Yokomo Gets Funky!

I like front wheel drive RC because its challenging. The physics of of motion work against the front engine front drive layout. As the vehicle accelerates its weight shifts from the front toward the rear, reducing the amount of traction by reducing the amount of weight over the front wheels. That means chassis setup and driving skill are very important to to getting the most out of a FWD RC car.

Axial's New Super Bad Truck

Yeeee-Haaaaw! Many Americans have an inner redneck. The part that likes Coors and Four-by-fours, talking country and eating pork. I do. I quit drinking but I love my 4X4! Roads are an option and I will park it on your front lawn. I ain't scared! Like I ain't got a compound bow in there. What does this have to do with RC? E'rethang! At least now that they have such awesome and realistic trucks and parts out. My Redcat RS10 is my go to truck. So much so I have not started or finished building any of my other trucks. This one looks like it might be able to out do my truck. Look at it and lust after it. Mind the price too because it won't be too expensive either!

Ballistic Brushless Bashers and a Nitro

RC monster trucks are one of the best parts of this hobby. If you haven't driven one, do it now. Wasn't that awesome? I told you. RC monster trucks started out electric but when they added nitro things took off. The trucks got bigger and gained a few gears too. Now its time to go back to electric with brushless trucks. The sound is gone but the power has been doubled. I still prefer nitro for the play-all-day aspect but I cannot fault these brushless supertrucks.The HPI Savage XS and the Robitronic Hurricane. The nitro is the good ol' Kyosho Mad Force. This truck is older than your kids but its been continually refined and now it is just as awesome as you remember and nowhere near as lame. One of these days I'm gonna buy a Mad Force. Just wait and see.

Tamiya Knows how to Wrangle up Customers

There are so many reasons why I love Tamiya. They are releasing another. I think they have plans to run all of the vintage collectors/hoarders/resellers out of business. Who wants to pay $500 for a vintage kit when Tamiya will rerelease it in a few months? This time they are killing it (slang phrase that I don't fully understand). They are rereleasing the famous Jeep Wrangler! Everybody and their mother really wants this highly detailed body for their scale 4x4 project. I've seen them sell for absurd amounts of money. Now you can score one for probably less than $200.

Tamiya RX-7 is Rotary Goodness

I've been hanging on to an M04 chassis for a while. I want to build a slick mini with it but I can't decide what body to use on it. Tamiya has just made things even more difficult. This has to be the most detailed first generation Mazda RX7 bodies available. If you've never driven a real one do yourself a favor and try one. These little cars are so much fun. They combine go-kart like handling, a smooth buzzy rotary engine, with a pretty comfortable interior to give you an experience that you will not find in any other car. In my area people are buying these up and restoring them. I had an opportunity to get one but the lack of pistons and my previous experience with bad apex seals on an FC3S RX7 convinced me otherwise.

Tamiya Does the CRX

Tamiya has done it again! There are very few RC CRX's in the hobby. I have spent many years and probably too much money gathering the pieces to complete one of these . Pretty awesome right? I decided I wanted one when I was 12 but they were hard to come by back then. Now Tamiya has released this beauty. Look at this car, it is gorgeous. It comes on the standard M05 chassis as far as I can tell and it will be a kit. I am in love. If Santa Claus brings me this and the RX-7 for Christmas I will be super stoked. I better start saving now!

Tamiya Drops Another Rerelease Bug!

The Tamiya Blitzer Beetle. This was the third and final chassis for this body. It was originally the Sand Scorcher then it was used for the Monster Beetle. The Blitzer chassis was a really sweet one. Very durable and a good amount of suspension travel, two things you didn't necessarily find on a Tamiya chassis back then. I never wanted one. Back then I was all about lexan bodies because polystyrene looked awesome and cracked real good when you crashed.

Team Atlas Beat Bodies 2

Last time I brought you the amazing Lancia bodies that Team Atlas makes. Today it's more awesomeness in the form of the legendary Autobianchi A112 Abarth and the cult classic the AE86 Corolla. Take a look.

Tamiya Sand Rover 2011

I think entry level cars are the most important segment of our hobby. They serve a very important purpose. They must introduce newcomers to the hobby of RC. Back in the day a friend got a Tamiya Hotshot as his first car. I never knew he had it until I traded an NES for it. It was my third or fourth car so I was experienced enough to know he was in way over his head with this one. Consequently it was his only car. Entry level cars must be simple enough to understand, robust enough to survive, and fun enough to be interesting. Tamiya hit the mark with this one.

Team Atlas Beat Bodies 1

Team Atlas has some nice bodies for their Beat chassis. Top Gear voted Lancia as the "Greatest Car Manufacturer In The World". I would agree. They make amazing little cars filled with awesome. Their brainstorming sessions went like this: 

Engineer 1: "We have to make a really fast rally car."
Engineer 2: "What do really fast cars have?"
Engineer 1: "Turbos, Superchargers, All Wheel Drive, Mid-engined..."
Engineer 2: "Great then that's what we'll do?
Engineer 1: "Which one?"
Engineer 2: "All of them."

I've included a video of that car, the Killer . I've nicknamed the Delta S4 killer because it has killed more than it's share of people. Take a look at these awesome bodies, the Lancia Stratos Turbo Group 5 and the Group 5 Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo, then enjoy the vid.

SPICE Has a Drift Chassis!

I really like SPICE. They are literally the spice in our RC food. The part that makes things yummy. Now they're doing something else yummy. They have a drift car. Guess where the motor is. Yup you're right. It's in front. I can't complain because SPICE is the RAUH Welt Begriff of RC. Ok I would like to be the RWB of RC so maybe they can be the Tra-Kyoto those guys are cooler anyway.

4WD Tamiya Hornet

The Tamiya Hornet is one of the founding fathers of RC as we know it. That car has brought an easy to assemble, durable, and fun car to millions of people for over 20 years. People have recently been digging out their old buggies and enjoying them once again. Unfortunately the engineering of modern RC cars has advanced about 100 years compared to the Hornet, making it a little boring. Some enterprising people in Japan have taken it upon themselves to re-engineer the Hornet to bring it up to 21st century standards. How you ask? By ripping out the Hornet stuff and adding some touring car 4WD components!

Spice Mitsubishi Starion Body Is AWESOME

I was digging for info for what will become tomorrow's article when I found this. OMG love, rainbows, unicorns, and ice cream! A Mitsubishi Starion Body. To put this in 80's nostalgia terms, this is the SDF-1; A giant alien space fortress that does everything awesome and a couple super awesome things. If you don't know what a Mitsubishi Starion is look at this then get all kinds of excited. Where can you get it? Japan. How much? Your first born. Seriously though, you are going to have to look for it until I can get my hands on some.

Tamiya's New Buggy Will Attack, Fast!

I hated the Tamiya Fast Attack when I was a kid. I didn't like the friction shocks, trailing arm suspension, or the fact that the entire kit was molded in beige. Not one kid in our area had one. Now in the future those things are worth their weight in gold because they look so realistic. It still goes like crap probably. I am torn on this one; on one hand I like old RC stuff, on the other I still don't have much love for this buggy. I know with my adult skills and money I could make one of these pretty awesome. On the other the Kyosho Scorpion I bought for $25 on craigslist (don't hate) needs some attention. Look at this buggy, drool, dream, and make plans.

Tamiya Vaj-What? Vajra Sholud Be Called Avante Truck

The Tamiya Avante was unobtainable gold to me as a child. I had lust in my heart for this buggy. I never got one of these fragile rides. That was probably for the best. It would have broken and I would be able to afford or find parts for it. Now I'm old. With age comes patience and money so now I can wait and afford to repair one of I break it.

Tamiya's Latest Drifter

People love RC drifting. I think RC drifting is the most popular segment of RC touring cars. You don't need the latest and greatest equipment. You can build your cars to look more realistic. RC drifting can be done anywhere you find a patch of pavement. I've been offroading lately, YEEHAW (RIP Vance Duke), so I don't really have a bunch of RC drifting under my belt. I do have a lot of cheeseburgers touring car stuff under my belt so I know a good chassis when I see one. This one right here is a sweet one.

Tamiya TT01 FIA GT1 GTR

I am one of about seven Americans that watch FIA GT1 racing. Some obscure cable channel must have the broadcasting rights here in the US because I have to watch the races the next day instead of live streaming. I still watch because I love racing. My favorite car to watch is the Corvette. I think the Corvette C6R is one of the best looking race cars the United States has ever produced. Those who follow GT1 know that my favorite car usually gets punted to the back of the field by a bully Aston Martin. One car that has been standing up to those British bullies is the GTR. This car has a presence like Shaq. Look at the crowd; do you see the huge guy standing above everyone else? That's him. One of the main reasons I love skylines, is because of their size. They are the Robbie Morales of the racing world, big guys that ball like the little ones.

Tamiya Will Soon Release a Monster Pajero Rally

When I first discovered Tamiya was re-releasing the Pajero Rally I was beyond elated. That was one of the cars I wanted but went out of production before I could get it. As an adult they became quite elusive and that means pricey. Of course you know I am cheap, so I didn't get one. My excitement turned into doubt when I remembered the original used Tamiya's 7.2 hump pack battery. That battery had five cells side by side and the sixth on top forming the "hump". A modern stick pack battery won't fit in that chassis without serious modifications.

Tamiya Renault 5 Turbo Rally - M05Ra

As a child I never understood the passion the "old guys" had for old race cars. Their technology and performance had been outdated for decades and the styling was dreadful. Cars back then weren't rolling billboards so there was room for graphics and artistic expression. Now I'm an "old guy" and I love old race cars. These old race cars represented the highest evolution of cars from that period. Sure modern cars can do more with less but they don't make you feel like a kid remembering those old contrived racing scenarios you used to create in your head. You know what I'm talking about, you do the same thing when you're playing Gran Turismo. No? Only me? Well fine. I have recreated "The Most Dangerous Race" 700,000 times with my Hot Wheels cars, Legos, The Game of Life, and anything else with about six cars.

HPI AE86 Corolla Coupe

The Hatchi-Roku. That's Japanese for eight six. Eight six means AE86. AE86 is the chassis code for a certain 1983-1987 Toyota Corolla. Toyota made many different Corolla models back then but the most important one was the AE86. That little car was an economy car and didn't try to hide it. It also had the soul of a squirrel. Tough, quick, agile, and fun on top of fun with a little fun on the side. It came in hatchback or coupe version and two trim levels over here in the U.S.A., standard SR-5, and hopped up GT-S. The GT-S had better brakes, interior, engine, suspension, and other stuff. It was by far the better of the two but the SR-5 still had the undeniable charm that was built into the Hatchi's DNA.

Enroute Has a Drifter With a Familiar Setup

So 1/10 scale chassis designers are looking at touring cars and thinking, "If I put and old school high spur gear 2 belt drivetrain on here, backwards, I can make this a front motor drifter!" I have a cool pic of a NEO T21 that somebody started to convert. That inspired me to attept this with an HPI RS4. Then I realized I needed to machine a new bulkhead for the motor mount/spur gear and changed my mind. Maybe some other chassis will inspire me to finish the idea. Or I can just buy one of the multitudes that are hitting the market.

HPI's New Drifter

I really liked Hot Bodies back in the day. They did the standard touring car stuff (stratus, accord) but they also made bodies likes the Mazda Millenia. My NSX body I had from them was one of the nicest non-JGTC NSX bodies out there. HPI noticed their style too, and bought them. I don't like how HPI uses them as their "lower" product line. That moves Hot Bodies closer to Duratrax than the World Champions they are.

RC Can Be An Inexpensive Hobby - Part 3.

RC Can Be An Inexpensive Hobby - Part 1.
RC Can Be An Inexpensive Hobby - Part 2.

The final chapter in our look at what you can slap together for around $40 plus a few items you may have lying around.

VIP RC

VIP styling is the application of certain performance aspects to a big luxury sedan. Most VIP cars have large wide wheels and lowered suspensions. Some have engine upgrades like intakes and exhausts. Since we can't actually get in our RC cars VIP styling isn't that big, they're all touring cars under the body. The look, however, is unique and can be pretty awesome.

RC Can Be An Inexpensive Hobby - Part 2.

RC Can Be An Inexpensive Hobby - Part 1.

Now for car number two. Literally. This is a vintage black plastic Traxxas Hawk. Distinguished from the white plastic Traxxas Hawk by the obvious color of the chassis. The black version had a much longer production run so that will be the version you would most likely find. This is an awesome starting point because Traxxas hasn't changed the components very much over the years. That means the parts interchange among all of their 2wd offroad vehicles is very high. That is a very important factor when choosing the right $40 truck. If it costs big bucks to repair and restore the truck it won't be a low buck project. This truck is very similar to modern Rustlers, Stampedes, and Slashes. In fact you can say this is their grandfather! This puppy came in stock condition with the addition of a 13T trinity and a Duratrax/Novak T4 esc. It did not come with a radio but it did have a servo and a receiver.

RC Can Be An Inexpensive Hobby - Part 1.

$40 doesn't go a long way any more. I've spent more than that buying tires for 1 car! What can you do in this hobby for that small amount of money and have fun? Buy alcohol. Nope. Cruise craigslist and ebay and find an old stadium truck. Stadium trucks have been around since the late 80's. When Tamiya released the Blackfoot in 1986 People realized how much fun an ordinary 2wd buggy could be with really big tires on it. The better the buggy, the better the truck. Since it's a dead simple concept and old as dirt, there are approximately 37 million stadium trucks in the world. My math may be a little off since I pulled that number out of my butt from online research. The point is they are plentiful and cheap. Years ago in AZ I showed some friends my $40 concept and bought some Traxxas/Losi hybrid with vintage Futaba electrics and an unknown motor for $45 with local pick up. This time I went to the bay and craigslist.

Tamiya and the TA06-Pro

Tamiya is gearing up to drop the latest in their long line of touring cars. I was a mere schoolboy when the TA01 chassis revolutionized on road racing. It didn't make a very big splash right away. Stadium trucks were in the middle of their assault on our dirt tracks and oval racing had begun to collapse so there was little interest in these cars. I wanted one badly though. I liked the idea of a tunable independent suspension, realistic looks, and rubber tires. My Kyosho Testarossa at the time was immensely fun and that was simply a lowered Ultima 2 with street tires. I just couldn't afford the $160 they were asking for the Tamiya R32 GTR (TA01). Fast forward over twenty years and the Tamiya TA series is still going strong. The TA02 is my favorite but I was in love with the modular layout of the TA03, while the TA04 was Tamiya's slick entry into the dual belt touring car market. For a while I thought the TA05 would be the final entry in the TA saga but apparently I was wrong. I like it. I am not sure about the shock layout but as with most Tamiya innovations it will probably grow on me. These are just preliminary photos and I will be doing a real report when it gets released in May.

Tamiya's Soupped Up Dune Buggy

Tamiya is doing a superb job at being Tamiya. What do I mean? Kyosho doesn't sell mechanically stunning RC models any more. Traxxas went from "American racing icon to challenge Associated and Losi" to RTR's at Pep Boys. Losi went from a family of racers to cheap RTR's. I can't continue, it's too depressing. You get the idea. So meanwhile Tamiya is still producing charming, good looking, durable, and fun kits. That's why when you see my Tahoe you know it's mine by the big Tamiya decal on it. For those of you that feel like I do about RC, kits, and Tamiya take a look at what they are giving us this summer. It even comes with a driver figure! With no official press release I had to dig up these old crappy, watermark-removed-with-mspaint images. While preparing for publication I noticed the screws in the shocks. I really hope these are CVA's and not yellow friction shocks. "Coil spring damped" means friction shocks in Tamiya =(.

HPI 1970 Dodge Challenger YES!

I like the new Dodge Challenger simply because of the lack of rear wheel drive manual transmission cars in today's market. I love the old Challenger because of how awesome they were and the movie Vanishing Point (that might be a link to watch it free online). There was also a girl that lived behind me growing up that had a pink one. Despite it's color I wanted that car. I will always regret not approaching her about selling it. It was obvious she didn't want it. HPI has done the car justice. VTA (Vintage Trans Am) racers will love it. RC drag racers will love it. The tiny RC hotrod community will also love it. I love and you will too. Look at it and drool.

The era of American muscle cars rumbles to life once again with the addition of the 1970 Dodge Challenger body to our line-up! The ’70 Challenger was a potent competitor on the racetrack with Sam Posey behind the wheel of his bright green Challenger in the legendary Trans Am series.

Get yourself the RC version of the 1970 Dodge Challenger, designed to fit all 1/10 scale touring cars. Included with the body is a pre-cut decal sheet that includes window lines, headlights, grills, tail lights, official logos and much more, providing you with a realistically finished product.

This body is clear so you can paint it in your favorite colors. It fits 200mm touring cars and can also be used on 190mm touring cars with the use of wide offset wheels. Overspray film is included, as well as vinyl window masks to make painting quick and simple. An instruction sheet is included for the decals, and the body has dimple marks for body post drill locations.

• Photorealistic die-cut premium vinyl decals include window frames, headlights, tail lights and more, plus official logos!
• T/A and R/T stripes
• Shiny chrome vinyl decals for the ultimate in realism
• Overspray film and pre-cut vinyl window masks make painting fast and simple
• A decal instruction sheet is included for decal placement
• The body has dimple marks for body post drill locations
• Molded from clear polycarbonate plastic for durability and long life
• This is an officially licensed replica.
• Clear body (finished example shown)

HPI 1979 Ford F-150 Supercab

Here's the winner, this is the body for my scaler project. Look at it. It screams country. I may be a city boy but I can trace my roots straight back to the family farm in North Carolina. This truck would look right at home there. It going to look even better on my rig. I don't like calling them "redneck" trucks because that is an insult and I don't believe in re-purposing insults. Back to the body. It is soo gnarly, it should come with a scale case in the bed.

Go retro with this 1979 Ford F-150 Supercab body for your Savage XL! This classic ’79 Ford pick-up is the longer Supercab version so it fits the Savage XL truck perfectly. It will also fit Savage Flux trucks using the XL Wheelbase Conversion Set (#102404). And, it can be used on any standard Savage or Maxx-size truck, but will require alternate body post hole positions.

This body is made from crystal clear polycarbonate material for those that prefer to add a personal touch with their own paint and graphics scheme. The convenient pre-cut vinyl decal sheet includes: photorealistic headlights, grill, tail lights, official logos, window frames, door handles and more… all die-cut to make applying the decals quick and easy. Overspray film and pre-cut vinyl window masks are included with each body. A decal instruction sheet is included for decal placement, and the body has dimple marks for body post drill locations.

• Photorealistic die-cut premium vinyl decals include window frames, headlight, grill, tail lights and more, plus official logos!
• Overspray film and pre-cut vinyl window masks make painting fast and simple
• A decal instruction sheet is included for decal placement
• The body has dimple marks for Savage XL body post drill locations
• Molded from 0.040″ clear polycarbonate plastic for durability and long life
• Clear body (finished example shown)
• This is an officially licensed replica

HPI Drops an Old School Ford Truck On Us

The 1979 ford f150. Beautiful truck. This thing has a body style similar to the 1974 f250 they used for the original Bigfoot. It is about durn time they made some nice old school Ford bodies. I was planning to get this one for a mud truck project but then I read about the supercab version...

Go retro with this 1979 Ford F-150 body for your Savage! This classic ’79 Ford pick-up fits the Savage line of trucks perfectly. And, it can be used on any standard Savage-size truck or Maxx-size truck. Savage XL owners, a long version of this body is available for your trucks. Look for the F-150 Supercab version, part #105132.

This body is made from crystal clear polycarbonate material for those that prefer to add a personal touch with their own paint and graphics scheme. The convenient pre-cut vinyl decal sheet includes: photorealistic headlights, grill, tail lights, official logos, window frames, door handles and more… all die-cut to make applying the decals quick and easy. Overspray film and pre-cut vinyl window masks are included with each body. A decal instruction sheet is included for decal placement, and the body has dimple marks for body post drill locations.

• Photorealistic die-cut premium vinyl decals include window frames, headlight, grill, tail lights and more, plus official logos!
• Overspray film and pre-cut vinyl window masks make painting fast and simple
• A decal instruction sheet is included for decal placement
• The body has dimple marks for Savage body post drill locations
• Molded from 0.040″ clear polycarbonate plastic for durability and long life
• Clear body (finished example shown)
• This is an officially licensed replica

2011 Ford F-250 Super-Duty body

I drive a Chevy truck but I love Fords. I have sampled many many different flavors of Ford's F-series trucks. The new ones are pretty awesome but large. I like the size of the 67-04 trucks. These newer ones are just massive. For some reason there are very few new Chevy truck bodies. I'd love a mini Tahoe but these bodies will do for now.

Illuzion – Stampede 4×4 – 2011 Ford F-250 Super-Duty body Part # – 0214)

Stampede owners can breathe a sigh of relief, the big and tough, Ford F-250 Super Duty has arrived. Officially licensed by Ford, JConcepts introduces the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty body as a drop-on replacement body for the Stampede 2wd and 4×4 vehicles.

Built Ford Tough, JConcepts has brought an essence of the 2011 Ford F-250 truck together with the latest offerings in realistic styled bodies. The F-250 is as detailed as they come, starting with a grill / headlight and hood combination that stands-out as toughness just like its full-scale counterpart. The cab design features the Super Crew design, recessed windows, sun roof outline and full running boards. Spot-on wheel well size and fender flares with rocker panel blend to form the unmistakable Super Duty look. The bed area includes a recessed area that features ridged detail, tailgate and rear bumper with scale touches, finish off this unmatched design.

Like all JConcepts bodies, performance is always a top priority and the 2011 F-250 does not stop short in performance. The F-250 stance has been optimized utilizing dimensional aspects of the other popular JConcepts bodies including the Raptor SVT. If you want to get tough, look mean and attack with a fearless abandon, than jump into the Super Duty with JConcepts.

Features:

• Fits Stampede 2wd and 4×4
• Officially licensed by Ford to JConcepts
• 2011 Ford F-250 scale inspired body, cab, bed and window design
• 1:1 headlight and grill treatment with pronounced bumpers and running boards
• Front and rear fender flares for maximum realism
• Super Crew cab with recessed windows
• Clear heavy-duty polycarbonate with protective film
• Window masks and detailed 2011 Ford F-250 decal sheet