The Trencher X’s and Renegade combo make not only a very scale looking combination, but also a great performer out in the dirt. With them now being pre-mounted they save you the time and frustration of the entire gluing process.

Pro-Line has Trencher X pre-mounts available to fit vehicles like the Traxxas Slash and Slash 4×4, the HPI Blitz, Associated SC10 4×4, Pro-Line ProTrac Slash, and Losi Ten SCTE. Part numbers are #1190-13 and #1190-18, and you can hit THIS link for more information. Street price is $35 per pair.

How about some more short course truck news? Find more at THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

* 3mm HARD-ANODIZED, 7075 Machined-Aluminum Chassis Plate
* Heavy-duty 4mm tie rods with captured ends
* HARD-Anodized aluminum threaded shocks
* Updated front and rear carbon fiber shock towers
* Updated motor and center diff placement
* Performance battery mounting system
* Updated diff cases
* Two complete wheel sets
* 12mm aluminum wheel hexes
* Hi-performance, high flow body
* Ti-Nitride shock shafts and hinge pins
* Hard-Anodized Aluminum, Adjustable pivots
* Aluminum bleeder shock caps
* Aluminum chassis braces

Street price for the new SCTE 2.0 is $470 with a release date of mid-March. Hit up the official TLR Website for all the juicy details.

Looking for more Losi news? Try THIS link right here on BigSquidRC.

Your truck is not a true bash-mobile unless it has RPM parts on it. In our quest to make our Losi SCTE the most bash-worthy truck possible, we installed a bunch of RPM hop-up parts. Today we’ll be taking a closer look, are the RPM Losi SCTE hop-up parts worth the cash? Read on…

From: RPM RC Products

Direct Link: RPM Losi SCTE Hop-Ups

Review By: Cubby
Pics By: Cubby

Parts Tested: 73112 Rear Bumper ($11), 73312 Rear Bumper Mount ($9), 73042 Front Bumper ($12), 73142 Rear Arms ($12), 73262 Front Arms ($12), 73032 Mud Flaps and Number Plate ($11)

Test Drivers: Cubby, Brian, and Tim

Test Venues: RC Outlaws in Collinsville IL, CostCo parking lot, and a backyard

Review Platform: Our MIP/STRC Tuned Losi Ten SCTE 4wd SCT equipped with Castle Max Pro Speedo, Castle 1410 motor, Hitec steering servo, Dynamite SpeedPack 2S Lipo, and a Futaba 4PK Super-R was used to control the beast.

Installation: All the RPM parts were easy to install. Tolerances were better than the stock parts they replaced, and there was no need to trim off excess flash etc.

Durability: We’ve yet to break any of the RPM parts, and it’s not for lack of trying. We’ve pounded the boards, done roof hucks, and played plenty of demo-derby with no ill effects to the RPM parts. Tough stuff.

Issues: Absolutely none.

Misc Notes:

The RPM front bumper does not use an upper mount, we thought this might be an issue but it was not. Kudos to RPM on doing their homework. The RPM front bumper flexes on big hits but doesn’t break. We had broken multiple stock front bumper top mounts, nice not having to worry about breaking another one.

We’ve broken 4 stock rear bumper mounts since we first started driving/testing the Losi SCTE platform. Rear end landings eventually kill a stocker. The RPM unit withstood some ridiculously punishing rear end landings without breaking. Sweet.

The RPM arms have some flex to them to withstand big hits, but not so much as to notice a change in handling compared to the stockers.

Summary:

Time to Bash – 8/10 - Installing a bunch of hop-up parts is not a quick job, however, the RPM parts bolt up without issue.

Car Show Rating – 8/10 - The RPM bumpers look nice, better than the stock parts. They aren’t some bling-bling anodized aluminum units, but look good for plastic.

Bash-A-Bility – 10/10 - After 2 months of abuse none of the RPM parts have broken, a testament to their design and quality of plastic used.

Value – 9/10 - Higher quality than stock at very reasonable price points.

BigSquid Rating – 8.75/10 - Tentacles. The RPM hop-ups for the Losi Ten SCTE are good quality units that not only take a beating but also look better than stock, I highly recommend them.

I absolutely love your site, the content is killer and the best part is what you say is honest and not watered down to protect any sponsors. With the winter quickly approaching I was wondering if you guys ever posted some how to articles, not tips and little things like you find in magazines but specifically a review of some of the track and rail systems on the market along with some how-to’s for anyone trying to save money and build their own. Indoor tracks seem crazy expensive and even then you aren’t really sure if they are worth their weight ya know?

Ever host a general contest like having people send in their detailed instructions for building a basement track layout and the winner gets some stickers or shirts or other swag? If not, do you know of anyone who has reviewed indoor track systems? I wanted to find something that is interchangeable, somewhat durable, and most of all not break the bank expensive so my kids and I can have a fun winter without becoming couch spuds. Oh yeah did I mention your website rocks? Best out there by far hands down. Keep up the excellent work and thanks!

Jason K.

Cubby- Hey Jason, you just hit the lotto. I official declare yours as email of the month. Shoot Brian your snail mail and he’ll send ya out some stickers and a brand new BigSquidRC t-shirt.

So you wanna build an indoor track to help pass the time this winter and you would like to know our thoughts on some of the current commercially available track systems. If you were looking to spend some cash (and have an available spare room
where you don’t have to tear everything down after driving) you could go buy something like an RCP track for the small scalers or ozite carpet and a RoadRail system for bigger vehicles. Both work fine for their respective uses no doubt.

However… what I am going to recommend is this- just use whatever you already have laying around the house. It won’t cost you any money, and should your better half request (read- demand) you pick up after every bash session everything you use will already have a place at your house. For example, throwing some old carpet pieces over shoes or pool noodles makes for some pretty gnarly whoop sections. A piece of carpet over an old cardboard box makes a good tabletop, and jumps are easily constructed out of cardboard or left over wood pieces. There are a million different ways to make obstacles, the more you make, the more you learn, and perhaps at some point in the future you’ll be using what you learned from first hand experience to make uber tracks for more than just yourself.

Hey Guys!
I wanted to share some pics of my Ten-SCTE. I’ll get some chassis shots of it after I get her all cleaned up. We had a great weekend bashing at a friend’s house out in rural Mississippi. They have a vacant lot next to theirs which has been converted into a small RC track. He and his son have a couple of Slashes while we have the SCTE, Slash, and Dominus SC10.

The Losi broke for the first time in the year I have had it. The wheel nut backed off and the mounting surface on the wheel rounded itself off. No biggie really. The Dominus on the other hand has been down quite a bit. We are having issues with rod ends. They are too soft and keep stripping out. I’m gonna try to replace them with Traxxas rod ends which are tougher to see if that does the trick. Hopefully the center diff will be out soon as we can swap that in.

My friend has a Slash 4×4 and after wheeling my Losi for a bit he really liked it much more than the Traxxas. After taking his Slash 4×4 for a ride I have to agree with him. The Losi is a far superior beast. Have you guys had good luck with the
Dominus so far?

Keep up the good work! I think you guys have a great website and am proud to know you guys!
Cheers,
Jon A.

Cubby- Good hearing from you again Jon, and thanx for the pics.

Nice to hear you’ve been having good luck with your Losi SCTE. Whether for bashing or racing, it is an exceptional vehicle. We’ve driven our SCTE’s like we stole them for over a year now with very little damage or breakage, they are beasts. Just FYI, we are in the process of reviewing all the RPM hop-up parts for the SCTE, making a tough truck even tougher, expect to see that review in perhaps another week or so.

If where you drive isn’t too grassy and doesn’t have too many large dirt clods I’d highly recommend you try the MIP Pro4mance package for the SCTE. Yes, stock the SCTE drives very well and the MIP kit isn’t cheap, but it transforms the truck to an epic level that I think you would really appreciate.

About the Traxxas Slash 4×4, I’d agree it is not on the Losi’s level… but it does excel in grass and on dirt with large clods. The additional ground clearance of the Slash can come in handy in those conditions, but the extra ride height works against it on smoother surfaces.

We’ve had good luck with our Helion Dominus review truck. Out of the box it’s quite slow, but we beat it fairly hard and didn’t experience many issues. Our review Dominus is still in service on a weekly basis, only now in hopped up form, and it still keeps putting a smile on our face. No, it’s not in the league of the Losi either, but for its price point it exhibits all sorts of win.

That’s it for this week ya bunch of mongrels, submit your questions, hate-mail, smack-talk, and any other jive you might have to Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com. If your email hits the front page you’ll get free stickers, if you pull off “letter of the month” like Jason did above you’ll get a free way-super-uber BSRC t-shirt.

YOUR Cub Reporter

* Comes with lifetime unlimited replacement warranty
* One TBR SC Racer rear bumper
* One TBR nylon brace
* Lightweight
* Fits inside the body (width wise)
* Comes with mounting screws and lock nuts
* Two TBR decals
* Part #37185

Street price on this item is $17 and they are available for sale right now. Hit up the official TBR Website for more information.

Looking for more T-Bone Racing (TBR) news? We have it right HERE.

hi guys i m from brasil this the second time i need your advice,the first time you guys nailed it advising me to buy a hpi vorza, now I’m wanting a short course and read the review that you guys made of the losi SCTE and slash 4×4 platinum … so personal to bash, which of these two is the best and more durable, if you guys had to pick just one what would? thanks again and I will await the response of you before you decide …

Jonas T.

Cubby- Hello there Jonas, glad we “nailed it” for you the first time around.
Losi Ten SCTE vs Traxxas Slash 4×4 Platinum is the question, a question that a lot of our readers are pondering now days.

The Slash has one major upside over the Losi, it has more ground clearance. The extra ground clearance of the Traxxas makes it better when driving in grass and when driving in soft dirt areas that have large clods. The second biggest advantage of the Traxxas would be its parts availability. Here in the states nearly every local hobby shop stocks parts for it, but with you being from Brazil that may not be the case.

The Losi’s biggest advantage is it is lower slung, meaning it has a lower center of gravity. The lower CG of the Losi is advantageous in corners and on higher bite surfaces. Perhaps the second biggest advantage of the Losi is its center diff. The Losi’s center diff makes it generally easier to drive and to jump. The Traxxas comes stock with a slipper, with an optional center diff in the box but not mounted.

Both trucks can take some pretty sic beatings, both come with more power than you’ll probably ever need, and both are great fun to drive. However, you asked me to pick just one, and it is a well known fact I’m a huge fan of the Losi Ten SCTE, so that is what I am recommending to you. The Losi Ten SCTE is a solid truck all the way around. However, there is one thing that could change my mind for you- parts availability in Brazil. Not that either truck is going to need many parts, but broken parts are a big part of life in the basher game. If for some reason you can’t easily get parts for the Losi then I would certainly recommend the Slash to you, it is also a solid truck.

Shoot us an email to keep us posted on what you end up putting in your rc garage and thanks for the email.

HPI E10 Monster Energy Mustang, Read your article. Thank you. I heard this is only 18 mph top speed. Although this is needed for drift control. What is needed to make it faster and touring driven?
In addition what is your experience with Exceed cars?

Thank you,
Jim

Cubby- So James, you have an HPI E10 Drift RTR and it’s crazy slow and does nothing but drift/slide around every corner. I am soooo not into the drift thing, I’m all about going fast, not sliding around like I’m on ice.

Thankfully it’s pretty easy to get the E10 up to speed. First reposition the motor from the “drift” placement to the “touring” placement. This will give ya better traction for real cornering and won’t cost you a dollar.

Secondly, pitch the rock hard stock drift tires. For drifting they might be the bomb but for actually getting some traction and going somewhere in a hurry they blow. HPI makes tons of regular on-road tires, pick up a full set. Putting new wheels/tires on your ride is relatively affordable and they are ultra easy to bolt up, and they will yield incredible gains in traction/performance.

Third, the stock 6 cell Ni-MH leaves a lot to be desired in the power to weight department, pitch it ASAP and go Lipo. Your stock speedo (an HPI sc-15wp) is Lipo compatible so it’s not an issue to run a lithium pack to get more power. Once you’ve started running a Lipo- see if that is fast enough for ya, if not (and if you haven’t run into any motor temp issues) try adding a couple of teeth to the pinion. Going up a couple teeth will give your car a little more kick in the pants.

Normally at this point I’d recommend tossing in a brushless system to really get that Mustang hauling, but… I have not personally attempted to run BL in the E10 platform. The E10 series is made more for fun than taking 500 watts plus of brushless power and I can not personally vouch for whether it can take it or not. Should you be inclined to put one in and TOFTT let us know if it lived or if you blew its guts out.

Lastly, about Exceed cars. I personally have very little experience with them, but I’ve seen multiple people at the track with them. Of all the people I’ve seen at the track with one they were all having issues. I don’t like issues, I like to drive, go big, then go home. And that’s all I have to say about that…

That’s it for this week ya freaks, shoot whatever is on your mind to Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com. We are averaging over 100 letters a week now days, so if yours is lucky enough to make the big time you’ll get some free BSRC stickers, and if I chose yours as the “email of the month” we’ll totally hook you up with one of our uber new t-shirts.

YOUR Cub Reporter

* Anodized turquoise in color
* Laser marked with MIP logo
* Made from 7075 Aluminum
* Direct replacement for the Stock steel posts on the Losi Ten-SCTE
* Works great with the MIP Pro4mance Package for the Losi Ten-SCTE
* 100% Quality made in the USA!

Retail price is only $18 and they are available right now. Hit up the official MIP Website for more information.

Looking for more MIP news? We have it right HERE.

Looking to beef up your Losi TEN-SCTE? Well RPM has a new rear bumper mount for you! It’s designed to absorb those big impacts and reduce transferred inpact energy from the rest of the ride. The four piece design has multiple curves and shapes to help dispense that energy. We do a lot of short course demo derby around here, I have a feeling there are going to be a few of these sets on order! The price when it hits the streets is less than $10!

Need more info on RPM products? Hit that link. Want to read our Losi TEN-SCTE Review? Click Here

Looking for more Losi news here on BigSquidRC? HERE is the link you want.

Duratrax Pre-mounted Combo’s-

DTXC3674 Lockup SC C2 MNTD SC10 4×4 (2)
DTXC3675 Lockup SC C2 MNTD SCTE 4×4 (2)
DTXC3682 Lineup SC C2 MNTD SC10 4×4 (2)
DTXC3683 Lineup SC C2 MNTD SCTE 4×4 (2)
DTXC3690 Shotgun SC C2 MNTD SC10 4×4 (2)
DTXC3691 Shotgun SC C2 MNTD SCTE 4×4 (2)
DTXC3698 Posse SC C2 MNTD SC10 4×4 (2)
DTXC3699 Posse SC C2 MNTD SCTE 4×4 (2)
DTXC3702 Bandito SC C2 MNTD SC10 4×4 (2)
DTXC3703 Bandito SC C2 MNTD SCTE 4×4 (2)

Duratrax Wheels Only-

DTXC3832 SC Wheel White SC10 4×4 (2)
DTXC3833 SC Wheel Yellow SC10 4×4 (2)
DTXC3834 SC Wheel Black SC10 4×4 (2)
DTXC3835 SC Wheel White SCTE 4×4 (2)
DTXC3836 SC Wheel Yellow SCTE 4×4 (2)
DTXC3837 SC Wheel Black SCTE 4×4 (2)

Looking for more Duratrax news here on BigSquidRC? HERE is the link you want.