Dynamite has burst onto the brushless scene with a complete set of motors and ESC’s for 1/18 and 1/10 vehicles. The 1/18 motors range from 7000kv up to a whopping 9700kv, and the 1/10 scale motors come in a 3300kv wind (perfect for all you short course truck fans) though 6800kv. ESC’s and motors are available seperately, and an external programming card is available and works with either system.
Click here to view individual specs and prices
New to the micro scene will be this trick looking Short Course SC18 body designed by PhatBodies.
It is sold clear and is ready for your custom paint scheme. It is made of 0.8mm
polycarbanate and will be available soon to the world.
Representing your favorite RC brands has always been a great way to promote the hobby. Axial recognized this and is working on putting out a line of really cool shirts and hats. No word is out yet on when they will be available, but you can bet on them being ready for the upcoming winter holidays.
You can check out the rest of the designs here: Axial Shirts.
Some interesting news from Alpha RC!
“Alpha RC USA North America distributor to be announced the end of this week! There will be an announcement of an online introductory special for November in conjunction with the RC Pro International Finals.”
Standard Retail engine pricing :
F850 - 5 port red head turbo engine – $209
Z852 - 5+2 green head turbo engine – $199
The pricing looks decent for these motors. I have some good guesses about their next announcement.
So you have already seen the official Hot Bodies Ve8 Unboxing pictures, so it’s time to get going with some of the kit build pictures! It’s late, (or early, depending on how you look at it) so not much of a description for these. Note, you will be cutting your motor shaft so it fits where the battery sits, and even then it’s a TIGHT fit.
Click Here to see all the build up pics, including the final setup, just awaiting the body.
READ MORE
The tools just keep coming from RC Pro Products. Check out the handle on their new 17mm wheel nut wrench! Those suckers are gonna be locked down! The handle also has a hole so you can get to those grub screws!
Check out the RC Pro Products web page for more details.
This looks like something that will be a big hit with the RC Rock Crawling Axial fans. They now have a complete set-up kit for Behind the Axle Steering (BTA) which would really help out in a lot of situations. The complete set includes high clearance knuckles, it moves the steering linkage behind the front axle, 6061 aluminum parts, new battery plate to relocate your steering serve and batteries for better weight distribution, and includes all the hardware / instructions you need to do the install. They will also be selling the hi-clearance knuckles separately if you just want to go that route. Check out the Axial Racing site for more details.
We’ll see about updating the Big Squid Crawler here, and maybe do a write up in the near future.
Hot news from RC4WD for Baja 5T fans.
“We are proud to announce a new line of limited edition aluminum beadlock wheels for the ever popular 5T. We will release a new style once each round is sold out. So you will be one of a select few to have a set of these new wheels.”
The first release is……. The “Poison” 5T Beadlock wheel.
Offered in both high quality chrome and a black anodized finish, these are the same size as the stock beadlock wheels and fit even better. Add a set of our Dune Reaper tires for that ultimate scale look. These rims will be available exclusively through our Baja partner, Team Gonads.
Hit the RC4WDStore.com site for details.
Hey all you ‘wanna be’ RC writers! Big Squid RC is once again looking for help, so now is your chance!
With iHobbyExpo.com coming up in a few weeks, the news is going to start to pour in. This month is always the calm before the storm, then we are swamped for a few months after. So we are back on the hunt! We are looking for writers that LOVE RC, LIVE RC, and want to talk about it! You need to be able to produce a minimum of 2 articles a week. They don’t have to be original reports all the time, we need people that can handle the press release stuff as well.
Do you hang out in the forums? Stay on top of the latest and greatest RC news? Have access to photoshop or some other picture editor? Then we need you! We have been bringing on new people, but are still growing so fast, we need more! We are ramping up for I-Hobby, and have a lot going on.
If you know a little about web pages/html, picture editing, (a little writing talent wouldn’t hurt, but if you are a reader of the site, you know it’s not really a necessity.) We need help from daily news to original articles. Having some contacts in the RC industry is a plus, but not a requirement. Being able to use a picture editor to scale and place logo’s is now a MUST, as well is some decent communication skills.
Have a specialty? Only into Drag Racing, or Rock Crawling? That’s cool. We cover it all.
If you are interested drop us an email, maybe give us a small example, and we’ll go from there.
If you are in the Chicago area, there are some good perks like driving the latest RC vehicles before they are released to the public, and all the stickers you could want! (also, you should be over 18, we don’t want to get in trouble with anyone’s parents!) Your first test? Figure out how to send me an email!
Brian
While Losi has been notorious recently for hyping releases. It seems odd then that the Losi Mini Desert Buggy nearly went unnoticed. Based on the Mini-T/Mini Slider platform, this new scale buggy looks like it has what it takes to be a solid performer. The first thing a person will notice about is the scale roll cage. With scale appearance all the rage, this will be a big plus. Better yet, they remembered to put a driver in there.
The wheels and tires bear resemblance to full size dune buggy treads. The electronics are above-average for an RTR. The radio uses Spektrum technology, and the ESC is LiPo Compatible. This buggy is a true RTR, including everything you need, right down to a 1100mAh battery, a charger, and AA’s for the transmitter.
Drop by Losi’s website for more info.
What seems like one of the most anticipated buggy releases in a long time, the Hot Bodies Ve8 buggy has arrived for it’s unboxing ceremony!
Here are some of the first photo’s of what you can look forward to when yours arrives!
Wow, a true kit! Haven’t seen one of these in a long time! It doesn’t even come with tires! First reaction, the chassis is good and stiff. No flexing this with your bare hands. We were not really expecting that, but glad to see it. It’s going to take a few days to build up, and I’ll make sure to post photos as we go.
Make sure to visit Hot Bodies Online for details or where to get yours!
Geezus have things been boring in the industry. Come on you guys, get to making some news out there or I’m really going to have start making things up! LOL
It’s about that time, the time of the year in the temperate climates to make the switch from racing nitro 8th scale off road to running indoors on carpet. The main difference this year? Less touring cars, and more Trans-Am spec cars hitting the tracks on the Paragon soaked tracks of the north. Touring car is a somewhat “scale” appearing class, but the TA’s are more so, and because they are a “spec” type class, are far less expensive to compete with. Death of the touring car class? I highly doubt that, but a nice change more towards the real world.
I’ve heard some hate from the bashing crowd out there. Seems “some” bashers think I only race. I bash and race, but I write more about the racing side because what exactly is it I’m supposed to write about on bashing? Does anyone give a crap I tagged a curb at 40 mph with my Savage? I think not. Do people want to read about how trick the new Traxxas crawler is going to be? I think so. Not that I’m saying they have a crawler coming, it’s just a dream I had after taking way too many Yohimbe tablets.
I dig the crew at AKA tires. I do not dig their new short course rims for use with 8th scale tires. Short course racing’s popularity has a lot to do with scale appearance. So if you are one of those d$#chebags running 8th scale tires on your Slash, or if you are a manufacture encouraging the use of “non-scale” looking equipment, just quit it. It’s a step backwards, not forward.
The Kyosho DBX VE. I mentioned this buggy briefly last week, and “official” pics were released this week. Others in the industry think it’s an interesting platform- a stab at bringing more durability, drive-ability and lower cost to the 10th scale 4wd market. Because of it’s size, 2S lithium batteries can be used, saving big bucks compared to the 4S packs needed for 8th scale electric use. It’s a 4wd, making it easier to get around an off road track than a 2wd, and it looks to be a scaled down 8th scale to help increase durability. What do I think? All I can say is “WTF”, and “those are the ugliest rims I’ve ever seen”. But just the fact that it’s different and getting some buzz means it might have a shot at moving some units. Too bad Kyosho is distributed only from Kyosho (ok, and a bit by HRP) and most hobby shops will never order the buggy in, nor stock parts for them.
In general, buyers are looking for three things right now.
1. Low price- which doesn’t bode real well for high end luxury touring cars or esoteric works 8th scales.
2. Availability- being able to find a kit or part on-line doesn’t quite cut it when you break an A-arm early on a Saturday morning and are looking to drive your truck all day. Traxxas really is the only company universally stocked by nearly every hobby shop in the country. Every other company seems to be focusing on their on-line sales, which is fine, but far from optimum. Few consumers want to buy a brand “XYZ” truck if their LHS does not stock any “XYZ” parts. Some consumers are willing to wait 3 days for their parts, most aren’t.
3. Ease Of Use- Does it take a long time to break in the engine? Do you have to assemble a kit? Is it time consuming to get the trims set right? Do you have to blow 30 minutes reading a manual before you know how to start the car? Is it easy to program the speed controller? Consumers want/demand easy to use products. The longer and harder it is get make a new rc truck hit the track, the worse it’s going to sell. This isn’t twenty years ago when the majority of consumers enjoyed spending a week assembling a new kit. Consumers now days want to hit the track within an hour of buying the truck, and have it work/drive decently with nearly no set-up time. They are willing to give up cutting edge performance for slightly lower performance and more ease of use.
Last years iHobby Expo show was perhaps the largest ever, both on the industry and consumer sides. This year looks to be a different story. Recession is still heavy on everyone’s mind, and it’s easy to see on the floor map of the iHobby show. Many manufactures are electing not to get a booth this year, and many more have downsized considerably. It’s roughly a month till the doors open at the show, and while I have no idea if they are cutting some incredible deals on booths or not, I have the feeling if you are a manufacture and contact them about getting a booth that they’ll do their best to get ya in the show for a good price. So call them and buy some booth space! BigSquidRC has increased booth size this year, is the track sponsor for the second year in a row, and will also be increasing the number of hot booth babes. At least somebody is growing in this hobby. 
If you are a consumer, feel free to drop by the BigSquidRC booth and grab a bunch of stickers, say hey to the entire BSRC crew, and I’ll be autographing ladies cleavage, and mens foreheads all day on Sunday. If you are a manufacture, drop by the booth, give me the evil eye, then grab Brian by the arm to have him show you the insane traffic BigSquidRC is pulling now days.
That’s it for this weeks edition. It’ll do you some good to get out, hit your local track or bash spot, and stop in and say “hello” to that goofy crew working at your LHS.
Your Cub Reporter
Check out this teaser of the new Pro-Line Racing sc tire called the Caliber! We don’t have any more details about it then that.. looks pretty cool! I’m sure we’ll have plenty of pics of it from the iHobby show! This must be an early prototype, because the tires don’t even have the familiar Pro-Line logo or name on the sides!
Head over to Pro-Line Racing for more body info!
