More and more people are releasing hop-up parts for the Traxxas Slash 4×4 which is making me think it’s really starting to catch on! New from Venom are a ton of cool Aluminum Hop-Up parts for the Traxxas Slash 4WD! They also have Steel Universal joint shafts from front and rear! (seen on top)

Here’s a list of what they have available: Front and Rear lower Arm Sets, Front Knuckle Set, Front C Hub set, Rear Hub set, Front and Rear Shock Towers, Motor Plates and Motor Plate Mounts! All in Red or Gun Metal!

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

Venom has another new charger and this time it’s a fancy one.  The Venom Pro Charger Ultimate DC Multi Charger has many features that high-end users expect.  As the name implies it is a DC only charger that can charge multiple types of batteries, including LiPos, LiFes, NiMHs, and Lead Acid.  It’s capable of up to 10 amps of charing output and up to 5 amps of discharging.  The Pro Charger also has a 5V, 1A USB connector for charging cell phones and MP3 players.

The Venom Pro Charger Ultimate will be arriving towards mid-October and have a MSRP of $99.99.  Check out the Venom Group web site for more info.

Venom thinks that all these super complicated chargers are overrated.  So they decided to simple it up a tad with their new Easy Balance LiPo Charger.  To start with this new charger is made only to charge 2s – 4s LiPos, no other chemistries are supported to complicate things.  Simpling it up a little more, they’ve made only one thing adjustable, the charge rate, and it’s done via an old school analog knob from 0.1 up to 4.5 amps.  And the Easy Balance charger uses plain old green and red LEDs instead of super fancy LCD screens to tell you what’s what.  It includes an AC adapter so you can use it at home without the need for a separate power supply.  So if you’re in the market for a new charger and are frightened by all those fancy chargers with tons of buttons and flashing screens then this may be the charger for you.

The Easy Balance Charger should be hitting store shelves around mid-October for an MSRP of $64.99.  Check out the Venom Group web site for more info.

I would like to take a moment to welcome all of our latest sponsors here to Big Squid RC! We couldn’t do what we do without them! Thanks so much for all your support! Here is a mega welcome to you all!

Readers, click some banners, buy some stuff! Tell them Big Squid sent ya!

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Novak Electronics – Speed Controls, Chargers, Motors and all sorts of other electronics!

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RC Ninja – Hop-Ups and parts for a sorts of vehicles.

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Liquid RC – Tons of accessories for tons of vehicles.

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GH Racing – Looking for Aluminum hop-ups? These guys probably make something you can use!

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Venom – These guys do a little bit of everything RC. From batteries and motors to the Gambler SC Truck!

Start ‘em off young.  Venom knows that maxim and has brought about a way for you to do just that.  Their new line of Drive Force Trucks are toy grade, 1/18 scale, short course style trucks made for children 6 and older.  They feature fully independent suspension and rubber tires.  The truck requires 4 AAA batteries and the small pistol grip transmitter requires 2 AAs.  The Drive Force Trucks have been tested by a 3rd party group to be within CPSIA regulations for children’s toys.

You’ll be able to find these on store shelves soon for a very low MSRP of $32.99.  For more info check out the Venom web site.

We all spend a lot of time drooling over the latest, greatest, and most awesome gear on the market.  But the reality is that we don’t always need the highest techiest stuff.  The basics are usually enough for most people.  Venom Group has a new charger for those that just need the basics.  The Sport Charge is an AC powered, peak detecting charger capable of juicing up 4 to 8 cell NiMH batteries at – switch selected – rates of 1, 2, or 4 amps.

The Venom Sport Charge will have a MSRP of $44.99 and should be hitting local hobby shop shelves soon.  Check out the Venom Group web site for more info.

Looks like the Venom Gambler is already getting a upgrade option before it’s even been released! We just spotted the Venom Gambler Brushless versions on their page. They will cost about $60 more than the normal version, but these come with a 3300kv brushless motor and 80 amp waterproof esc! Glad to see someone else jumping on the waterproof bandwagon!
We haven’t seen one or driven one yet, but folks around the office are starting to get excited for this truck.

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

Need a quick charger for those AA and AAA batteries? Venom has a new Speed Charger that should do the trick. It’s got a micro-processor to peak charger each cell automatically. It does NiCd and NiMh cells, and has a temperature sensor in case of overheating. It has a output of 1000mAh with 2 AA’s or 500mAh with 4 AA’s. Slightly lower at 600, and 300 for AAA’s. Batteries are not included.

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

Venom Group is hitching a ride on the LiFe battery bandwagon by introducing their new LiFe-Power line of batteries.  The full set ranges from 3.3v for 1S pan-car drivers up to 9.9v for everybody else.  Pack capacities fall between 2600 and 4000 mAh and they are all rated at a 30C  continuous discharge rate with 60C burst rate.  There’s also a 6.4v 2500 mAh receiver pack rated at 5C discharge.  All car packs feature a hard case to keep the batteries safe and Venom’s cool Universal Plug System, so no matter what kind of plug you run on your cars, these batteries will work without soldering.  But best of all, these new batteries will be available for very reasonable prices and they should be available later this month.

Click the LiFe tab on the batteries page of the Venom web site for more info about these new batteries.

Recently we talked about and showed some pictures of the Venom Gambler SC truck, well now the video that provided those shots is ready for your viewing pleasure!

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

Looks like the Venom short course truck called the Gambler is inching it’s way closer to release as we now have a few action shots! Looking forward to getting our hands on one when they are available in the next month or so.

Visit Venom-Group.com for details.

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

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.

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.

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.