The new alumimum links are said to be “available soon” with a part number of #Z-S0770 and a street price of $15. Hit up THIS LINK for more information. Comments are open, what do you think of these?

Looking for more scale realism news? Check out THIS LINK right here on BigSquidRC.

Oh yes, it’s Friday, how about getting this party started with a BSRC Mystery Link?

Years (and years) ago I did my fair share of full scale/four wheeled racing. I was coming off a fairly bad motocross injury, plus I was big into cars at the time, so I got my race fix by competing in SCCA events. But… my SCCA days came to an end back in ’91 at Road Atlanta in Braselton Georgia. You may or may not be familiar with that track, if not, at the end of the start straight is turn 1, a high speed uphill right hander that took genuine cojones to blow through with any real speed. I was racing a highly prepped Eagle Talon at the time and it was pulling the inside rear off the ground the entire way through the corner, crazy stuff at 80 mph plus.

On lap one of my race I got pushed slightly off the course and lost all my momentum, this allowed most of the field to swallowed me up. I was off to a poor start definitely on a mission to get back up front. I methodically keep on passing people, gradually working my way up to fourth place by the penultimate lap. Then I don’t know what came over me. When I saw the white flag wave I was desperate for a podium finish and was willing to do whatever it took to get it. I knew that if I absolutely nailed turn 1 that I could get the drive up the hill to make a pass early in the lap on the third place guy, and if I absolutely baked the rest of the track I might be able to make a do-or-die pass for second by turn 12.

I was 100 feet behind the third place driver going into turn 1 and for some reason I just kept it pin. Maybe it was the fact I was a motorcycle guy and having a big steel cage around me made me fearless, maybe my adrenaline just got the best of me, perhaps I was simply that stupid in my early 20′s, all I know is that I didn’t lift (at all) for turn 1.

I don’t remember much about the crash itself. My friends told me how spectacular it was and how lucky I was to walk away. My car was completely thrashed, and at that time I was stretched way beyond my means to even have a race car of its caliber. My head was pounding and I couldn’t remember my name, my car was destroyed, I was on the bink of financial ruin, and there was no magic entity that could make any of those facts change. I drove like an idiot and I paid the price, that’s the way real life is.

Since the beginning of time in rc, people have been allowed to “marshall” the cars. If you go out and drive like you are on crack and crash 5 times a lap, no big deal, there are a half dozen people standing out there to turn your car back over. Someone can come from 5 feet behind you and punt you into the cheap seats and magically this big hand comes out of the sky and puts you right back on the track as if nothing ever happened (you are now free to go get some payback and ruin someone else’s race). Oh how I wish some big Hand Of God would have reached out of the skies and made everything a.o.k. with my Talon (and my head) at Road Atlanta.

All you scale guys have already heard of the Axial Recon G6 series. For those of you that haven’t, it’s an event where you have to drive an extremely scale looking truck over/through treacherous terrain against the clock to determine a winner. But… the biggest deal about the event is there is a HOG rule, the almighty Hand Of God can NOT be used. You can’t use your hand or your foot to right a tipped over or stuck vehicle. Instead, you can use a winch that you’ve mounted to your rig or another truck can help you get going, but if a Hand Of God gets involved, you are instantly disqualified. If you crash a full scaler there is no HOG, why should there be when racing a smaller scale?

The HOG concept is unthinkable to many rc hobbyists. There would be a riot at your local track if marshals were not allowed. The racers would think “OMG, my entire life will be ruined if I crash and can’t get marshalled!”. I know it is a HUGE stretch for a whole lot of people to imagine, but the HOG rule is good for the hobby and should be supported. Yes, even in normal rc racing.

Yes, it would take some getting used to and attitude adjustment, but in the end the HOG rule would be a good for the hobby. The HOG rule would keep people from driving over their heads, it would cause them to actually think and take take better lines, and it would highly discourage hacking. Perhaps even more importantly, you would actually have to pay for mistakes when you made them, just like in full scale racing and exactly like life in general.

That’s it for this week guys, have a safe Memorial Day and don’t forget to support your local hobby shops and bash spots when ya can.

YOUR Cub Reporter

First up is a polycarbonate hardtop for the Axial 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon body. The hardtop is made out of thick .040″ polycarbonate and uses four screws to hold it in place. The hardtop is officially licensed by Jeep and comes with all the mounting hardware, decals and window masks that you need. The part number is #AX04034, the street price is $26 and they are available right now.

For all you hardcore scalers Axial now has heavy duty steel transmission gears for your SCX10, AX10, and Wraith. These CNC machined steel gears are hardened and perfect for extreme use out on the trail. If you are wanting to “bomb proof” your drivetrain, the AX10 locked transmission metal gear set is a must have. The part number for the set is #AX30708 and the MSRP price is $50.

For more information on everything Axial check out THIS LINK over on the official Axial site or THIS LINK right here on BigSquidRC.

The new Jeep Wrangler Wraith will not only make a great rock racer, but it also offers incredibly detailed scale realism and is certain to be a hit with the scale/trail driving crowd. Some of the important features include – full tube chassis, straight axles with lockers, heavy duty interchangeable face beadlock wheels, licensed BFG tires, off-center pumpkin axles, and Wild Boar driveshafts. A 20 turn brushed motor, Castle crawling speed controller, and 2.4 GHz radio gear round out the package.

The Axial Jeep Wrangler Wraith has a part number of #AX90031 and is priced at $399. For more information on all the fine products that Axial offers just click on THIS LINK. For more Axial news right here on BigSquidRC Click Here.

There is a UK based company called RadShapeRC that is putting out some pretty cool scale parts for the Axial SCX10 series trucks. One of their latest products is a Bull Bar with Winch Plate made specifically for the SCX10. Not only does it look scale but it’s built tough for those long days on the trail. There is more information to come on this one such as part number and pricing, we’ll post it when we learn more.

For more information on all the trick goodies made by RadShapeRC, HERE is the link to their official website.

Have you read our latest Axial review? If not you can check it out HERE.

Some of the features include-

* Fully licensed by Ford
* Made from real Lexan
* Manufactured right here in the USA
* Comes with window masks and overspray protection
* Comes with decal sheet

The part number is #3392-00 and it has a street price of $38. For more information HERE is the link to the Ford F-250 page on the Pro-Line website.

We’ve finally made it through another work week. How about a TGIF Mystery Link?

There are sale items from Team Durango, TrakPower, Axial, Duratrax, Futaba, and a whole bunch of more manufactures, hit THIS LINK to view some of the specials or view the video below for more information.

Want to read our last Axial review? If so, hit THIS LINK.

For those that might not know what a geocache is- it’s an outdoor activity where you use a GPS to find hidden items. Typically when you find a geocache you might take an item inside and replace it with something that you’ve brought with you, but in the case of the Axial Geocache you get to keep the item, and after you contact Axial they send you more stuff in the mail! Knowing the guys at Axial, the prizes are bound to be pretty trick.

How do you get started? Get your GPS fired up and hit THIS LINK. The link contains the GPS co-ordinates to where the Axial Geocache is located. The link also contains pictures to help you find the goods.

Are you a big Axial fan? We have a lot more Axial news Right Here on BigSquidRC.

Some of the features of the new Axial Icon shocks include- titanium nitride coated shafts, polyoxymethylene pistons, CNC machined bodies and reservoirs, and dual rate springs. The shocks (part #AX30103) come in pairs with a street price of around $40 and an expected release date of early April.

You can also get the shock parts separately. Part #AX30130 are just the Icon aluminum shock bodies and have a street price of $14 a pair. Part #AX30131 are the Icon aluminum shock reservoirs with a street price of $9 a pair. You can also buy the 7mm shock pistons separately, they have a part number of #AX30132 and a street price of $11.

For more information on all the cool products from Axial hit up their Official Website and for more Axial news right here on BigSquidRC THIS is the link you want.