We just received this leaked document from a insider at Traxxas! It sounds like they have put their long rumored 1/8 scale buggy on hold to start re-engineering the popular Revo to conform to the new ROAR tank rules we learned about earlier today!
More information as we hear about it!
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.
This could quite possibly be one of the coolest announcements of the last decade. ROAR is creating a new provisional racing class for 1/16 scale electric powered TANKS. That’s right. Tanks. Check out these additions to the ROAR rule book.
Under section 5.3
5.3.1.9 – Scale tracked vehicles (tanks) powered by electric motors are a permanent demonstration class. They may be run at all levels, unless specifically prohibited.
Under section 6 Body, Bumper and Wing
6.1.17.5 Tank Hulls:
6.1.17.6 Tanks hulls must be of realistic style from the World War II era and later. These include:
- M4 Sherman
- M26 Pershing
- M48 Patton
- Tiger II/King Tiger
- Gepard
- Leopard 2
- T-72
- T-90
Others are to be excluded only at the discretion of the race director.
Under section 7.3 Tire Rules
7.4.1 – Tracks must be made of metal and provide a realistic appearance.
7.4.1.1 – Molded rubber caps may be bonded to individual links on the track. The cap must not provide any reinforcement between links.
7.4.2 – All track must be completely contained under the tank’s bodywork. No amount of track may be exposed outside the width of the armor.
Probably the most explosive (heh…) new set of rules pertain to ordinance. I’m not going to quote anything here because the rules are long in this area, but suffice it to say, your tank can have a real functioning main gun and you can attempt to disable your opponents tanks during the course of the race.
There’s a ton more in the rule book so be sure to check it out by going to the ROAR web site.
Cubby, I am your BIGGEST fan! I can’t get enough of your Cub Reports!
XOXOXO,
Dawn S.
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It’s always nice to get compliments Dawn S., especially those with lots of “XOXO’s” attached, but I must admit you have to be in the minority. You’d be amazed at all the hate that comes our way from sanctioning bodies, manufactures, distribs, stealth mag types, and well, pretty much anyone with a computer.
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Any truth to the rumor BSRC is going to do a magazine shootout?
Stephen B.
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Actually, I was tossing around the idea right before iHobby, but due to problems locating all 4 of the print mags, and more so, just pure laziness, I never got it done. Perhaps I can be persuaded into getting off my lazy arse and busting one out (I would think pretty much any Richard Geoffroy Dom would get the job done, but the 98′ Rose would be particularly effective, thanks in advance!). Perhaps categories of the mag shootout could be- 1. number of pages (adverts don’t count towards the total), 2. quality of pics, 3. quality of editorials, 4. accuracy of tests, 5. styling of layout, 6. who has the hottest sales reps, etc. But to digress, don’t hold your breathe on this one, as I’ve a got a few other really cool article ideas coming down the pike, that will certainly be better reads than a mag shootout.
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Cubby, I live in Florida and tend to sunburn easily, mostly around my sensitive thong areas. Know of any good suntan lotions?
Shawn P.
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Well Shawn, like most Americans, a sunburn in the thong area can sure be a PITA, so I highly recommend a combo such as this- A good sunblock like Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 55 for your more “sensitive” areas, with a good sunscreen like Banana Boat Sport Performance Dri-Block SPF 30 for your arms, legs, face etc. The areas sporting the sunscreen will tan to a buttery majestic gold color over the beach months, while the sunblocked areas will not burn, but slowly brown from their former pale white status, and will remain pain free all summer. Enjoy!
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That’s it for this weeks edition of “ASK CUBBY”. Send your questions (no matter how ridiculous) to Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com!
YOUR Cub Reporter
Tamiya is giving away tickets for Friday’s festivities during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, being held in Long Beach, CA on April 16 – 18. Tamiya is a sponsor and exhibitor at the Grand Prix along with some other big names in r/c. Their name will be all over the track and they will be showing off all their cool stuff at the Lifestyle Expo being held in the Long Beach Convention Center which is in the middle of all the action. This is some more great exposure for the r/c hobby. Click through to Tamiya’s site for some more info and the form to get your free ticket.
The Parma Dune Buggy body has been a big hit lately, and it’s cool to see they are bringing it to many other vehicles. Their latest release is for the Traxxas 1/16 E-Revo! Get some paddle tires, and hit the beach!
Visit the Parma Website for more information and details.
Team Durango just sent some pohoto’s of the new DNX408 out in the wild while doing a little testing! There are a lot of people waiting for the release of this buggy. The fact that the DNX408 is out testing in the field means it’s close to shipping.. better start saving those $$!
Drop by the official Team Durango site for more information.
Need a place to set your short course truck? How about a place to put all your parts and tools? JConcepts got ya covered. Their new Short Course truck stand does all of that while looking smooth and staying compact. Of course it’s not just limited to holding up short course trucks, it’ll hold other kinds of trucks too, and maybe even cars as well. The stand is made out of durable polycarbonate and comes clear, allowing you to satiate all your customizing desires. It also comes with a decal sheet and foam padding for the top and bottom. If you’ve been needing a way to keep your work area clean and organized, well now you have no excuses. MSRP is $25.
Get more of the info you want from the JConcepts web site.
Robitronic’s got a couple new products to help you keep your ride clean and looking good. First up they have something to keep your tuned pipe sparkling and sounding good. RC Tech Pipe Protect is a spray on protectant that prevents oil and rubber residue from sticking to your tuned pipe. Just clean the pipe and spray some Pipe Protect on before every run, pretty simple. Hopefully it’s as effective as it is simple.
If you have some cracks in your car body then you might want to check out Flexa Fix to repair them. It’s an easy to apply glue made for polycarbonate and other plastics to mend cracks and I imagine you could also use it to build up weak spots for more durability. For serious trouble spots you can add layers of Flexa Fix and scrap polycarbonate to build strength.
For more info about both of these products, check out the Robitronic site.
Schumacher and CORE RC have a new way for you to pump up the volume energy in your battery packs. The new UAC-40 Universal Digital charger/balancer/discharger/cycler is pretty universal in what kind of batteries it can charge, balance, discharge, and cycle digitally. You can power the UAC-40 from your AC outlets or a DC power source and it can put the power to LiPos (up to 6s), LiIons, LiFE, Pb (lead acid), and NiMH/NiCad (1 – 15 cells) batteries at a max rate of 5 amps. So whatever you’re into, this charger has you covered. The full package also includes a bunch of adapters and charging leads for use with all the various kinds of connectors commonly used in the hobby. Confusingly, it doesn’t include any types of balancing leads.
The one shown in the picture shows a UK style power plug, so we’ll have to wait and see if they Americanize it, which I’m sure will happen. To get a lot more information click through to Schumacher’s site.
While we are here compiling all of our data for the second Lipo Shootout, I thought I’d post up a quick pick of the packs on one of the testing days. While you wait for the results later this week, why not check out first lipo shootout article!
Hey rock crawlers, here’s something new for you from RC4WD, check it out. They’re putting out a new 1.9″ class scaler kit, called the Boyer 1/10 Scale Truggy, that may be the most versatile and adjustable chassis ever made by an r/c manufacturer. I mean, look at it. Look at all those holes everywhere. The mind boggles at how many different ways you could set this chassis up.
Here’s just a short list of all the things that are adjustable on this chassis:
Beyond all that, the complete kit comes with RC4WD’s popular and durable T-Rex axles, a full compliment of their OEM Steel 1.9″ wheels, some fat Rock Crusher meats, full ball bearings, dual spring shocks, a Bulldog 9500XT metal winch, plus more. The kit is designed to fit Tamiya’s Hilux, F350, and Tundra hard bodies, or it can be adjusted to fit any other polycarbonate bodies. If you don’t want the full kit, you can also get the chassis by itself and then mix-and-match your favorite parts.
The kit has a going price of $599.99 while the chassis only option is set at $299.99. Find out more about this John Boyer engineered piece of art at the RC4WD web site.
