Jeff Hoy, American » off-road

My SC18 review is up…

Jeff Hoy — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:45:11 +0000

New Truck: Robitronic EST- BL Truck

Jeff Hoy — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:38:42 +0000

Robitronic, the makers of the excessively cool 1/18 scale Scalpel pan car, have decided to branch out a litte bit. They have announced a new 1/10 scale RTR stadium truck targeted at newbies called the EST- BL. But just because it’s a beginner’s truck don’t expect it to skimp on performance or high tech goodies, it’s brushless powered and includes a 2.4GHz radio. As with most RTRs you’ll need a battery (2S LiPo or 6 cell NiMH) and charger to complete the package. Unfortunately there’s no word on MSRP or ship date, check with your local hobby shop or keep an eye on Stormer Hobbies and Tower Hobbies.

Features & Specs

RTR – out of the box
Brushless Motor
2.4GHz Radio
2WD
Painted Body
Oil filled shocks
Ball Bearings
Wheelbase: 11.4″
Length: 17.7″
Width: 12.6″
Height: 6.7″

SC18 Now Available!

Jeff Hoy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:33:23 +0000

Tower Hobbies has the Team Associated SC18 in stock right now this very second.

Remember that you’ll need to buy an appropriate battery and charger (don’t forget the charger adapter) to go with it if you don’t already have them. (See update 2)

So what are you waiting for? Get to buying fool.

[Update: I ordered mine, should be here within the next week and a half, expect an unboxing on arrival and a full SC18 review to follow.]

[Update 2: Well slap me silly and call me Susan, they did include a battery and overnight wall charger... the charger sucks, so consider buying a better one if you don't already have one, but having the battery in the box is nice.]

New Product: RC18T2/B2 Team Kit

Jeff Hoy — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:28:11 +0000

Here’s some awesome news from Team AE. They are putting out 2nd editions of their popular RC18B and RC18T, based on the new belt driven chassis that is used by the SC18 and RC18LM. The cool thing about this though is that it’s a kit and parts are included to build either vehicle. So you buy one box and you get two cars in it. You get to decide whether you want to build it as a truck or buggy, and switching between the two any time you want is easy. From the looks of it all you do is change the tires, body mounts, and body and you got yourself a new vehicle to race with. How cool is that?

Being a kit means that no electronics are included, so you have to provide the motor, ESC, steering servo, receiver and radio, batteries, charger, and glue for the tires. The MSRP is $199.99, street price will likely be in the $150s, and it should be available some time in March. Just a note, the news release doesn’t specify if this is a FACTORY Team kit, so all the hop-ups typically included with those may not be in this one. Here’s a link to the product page and the news release (PDF).

[Update: Tower, Stormer, and A Main all agree on a street price of $120. Your local hobby shop's prices will vary.]

Vehicle Specifications

Scale:	1:18
Power:	Electric
Length:	252mm
Width:	182mm
Weight:	500g
Wheelbase:	166mm
Internal Gear Ratio:	2.0:1
Drive:	4WD

New truck: Losi 1/18th scale Mini Highroller

Jeff Hoy — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:01:31 +0000

The Losi Highroller family is now complete. Take your pick and get it in 1/10th scale, 1/36th micro scale, or in the new 1/18th mini scale.

The Mini Highroller is a fully assembled RTR 2wd monster truck with a tubular styled, narrow chassis, very similar to it’s larger 1/10th scale brother. It’s driven by a RS280 motor controlled by an electronic speed control. Also included are a 2 channel, 2.4 GHz DSM radio; an 1100 mAh NiMH rechargable battery, a wall-wart charger, and some AA alkaline batteries for the transmitter. It will be available in 3 colors, blue, orange, and green and should be on your local hobby shop shelves some time in March.

This little guy is the spittin’ image of it’s larger, older brother, the 1/10th scale Highroller. It looks to be some good fun for those times when the weather outside is frightful and your garage or basement are your only options. Check out the video below.

The evolution of buggy racing?

Jeff Hoy — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:29:54 +0000

It’s no secret that the advent of the short course style trucks, like the Slash, Strike, and SC10, has changed the face of off-road truck racing. My first thought upon seeing these trucks was “when is somebody going to give 2wd buggies the same treatment?” Well, it’s finally happened, and Kyosho is the first one out of the gate.

Kyosho announced their new take on the 2wd off-road buggy with the new Ultima DB Desert Buggy. This buggy is intended to be a more realistic take on the full scale buggies that are raced along side short course trucks and baja trucks. It’s based on the Ultima SC chassis and uses the same realistic looking wheels and tires. It includes a very nice looking body with a tube roll cage and window nets. Also included is a complete radio system, 20 turn mild modified motor, lipo compatible ESC, and it is completely assembled as a Ready Set. The only requirements are batteries for the car (LiPo or NiMH), batteries for the radio, and a charger.

Read all about it and check out all the pictures at Kyosho’s Ultima DB product page.

[Update] Greg Vogel at RC Driver shares similar thoughts.

Did you get a new R/C car or truck for Christmas?

Jeff Hoy — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:00:08 +0000

Christmas has come and gone. The presents have been unwrapped with joyous glee. If you’re one of the lucky ones, then hopefully you unwrapped a nice, new radio controlled car or truck. Here’s some of my older articles about how to upgrade and hop-up your new R/C car.

Did you get a Losi Highroller for Christmas? Then you might want to check out a couple of my articles about it. I have written about mine a few times, highlighting some of the ways to make it faster and stronger. Check out my first article about upgrading the speed control to make your Losi Highroller ready to use LiPo batteries. I have also written about upgrading the motor to make your Highroller faster. And finally I’ve shown you three hop-ups to make your Highroller ready for a brushless motor.

If you got yourself a Tamiya Baja King then I’ve got you covered there, too. I’ve suggested some ways to make the Baja King handle better and more durable. I’ve written about how to make your Baja King faster by installing a better motor. And I’ve demonstrated some cheap or free upgrades to the Baja King that you can do with some common house-hold materials and tools.

I’ve also offered Highroller troubleshooting tips and suggestions in the comments to my Highroller review.

Now get out there and have fun.

Two (more) new RTRs from Associated, still no SC18…

Jeff Hoy — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:40:51 +0000

Team Associated announced two new RTR packages today. Both are based on the highly successful RC10T4 stadium truck RC10B4 off-road buggy with some changes and dubbed the RC10T4.1 RC10B4.1. One is brushed motor powered, the other is brushless. They both come with a new 2.4 GHz radio system as well. MSRPs are $339.99 $329.99 for brushed and $399.99 $389.99 for brushless. Street price would likely be closer to $250 and $300 (update: Tower and Stormer are showing street prices at closer to $200 and $250, your local hobby shop‘s prices will vary). They’re nice looking rides and the RC10T4 RC10B4 has been a dominator in the racing scene for a long time.

RC10B4.1 Brushed RTR

RC10B4.1 Brushless RTR

Still no news on the SC18 though. I’m a bit surprised that it’s not out yet considering it’s been advertised for three months now. I’m fully expecting it to ship with a 2.4 GHz radio now though, instead of the advertised 27 MHz.

Two new RTRs from Associated, still no SC18…

Jeff Hoy — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:06:01 +0000

Team Associated announced to new RTR packages today. Both are based on the highly successful RC10T4 stadium truck with some changes and dubbed the RC10T4.1. One is brushed motor powered, the other is brushless. They both come with a new 2.4 GHz radio system as well. MSRPs are $339.99 for brushed and $399.99 for brushless. Street price would likely be closer to $250 and $300 (update: Tower and Stormer are showing street prices at closer to $200 and $250, your local hobby shop‘s prices will vary). They’re nice looking rides and the RC10T4 has been a dominator in the racing scene for a long time.

RC10T4.1 Brushed RTR

RC10T4.1 Brushless RTR

Duratrax Vendetta SC in stock

Jeff Hoy — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:25:09 +0000

Tower Hobbies has the Duratrax Vendetta SC in stock. So if you’re looking for some small scale short course action then whip out your credit card and get to buying. You can get it in red, white, blue, or yellow. For $219.99 you don’t get everything you need. You’ll still have to provide a battery pack for the truck, a charger for that pack (with a Tamiya-Micro plug adapter), and batteries for the transmitter. With the selections I’ve provided you’re looking at another $59.46, or $279.45 plus tax/shipping total.

I’m going to take a wait and see attitude. Team Associated’s SC18 is just around the corner and may come in at a much lower price point. All of AE’s mini RTRs include batteries and a charger in the box, and all of them are below the $200 mark. I think the SC18 is going to be at or above $200, but still much less than the $280 total for the Vendetta SC. That’s not to say that the Vendetta isn’t worth it, we’ll have to wait for some reviews. It does come with a 2.4Ghz radio, instead of a 27Mhz AM radio like the SC18, that alone might be worth the (suspected) price premium for some.

If you absolutely must be the first at your track to have a 1/18th scale short course, then this is it, go get it. If you can wait, I suggest you do to see what Associated has up their sleeve.

Be sure to check with your local hobby shop first for price and availability.