First up this week are a couple reminders. Looks like BigSquid’s next Li-po battery shootout starts testing next weekend. Venom vs Checkpoint vs Common Sense vs JBG vs Zippy vs $9 Ebay pack vs Hong Kong mystery pack equals one hell of a battery shootout.

Second reminder is that the annual April fools edition of THE Cub Report is coming up soon, so if you are in the industry, PLEASE consider the date before your lawyers contact us. Thanks!

Need more proof the rc hobby IS headed to the mainstream? Spike Tv has been giving all kinds of loving to the rc industry lately, including a 30 minute segment on the HPI 5B on their Powerblock Horsepower show. When was the last time rc was given 30 full minutes on a “mainstream” cable channel? Awesome to see, and thank you Spike and HPI!

Want even more mainstream rc? Justin Barcia-Barcia-Barcia won the Supercross Lites Class in Toronto Saturday night, his first Supercross win ever. What was on the back of his helmet? A HUGE RC10.com sticker that got some decent tv time! Way to go Justin and Associated!

In last weeks Cub Report, I mentioned that it was only a matter of time before a marshal is seriously hurt or killed by an 8th scale. Well one of our readers sent in some pretty gnarly pictures of what it looks like to get rocked in the face by an 8th scale truggy. Some of you southern racers might know a fella by the name of Trent Dill, he races and does race promotion down in the Alabama/Florida area. Here’s what happened to Trent in his own words….

“So I was helping turn marshal during practice. I had just relieved a kid that was pretty young and I didn’t think it was a good idea that he be out there turn marshalling for the 8th scale nitros as young as he was. So I got out there and got into that zone and things were fine. The race director called the track to go cold. Well of course you have those guys that have to get just one more lap in. Well I bent down to marshal a buggy and on my way up I got clocked in the face. Luckily the safety crew was there, unfortunately I WAS the safety crew. I am honestly glad it was me that got hit instead of that kid and I gotta say thanks to Tommy Whalen and John Greene. Tommy gave me a ride to the local ER while working EMT duties on myself, and John Greene took up donations that were given to our local make a wish foundation. Also don’t let me forget Mike at Caster Racing for doing the same thing. I hope some good came out of it for somebody.”

The first picture of Trent’s face is from 12 hours after being hit, the second one is about 36 hours later, and the last one is about 2 months later.

So why don’t we be proactive here? We can prevent injuries like the ones that Trent suffered. We can step in right now and make sure nobody ever dies while marshaling rc cars. Why should we wait for the first death before we make changes? Why should our hobby wait for the insurance companies and lawyers to FORCE the changes upon us? Too many industry types, sanctioning bodies, and race directors have kept their heads in the sand too long, just hoping the first death doesn’t come at one of their events. It’s time everyone pulls their heads out of the sand.

Till next week, support your local tracks, bash spots and your local hobby shops.

YOUR Cub Reporter

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Venom has released a new version of their Creeper RC Rock Crawler called the Safari. It comes RTR with a 35T 550 Brushed motor, and the DIG unit pre-installed. It also comes with a 3 channel radio, and Beadlox crawling wheels.

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

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Venom has another RC motorcycle called the GPV-1 Pro. The GPV-1 Pro kit is based on their first GVP-1 RTR Motorcycle but with some carbon fiber and extra hop-up parts.
The GPV-1 Pro Kit is a 1/8th scale rc bike.
Maybe it’s the year of the bikes?

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

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It looks like Venom is also jumping on the rc motorcycle wagon, and is showing their 1/4 scale RC Dirt Bike called the VMX. What really makes this bike stand out are some of the cool features and hop-ups available. They have street tires and stand tires that work with their BeadLox and GripLox tire system with a bead locking wheel and molded foam inserts. They also offer a optional front brake system that you can see in one of the pictures.

It’s interesting to see several companies come out with rc motorcycles this year, and I like to see stuff that’s different. We’ll have to see if we can get our hands on one of these to see how fun and or difficult they are to drive.

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

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Venom has just revealed the new Venom SCX 2wd Short Course Truck at the Nurnberg show in Germany. (VEN-8500) The truck is modeled after the full scale Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series trucks.

One of the more interesting design features is the MORdrive system that allows you to mount the motor in the rear or middle (in front of the rear shock tower). So depending on your track, or how you like the feel, you can change this around.
They also have a nifty VCD Captured Pin System that eliminates the set screws that normally hold your hinge pins in place allowing for smoother action.

The battery compartment can handle 6,7, or 8 cell NiMH packs and 3S LiPo’s.

Price point will be around the $199 area. We look forward to testing this thing out when it’s released in a couple of months.

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

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Venom has designed a case exclusively for your Spektrum DX3R/S. Lightweight (9.5oz), formed and fitted for either right or left handed transmitters this will fit your needs. Color coordinated design will protect your investment for many wins down the road!

Stop by Venom for detail and try to catch them on the shelves soon!

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This looks great. Venom has created a new plug which incorporates Deans, Traxxas, Tamiya, and EC3 connectors all into one, interchangeable uniplug! This is what we really need. No more worrying about whether that new battery pack will be plug and play with your car. I’d love to see them release the other end of the connectors so you can add this interchangeability to your esc or charger-That would be GREAT. Watch out for these in September.

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We all know that we need to be a little more careful with our battery handling with LiPO’s. Venom wants to help keep you safe with their new LiPO Safety Charging Sack. They have both small and large sacks (stop snickering!) for your battery storing and charging needs. If you have made the jump to LiPO, you should probably consider grabbing a few sacks (ok..you.. I saw the smirk) for yourself. I have added them to my shopping list.

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If you are an owner of the Venom Creeper, then this needs to be on your shopping list! New from Venom is the Creeper Remote Dig Unit. The sealed Dig unit fully integrates onto the existing Creeper Transmission to allow you to select between 4WD, Front Wheel Drive with Rear locked, or rear open, which are all selectable with a 3-Ch radio system.

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I have been a big fan of the mini helicopter craze. They are sooo much easier to fly then their larger counterparts, and they are dang durable! Venom has just come out with a new one called the Venom Beacon It comes RTF (Ready To Fly) with LED Navigation lights and a 2.4GHz FM radio system, 2 cell 7.4v 1000 mah LiPO pack with a Balance Charger! That’s awesome! I don’t know too many other companies giving you a removable lipo with a balancer! Nice touch Venom!

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If you are a Traxxas owner that needs some extra power, Venom is coming out with 8 cell 9.6v battery packs with the Traxxas connectors on them! They are available in 3000mah, 4200mah, and 5000mah packs. They are designed to be used in the Traxxas Slash, Rustler, and Stampede.

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I just got the official press relase from Venom about their new Venom Creeper Rock Crawler! It’s a 1/10th scale, 2.2 Class Rock Crawler, and it’s designed to be used by anyone from beginner’s to pros.
Some features are front and rear locking differentials that can be set manually, or with an optional micro servo! The truck also comes with memory foam inserts, which are all the rage lately, and they also have an optional wheel weight set that looks pretty cool. The Creeper also comes with a sealed gear box which I really like. A lot of people’s crawlers have a lot of the gears exposed, and when your doing some bash-style rock crawling, you can get yourself into the tall grass or weeds, and it’s good to keep that stuff out. The vehicle is set to ship in January 2009! Make sure to check out the Venom website for more details! I also like the name, I think it’s a good choice, they just posted a video, check it out!

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Here’s a picture of a cool Venom RC Helicopter with the Big Squid RC sticker! Remember folks, the pictures can be of any RC vehicle, not just cars and trucks. This shot will be added to the Fan Pictures section for the Big Squid RC Contest! Thanks for sending it in!

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Wow.. check this thing out! a 1/8th scale RC Motorcycle from Venom!

The line starts here people! This looks like a blast!
There is already a list of hop-ups including a full carbon fiber chassis! Check out the Venom website for more details.
I’ll get the full press release posted in the NEW Product Forum.

If you head over to YouTube, make sure to check out the Big Squid RC section!

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Up first from Venom today are their new LiPo battery packs. The VEN-1554T 4000mah and VEN-1553T 3200mah packs come with the Traxxas High Current connectors to hepl push the limits of those new Traxxas motors, and also have the JSTX42.5 3P balance connectors.

Up next come three new gas powered boats. The VEN-1808 Venom Segad Class 1 Racing RTR Gas Boat is almost 5 feet long! Whoa! I have a hard enough time running 1 foot long boats, I can only dream about having a place to run something like this!

On the left is the VEN-1809 Venom Strait Jacket XL. This one is a little smaller at 4.5 feet. Finally, on the right is the VEN-1807 King of Shaves Class 1 Racing RTR Gas Boat! Another 5 footer with a 30+ mph top speed! Wow. If you are looking for boats, it looks like Venom is giving you some big choices if you have the room to run.

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While this probably isn’t the top Venom news story of the day, I think it’s a good one. Venom has just announced this RC Transmitter Bag with detachable cooler! At first though.. you are probably thinking.. WHAT THE?! But thinking about it a little more, I own a expensive transmitter that I like to keep protected, and 90% of the places that I go RC, I usually have a smaller cooler with energy drinks or something in it. Now i can have both in one! Very cool! Glad to see someone thinking outside the box!

Next up is the Venom 120 amp Pro Brushless ESC. It’s compatible with sensored and sensorless brushless 540 motors as well as all 540 brushed motors. This is pretty impressive. A lot of the top ESC’s wont do both. It has all sorts of cool features, with one of the coolest being that portable programmer! No longer do you have to guess that you have the correct settings, or bring a lap-top around with you. I’m a big fan of technology like this, and wish more companies did this to make it easier on us end users.

Wrapping up our Venom news today are two new boats. The Venom Killer Vee and the Straight Jacket. Both boats come RTR (with battery pack!) and is perfect for the small pond or pool, and should satisfy those small urges some of us bashers get to own a boat.
With a price tag under $90, these could be just the right amount of fun you are looking for.

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Today the Venom Group did a good job of filling my mail box with Venom Press Release goodness! Check all this stuff out!
First up is the Venom Heat Sink Motor Plate for the Axial Scorpion. It’s is CNC Machined from 6061 aluminum and finned for optimum motor cooling!

Next up is the Venom Steering Knuckle for the Axial Scorpion. It’s also made from the 6061 aluminum and comes with some sweet king pin covers to protect and add some bling!

Up next are the Venom Alloy Shocks. Green anodized with threaded shock bodies and two sets of springs for fine tuning.
Venom Also brings some new aluminum battery mounts to replace the stock plastic ones. This should help keep that chassis nice and rigid. Wow.. so many new parts! You Scorpion owners just got a new grocery list! I wonder how long before I see this stuff out in the wild.

Wrapping up this attack on the Axial Scorpion, Venom has a new upper link mount with a factory installed chrome steel ball with aluminum liners to capture the stock upper link for smoother operation. And finally a gear adaptor that adds rigidity to the stock plastic gear for optimum performance.

All these new Venom parts come with all the necessary hardware for easy installation! Wow.. a few more parts and they will have a complete crawler! Hehe.. lets keep our fingers crossed.

In other Venom news that isn’t Scorpion related, they now have a new tire called the Forty-Five with Griplox Inserts. They are high performance race tires that feature a wide 45mm contact patch and a asymmetrical 45 degree outside pin row design for optimal traction. No more trimming square pins to tune that tire traction. Those inserts look pretty sweet as well! I’m a big fan of inserts!

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The good people over at Venom were on a mission today to fill my mailbox with loads of new product press releases! Up first is the new Multi-Function Pro Charger, and it looks like it comes with everything you could ever need! Besides every plug possible, it comes with or without a power supply(nice) LiPO Balancer, and even a plug for those new Traxxas connectors. All that and a USB plug-in! I love USB stuff!

While we are talking about charging and batteries, venom now gives us 8.4 vold 7-cell NiMH flat packs with Traxxas High Current Connectors. 5000mah, 4200mah, and 3000mah all available.

Up next are the new Fireball Modified Motors. High power brushes, pre-wired bullet plugs and factory installed capacitors. To top it all off, the price is cheap! We will probably see a lot of these in basher hands this summer.

Last up are these new 1/8th Off Road Wheels. Made from Durable High Impact Nylon, and ready to stand up to the abuse a 1/8th scale vehicle can dish out.

For more information on all these product, make sure to check out the NEW Product Forum or the official Venom Group web page.

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New from Venom is this 5-8 Cell Multi Charger. It’s an all-purpose charger designed to charge NiCD and NiMH packs. It has two different settings, 1.8 amps for larger capacity cells and .9 amps for those micro’s. The key to this charger is that it’s simple and easy to use, while also being easy on the wallet.

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Looks like Venom is going to be our guinea pig on testing our new NEWS layout and software! Check out this pack! It’s a 7.4 volt Lipo with 5000mah and wired to fit the new Traxxas High Current Connector! It looks sweet! It’s 33% lighter then a normal NiMH pack, and should get you more run time! If you have picked up one of the new Traxxas brushless vehicles, you are going to want this! Check out the Venom web page our our New Product Forum for more info!

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