Big Squid RC

So when Traxxas announced their RC supercar the XO-1, it caused all sorts of waves. Obviously it was one of the most anticipated RC announcements, but a lot of people felt very strongly about the car in general. It really turned into a ‘love it’ or ‘hate it’ sort of thing. We discussed it a lot around the office obviously, and we came to the conclusion that it was more than a ‘new car’, but a statement from Traxxas. To go along with their statement there was also a avalanche of news coverage. Not only on RC sites obviously (you can see all of our XO-1 Coverage HERE) but on sites that normally don’t cover RC at all. You want to talk about no such thing as bad publicity, here are just a few sites I saw last week that mentioned the XO-1!

Tom’s Guide, Cnet, Autoblog, Gizmag, Gizmodo, TheAwesomer, Engadget, Top Gear, Autoweek, MaximumPC, and about a zillion more! Even FoxNews jumped on the bandwagon. And Top Gear? Shesh!

Love it or hate it, you have to admit Traxxas is doing one heck of a job getting not only their name out there, but the entire hobby of RC as well!

For more info on the XO-1 you can check our Coverage HERE, or visit the official Traxxas website.

Just in case you haven’t caught the videos of the Traxxas XO-1 in action, we wanted to make sure they do not get missed! The first XO-1 video is their initial showing, with it racing around the track and looking pretty cool.

The second video after the break shows off the new TQi radio and how it works with the iPhone or iTouch. Keep reading to check it out..

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Adding to our Traxxas XO-1 Coverage we got to ask Peter V. over at Traxxas a few questions about the car. Here are his responses.

Big Squid: Some of the video shots look like it has lights. Will there be a light kit available when it ships? Is this later down the road?

Peter V. : XO-1 does not currently have lights out of the box or as an accessory light kit. But that would be pretty cool…

Big Squid: This is a pretty custom body. Will there be other bodies planned that will fit this chassis in the near future? Besides a clear XO-1?

Peter V. : The XO-1′s unique size and aerodynamic requirements rule out existing aftermarket bodies, so we will be developing our own designs to fit the XO-1 and maintain its 100+mph performance and stability.

Big Squid: Will there be some Android love? Or Apple iOS only?

Peter V. : Apple iOS only. Remember, you don’t need a phone, you can use an iPod touch. Older generation iPod touches are compatible, and you can find them inexpensively on eBay or Craigslist. Even if you purchase a new iPod touch just to use with your TQi radio system, you’ll be spending less than you would on a comparable pro-level radio system-but “comparable” isn’t really a fair word to use, since nothing compares to the TQi when you add your Apple device. You’ll have more features, more
adjustability (and easier adjustability), way more memory, and a far, far better display than any transmitter currently offered–plus telemetry. Plus all the functionality of the iPhone or iPod! Try watching a movie, surfing the web, listening to music, texting your girlfriend, or ordering a pizza with any other transmitter. Even if you’re a hardcore Android fan, you’re not going to want to miss out on the features of Traxxas Link. Get an iPod touch, plug it into the Docking Base, and consider it to be part of the transmitter.

Big Squid: How many colors available at launch?

Peter V. : We’ve got black, silver, red, and blue. The colors are metallic, with a really fine
“flake” to them. They look great on video and in photos, but in person, they really
pop.

Big Squid: Is it waterproof?

Peter V. : The receiver box and steering servo are waterproof, but the power system is not currently waterproof, so we don’t say the XO-1 is a “waterproof” model.

Thanks for the time and answers Peter V. !

Make sure to hit this link for all your Traxxas XO-1 news.

If you haven’t gotten enough Traxxas XO-1 Release News yet, we got two cool pics off the box. The first is the top of the box, so you all know what to look for on the shelves, but I really liked this side of the box that points out a lot of the new features I haven’t seen mentioned in their other PR.

You can click it for a slightly larger version where you can read the font.