Awesome Little Video

People have been very creative with their RC videos lately. The special effects are a bit much for me but the overall clip was pretty darn good.

HPI Brings Us the Bandit

I am no country music fan, but there is one song that I know and love. This song is "Eastbound & Down" by Jerry Reed. That is the theme song from "Smokey and the Bandit" a movie that shaped my life. I still don't have a mustache but I have had more than my share of police chases (7-1 that one time I didn't know they were chasing me). I can tell you the police need to be within a certain distance to turn on their lights and call in a chase, never let them get that close. I have also had a few Firebirds. I still haven't got my hands on a Trans Am yet. HPI has now made it easier.

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.

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.

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.

Hot Bodies TCX

One new touring car that I have not mentioned yet is this new Hot Bodies TCX. It looks pretty cool. I personally don't like it because Hot Bodies was the death of HPI being serious about electric touring cars. I enjoyed the Pro 1-4 series of cars. I guess this would be the Pro5 or something like that since the Cyclone was based on the Pro4's suspension. Hot Bodies also made some awesome touring car bodies in the 90's. I had their NSX and it was one of my favorites. So there you go. Look at this car and decide if you like it, if so buy one and call it an HPI Pro5.

The HB TCX has been in development for over a year, and has been test-driven by multiple World Champions to make it the fastest, most reliable and tunable machine on the track. It has been fully optimized for use with the most recent achievements in battery and motor technology. The HB TCX is the latest evolution of the world championship winning HB touring car platform.

HB TCX Spec:
Length: 365mm
Width: 190mm
Wheelbase: 258-262mm
Weight (approximate, race-ready): 1350g

Features:

• Optimized design and balance for modern LiPo batteries
• New narrower 2.5mm thick chassis
• New one-piece symmetrical 2.0mm top deck
• New more compact bulkheads 3mm narrower
• New compact motor mount moves motor 4.5mm towards centre
• New narrow layshaft and 20T pulleys
• New flipped belt drivetrain layout
• New twin crank steering
• New bulkheads are fully symmetrical front to rear and left to right
• Adjustable top deck flex with bulkhead screws
• Motor mount completely under top deck
• Servo and radio gear sit as close as possible to centerline
• 20T layshaft pulleys and 39T front/rear pulleys combine for increased efficiency
• POM rear diff with 12 3mm ceramic nitride balls
• Aluminium/POM front spool with aluminium sleeves
• Aluminium/steel driveshafts
• 3.65mm shock towers, 7 fine-pitch adjustment holes in front, 8 in rear
• Worlds-winning suspension design with longer top links
• Reversible lower arms for extra shock positions
• Adjustable anti-squat, toe, roll centre
• Droop screws
• Full set of turnbuckles
• Threaded shock bodies with single o-ring construction
• Complete set of sway bars included (1.2mm, 1.3mm, 1.4mm)
• Infinitely adjustable ball stud sway bar mounts
• Fully equipped with ball bearings
• Wheels, tyres and inserts not included
• Also requires body and electronics

Tamiya MP4/6 Retro F1 Beauty

Everybody loves Ayrton Senna. I didn't. I was a huge Alain Prost fan. Senna and Prost defined the term epic with their battles. Prost was the master technician while Senna was the visionary that could see and walk the fine line between death and glory. I was originally a Mclaren Honda fan. I was turned off to Senna's style when I saw him in too many incidents. I didn't know much about racing but Senna looked dangerous out there while Prost seemed always in control. Here's a few more reasons why I liked Prost better. This car is a new release from Tamiya. You are all aware of Tamiya's self imposed ban on tobacco advertising. that means you will need to seek out a third party decal maker to have correct livery. You may also notice the photo below isn't of the actual kit. There are no press photos yet so I used a pic of the old one and some pics of the real car. Now enjoy this blast from the F1 past.

PS If they start revolting in Australia I am going to be all kinds of pissed.

The McLaren MP4/6 was the first McLaren to be powered by Honda's V12 engine which was controlled by the H-pattern manual gearbox. The 1991 F1 season saw team driver Aryton Senna win the season's first four races including the Brazilian GP. The MP4/6 went on to earn McLaren their fourth straight constructors' championship and also saw Senna claim his third and last drivers' championship.

Specs and Features:

• 1/10 R/C assembly kit model of the 1991 McLaren MP4/6
• Length: 413mm, Width: 200mm, Height: 98mm.
• The F104W chassis features a longitudinal battery layout .
• The F104W chassis incorporates F103 front arms to mimic the wider dimensions of earlier F1 machines.
• Durable polycarbonate body
• Transmission: RWD-2WD, Direct Drive, Solid Axle
• Ball bearings included for rear axle, with bushings in the front
• Friction rear damper with coil spring
• Front king-pin coil spring independent suspension
• Foam tires
• Spur gear with built in ball differential
• Friction pads for chassis roll adjustment
• A resin bumper is equipped under the front wing to protect against shocks and crashes.

HPI TVs Nurnberg 2011 Exclusive Video

You guys may have noticed I have been moving slow with my own RC projects. Crazy hours at work and a new lady have absorbed nearly all of my time. I am not complaining though, it's a million times better than being broke and lonely. My RC's however probably see things differently. The spring will unlock some free time and allow me to do more write ups and build more cars.

This video is pretty cool. Ok the video itself isn't special but they are showing off some of HPI's new 2011 products. Check it out.

Xray Redefines Luxury (again)

My first luxury touring car was an Xray T1. It was a superhero. I was automatically elevated to king of the streets. It was so fast and handled so well that I put in an 8T motor and geared it to the moon so it could take out a friend's brushless Hot Bodies Cyclone. I created a car so fast that it was scary. I still have that car. You actually see it everyday as it is one of the cars in the background (the red and white one with yellow wheels). Obviously I have a soft spot for Xray. I normally don't cover 1/8th scale nitro on road cars but for Xray I feel the need to share their incredible technology with you. So check it out.