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What's new: Saturday, February 9th, 2013

Hobbico Booth eFest 2013
Hobbico is the title sponsor of the eFest 2013 event and it certainly shows. We had a great time touring their booth which has all kinds of great flying gear on display. There was plenty of new Futaba, OS Motors, Thunder Tiger, Heli-Max, and Tactic gear out for show goers to check out. From the most esoteric of high-end gear, to equipment for your very first flight, the Hobbico booth had it covered.

For more information on all of Hobbico’s fine products check out their Official Website and to check out more eFest coverage THIS is the link you want.

efest02

We are at eFest 2013! We will be running live cams, posting booth pictures, flying, crashing, and all sorts of stuff! If you are in the Champaign IL area, come by and say hello, grab some stickers, and hang out!

Click this link for all of the eFest News you can use from Big Squid RC.

What's new: Friday, February 8th, 2013

THE TrakPower VR-1 Dual Channel Balancing Battery Charger Review

TrakPower VR-1 Dual Channel Balancing Battery Charger Review

TrakPower is becoming one of the most respected names in the rc biz via putting out high quality gear for both the racing and basher crowds. Today we’ll be taking a look at their top shelf battery charger, the VR-1 Dual Channel, to see if it indeed is one of the elite chargers on the market. Does the VR-1 give a quality charge? Is it easy to use? And most importantly, is it worth your cash? Read on…

READ MORE

HPI x HOONIGAN 1/10th scale decals
Looking for a sic new look for your HPI Rally Car? Try a murdered-out paint scheme and these new Hoonigan 1/10th Scale Decals on for size. With these in place you can hoon up your cul-de-sac in the latest of styles. The HPI Hoonigan decal set is only available at the Hoonigan.com website, and they run about $10 a set.

TGIF, why don’t you give our Mystery Link a whirl?

SKYRC T6755 Touch Screen AC/DC Battery Charger
A couple of week ago we posted the new Bluetooth Enabled battery charger from SKYRC. Today we are learning more about their new T6755 Touch Screen battery charger. Touch screens are everywhere now days and having one on your charger can help make it even easier to use. Some of the key features and specifications of the T6755 include-

* 3.2″ touch sensitive color LCD screen
* Optimized operating software
* Internal independent Lithium battery balancer
* Adaptable to various types of Lithium batteries
* AC Input: 100-240V
* DC Input: 11-18Volt
* Charge circuit power: 55W
* Charge current range: 0.1-7.0A
* Discharge current power: 5W
* Discharge current range: 0.1-2.0A
* Current drain for balancing port: 200mA/cell
* NiCd/NiMH battery cell count: 1-15Cells
* LiPo/LiFe/Lilon cell count: 1-6Cells
* Pb battery voltage: 2-20V
* Net weight: 540g
* Dimension: 140x165x60mm
* Part #SK-100064

To get more information on the SKYRC T6755 hit up THIS link for their official website.

Thank goodness it’s Friday, time for another Mystery Link.

What's new: Thursday, February 7th, 2013

KO Propo EX-1 KIY Version 2
KO Propo has just announced their EX-1 KIY Version 2 for all you high-end transmitter users. A number of upgrades have been incorporated and it now features a 5% faster response time. Some of its features and specifications include-

* Version 2 is a software improvement for response and linear feeling.
* Conventional response increased 5%.
* Transition from moving the steering back/forth quickly and small movements have been improved.
* Motion feeling has been enhanced. Improvement for human interface for a more natural feeling but still maintaining a faster feeling.
* Version 2 Master Units (FHSS & ASF) are compatible with current Grip and Steering Units.
* External plastic case is the same as previous version, just software and PC board has been changed.
* Current customers with Version 1 will be able to send in their Master Units for a PC board change to the Version 2 at a later date once the boards are available.
* Master Unit EX-1 FHSS Ver.2 plus KR-411FH receiver, Part #10520
* Master Unit EX-1 ASF Ver.2 for Mini-Z only, Part #10522
* EX-1 KIY 2.4GHz FHSS Set Ver.2 Tx/Rx, Part #80519
* EX-1 KIY ASF Set Ver.2 for Mini-Z only, Part #80521

Hit up the official KO Propo Website for more details, and hit up THIS link for more KO news right here on BigSquidRC.

Tamiya Volkswagen Golf Mk.1 Racing Group 2 M-05 chassis
Tamiya is re-releasing another fan favorite, the Volkswagen Golf Mk.1 GR 2 (part #84316). First available in the early 80′s, the latest Golf version comes with their M-05 chassis. The M-05 is a front wheel drive chassis that will certainly make driving the latest Tamiya a blast. We have not received any word on a price point or a release date here in the states, but check out the official Tamiya Website for more information on their other fine products.

Can’t get enough Tamiya news? Check out THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

Racers Edge Racers Edge SOLO80 Prime Charger
The battery charger wars have certainly gotten hotter lately, there has never been so many good choices for quality battery chargers. Racers Edge has just introduced their latest entry into the wars, their Racers Edge SOLO80 Prime Charger. The SOLO80 boasts some good specs, it can at up to 6 amps (up to 80 watts), and its styling will certainly make a statement on your pit table. Some of its other features and specifications include-

* AC Input: 100-240v
* DC Input: 11-18v
* Charge Current Range: 0.1 – 6.0amps (up to 80 watts)
* Discharge Current Range: 0.1 – 2.0amps (up to 10 watts)
* Current Drain For Balancing: 300mA/cell
* NiCd/NiMH Battery Cell Count: 1 – 15 cells
* LiPo/LiFe/LiIon Cell Count: Up to 6S
* USB Port: 5volts – 1amp
* Display: Blue Backlit LCD
* Net Weight: 893 grams (1.97 lbs)
* Dimensions: 137mm x 88mm x 137mm
* Warranty: 5 Years Manufacture Defect
* Part #RCESC1800

The SOLO80 has a retail price of $149 and you can get more information at the official Racers Edge Website. Hit up THIS link for more Racers Edge news right here on BigSquidRC.

Cubby

MG4 T3
Hi there
I just received a mg4 t3 from my wife it doesn’t seem to roll freely i haven’t turned it on yet because im waiting for batteries the buyer said that they don’t roll freely due to it having 3 diffs what do you think
Daryn B.

Cubby- Hey Daryn, shoot Brian your snail mail so we can send ya out some free BSRC stickers for your monster truck.

So… you have a Thunder Tiger MT4 G3 (I agree they need a simpler name) monster truck that doesn’t seem to roll freely. You don’t mention if it has the stock brushless motor or not, but if it does, then yes, it should roll very freely. For example, if you give the truck a push it should keep rolling quite easily after you let go.

There are a bunch of things that can add resistance/binding. Your truck could have a bad bearing, something could be bent and rubbing against another part, your gear mesh (spur/pinion, or ring gears in the diffs) might be too tight, or even an aftermarket slotted motor (slotless tend to spin over easy, slotted type BL’s turn over harder) can make it feel like there is too much rolling resistance. For sure, you do NOT want to drive the truck if there is too much resistance/binding, it will be torturous to the power system.

The first thing I would do in your case would be to remove the pinion gear then give the truck a push to see if it is any freer. By removing the pinion you can find out if the pinion/spur mesh was bad or if you might have a bad motor. If after removing the pinion you find you still have binding, I would attempting spinning different wheels to see if you can track down the spot where the extra friction is happening.

Best of luck and shoot us an email back to let us know where the problem actually was.


My son and I go to the local track to race our 2WD and 4×4 Slash trucks. We talk with a lot of RC nuts and test a lot of different ways to make our trucks better on and off the track. I was wondering what we would have to do to test your new products for the slash trucks. We know a lot of people that have that truck and are always looking for a better product. We would love to show off the new Pro-line product and tell them where to get it. Let them know to go to www.BigSquidRC.com to get what they need.

Matt H.

Cubby- Congrats Matt, I officially proclaim your email as the “Letter Of The Month”. This entitles you to a brand spank’n new BigSquidRC t-shirt, now you’ll instantly be the coolest guy at your local bash spot.

What would you have to do to test products for BigSquidRC?

When we do reviews we attempt to do them for who we think are our typical readers- everyday backyard bashers. The most important input we get during our review process is from random people we end up bashing with at the track, ball diamond, or local city parks. So while I might write up a review, or Brian might write one up, our reviews really are a sum of at least the input of a half dozen different people.

Local bashers are the kind of drivers that don’t avoid mud-holes and they use drivers stands for jumping their trucks off of not for standing on. We feel their input is the best for our readers. Matt, it sounds like you and your son are racers- while your input could certainly be part of our testing process, it would not be optimal for what we are searching for.

But… lets say you were a perfect candidate to be a tester. The hard part isn’t installing the new parts. The hard part isn’t driving the new parts. The hard part is all the hours spent getting the actual review on the website.

For example, in the Pro-Line performance review that you mention, it took us a “couple hours” to install the new parts. Then we spent a couple hours shooting pictures (you can read more about this on our G+ page), then perhaps another hour editing, resizing, and watermarking the pics. Then we spent 4 days actually driving the new parts, at roughly a half dozen packs per day. Of course we were also driving other review vehicles at the same time, but I’d say we spent roughly 4 hours of actual driving time with the new Pro-Line parts. That isn’t a lot of time by any means, but enough to get a good idea if they were going to break and if they were actually worth owning. Finally, we spent at least an hour writing up the review and another hour posting it to the web. All in all, I’d say we had a solid 10+ hours into the Pro-Line performance parts review. And no, 10 hours doesn’t sound like a lot, but when we are attempting to do 2-5 reviews a week, plus all the other stuff we do for the site, I can assure you there isn’t an extra minute left in our days. If you are a normal family man with a job, a wife, and kids, finding an extra 10 hours a week probably isn’t as easy as you might think.


That’s it for this edition of ASK Cubby, submit your questions, rants, spats, or whatever else you have on your mind to Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com. Every question that makes the big time gets free stickers, and letter of the month gets one of our new uber BSRC t-shirts. Don’t be shy, ask away!

YOUR Cub Reporter

Traxxas Revo 3.3 TQi and Telemetry
Two of Traxxas’s legendary monster trucks just got even better, they now come not only with the Traxxas TQi radio system and docking base, but they even have telemetry pre-installed. The addition of the on-board telemetry really helps you keep track of what is going on in your truck as you can see real-time data such as speed, engine RPM, engine temperature, and battery voltage. The part numbers stay the same as before, #4907 for the T-Maxx 3.3, and #5309 for the Revo 3.3. Hit up the official Traxxas Website for more information.

Now that you’ve learned about the latest from Traxxas, you can check out older Traxxas news right HERE on BigSquidRC.

What's new: Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

The show is now over, you can watch the replay below. Thanks for joining us tonight!

2013 HPI Savage X 4.6 Nitro RTR
HPI Racing has announced their newly revised 2013 Savage X 4.6 nitro 4wd monster truck. The 2013 edition remains the same as the previous version with the exception of its body. The newest Savage X 4.6 comes in two different body styles- Silver/Black (part #109084) and in Silver/Gunmetal (part #109085). Hit up the official HPI Website for more details.

Looking for more HPI news? Check out THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

Adam The Intern BigSquidRC LIVE Show Google +
Just a reminder that our BigSquidRC LIVE Google+ Hangout show goes off tonight at 9PM CST. If you haven’t seen the show- we basically do some rc bench racing, answer questions from the BSRC live chat window, and give away free stuff. To watch the show all you have to do is view the top post on our front page, it’s super easy. To ask us questions all you have to do is type into the live chat box right beneath the video feed, also super easy.

Tonight we will also be having one of YOU guys join us live on the show. To be able to do that you will need to already have a Google+ account, plus have Google Hangout installed, and a web-cam with mic working on your computer.

To check out previous BigSquidRC LIVE shows hit THIS link.