer Racing has just released their Hot Bodies D4 Ceramic Nitride Pro Series ball bearing kit. These will be on sale for $79.99 till December 20th! You’ll also get free shipping world wide!

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