Anybody else watch live CORR racing this weekend? I certainly did, and I was personally enthralled the entire time. The people at CORR have gotten their act together, and are making their run at the mainstream. A relatively great tv package, good on track racing, cross motorsports personalities, combine with a large induction of “mainstream” advertising money, has grown the formerly fringe sport to record levels. Hummmmm….. just goes to show what can be done with the right people behind the wheel of a given sport.

It wouldn’t be a week in rc without a new truck release from Horizon/Losi. It seems every week they have a new offering, some ho-hum, some revolutionary (like last week’s Eight-E). This week, they announced their 18th scale CORR type truck, the “Mini-Desert Truck“. Mental note to ANYONE/EVERYONE who wants to release a truck of this type- make sure the body covers the tires! Otherwise, it ends up looking like the Mini-Desert, basically a normal rc type stadium truck. If you widen out the body to where it looks all CORR, it’s actually cool. Leave it narrow, and the manufacture should install dust wipers on the box because it’s going to sit on the shelf till white plastic comes back into style.

One of the big print mags recently announced they are now offering a new “green” on-line subscription. Strangely, this mag’s print edition is constantly being criticized for having 3 times more pages of advertising than actual “content”. Yet, from what I’ve heard, their e-zine has even more advertisements! BigSquidRC is certainly one of the original, and top on-line rc e-zine’s. It has always been green, and doesn’t shove a semi-tractor full of advertising down the readers throats.

The most uber high end of all racing is Formula 1. In the USA, it’s barely followed, but worldwide, it is easily the largest, and most elite form of motorsport racing. This weekend, the underdog Red Bull Scuderia Toro Rosso team won their first race ever- the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Red Bull once gave motocross phenom James Stewart a new Bentley for simply favoring their energy drink. I wonder what Red Bull racing will give German Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel for winning their first ever Grand Prix? Now, to make this all rc related- if Red Bull can afford sinking nearly a half billion dollars a year into their Formula 1 effort, just to typically run mid to rear pack, why can’t they afford to throw a few hundred thousand into the sport of rc racing and rule the entire thing. Red Bull would get great value per advertising dollar, and the sport of rc would take their first small step towards the mainstream. Have they even been approached by ROAR, RC Pro Series, or the JBRL? Just say’n, it’s a win/win for everybody, and it’s amazing it hasn’t been done yet.

That’s it for this week rc fans. Support your sport! Hit your LHS, buy something, or just hang out and check their latest gear. Hit your local track and race, or just show up on a practice day and have a blast putting on some quick laps. Don’t forget to get on the BigSquid forums and talk some serious smack!

Sincerely,

Your Cub Reporter

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Hopefully, you and yours are enjoying a long Labor Day weekend. Hopefully kicking back, drinking a few cold one’s, and even getting in some serious trigger time with your favorite hobby grade rc car or truck.

First off, let’s thank about all those people in the rc industry, those people that put in the time, money and effort (and entire lives!), that make our hobby so special. While I’m best known for ripping most of these guys new A-holes on a weekly basis, I do certainly appreciate all their hard work. Most rc companies are a LOT smaller than you think, and it’s a dern hard living coming up with the next big thing. With the current economy, finances are especially tough for these people and their families, huge props to all of them for working extra hard to keep their doors open.

Well, it’s finally here. Somebody finally did it. I placed my bet on Horizon/Losi months ago, and indeed, they are the first “big name” with a production 8th scale brushless buggy. The consumers have wanted, hell, even demanded this product, and finally Losi steps up to the plate. So huge props to them for being the first big name to have the nutz to deliver the most highly anticipated platform since the electric 10th scale “stadium” truck in the early 90’s.

So, what are the big up-sides to the new Losi (dubbed the Eight-E)? Well, it comes as a “race roller”, meaning it comes assembled, with speedo and motor, but no transmitter. Speedo is non-sensored, and looks a lot like a Monster Max. I’m not saying that it is, just say’n the likenesses are uncanny. Anyways, the next “plus” is that it is based off the popular and race tested Losi 8 platform. That particular buggy platform works especially well with electric conversions due to it’s off-set center drive line. An electric specific platform would be preferred of course, but we’ll take the nitro platform for now over waiting more months/years. Price is going to be around $879 American dinero’s. This might sound horrifically high, but is actually a plus. If you were to buy a normal 8th scale buggy, big azz speedo and motor, plus a conversion kit, it would cost wayyy more than $879. The cost of an 8th scaler plus big speedo and motor just plain isn’t cheap. Price will go down somewhat in years to come, but you will never see a $299 price point 8th scale RTR electric buggy.

Downsides? This once would have been a plus, but now days, not coming with full electronics (it doesn’t come with a radio system) is actually a downside. Next, the new Losi 8E does not come with a slipper clutch. If indeed it has the driveline from hell, it might survive, otherwise, a slipper really is a “must” have. I think we already know what one of the first “upgrades” released will be, LOL. Finally, and what I see is the biggest thumb’s down- the 8E relies only on motor braking, not servo/rotor braking. Any dirt 8th scaler drives mucho better with a bunch of brake bias towards the front. Using only motor braking, gives half the braking power to the front, half to the rear, making it mucho harder to get through corners. At least this gives Horizon/Losi some room for improvement on their next-gen electric big scaler.

Horizon/Losi also released another truck last week, and it’s perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the year. The Losi HIGHroller (Up In Smoke) totally blindsided most people in the industry. It’s basically a 2wd electric 10th scale monster truck, very much Traxxas Stampede style. Price point? $179, right in the heart of Traxxastown. To me, at a glance, it screams “Hey look, Horizon’s got a new kit source in China!”. Once again, that just might be me, but just say’n. I read on-line where someone took one glance at the HIGHroller (Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie) and said it made him want to burn his XXX-T MF2, the reason being that the Losi name used to stand for the best racing equipment you could buy. Yes, and while the looks and price point of the HIGHroller (Nice Dreams) will make it a big seller, it’s one more dagger in the heart of the Losi brand name. Horizon would be best suited to be careful with how far they drag it down. They paid good money for it, and it’s only of use to Horizon if it still means something race worthy, not bash material. Horizon’s in-house Sportwerks name would be much better suited on the HIGHroller (It Came From Hollywood).

That’s it for this week freaks. Get outside, enjoy your extra time off work by dropping buy (Freudian slip) your local LHS, visit your local bash spot, or put the transponder in and get some racing in.

Most sincerely,

Your Cub Reporter

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Welcome once again to another exciting and infuriating Cub Report!

BigSquidRC.com’s top man, Brian, is not at the top of his game. He was actually hospitalized this week, but seems to be doing better now. If you get a chance, shoot him a “get well soon” note to brian (at sym) bigsquidrc.com . We need to keep Brian well and healthy enough to keep my checks coming. Thanks!

Also in BigSquid news- aspiring models are needed. If you are, or know of a pretty lady that would like to get in some trade show modeling experience, shoot Brian an email as he is looking for “booth-babes” for this falls I-Hobby International Hobby Expo in Chicago. If you know someone, help Brian have the coolest booth at the show, and help a young lady gain a nice reference on her resume.

I can’t help it, I’ve got Olympic fever. I just can’t get enough! Phelps, Liukin, and others- how can I resist? It just looks so damn good in HD. Seems I’m not the only one, as the ratings of this years Olympics from Beijing are through the roof. But what does this have to do with rc? Not a damn thing other than it’s nice to see a well organized event come off as a huge success, and I’ve got some results from the question I asked last week about who us Americans would like to see represent us if rc racing was actually an Olympic sport. The top 3 vote getter’s from BigSquid readers are….

Honorable mentions- Brian “Dirtinator” Kinwald, Scott Hughes, and Billy “Mr Versatile” Fischer.

3. Mark Pavidis- Perennial front runner Pavidis garnered 3′rd place in the votes. Mark would certainly be a good pick for the team, as he has nerves of steel, and really picks up the pace the bigger the event is. He doesn’t back down from anybody, forcing passes when he has to. And perhaps his largest asset? Car set-up, he’s simply a master at making the most out of his equipment.

2. Ryan Maifield- AE’s latest hotshot has been tearing a wide swath through the pro ranks, winning nearly everything he enters. Driven, determined, and even a bit cocky, Ryan drives the tires off anything he races, and isn’t afraid to huck it huge to make a tricky pass. And, he doesn’t just like to win races, he prefers to CRUSH the field. Confidence is a dangerous thing, and he has lots of it right now.

1. Getting the most votes for our theoretical “Olympic RC Team America” is- Adam Drake. The Drake is not some pretty boy model type, he looks just like you and me. But what he is, is perhaps America’s top racer at the moment. The Drake is known for incredible corner speed, but less known, and more importantly, he is the king at finding good lines. If you want to find the very best line through any section (and have the skill to follow it), just watch where The Drake goes. Likable, friendly, and smart, The Drake deserves his title as being the best liked racer in America, and would represent a Team America in only the best light.

Of course there are tons of super talented drivers left off this list, but the most surprising to me was that not one carpet guru got made the top 3. Just goes to show that BigSquid readers, along with most Amercian rc’ers, know the top dirt guys better than the top carpet guys.

Did you tune in live to Speed TV this weekend and catch the CORR race? Gotta love CORR’s tv package this year with Speed, as you can’t beat Live! Rockstar/Makita/Kal-Gard’s Kyle LuDuc pwned Pro 4, Rockstar Energy/BFGoodrich’s Rob MacCachren took Pro 2, and BOSS Plow/Kumho/Amsoilʼs Chad Hord took Pro Lites. And what the Heck does this have to do with rc? Well, Thunder Tiger/AE unveiled their new rc CORR truck at the event, that’s what!

Dubbed the SC8, which stands for “short course”, the new AE rc CORR truck is based off their extremely fast RC8 nitro platform. The trucks look phenomenal, very scale, even down to the tires and mud-flaps. But will it be a bigger hit than the Traxxas Slash? Oh, it’ll be a hit alright, but don’t expect to see as many of them as the Slash. The Slash has a much better price point, and, it’s electric, which is all the rage now. I’m also disappointed to see the SC8 being a nitro, as it’s obvious the industry is swinging hard to electric now, but, I’m impressed to see AE jump into the “CORR” truck game so quickly. Industry rumor is that word about the Slash leaked out over a year ago from guys within the CORR ranks to the Thunder Tiger/AE camp, giving AE a bit of a “head’s up” to get a similar truck to market. Truth? Who knows.

Not to be outdone, Horizon/Losi released info on their 8th scale nitro buggy based Oval car this week. Dubbed the L8ight, this is what you get when you take one of their 8th scale off-road buggys and convert it for oval use. Does it look trick? Sorta. Will it suddenly be the boost that dirt oval needs so desperately? I don’t think so. But, it will open a lot of eyes, and provide lots of enjoyment to owners. I’ve seen converted 8th scale dirt oval cars race, and they look like a blast! Very realistic, lots of roost, tons of fun!

Now, if Thunder Tiger/AE and Horizon/Losi can FINALLY release their BL/Li-po 8th scale RTR’s! I-Hobby, you’ll see.

As previously posted by Brian on the main page, Tekin’s former sales and marketing man, “Scooter” has opened up a new BL and Li-po company. Scooter has been a warm face to see at many a race, and I personally wish him the best on his new business venture. The BL/Li-po sector is a hard one to break into, but Scooter is a down to Earth guy that knows what racers are looking for. I am looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table.

Lastly, Red Bull Cola tastes awesome! It tastes best well chilled, just like normal Red Bull. It is quite strong, but very pleasing. If you can find a can, it’s worth a sip or two.

Till next week, support your local tracks and LHS’s, and check BigSquid daily for the latest and greatest!

Your Cub Reporter

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Good evening, good morning, hello, hello- welcome to yet another edition of the loathed Cub-Report.

So you like to go fast eh? Well, everybody does, that’s why we are in this sport. Word went public this week about this years big high speed run event. Nic Case, current pwn’er of all things high speed, worked with Castle Creations and RC Driver magazine to get an event put together out east this October. I know there are a ton of BigSquidRC readers that do rc drag racing, so what about giving some high speed running a shot? Gear up, go huge, and just see what kind of top speed number you can bust out!

Of interest is the change of support from RCCA to RC Driver this year for the high speed event. Knowing how the guys at Driver handle things, I think we can expect for this years high speed event to totally blow away the RCCA backed events in every way. Expect much larger attendance, better competition, and a much better organized show this year.

Midwesterner Taylor James pwn’ed the boyz at the 8th scale buggy “World’s Warm Up” race out at The Farm 2. The 8th scale buggy IFMAR world championship is the most prestigious racing event in all of r/c racing. Insiders and outsiders are speculating just who is going to take home the world championship this year. Some have their money on the warm up winner and Jammin factory shoe James, others are placing their bets on ThunderTiger/AE hotshoe Ryan Maifield. Personally, my money is on either Kortz or Pavidis. Both of those gentlemen always rise to the occasion for IFMAR worlds, while most of the other top American’s flounder. This year will most likely be different, as the race is being held on a typical American track, where the boyz from Team USA will feel very much at home, while all the Euro’s will bewondering where all the gravel and brick sections are at!

Also of note for the IFMAR’s, Billy “Most Versatile Racer On the Planet” Fischer is ready and stoked to go huge. Billy is easily the nicest guy in the pits, and he has climbed to the top of the 8th scale pile in quite a hurry. If the Fishman is “on” at the IFMAR race, goodness help the rest of the world.

Jeremy Kortz, as I mentioned earlier, is one of my favs for the 08′ world title. What I’ve always wondered about him is this- he looks like the perfect pitch man for outside the industry sponsors, so why hasn’t Red Bull/Monster/Rockstar/Etnies/DC/Spy/Kicker picked him up yet?? Jeremy is all tatt’ed up, sporting a killer left coast look and easy going attitude. Plus, he’s perhaps the most naturally talented racer to come from the USA. Potential sponsors, if you are out there, I’m telling you Kortz can help you sell a s#!tload of product and get your name in the door of the r/c world on the best possible foot.

Anybody else notice LIVE CORR racing on NBC today? That sport has come a long ways, and todays live coverage is more proof of that. Unfortunately for my boy, and 7 time AMA Supercross champion, Jeremy “The King” McGrath, a flat tire ruined his day. Nice to see another ex-motocrosser Rick “Too Hip” Johnson carry the torch at the front of the pack.

The good guys are Schumacher released info on their new touring car, the Mission 3.5 last week. Now, the old Mission 3 was one of the best “elite” TC’s out there, so what could they possibly improve? The retail price, that’s what! Rumored retail of the new scoot is supposed to be right around $299, which looks mighty inviting considering all the other overly priced elite tourers from X-Ray, AE, ect. Props to Robin and SP at Schu for keeping their prices reasonable during these rough economic times.

What was the biggest “release” of the week? No, it didn’t come from BigSquidRC’s editor-in-chief Brian after watching some free internet pr0n. It came instead from Horizon/Losi in the form of new information regarding their all new 10th scale Slider! Now, I didn’t get the memo saying “dirt oval is the hot new thing”, so I doubt dirt oval is just gonna bust off the chains because of this new car. But, with the hot trend being “realistic” looking r/c cars, Horizon/Losi will move a lot of these off dealer shelves.

Btw- Horizon/Losi also announced a new body for nitro 8th scale oval! In some parts of our country, that is actually a pretty hot class. Just take an 8th scale buggy, put some funky body on it, run some crazy camber angles, and go out and throw some insane roost. With Losi’s release of this body, you can only expect for them to produce a Losi 8 inspired oval car at some point in the near future.

Almost forgot, rumor is that Horizon/Losi’s 10th scale crawler isn’t that far off, so all you guys that got your panties in a bunch over them releasing an 18th scaler, should be able to un-bunch soon.

That’s it for this week r/c fans. As always, get off your butt and get down to spend some cash at your LHS, drop by your local track to either watch, help marshal, or get some laps in, and read BigSquidRC on a daily basis!

Cub

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Something really cool happened this week, which seems to be rare in this era of big-buck corporate rc companies. And, no, the cool thing wasn’t a hot new car, yet another piece of blue anodized bling-bling, nor a new “super dope” high voltage lithium based cell. It was simply a piece of advertising.

I’m sure many of you remember the classic old Associated ads- like the one where a gang of fans are standing on their tip-toes just to get a glimpse of Jammin Jay Halsey and his life size RC10 buggy. Or how about some of those classic ole’ Team Losi ads? Well this week, Thunder Tiger/AE released another one of those classics that won’t soon be forgotten. This is simply a statement ad- a throng of fans, a race helmet, half a CORR truck, and the words “Stop dreaming, Start driving”. At the core of every hobby rc driver, is the heart of a racer, one who dreams of being loved by a crowd of adoring fans, one who lives for competition, no matter what level it might be on.

You can thumb through the endless pages of ad, after ad, after ad, in the archaic tree eating print magazines, but only a few times every decade do you see a work of art like the new “Red Bull” Thunder Tiger/AE ad. Each month, dozens of rc companies pay between $800 to several thousand dollars a page (for a cover) to promote their products, yet most of this advertising goes unnoticed and therefore wasted. Michael Glass, the man behind the “Red Bull” ad certainly earned his paycheck this month, as that one will be seen by millions, and will be remembered for decades.

Now, down to the product- obviously AE is hyping a CORR type truck. Myself, like most people, would like to see it be a 4wd. Why? Because 4wd is simply easier to drive, making it more friendly to the masses. No matter if it’s an electric or a nitro, 4wd just makes for a much easier to drive vehicle. And if it does indeed turn out to be electric, here’s hoping that it comes with a BL/Li-po “friendly” drive-line (ie- lots of metal gears!), one that can live through the enormous torque that a 3S Lithium system can dish out. Now days, it just doesn’t make any sense to release any new product unless it was designed from day one with BL/Li-po in mind.

That’s it for this week rc fans, as always, support your sport! Buy some new gear! Buy it from your local hobby shop! Put some laps in at your local tracks, and as always, check BigSquidRC.com on a daily basis!

Cubby

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What has been the single most hyped car release of 2008? Arguably, the mysterious Losi Crawler. On the product side of things, Losi already had tires, bodies and other crawling accessories out for some time, so it’s obvious they support the genre. On the marketing side- Losi put out more new age “internet buzz” on this model than any before it in history. Thursday, complete information on the truck leaked out- then came the big let down, at least for the serious crawling hobbyist.

What seemed to be the big problem(s)? First off, scale. Serious crawling guys were looking for a full-comp esoteric 2.2 size rig. What they got was a little 18th scaler. But that wasn’t all. The comp guys were looking for a kit, as no real crawler is built box stock, and the new Losi rig is an RTR. And to top it all off, suggested “hobby shop” price is going to be right around $240, right at the same price of the larger Axel rig.

Losi’s new crawler is really a sign of the times, at least among the “big two” based out of Champaign. Big sales numbers over what the core enthusiast wants. Will the new crawler be a huge sales success? Yes, definitely, but at what price to their former core buyers? This certainly isn’t “Team Losi” anymore, it’s now “Horizon/Losi”, and don’t you forget it.

It’s no industry secret that the “big two” have been shooting for huge numbers for years now. No, not “huge” T-maxx type numbers, even bigger than that. Wally World numbers is ultimately what they are shooting for. A hobby grade company would make more money on the initial PO from Wally World than they would in a half decade through normal “hobby grade” retail channels. There is big money, like they make now, then there is BIG money, the kind that can only be tapped with a hit rc car sitting on the shelves of every Wally and Target in the country.

There have always been rumors that the original Losi Mini-T was Horizons first attempt at breaking into the Wally market, but due to lack of pull, insufficient contacts, and too high of a price point, that the deal didn’t happen. But, there is no doubt in my mind that within the next 5 years you will be able to walk into any Wally World in the country and buy a new Losi. My only hope is that they use some of
that BIG Wally money to introduce some amazing hobby grade gear. This is America after all, the country that above all prides itself in the ability to make money.

Capitalism is all American, so you can’t fault Horizon/Losi for that. Let’s hope they don’t forget about us true hobbyist that put them in the position to sit on the big box retailers shelves.

Support your local hobby shops and tracks!!
Cubby

PS: before the emails come in.. yes.. wally-Mart

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Traxxas Much like the paranoid survivalists that emptied out every supermarket in the country of 50 lbs bags of rice, rc’ers are now beginning to stockpile nitro fuel.
Rumors have been floating for months about no more 30% being produced and prices doubling by Christmas. The best part is, ask 10 guys that work in the rc fuel industry, and you’ll get about 10 different answer to dispel the rumors.

So just what are the “true” facts about the state of nitro fuel? It’s hard to fully trust anything coming out of the rc industry right now. Even those deep in the industry have not been given full disclosure by their suppliers, and others have other motivations to “twist” the truth. But it’s common knowledge that nitro comes out China. Cost of shipping from China has nearly doubled in recent months, and the Olympic games this summer will have big effects on how China is doing business. My best guess? I’ll go with common sense, expect nitro prices to be alarmingly high by this time next year. Of course by then, most people will already be running their new Losi 8BL’s and E Revo’s around their local track. But if you do plan on staying nitro, it just might be a good idea to buy a few extra gallons.

Reports from industry insiders continue to surface about just who is closest to putting out a mainstream 8th scale electric kit or RTR. Popular consensus? Losi, Losi, Losi!!! With Kyosho and Mugen expected to be closely behind. Associated is not expected to jump in till the year 2032.

Speaking of AE, they released info on their new RC10R5 this week. According to them, the “World GT” class is getting REALLY hot right now, and this is the car to fit the bill. In the real world, nearly nobody has ever heard of the “World GT” class, nor do they want an extremely hard to drive and hard to tune car that is basically nothing more than a stretched 12th scale pan car. Good luck on sales numbers for this one boys. Oh and thanks for adding yet another worthless class to the competition schedule.

This weekend I had the “pleasure” of witnessing something I had never seen before. A racer had his speed controller fry on the track, which was actually fun to watch, but even more so was what happened to his battery as it got dead shorted due to the bad speedo. This particular racers battery just happened to be a ROAR certified Li-po. Seems his pack didn’t like a dead short, went into thermal runaway, and burnt the whole dern stadium truck to the ground. Looked like a very miniature scene of Kuwait after Saddam set all the oil wells ablaze. When the pack went up, the fire ignited it’s ABS case rather well, and being strapped into a plastic chassis just tripled the fun/fire/smoke. I’m not sure who thought it would be a good idea to encase Li-po batteries in a butane, ammonia, and coal based plastic, but I have to say, they must have a flair for excitement! (or are just pyro’s at heart)

So immediately after this high priced bonfire, the pits erupted in speculation. What if this had happened in someones house and not on a dirt track? What if this had happened on a Paragon tire sauce soaked carpet track? Who was going to get sued worse- the track, the battery manufacture, or ROAR? If ROAR states in their rules that a Li-po can not go into thermal runaway to become certified, what are the ramifications when one of their “certified” packs burns down a carpet track and the building it was in? Is ROAR packing enough insurance to cover a few dozen racers dying in said fire?

At the end of the day, let’s just hope the fire I witnessed was a fluke, and that every other pack ROAR has certified actually passes their testing as specified in their rules.

I’ve heard from the man with the plan here at BigSquid that Bash-A-Aalooza went off with nary a hitch. And amazingly, that was even backed up by other people that were at the event! Seems the turnout wasn’t huge, but all the participants were awesome, the venue was one of the best in the world (Leisure Hours Raceways in Joliet Illinois), and the event sponsors kicked in major swag to put the event over the top. This type of event just might catch on- less pressure and more fun! Exactly what this sport needs.

After a long, drawn out, narcissistic phone call with BigSquidRC’s resident pro driver, he would not leave me alone about mentioning demo-derby. Seems when he not out pwn’ing people on the racetrack, said racer loves to bash hard, Really hard-full contact rc demo-derby hard. So if you are out there reading this, and would love to either compete in, or view coverage of the “RC Demo-Derby Nationals hosted by BigSquidRC”, shoot us an email. I’m sure we could come up with a venue and lots
of cool swag if there are enough drivers out there with big enough cojones!

That’s it for this week in our beloved sport. Quit jacking around reading here and support your local hobby shops and tracks!!!

Cubby

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Brian, the head cheese and uber editor of BigSquidRC.com suspended me last week. I never thought he would have been personally offended at what I had last turned in, but I guess he wasn’t impressed with my last Cub Report that contained more curse words than a typical rap song. This week, I’ll try my very best to keep the spicy language to a bare minimum.

The biggest news of the last two weeks? Traxxas!! The very latest rendition of their top selling T-Maxx is on the way to your dealer’s shelves. The latest, dubbed the “New T-Maxx 3.3″ is the largest T-Maxx yet- featuring larger tires and a longer wheelbase. If you are a typical consumer, you are probably stoked to see the new rig. If you are an LHS, you scratch your head and wonder how you are going to sell off the last two versions, and think about how mad you are that you’ll now have to stock even more parts that will be outdated in 6 months. Literally, the very minute Traxxas unveils a new T-Maxx, selling the older versions is like selling the plague. More dead stock, yippee!

Horizon/Losi kept up their quest for world domination releasing a slew of new items. It doesn’t matter if you drive their small, ill-handling Micro-T, or their Losi 8 series, new gear was all around. The highlight of the Horizon releases is the new Losi 10th Scale Desert Truck. Now, this truck fits in absolutely zero niches. It’s a class of it’s own, but was born off the XXX-T chassis. It seems this truck was released simply to put out a new truck, as new sells in this hobby market. (remind anyone of their 20 different versions of the Mini-T and Mini-LST?) Most consumers have already owned 2 XXX’s, and 4 XXX-T’s, so for Horizon to get any more of their money they simply had to put out the cheapest “new” design they could. (Even if it comes with one of the slowest motors ever made.)

Horizon/Losi’s second largest release of the week was their 10th scale brushless speedo’s and motors. Horizon must really not give a damn about the Losi name, taking a well known chassis manufactures name and jumping into the BL and li-po market with it. But then, it is the most recognized and famous name they own, so what not use it? The Losi names sells, at least for now till they ruin it. (I’m sure Gil Jr is sooo happy he left before the butchering of the family name began in full force) At the very least, Horizon could have asked their BL source to disguise the speedo’s and motors better. They look nearly identical to another brushless out there. The Horizon/Losi model is blue. I’ll let you find the other.

Associated made some news releasing their RC8 drive-line hop ups last week. Throw a couple hundred bucks at these and you can race your RC8 for a month without the drive-line blowing up. Wait, shouldn’t it have come out of the box that way? Silly me, I come from the ole’ school where Associated equalled reliable.

HoBao showed their new high end 8th scale racer, called the “Hyper 9 World’s Contender”, and their new Jammin CRT .5 killer called the “Hyper Mini-ST”. First off, I can’t even properly pronounce HoBao. Next, name recognition is the single biggest reason anyone advertises. (ever notice that HoBao/Ofna is RCCA’s biggest advertiser?) So why not just say “Ofna” instead of HoBao or Jammin?? Any which way, Ofna/HoBao/Jammin sells about a zillion cheap azz 8th scale buggies every day even if they have 3 names. But who’s to say they wouldn’t sell more if they just stuck with one?? My vote is for plain ole’ Ofna. I recognize the name, and can actually pronounce it.

Finally, the new and revived HPI showed pics of their new Vertex Ridge Toyota Soarer drift car. Now, I’ve made fun in the past of Losi’s drifter that came stock with working headlights. (working headlights are for the Wal-Mart crowd I’m sorry) But, this new HPI has to be the Best Looking hobby grade rc car ever released. Yes, it might be in some goofy azz drifting configuration, but it just looks hot. The type of car that just looks too nice to even be driven. This car might become one of the hottest selling shelf-queens ever in this sport.

That’s it for this weeks goons. I have upheld my promise to keep the naughty language down, and hopefully made some of the people behind this industry mad. Or at least given them the view of what the average consumer thinks when looking at their new “hot” releases. Chao, aloha, peace out punkz.

And as always, support your local hobby shops and tracks!
Cubby

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I am still waiting for confirmation on this, but as of right now, it sounds like HPI has bought outright Team Associated and Team Losi! Team Associated is happy because it might put them back in the news, it’s been quiet from them. Team Losi is excited because they see it as an opportunity to sell 18 more versions of the Mini T! (This year alone, rumor has it there is a boat body, a dirt bike body, and some sort of hybrid turtle). HPI said ‘It seemed like a good deal at the time.’, and will be re-listing both on ebay. No Reserve.

Comment in the forum, I don’t need the hate mail.

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Let’s dig right in.
Trinity announced a new engine line-up this week. Or should they have said “we will be importing a new engine line-up”? For years and years the Big T has done a great job of convincing the general public they actually make something. At least in their latest press release they state up front the engine is Sirio based and made in Italy. So why would anyone not just buy a Sirio and skip a middleman mark up?

Schumacher has made huge leaps and bounds since the hiring of p.r. and marketing man Shawn Palmer. Announced this week their latest CAT 4wd off-roader- the CAT SX. Back in the day, the Schumacher CAT was one of the most potent race weapons on the planet, and the new CAT SX looks to be of the same caliber. I say this because even from the early press photo’s, you can see it shares parts with their Mission 3 touring car, a very underrated racer. The Mission 3 is not only one of the elite touring cars on the market, but nearly a masterpiece of engineering. Having run a Mission 3, if left me in awe of just how refined even the smallest details were. Robin Schumacher really stepped up to the plate engineering wise with the Mission 3 If the CAT SX is of the same quality, it will be a large step above and beyond the Associated’s and Losi’s on the market right now.

FYI to everyone- the crawling world is really taking off! Get a crawler, be part of the “super dope” crowd! This week, Pro-Line showed it’s new Hammer and Badlands crawling tires, along with some uber-tech memory foam inserts. More choice is always a good thing when it comes to new treads, and Pro-Line once again is pro-active, not re-active to the latest trends. Huge props to Pro-Line for giving the public what it wants, when they want it.

It had been a few weeks since Losi rebadged one of their 18th scalers again, but this week they pulled through with yet another version- their 18th scale Mini Late Model. Now, in some parts of the country, Losi mini-t based oval cars are all the rage. Only time will tell if there is still room in the marketplace for yet another color of the same tasting gummy bear.

After flipping through one of the new rc rags, I happen to see several pages yet again wasted on a boat review. This has gone too far, as now nearly all the rags blow precious pages on utterly worthless boat or airplane info. Are they so in love with boats and airplanes they can’t help themselves? More likely, their advertisers give them the ultimatum, “Write up this POS boat in your car mag, or we are pulling advertising”. Does it really take that many balls for an editor to just say “Sorry,we cherish you as an advertiser, but we only review cars in our car mag”? Do you ever see a new fishing boat reviewed in the latest issue of Car and Driver?

That’s it for this week freaks. Support your local hobby shops and your local tracks!
Cubby

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Yes, even the best opinion writer in rc can miss a deadline. After the constant hate text messages from the men in black suits at BigSquidRC, I decided it was in my best interest to get my Week 3 review in their inbox.

First, before I start ranting, BigSquidRC is breaking out the big money and making sure you, the faithful reader, has live, daily coverage from the biggest rc race on the planet next week- the Snowbird Nationals. This is a big step for BigSquidRC. Unfortunately, I drew the short straw and am being forced to spend a week in all that horrible Florida weather covering the event for you.

O.k., so last week ROAR decided to jump into the 2000’s and release some Li-po rules. On one hand, it’s nice to see them finally get their heads in the game, on the other, they are about 4 years late (again). People can, and will argue about the pro’s and con’s of the specifics of these new rules, but at least they now exist. Let’s hope that when the next rage in cells come along (Li-Fe and others), they won’t wait 4 extra years to make them legal. Oh and, can I kick them in the shins again about keeping races at 5 minutes?

Losi jumped the shark. No, not last week when they introduced their version of the Rustler VXL, but when Pops and Jr decided to hand over the keys to Horizon. That’s not to say Losi is eating babies now days, they aren’t. But they are no longer a “win races” company, they are a “make money” brand name. Everybody has to keep food on their tables, but we’d rather see innovative products instead of Traxxas clones.

Before I sign off, I’d like to answer one note I received via email.
“Dear Cub Reporter,
You sound like an #@#$#@. Can’t you ever say anything positive?
Steve”

First off Steve, it takes one to know one. Secondly, I do make positive remarks, but only when they are warranted. It’s no secret this hobby/sport is in a downward slide, both on the race side, and on the retail side. Perhaps a little kick in the rear will do the industry more good than the constant positive banter. I’m only critical out of love for the sport.

With that said, support your local hobby shops, buy all the bling bling your Visa can handle, and be sure to check out BigSquidRC weekly, you never know what will be said next.
From the sub-zero middle of nowhere,
Your Cub Reporter

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Here we are, kick’n off 2008 with a (soft) bang in the rc world.

On the product side- MaxAmps, who promised to make huge strides in 08, has already fired the first shot. Early on in the week, a press release was sent out about their exclusive 4700 mah sub-c ni-mh’s. That’s pretty ho-hum in itself, but the bold statement “We offer a 100% money back guarantee that these cells will be the highest voltage, freshest cells you have ever used.” that came along with those cells certainly is not. A 100% money back guarantee on batteries? Those guys out in Washington state just upped the ante for the entire industry.

I had the chance to chew the fat with Austin Else, owner of MaxAmps at the Ihobby show back in October. First off, Austin is about 20 years younger than the typical rc industry type. Secondly, it’s quite obvious he’s got about double the IQ of most guys in the industry. Lastly, he knows more about new-age internet marketing than anyone I’ve met in this industry. He, and his crew, are hungry and focused. A dangerous combo for their competition. Austin talked about making big strides in 08′, and after his December 31’st press release, it’s obvious he wasn’t kidding.

The only other product news worth knowing was Associated’s RC8 “service pack”. These are being provided free’o charge to RC8 FT owners. Hummmmmm, who’s designing the cars at AE now days? I doubt Cliff Lett would let a car go out the door that required a “service pack” a few weeks later. Maybe they need a memo over there that says “do not ship cars that break when you open the box”.

Oh and, it really wouldn’t be a week in the rc world without Losi/Horizon announcing yet another new mini based off the Mini-T, Micro-T or Mini- LST platforms. This week was no different, so world, please welcome the 18th scale Rammunition (yawn)!

The big race this week is the US Touring Car Champs at S&N Trackside in Wisconsin. Now, this race may not mean diddly squat to most bashers. But to many in the industry, it’s one of the top 5 races of the entire year.

Like many of the largest races in this country, this event is not ROAR sanctioned. Seems if you want a huge turnout, it’s better to leave ROAR out of the picture and run the races properly.

Scotty Ernst, a name many may not know, is actually one of the makers and shakers in the racing world (and he runs the track in Wisconsin). No, he’s not the worlds fastest racer, but he is the worlds best race announcer. He gets flown all over this country, and the world, to announce races. He’s also perhaps the best promoter in the country. Between the US Touring Car champs and his Vegas event, not many other promoters can brag about pulling so many racers and media coverage.

Scotty is also one of the very track owners that treats a noobie driving a Mini-T exactly the same as Pavidis, Baker, or Kinwald. He respects everyone, and does what he can to make sure Everyone has a good time at his races. The industry needs a lot more Scotty Ernst’s, homeskillet should be given a medal for his sportsmanship and ethics.

That’s it for the world of rc this week- support your local LHS (or at least go hang out and bug’em)!
Cubbie Dubbie Reporter

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I just got word that Team Losi will be introducing a brushless Micro-T! This will probably be one of their big iHobby announcements. I always thought the Micro-T moved pretty good for it’s size.. it might be crazy with a brushless system! I also have heard that it will probably be just $50 more.. so about $129 for a RTR car with brushless… nice!

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