Good News! The Bruiser is Back!

Tamiya gets it. They really really do. They understand that the majority of the people in the hobby started in the 80's. Yep we're old dudes that can't put away our childhood fun. But since we're grown we have jobs, now we can afford to just buy any new kit that catches our eyes. Tamiya has given us some treasures before, but this time they did it. They brought back the Bruiser.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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'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 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

hpi 5t onboard vid

1/5th scale is pretty cool looking. On board video is awesome. That means this video is awesome cool looking!

JConcepts stampede cover

I don't like the Traxxas Stampede. I think it's a great truck but I never understood the elevated chassis. Maybe because as a kid I spent countless hours trying to lower the center of gravity of my Tamiya Blackfoot. I also have an old Traxxas Hawk. That was an awesome truck. Why did they feel the need to raise this chassis? The truck is a high speed basher not a low speed crawler. It even comes with a 12T motor and a wheelie bar! Now that I'm done whining about it's perceived design flaw lets talk about it's virtues. The Stampede is tough as nails, it's inexpensive, you get spares and upgrades at Pep Boys, and most importantly, it carries the torch lit by my precious Blackfoot all those years ago. Now this chassis cover is available for it and I think it's brilliant. I know these things are water resistant and everything but think of how much cleaner it will be after a day of bashing with this thing on. Now go buy one.

Illuzion – Stampede 4×4 – over-tray – protects chassis from excessive debris

(Fits Stampede 4×4)

When racing on a loamy or top soil track surface the inside of the Stampede 4×4 chassis can become loaded with dirt or debris which creates extra weight. With the JConcepts over-tray these worries are minimized with the simple and functional over-tray. Fitting nicely under the body; the JConcepts over-tray hugs the outside dimension of the Stampede 4×4 chassis protecting the inside from unwanted excess dirt and debris build-up during racing conditions. By minimizing resting surface area the void and protrusion free design is all about performance.

The over-tray is snug around the entire chassis structure while being attached with hook and loop tape around the sides and a slide-in fit in the front for easy access. The over-tray is built with extra height and rake to provide extra room for various electrical and battery configurations.

Features:

• Original JConcepts simple design and function
• Includes hook and loop tape
• Durable clear polycarbonate material can be painted or wrapped
• Plenty of clearance for various electrical and battery configurations
• JConcepts – World Proven Innovation and Design

Proline Raptor Body for Stampede

I saw a Ford Raptor the other day. It is massive. It looks like you can easily fit four people across the front seat. I was driving my Tahoe so I had a decent sized vehicle for comparison. I wanted a Raptor, until now. It's wide like a Hummer, too wide for me. Proline now makes a sweet looking version for the Stampede. Look at it and enjoy.

This is a Pro-Line Ford® F-150 SVT Raptor Clear Body for the Stampede® and Stampede® 4X4. The full-size Ford® Raptor SVT was designed for serious off-road abuse and now you can give your truck the same look! The Raptor has a bold grill that tells everyone to get out of your way and hood fins that prove it is a serious racing truck. Every detail of this modern icon was re-created to give your truck the ultimate in off-road styling. When you see your Raptor SVT mounted on your monster truck, you will realize that this is exactly what you have been waiting for. Buckle-up and hold on for Pro-Line’s Ford® F-150 SVT Raptor Clear Body for the Stampede® and Stampede® 4X4!

Don’t forget to submit your finished Pro-Line Ford® F-150 SVT Raptor truck to Reader’s Rides when you are done. Who knows, you could get your ride posted on the blog and you could even win a prize!

Features:

• Made with Genuine GE .060 Lexan®
• Perfect fit and proportions for the Stampede® and Stampede® 4X4
• Bold Ford® F-150 SVT Raptor styling – Stand out among the crowd
• Exceptional detail – From far away or close up, you and your friends will be able to see the detail
• Paint then peel overspray film, sticker sheet, and window masks included
• Four step to Race Ready:

1.) Clean Body and apply included window mask
2.) Paint then peel the over-spray film off
3.) Sticker your body (decal sheet included)
4.) Mount your new Ford® F-150 SVT Raptor onto your Stampede® and Stampede® 4X4

Team Losi Makes a Giant Dune Buggy

I like the Kyosho Ultima DB. I think it's really cool looking. Apparently someone at Losi felt the same way and decided it needed some competition. Now is the time for us to be vocal and ask the manufacturers to offer more bodies and maybe this will become a class! Instead of a modified class, an open class of these would look awesome. I have always felt RC racing suffers because as a spectator sport it sucks. Many competitors half-assed their paint jobs, 8-12 cars on track means you spend most of the time looking at the same few cars banging in to each other or worse nothing at all. A field of these would at least keep you on your toes with the potential for tire to tire contact. look at these pics and think about getting a big buggy.

Finally, a realistic-looking RC off-road buggy. And not only does it look the part, but it performs like it too. The XXX-SCB is based off the reputable XXX-platform, so you know right away you’re getting a star performer. This buggy also comes ready-to-run with detailed components from bumper to bumper, including a drivers figure and roll-cage, window nets, nerf bars, a Losi radio system with Spektrum 2.4GHz DSM technology, a 2S LiPo-compatible ESC, aluminum oil-filled shocks and much more.

Features:

• Detailed driver figure and cockpit
• Aluminum, adjustable oil-filled, coil-over shocks
• LiPo-compatible ESC
• LM-32K performance motor
• Spektrum SR300 receiver with 2.4GHz DSM technology
• 3-gear transmission with sealable differential
• Adjustable slipper clutch
• Digital steering servo
• Durable, composite-molded XXX-chassis
• Losi exclusive Eclipse SCT treads on XXX-SCT Wheels
• Off-road beadlock-style wheels as used on the XXX-SCT
• 3-piece Lexan full-scale inspired desert buggy body
• Realistic off-road bumpers and roll cage
• Captured hinge pins

Product Specifications:
Type: Short Course Buggy
Scale: 1/10
Length: 20.078 in (510mm)
Width: 11.42 in (290mm)
Height: 7.24 in (184mm)
Wheelbase: 12.95 in (329mm)
Weight: 4.25 lb (1.92 kg)
Motor or Engine: Losi LM-32K performance motor
Speed Control: LiPo-compatible ESC
Radio: Spektrum 2.4GHz DSM Losi radio system
Shock Type: Coil-over, oil-filled
Ball Bearings: Complete

Thunder Tiger MT4 G3 Monster Truck 2011 Video

Continuing the theme of big tire trucks we have the new brushless Thunder Tiger supertruck. It is painfully apparent I need to convert one of my old big tire nitro trucks to brushless. These things are insane! Every second of the video I am expecting the truck to disintegrate into a million tiny pieces. It doesn't and I get further impressed. Take a look for yourself.

Thunder Tiger present the latest version of our monster truck. Brushelss system with incredible power and a ton of fun!

Specification:
Wheelbase(mm / in.) 360mm
Weight(g/ lbs.) 4180g
Length(mm / in.) 532mm
Width(mm / in.) 434mm
Height(mm / in.) 240mm
Motor IBL40/20 2000Kv brushless motor

The all-new MT4 G3 is ready to convince your neighbors that the brushless power rules! Powered by the high torque IBL-40/20 2000Kv brushless motor and twin battery packs, the MT4 G3 can pull wheelies, back flips and get air off the jump easily!

The differentials of the MT4 G3 are equipped with steel spiral bevel gears to help it handle the brutal torque of the IBL40/20 2000Kv motor. The MT4 G3’s 3mm rigid aluminum chassis and brace are securely mounted and the brace cover features vents to keep the batteries and electronicscool. The MT4 G3 features full CVD drive shafts and high quality bearings to deliver maximum efficiency to survive from the outrageous torque and abused operation. In addition to this, the ACE RC cougar 2.4GHz radio system is also included right in the box to give you the most long-range, convenient and reliable radio control.

Features:

• Compatible with most ST-1 series parts
• Heavy Duty Steel Diff Ring/ Pinion
• Adjustable Steel Turnbuckles
• Compact Molded Chassis Brace And Cover
• New Concept Monster Truck Body
• CNC Machined Aluminum Motor Mount
• CNC Machined Steel Pinion Gear
• Equipped Front/Rear/Center CVD Drive Shafts
• ACE RC Brushless Power System for 1:8 Scale Car
• Center Drive Shaft Guard For Cable Protection
• High Current Super Deans Plugs Included
• Anodized Aluminum Oil-Filled Shocks
• 17mm Aluminum Wheel Hubs
• Rear, Center and Front Fluid Filled Differentials
• S2008MG Metal Gear High Torque Servo For Steering

o Ready Set- The new MT4 G3 is offered in a completely ready to go form. All components are pre-assembled, all you have to do is to add your battery packs of choice for the club’s smack down. The MT4 comes equipped with an ACE RC BLC-150C race spec ESC and super torque 2000KV motor combo, front, rear and center CVD universals, all fluid filled differentials, 17mm wheel hubs to mach up its powerful output.

o Transmission- The front and rear transmission of MT4 is the same as the nitro ST-1, which comes equipped with a hardened steel differential rings that makes stripping a gear a barely mission impossible. All the diffs contain a full set of steel diff gears and diff fluid inside in combination with full set of bearings throughout the drive train to ensure the most smooth power transmission.

o Suspension- The front and rear suspension uses the same race proven composite nylon suspension arms as the nitro ST-1. The shock bodies are made of anodized aluminum with quick adjustment clips for ease of changes. The shock towers are made from 4mm thick aluminum plate with multiple shock mounting positions and the whole chassis is strongly stiffened with a compact molded chassis brace and cover. You can also fine tune for the optimal camber and toe setting with adjustable turnbuckles and suspension blocks for your demanding cornering and overall handling.

o Brushless Power- The power system is equipped with a powerful 150A ESC and a 2000KV super brushless motor that will give MT4 G3 super fast speed and huge torque. But the most important thing is that the ACE RC brushless power system enables you a longer play time due to less friction in the brushless motor comparing to other RTRs. Other multiple protection features, like low voltage cut-off protection, over-heat protection, throttle signal loss protection, motor blocked protection and splash/dust proof cover are just making the ESC bullet-proof.

IBL40/20 Powerful B/L Motor:

• Outer Diameter: 40mm
• Length: 74mm
• 2000 KV
• Continuous Current: 75A
• Peak Currenty: 150A
• 5mm Heavy Duty Shaft
• Sensorless

BLC-150C Performance ESC:

• Output: Continuous current 150A, burst current 950A.
• Input: 6-18 cells NiMH/NiCd (3300mAh or higher) or 2-6 cells LiPo.
• BEC Output: 5.75V/3A (Switch mode built-in BEC).
• Resistance: 0.0002 Ohm.
• Motor Supported: Sensorless brushless motors
• Suitable Brushless Motor:

Contents:

• Pre-Assembled Chassis
• Pre-Printed Hi-Flow Dynamic Body
• ACE RC 1:8 Car Blushless Power System
• Cougar 2.4GHz 3-CH LCD Transmitter and micro receiver
• 8kg/cm Metal Gear Steering Servo
• L Hex Wrench Set
• Cross Wrench for Changing Wheels