The compound that has been known about since February is finally going retail. New to Pro-Line‘s site are a bunch of old treads avialable in the new M4 “Super Soft” compound. For you 1/8 scale buggy drivers the Recoil, Hole Shot, and Caliber tread patterns are available in the new stuff. Short course drivers are also getting some love as the Caliber and Bow-Tie treads are available in the M4 compound as well. MSRP for them is $25.95, and some of them appear to be shipping now directly from Pro-Line, your local hobby shop should have them soon if they don’t already. More info is available from the Pro-Line web site.
‘Pro-Line’ Category
Pro-Line is the first manufacturer off the block to show support for ROAR’s new racing class. The quick turnaround leads me to believe that this has been in the works in secret for a little while now. But anywho, let’s get on with this.
Pro-Line announced that they have created a line of track caps molded in their new ultra soft M4 compound featuring the Bow-Tie tread pattern. These should help tanks maintain good traction on medium packed, dusty tracks. Pro-Line will also be releasing a specially formulated CA glue which will keep these rubber caps strongly bonded to the metal tracks without you having to worry about shedding them mid-race.
For more info on these products be sure to hit up the Pro-Line web site.
Hopefully many more manufacturers hop on this new bandwagon and the new class thrives to the point where it can be taken from a demonstration class to a fully sanctioned class.
The Pro-Line blog is showing off an aggressive new tread for short course trucks. Going by the moniker Trencher SC, they have a very all-terrain style like you might see on your friend’s rock crawler. It’s going to be molded in their M2 compound, which should provide long life both on and off-road.
Go check out the Pro-Line blog for a couple more tales of interest.
Pro-Line’s plethora of preformed polycarbonate has grown a bit bigger today with the introduction of two new bodies and an undertray. New for the Slash, Slash 4×4, and SC10 we have the officially licensed Ford F-150 body. For you 1/16 Slash owners they have appropriately scaled down their Desert Rat 2.0 body. Both bodies are clear and include decals, window masks, and overspary film. And finally for the Slash 4×4 owners in the crowd they have created a new undertray specifically for you. The undertray will help protect your nice, new chassis and also keep some of the crud out. It’s made to mount with the existing hardware already on your Slash 4×4, so installation should be a breeze.
MSRP for the Ford F-150 is $35.95, the Desert Rat is $24.95, and the undertray is $29.95.
For all the info you could possibly want about these things give Pro-Line’s site a visit.
For all you 1:10 scale buggy fans, Pro-Line Racing has a new set of Caliber 2.2″ M3 Front and Rear buggy tires. These tires have been all the rage in other scales, so it makes sense to see Pro-Line bring them to 1/10th scale!
You can visit the Pro-Line Racing site here for more info.
Check out the cool Pro-Line Racing 1973 Ford Bronco body with roll cage for the crawling scene! Fits the Axial crawlers and Losi, as well as probably most other 1/10 scale. All the cool accessories are sold separately, or you can supply your own. It’s a cool look, and I’m glad to see Pro-Line keeping on top of the scale look.
You can visit the Pro-Line Racing site here for more info.
Pro-Line Racing has been doing a great job at picking up some sweet licensed bodies lately. Here is their new 73 Ford Bronco body that is sized for the T-Maxx, Revo, Savage owners. Extended rear body posts, that may be needed are not included.
You can visit the Pro-Line Racing site here for more info.
Check out this new pattern from Pro-Line Racing on their new Recoil 1/8th scale Buggy Tires. It’s a new Hexagonal shape that helps with balance and stability. They are multi-purpose, and come in a variety of compounds.
Hopefully we’ll see them in that M4 Compound that’s been buzzing around the internet .
You can visit the Pro-Line Racing site here for more info.
Ask Cub Reporter, A Weekly Advice Column- 01.27.2010
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Hello Brian and the Big Squid Team,
My name is Douglas and I have been a long time RC fan and Big Squid reader. I really love what you have done with this site and love seeing it gain in popularity. I remember seeing a while back that you were looking for writers for site content and I thought I would email you and see if you still are looking. I would really love to write reviews or do product tests/editorials and am just inquiring to see if there is any openings. blah.. blah blah…
-Doug
Hey Doug, what’s up? Glad you like the site. Funny how BigSquid has recently blown up. Absolutely bizarre to hear that it’s actually “cool” to read BigSquid now days (or a must if you are part of certain legal teams). We must be doing something really right, or really wrong, I don’t care either way as long as hits are up and my check isn’t late.
Perhaps Brian (our editor in chief) has already sent you a reply, but I thought I would go ahead and answer the question here on the front page since we get this one a lot. YES, we are always looking for talented people who want to write/work for Big Squid RC. Our problem is- everyone who wants to be a part of Big Squid RC wants the fame and fortune, without actually doing any F’n writing. My suggestion to you is, the next three items you buy, do write ups and submit them to BigSquid. If we dig’em, they’ll get posted and you’ll have your foot in the door. Otherwise, don’t be like the other wanna be posers who want all the uber swag but are too lazy to write anything.
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Dear Brain,
I know you did a review of the Pro-Line Powerstrokes Scaler Shocks back in July of 2009 as well as the Pro-Line Powerstrokes Monster truck shocks back in 2005. But what about the new Proline Powerstrokes Shocks for the Traxxas Slash? By the way I noticed them at www.HorizonHobby.com for $39.99 (PRO6063-00) for the fronts & $39.99 (PRO6063-01) for the rears, which is alot better than the 59.95 price from Proline! My question is how do they stack up against the Traxxas Big Bore Shocks or any other aftermarket shocks & and could you justify spending the extra money? And could you guys even throw up a video on YouTube about the reveiw?
Thank you,
John P. M.
Hey ya John P, thanks for the email. I see you addressed it to the “Brain”, so I figured I better answer this one. 
So you are looking for replacement shocks for your Slash. The stock Slash shocks actually work fairly well. Both their damping characteristics and spring rates are well suited for traction on loose surfaces, rough tracks and just general bashing. Their biggest downside is the caps like to pop off and the shafts like to bend.
The Traxxas Big Bores totally solve the shock cap problem, and are built to withstand more abuse.
The new Pro-Line Power Stroke Shocks are very trick. Very beefy design, big 3.5mm shafts, and a true dual stage spring design.
ST Racing Concepts also makes some uber shock bodies and caps for use with the Slash. BigSquid has tested them, and when used in conjunction with tougher shafts, are rock solid.
All the above brands are good solid upgrades, the difference will come in how you tune them. But, if I had to use just one set on my Slash, it would be the Power Strokes. They are very high quality and work just as well out jumping curbs as on the track.
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Submit your questions to cubby at BigSquidRC dot com. Till next week, go fast, have fun!
YOUR Cub Reporter
Off-Road Rally Slash drivers, Pro-Line Racing has a body for you! The new Pro-Line 14RS for Traxxas Slash and Assocaited SC10 (with a little trimming). The most interesting thing is the removable rear hatch! It makes me want to go buy all those scale Proline rock crawling parts, and toss them in there.. so when I have a big rollover, I have mini gas cans, tire jacks and shovels flying everywhere! Yep, that would be cool. Maybe a mini boom-box and ipod!
You can visit the Pro-Line Racing site here for more info.
Hitting the burbs are the new Pro-Line Racing Suburb 2.2″ 4WD Off-road Buggy front tires. They come in M3(soft), MX (blue groove/high heat) and MC (Clay) compounds.
You can visit the Pro-Line Racing site here.
New from Pro-Line Racing is this sweet looking Chevy Silverado body for the for the Traxxas Slash and many other Short Course trucks with a little trimming.
You can visit the Pro-Line Racing site here.
Ask Cubby, Your Weekly RC Advice Column.
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Cubby,
What are the best tires for my Slash? Love Reading Your Stufff
Ronny From Pittsburgh
Yo what’s up Ronny from Pittsburgh? The stock Slash tires have their upsides, and their downsides. Upsides are they look realistic, and wear a long time. Downsides are they explode on high cell counts, and don’t offer that good of traction. So what’s the best tires for your Slash? If I had to pick one set of tires for all around use it would be the Pro-Line Bow Ties. These offer much greater traction on both asphalt and on dirt, yet aren’t ruined if you run them on the street for a while. Get them in the harder M2 compound for longer wear, and remember the off sets for the rims of a Slash are slightly different front and rear. You can get these pre-mounted on uber Pro Line rims, which saves you some time and CA burns. Part number for the pre-mounted M2 Bow Tie fronts is 1153-11 M2, the part number for the rears is 1153-12 M2. See more info HERE.
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Cub Reporter I got a question for you. I live in North Dakota and it’s really cold here and I was wondering if it will be a problem driving my E-Maxx outside when it’s cold?
Thanks dude,
Barnes
Barnes I feel for ya. It’s cold here in the Chi-town metro, but it’s gnarly a$$ cold in North Dakota. I watch the weather channel, and every time they mention North Dakota they always say “negative 25″ right behind it. Damn, you gotta be part Eskimo to live in them parts. Does it hurt an E-Maxx to drive it in cold weather? No. But, all the plastic parts will be more likely to break. The E-Maxx is normally very durable, but any plastic truck will become more brittle when exposed to cold temperatures. Your batteries will also put out less voltage when they are cold, so your truck will seem slightly slower. So break out the E-Maxx and chase your sled dogs around yard a few times (just try not to hit anything… LOL).
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Dear Cubby, where the heck is Scott Hughes?!
Scott is a man of many dreams, but since birth, his biggest goal in life was to become a professional ice cream truck racer. Since leaving Pro Line, he is chasing that dream by racing the Icelandic Ice Cream Truck Pro Series (the IICTPS) in Reykjavík Iceland. You can watch him race live next Thursday on ESPN5. But seriously, Scotty needs to phone home and give BigSquid the scoop.
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That’s it for this weeks edition of “Ask Cubby”. If you have a question, shoot it to cubby at bigsquidrc dot com, and we’ll stare at it a few weeks, then probably delete it, but a few will make the main page. Carry on.
YOUR Cub Reporter