Ever needed a foot stool to stand on but the only thing you had lying around was a Baja 5T?   Well if you had the new Baja 5T Roll Cage from Team Chase your problem would be solved.  Apparently this lightweight, durable plastic roll cage is tough enough for a full grown man to stand on (there’s pictures).   Even better you can install and remove it quickly and easily since it just mounts onto the 8 stock body mount positions.  The Team Chase 5T Cage is also compatible with most of the aftermarket exhausts that are out there and it’s made out of high temp plastic so it won’t melt because of those exhausts.

The Team Chase 5T cage is exclusively distributed by TGN Distributing.  It’s available now and is listed at $189.99. Hit up the TGN web site for more info.

Team Chase 5T Cage Gallery

Baja Skunkworks (you know, those guys responsible for that crazy Baja 5T tank… yeah, you remember) have put together what could possibly be a must have accessory for 5B and 5T owners.  Their new 2 speed transmission has been in development for 3 years now and they say it has features that competitors don’t.  One of the bigger bullet points is that the Baja Skunkworks 2 speed has a set and forget shift point.  Once you get it where you want it the shift point should never need to be adjusted again.  The kit comes with 51:23 gearing for second gear and more options will be available at a later date.  The first gear is designed to use HPI’s OEM spur gears which allows you to use any gearing that fits the gear carrier and clutch system.  It’s also said that this 2 speed is “bombproof” to stand up to all those tricked out Bajas with tons of heavy billet parts.

The 2 speed is available now for a list price of $350.  Baja Skunkworks gear is exclusively distributed by TGN Distributing, check out the TGN web site for more info.  There’s a video of the 2 speed in action after the break, click read more to watch it.

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Those angry guys at Hostile Racing Products have a new pair of shoes for owners of the HPI Baja 5T.  The Crusher Tires feature a realistic and aggressive tread style that should be a good fit for racing or bashing.  These tires have sidewall support but no internal ribbing to save your foams.  Speaking of foams, none are included so you better get some.  The Crushers are available now in hard and soft compounds with an MSRP of $42.99.

Check out the Hostile Racing Products web site for more info.

With recessed screws, the new Pro-Line Racing Heavy Duty 5B/5T Beadlock Rings will protect your tires’ sidewalls while offering a clean, smooth appearance. These durable nylon rings are sure to stand up to the bashing that we dish out to our HPI Bajas.

You can visit the Pro-Line Racing site here.

Like nitro? Like 1/5th scale rc cars? Looks like HPI Racing has the solution. The HPI Savage 5T is already available in Japan, so it’s only a matter of time until it makes it state side. Going by the rough translation of Babelfish, I picked up a few things on this new truck. The S5T uses the K 5.9 Engine for power. The drivetrain has been revised and regeared to suit the much larger truck. Instead of 17mm, the hubs are 24mm in typical 5B fashion. However, you can swap back to 17mm for more traditional wheel choices. The wheelbase has been stretched to a whopping 562mm. The best part about this truck is that it is 4WD instead of RWD. The truck weighs in at a mere 15 pounds, which is much less than the 25 pound Baja 5T.

Attention all Baja runners out there. Acer Racing is releasing their Pro Series Ceramic Bearing Kit for the HPI Baja! This 25 peice kit will include the wheel bearings, transmission bearings and all the bearings in the entire car. Using a high strength high carbon chrome alloy HSR inner cage material, their diamond polished super smooth pure Ceramic Silicon Nitride Balls, and their special cream synthetic lubricant for friction free and cool performance.

This bearing kit will also fit the HPI Baja 5B / 5B SS / 5B 2.0 / 5T.

The HPI Baja is the ultimate offroad buggy experience–top it off with the ultimate ceramic bearings in the world: ACER Racing Ceramic Nitride Pro Series.

Available April 2009 – stop by Acer Racing and pre order yours today!

For all those who have run out to buy the HPI Racing Baja 5T only to find yourself looking like everyone else at the track, you are in luck! HPI Racing just released the clear Baja 5T body. It comes trimmed, with decals, and logo’s. Very cool! So get out there and get your paint on!

HPI Racing has announced the new Outlaw Wheels for the Baja 5T 1/5th scale trucks. They come in chrome, black, white, and gunmetal. They also come with a 4mm or 10mm offset. These are beadlock setups, so no need for glue (yeah!) and run about $35 a pair. Note, the beadlock rings must be ordered separately!

RPM RC has just announced their new rear a-arms for the HPI Baja 5B and 5T! You get upper and lower a-arms and they come in dyeable white or black. They have made a few good modifications to help keep the strength of the a-arms and eliminate any issues the originals may of had. They make some interesting changes to the arms which could really help. I think I will be investing in a pair for sure!

The full press release will be posted in the NEW Product Forum. Make sure to check it out, it has a lot of info.

This week yielded entry number three into the hot new “CORR” truck genre as HPI introduced their hot new truck, the Baja 5T. Obviously, this is based off their incredible 5th scale gas Baja buggy chassis, but comes in full “CORR” off road truck attire. Unfortunately, the truck just misses the mark on looks, as the body is too narrow, and the tires look “almost” like they should. HPI has long been known to have the most realistic cars on the market, strange how they shouldn’t be spot on with the 5T. A big part of the reason the “CORR” type trucks are so popular is due to their realism. If you miss the mark on looks in this category, you’ll miss your sales target goals as well.

For what the 5T lacks in authenticity, it should more than make up for in fun factor. It’s daddy, the Baja 5B buggy, is easily the most fun rc car ever produced. Big statement I know, but if you’ve ever gotten the chance to pinch throttle on one, you know exactly why I would make such a bold statement. The big daddy Baja buggy handles more realistically than any other rc car (ever!), is very reliable, and it’s gas engine is a huge plus. Oh yes, that wonderful lil’ gas engine supplies insane run times, and zero tuning hassles like a typical nitro engine would. If you are truly core about “CORR” racing, you’ll come closer to the real thing driving a 5T than anything else that is offered, or will probably ever be offered. Now, the Baja buggy or the 5T will not be the biggest seller on the market due to it’s one grand price point, but all that big fun does have to come at some sort of price.

Speaking of “CORR” trucks, the Traxxas Slash phenomenon is STILL amazing industry insiders- from other manufactures, to distributors, to LHS owners. Some are even reporting that sales of the Slash are even hotter than those of the original T-Maxx, once thought to be impossible to surpass! The guys sitting behind the big fancy tables at Traxxas have to be given props for finding the perfect mesh of looks, drivability, reliability, and perhaps most importantly, price point. If you haven’t bought one yet, I’m not sure what you are waiting for, but go ahead and jump on this bus, as it’s an affordable, and fun ride.

Some sort of rc “crawling” nats went down last week in Utah. The only guy I recognized in the top five was Austin Dunn, who’s an incredibly smooth driver, and has probably the hottest girlfriend I’ve ever seen at an rc event. I’ve gotten with several people in the industry, trying to convince them to lend BigSquidRC a hand and do event coverage from big crawling events, but to no avail. So if you are one of the guys traveling the crawling circuit (either as a vendor, promoter, competitor, or whatever), and can write better than the average 2kd grader, hit up our execute editor, Brian at BigSquidRC.com and offer your services as a contributor. Writing up some event reports will not only get your sponsors/company more exposure, but BigSquidRC actually has a large crawling following, so you’ll actually have people foaming at the mouth to read your reports. Ditto’s for any traveling regular on the rc drag circuit.

That’s it for this week rc fans. Check your BigSquidRC daily, support your LHS and local tracks, and get off your computer and go pinch some throttle.

Cubby

Breaking news! HPI Racing has just released official pictures and information on the Baja 5T. HPI has sent this info out to the press, and they will have a webpage setup for people to check it all out in about 24 hours! The Baja 5T is a ready-to-run 1/5th scale off-road truck. It’s based on the 5B family with desert truck looks.

It has a new body mounting system, bumpers to protect the headlights, dirt guards on both sides for extra protection. It comes with a FM radio system and fail safe, 3000mah rechargeable receiver pack and a new shock tower for increased suspension travel.

I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of these in the near future!