Team Associated has a brand new ride.  The RC10TC6 Factory Team edition is an all new design that has been prepared for brushless power and LiPo batteries right out of the box.  The whole thing has been given a makeover but a few of the significant changes include moving the motor 13mm in toward the centerline of the chassis, lowering the spur gear by 5mm, an updated steering system with more ackerman options and an improved input rate, all ball cups now have eyelets for easy access to the ball studs, and the VCS3 shocks with hard-anodized threaded bodies have additional stroke for more up-travel.  And being a Factory Team edition, there’s a whole lot of blue aluminum and titanium all over the place.

If you’re into sedan racing, or you just want a high-end ride to show off, give the new RC10TC6 a look.  Check out the Team Associated web site for all the details.

Could this new chassis portend a bunch of new platforms coming soon from the team in blue?  We shall see.

Team Associated RC10TC6 Factory Team gallery

There’s no such thing as having too many tools.  Unless you have to carry them all around.  Team Associated has created a way to help you lighten your load with their new Stamped Multi Tool V2.  This new version is now compatible with all the V2 shocks that Associated is putting on all of their new kits.  It will also hold 1/8″ turnbuckles, the 5mm AE hex ball cup and 3/16″ shock bushings.  It’s an ideal tool to put in your pocket and take with you on all of your bashing adventures.  Best of all, it’s only four bucks.  The Associated Multi Tool V2 should be on your hobby shop’s shelves now or very soon.

Check out the Team Associated web site for more info.

Hope you all had a great weekend and thanks for tuning in yet again to the our hobbies most read editoral (sarcastic) column, THE Cub Report.

There was an uber huge rc drag event held right here in Chicago over the weekend, the IMDRA Midwest Nationals. Now, if you are an average rc’er, you could really give a crap less, but those drag guys are doing lots of homework for the hobby. By that I mean the nature of their racing is at the very extreme, and what they learn in their 132 feet is pure gold for the r & d departments of your favorite brushless and nitro engine manufactures. Btw, lots of records were crushed over the weekend, with the electrics busting out 132 feet (the scale quarter mile) in the 1.2 second range, with the nitros down in the 1.4’s. Top speed of the weekend was over 109 mph, those guys were not f—ing around, that’s burly fast. The faster those drag guys go, the more they learn on what power combos truly work, info that trickles down quite nicely to average consumer gear intended for blasting up and down the subdivision. Furthermore, I have raced rc drag cars a few times, while a bit boring to me (no jumps, no turns) I always had a really fun time. At an rc drag event you aren’t on the track much, so you’ve got lots of time to wrench, talk smack, and place real-cash-money bets on whomever is on track. RC drag events can be uber like the one in Chicago over the weekend, or they can be extremely laid back, something that any group of friends with any type of cars can put on. So if you’ve ever felt the urge to rc drag, grab a few friends and 200 foot of pavement and go have some fun. Seriously, give it a try, you might dig it.

I got in a long convo over the weekend on what the last “new” platform that Associated put out was. Amazingly, I couldn’t quickly come up with the answer. Well, lets start with the AE B44, it’s been out for several years now. The B4/T4 (and SC10 for that matter) is about a decade old (ya, I know the point 1 stuff is out, but it’s still considered the old platform). The RC8/T/SC/E is a several year old platform. Their touring car, the latest being the TC5, well it’s been out for quite some time. The oval/pan cars, I have no idea, nor do I think many people even care. The AE monster trucks, the MGT series, is several years old. That leaves us with their second series of RC18, their newer two belt platform, which have been out for less than a year (but nobody has bought or seemingly cares about). So I guess the answer is the their newest platform is the RC18 series 2 stuff. Associated was the leader in our hobby for so long, but their stranglehold on the top was lost years ago. Of course they are still respected in the racing world, but it’s still slowly sinking in to me that they aren’t THE top dog anymore.

AE marketing used to be the best (hands down), now when you walk into our hobbies biggest trade show, iHobby Expo, the first things you see are Hobbico, Horizon and Traxxas, the big 3 of our industry. Then you walk around and find out Associated didn’t even show up. To us in the industry, seeing them missing tells us Associated decided to save a few bucks and stay home, to the 20 thousand consumers that paid cash to get into the hobby expo, they see Associated missing and think they didn’t give a sh*t enough to show up. Associated could be back on top some day, but it’s not going to happen when they flip big middle fingers to paying consumers. And it’s certainly not going to happen shoving out rehashes of old products. AE product is still good (just aging), but with all the talent they still have working there, they could really put out mind blowing stuff. New platforms are NOT cheap of course, but if you are looking to win the war of moving units, they are a necessity.

That’s it for this week, as always support your local hobby shops, tracks and bash spots!

YOUR Cub Reporter

The latest kit from Team Associated SC8e is the RC10B4.1 Factory Team Kit. The B4 has been around for a while, but they keep tweaking it till they can make it the best it can be. This new Factory Team version takes into account lighter cars for LiPo users and brushless motor technology.

Some key features:
Factory Team Aluminum Rear Hubs
Anodized threaded shocks
Pro-Line Vortex Body and Wing
Pro-Line m# Holeshot 2.0 rear and m3 4-rib front tires
and a lot more.

Get more info at Team Associated’s web site.

There’s a new version of the Team Associated SC8e which is now brushless RTR! The new truck comes with a Castle Creations Mamba Max Pro brushless ESC and Neu_Castle 2200kV motor. It also comes with the XP3-SS 2.4GHz radio system. They recommend running a 4S LiPo for maximum performance.

I haven’t seen or driven one of these is person, but would really like to see how it handles.

More info is available at Team Associated’s web site.

The SC10 RTR is finally brushless. Team Associated has taken it’s popular short course truck and dropped in a XP/Reedy 3300kV brushless system, giving everybody a chance to experience the FUTURE.  And the future is good.  Nothing else is changed, it’s still got the officially licensed bodies, the XP3-SS 2.4 GHz radio, and all that other jazz that the young kids like these days.  Look for it on shop shelves sometime in June at a MSRP of $449.99.  No worries though, the old brushed versions will still be around, for those of you that are cheap.

More info is available at Team Associated’s web site.

X Factory, which is known for their mid-motor chassis conversions for Associated’s RC10B and 10T, has just posted a new gallery of photos of their prototype short course conversion chassis. The SCX-60 conversion is only available through special order from X Factory as each chassis is hand made by putting two chassis together and bracing them with carbon fiber plates. This conversion includes the chassis only, you’ll have get an X-60 conversion kit to complete the package.

Click through to the X Factory site for the gallery, and follow this link for more info and how to order.

Team Associated has some new, blue parts for all the Associated B44 drivers out there. The Factory Team is putting out a new aluminum motor mount and a pair of new aluminum hubs.

The motor mount features a cam system to make gear mesh adjustments quick and easy. And it’s also got a very secure mounting clamp to keep those adjustments locked in.  The aluminum will also help with heat dissipation from your hot running motor.

The new hubs are available in .5° increments from 0° to 1.5°. They also have a molded camber link tower to keep you from breaking your ball studs. They are also made to use a larger bearing on the outside for better durability. They’ll also fit the B4, T4, and SC10 with the addition of the right sized bearings (part #7935) and Associated’s crush tubes (#7933).

For more info check out Team Associated’s site.

Team Associated is releasing the LeDuc Bros’ Rockstar-Makita sponsored body, previously only available on the RTR SC10, as stand-alone replacement bodies for the SC8E, SC10, and SC18.  AE is releasing just the decal sheets as well for those of you that already have a body that you’ve painted black.  The bodies have MSRPs of $29.99 for the SC18, $79.99 for the SC10, and $99.99 for the SC8E.  The decal packs will go for $6.99, $19.99, and $24.99.  These should be hitting shelved by the end of this month or early next month.

Check out Team Associated’s site for more info.

The A team’s got another one up their sleeve.  This time it’s the Factory Team edition of the RC8Be 1/8 scale electric buggy.  So what’s different between this and the non FT version?  This one is more bluer.  Just like the other Factory Team editions, the RC8Be has been decked out in all kinds of blue anodized aluminum parts.  And of course the sweet, succulent Factory Team Big Bore shocks have been thrown in the box as well.  It also comes standard with Pro-Line’s Holeshot treads in M3 compound.  MSRP is going to be $699.99 and it should be in the shop sometime in June.

There’s actually a ton more hop-ups and changes, more than we have room to list, so be sure to hit up Team Associated’s web site for more information.

Associated’s got a new style of shock that’s compatible with most all of their 1/10 scale off-road vehicles, including the new RC10B/T4.1, SC10, and B44.  These new V2 Threaded Shocks feature a simplified seal setup, bleed screw caps for easy bleeding, and a new threaded lower seal cap made of low-friction material.  You can get these in complete shock pairs, or you can mix some of your old shocks parts with the new bodies to get the benefits without the costs.  The shocks come in 0.89″, 1.02″, 1.18″, or 1.32″ lengths.

The complete shocks are going to retail for $49.99, while the shock bodies will be going for $24.99.  Be sure to check out Team Associated’s web site for more info.

Surprising no one, Associated has announced that their RC18T2 RC18B2 (previously seen as the T2/B2 combo team kit) will soon be available as an RTR.  It’s obviously based on the new belt drive chassis that all of the recent Associated 1/18s have been built on.  As is usual with the RC18s it’s coming with everything you need except the AA batteries for the transmitter.  MSRP is going to be $279.99, street price will likely be quite a big cheaper, and it should be hitting hobby shop shelves next month.

For more info and specs check out the AE web site.

Surprising no one, Associated has announced that their RC18T2 (previously seen as the T2/B2 combo team kit) will soon be available as an RTR.  It’s obviously based on the new belt drive chassis that all of the recent Associated 1/18s have been built on.  As is usual with the RC18s it’s coming with everything you need except the AA batteries for the transmitter.  MSRP is going to be $279.99, street price will likely be quite a big cheaper, and it should be hitting hobby shop shelves next month.

For more info and specs check out the AE web site.

Looks like the Team Associated RC18 Late Model RTR is now shipping. It’s a electric 4wd RTR based on their popular RC18 series. Has a fully enclosed 2-belt drive train system, it comes fully assebled with the XP3-SS 2.4Ghz radio system. If scale looking 18th scale is your thing, then you will want to check the RC18 Late Model out!

Check out Team Associated for more information.

The guys in blue have taken their popular SC10 and given it the Factory Team treatment finally. Team Associated’s new SC10 Factory Team kit has all the typical factory team stuff: blue aluminum and titanium all over, carbon fiber pieces and parts, hard-anodized shocks, after-market tires, and a bunch more. And of course it’s in kit form for all of you that like to build your cars rather than just unwrap them.

You’ll need to provide all the electronics plus a battery and charger. All this fancy stuff doesn’t come cheap though, MSRP for the SC10 Factory Team kit is $409.99. It should be on store shelves some time in June. Click through to Team Associated’s site for more info.