What else has JQ been up to? Check out THIS LINK to find out.

8th scale buggies are known for being great bash machines. For big brushless power the 835E comes with a 2200kV motor and 120 amp Onyx speed controller. A 2.4 GHz radio system is standard and removes any worries of radio conflicts, while big bore shocks help soak up the nasty stuff. Throw in some grey anodized parts for bling factor and the Duratrax 835E is ready to turn heads and go big at your local bash spot.

The 835E is available in 3 color choices- black, white and yellow. The part number is #DTXD78** and its street price is only $399. Expect the new 835E to hit hobby shop shelves in mid June. For more information on everything Duratrax click THIS LINK for their official website.

The work week is nearly over, thank goodness it’s Friday! Check out a BigSquidRC TGIF Mystery Link.

Some of the highlights of the Cobra Be RTR are – waterproof speed controller, 2.4 GHz radio gear, metal gear servo, big bore shocks, aluminum shock towers, 7075 aluminum chassis, and 1850kv brushless motor. Part number for the new buggy is #600006 and you can get more information over on the Serpent Website.

Check out THIS LINK for more Serpent news right here on BigSquidRC.

8th scale electric buggies are still mega-hot and make incredible bash machines. On the high-end side of things Kyosho has just announced their new Inferno MP9e TKI buggy. The Kyosho MP9e TKI utilizes many of the advancements from the TKI3 nitro buggy including-

* Medium length shocks with threaded bodies and light blue Kyosho springs
* Shorter rear tower
* HD Driveshafts
* Stronger upper arms and reinforced bulkheads
* Anodized and milled motor mount
* Milled rear hub carriers

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

* New Ackermann Plate
* New Wider Chassis
* New Right Sideguard
* New Rear Brace
* New Throttle and Brake Linkages

The part number for the kit with the free option parts is #JQB578, or you can just get the hop-up parts set, which is part number #JQS027. You can expect these new JQ parts to be hitting dealer shelves within a few days.

We have more JQ Products news right HERE on BigSquidRC.

In the last 5 years there has been an explosion in the 8th scale buggy tire market. One of the more affordable choices comes from Duratrax, where they have a complete line of reasonably priced tires and pre-mounts. We’ve been bashing and thrashing two sets of Duratrax Equalizer Pre-Mounts (one in C3 (super soft) compound and one in C2 (soft) compound) for a few weeks now. Are they worth your cash to bash with? Come on, let’s find out…

From: Duratrax
Direct Link: Equalizer Pre-Mounts 8th Buggy

Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Cubby

Specs:

Part number: #DTXC3644 (C2 white) and # DTXC3645 (C3 white)
Fits- 8th scale buggies on both front and rear.
Street Price: $18 per pair

What’s Needed To Complete Install: Not much. Remove your wheel nuts and pop’em right on.

Build Quality: Glue job looked well done. Tires and rims both looked (and felt) of good quality.

Test Drivers: Cubby, Brian, Tim, Ryan and Iron Mike

Test Venues: Leisure Hours indoor track in Joliet Illinois, St Louis Dirtburners, a backyard, and a cul-de-sac.

Set-up Notes: For testing we threw the Equalizers on a Hot Bodies VE8 buggy. Speedo was a Castle Monster, motor was a Castle 2650, radio system was a Futaba 3PKS, Hitec handled the steering duties, and we used 4S worth of MaxAmps Lipo power to energize the beast.

Performance-

Street: While you might be tempted, resist the urge to run the Equalizers on pavement. They will give some outstanding grip on the street, but they will wear out extremely quickly due to their soft composition and tread design. These tires were designed for dirt, use them there. If you do a lot of street running invest in a set of Duratrax Bandito’s (their 8th scale buggy street treads).

Grass: The Equalizers didn’t offer the traction of AKA Moto’s or Pro-Line Badland’s on grass, but they did quite well on the green stuff. The Equalizers provided decent forward grip and a certain amount of slip when looking for sidebite that kept our buggy from constantly traction when cornering. Overall, very usable in grass.

Dirt: The Equalizers are really intended for use on a prepped dirt surface. On a hard, damp, clay surface like the indoor track at Leisure Hours, they were quite drivable, but didn’t offer the pure mechanical grip of smaller pinned tires. A loamy outdoor track was where the Equalizers really stood out. When the pins could do a bit of penetration, like in the fluff or on a loose/loamy track, the Equalizers felt really dialed offering a lot of traction.

Btw, if you’ve never felt a set of C3 compound Duratrax tires, they feel nearly as soft and sticky as the softest compounds from the big names.

Summary:

Time To Bash: A It literally takes 2 minutes to mount up the Equalizers. This is one of the fastest improvements you can make to your 8th scale buggy.

Car Show Rating: C The Duratrax tires have lettering on the sidewall. Some of the staff really liked the look, while others prefer a more traditional look. The rims were standard white dishes.

Bash-A-Bility: B We experienced no “major” issues with the Equalizer pre-mounts- we didn’t break any rims, nor did we rip/explode any of the tires. However, because they were molded in fairly soft compounds (extremely soft in the case of the C3′s) we experienced relatively fast wear rates. Had they have been molded in a harder/longer wearing compound they would have received an “A”.

Performance: C There are better bashing tires on the market and better track tires. However, the Equalizers weren’t far off the pace in either category.

Value: B The Duratrax pre-mounts cost much less than just the tires from a “premium” brand, yet they still give good performance. That represents a very good value to us.

BigSquid Rating: B- Are the Duratrax Equalizer pre-mounts worth your cash? They are soft on the wallet yet give good traction on grass and in the dirt. We found them to be quality units and a very affordable option when driving on prepped dirt surfaces.

* New wider rear end with new geometry for more rear traction
* Rear shocks moved to the back of the shocktower
* Longer rear shocks; with longer housing and shock rods for more travel
* Rear wing with integrated holders for the ballraced rear anti-roll bar
* Longer rear lower arms, new higher carbon shocktower, new upright
* Lexan mud-guards to mount on lower rear arms
* Nylon mud-scrapers mount on the rear uprights
* Improved differential gears – as already in the Be version
* Larger bearings in steering blocks and uprights 8X16X5 (2) and 15x21x4 (2),
* Transmission uses larger bearings, 8x19x6 and 13x19x4, and new couplers
* Part #600012

To get more information on the 811 BE 2.0 hit up THIS link. To view more information on Serpent, hit up THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

The changes for the 2013 XB9 include-

* New longer and wider chassis for increased stability and weight balance
* New engine position and internal component layout to improve performance, efficiency and durability
* New updated side guards
* New fuel tank with floating stone type fuel filter
* New high-torque clutch set
* New heavier high-torque flywheel
* New high-torque clutch shoes
* New high-torque clutch springs
* New 16° caster blocks suitable for majority of track conditions
* New steering blocks for increased corner speed
* New Ackermann position for increased corner speed
* New HUDY Spring Steel™ turnbuckles with new size
* New front shock tower with new roll center positions
* New rear shock to accommodate optional longer chassis brace
* New longer muffler mounting to accommodate all types of mufflers

For more information on the XB9 check out the official XRay Website, and for even more XRay news check out THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

Pro-Line has some good news for you, they have just announced some very trick new Pro-Cap 17mm Wheel Nuts. The new Pro-Caps come with serrations to dig into the wheel and prevent them from coming loose. To make the look as good as they perform Pro-Line anodized the Pro-Caps blue and laser etched their logo on top.

Part number for the Pro-Caps is #6090-00 and they have a street price of $20 for a set of four. Click on over to the Pro-Line Website for more information.

Interested in more Pro-Line news? Check out THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

The free temp gauge offer runs through the end of April. Hit up the Duratrax Website for more information.

Looking for more Duratrax news? Check out THIS link.