Everybody loves short course racers and we can't blame them. Those trucks are awesome. Guaranteed to find a spot on my current wish list is this officially-licensed Tuff Country Losi XXX-SCT.
Modeled after Aaron Daughtery's vehicle in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, it comes with a beautifully detailed body that makes it a veritable miniature clone of the Live Fast Play Dirty Motorsports team's Tuff Country ride. Paired with Losi's hugely successful XXX-SCT platform, this makes for one desirable racer to hit your favorite dirt tracks with.
The Losi RTR XXX-SCT Tuff Country is a 1/10-scale vehicle that, literally, comes with everything you need to drive it out of the box (even batteries are thrown in). It's powered by a Dynamite Tazer 3300Kv four-pole brushless motor (which Losi bills as being "exceedingly fast"), paired with a waterproof Dynamite Tazer 45 Amp Fuze ESC and a 313WP high-torque servo. Details include a ROAR-legal composite chassis, a three-gear rear transmission, aluminum shocks, adjustable twin disk slipper clutch, high-torque steering servo, off-road beadlock-style wheels with yellow beadlock rims, short course truck bumpers with mud flaps, and adjustable turnbuckles. It comes with a Spektrum DX2L radio system, which features extended range and a throttle-limiting switch.
MSRP for the Losi RTR XXX-SCT Tuff Country is set at $329.99.
[Horizon Hobby]
Specifications
Length: 550mm (19.69 in)
Width: 290mm (11.42 in)
Wheelbase: 336mm (13.23 in)
Height: 190mm (7.48 in)
Weight: 2.04 kg (4.7 lb)
Body: Custom licensed Tuff Country replica livery
Ball Bearings: Complete
Battery: Dynamite Speedpack Silver 3000mAh 7.4V 2S LiPo included
Charger: Dynamite 10W LiPo AC Balance Charger included
Remember the Tamiya TXT-1 from over a decade ago? If you loved that wicked beast of a monster truck, then we doubt you'll feel any differently for its sequel: the Tamiya TXT-2 Agrios.
Billed as a 4x4x4 monster truck, the 1/10-scale vehicle boasts not just four-wheel drive, but also four-wheel steering. You will need to add a second servo controlling the rear axle to enable that (doesn't come in the original box), but we doubt it's something you'll want to pass up doing.
The Tamiya TXT-2 Agrios features a polycarbonate stadium truck body that's mounted on a newly-designed chassis constructed from both tough plastic and aluminum. Since monster trucks need monster power, it runs on two 540-type brushless motors, allowing it to crush every scale car in sight. Features include a centrally-positioned gearbox, a resin-covered aluminum shaft side frames, shielded ball bearings, resin upper frame, and special front and rear axle cases with 3-bevel differential gears and a two-level transmission.
Named after the mythical Greek giant Agrios, the vehicle should handle itself well over any terrain, ably overcoming every obstacle in its path. Do note this ships as a kit, so you're likely to have a gargantuan workload putting this together.
You can get the Tamiya TXT-2 in stores now, priced at $729.
[Tamiya]
Specifications:
Scale: 1/10 scale
Construction type: assembly kit
Terrain use: multi-purpose
Drive-train: 4WD
Drive type: gearbox
Drive line: solid axle
Differential type: gear
Suspension: 4-link
Steering mechanism: direct servo
Team Durango has announced a new 1/8-scale truggy. Called the Team Durango DEX408T, it's a large-scale offroad racer that's built to withstand "the very highest level of 8th scale competition."
Sold as a kit, it's an electric version of Team Durango's nitro-powered buggy platform. Don't mistake it for a mere conversion, though. Instead, the truggy is reengineered as an electric racer from the ground up, ensuring it brings quality performance and durability unique to its powertrain, all while being compatible with 95 percent of the kit parts from its nitro-powered DEX408 brethren. That's right, you can quickly outfit your truggy with upgraded performance parts as soon as you can get it up and running.
The Team Durango DEX408T Truggy brings a laundry list of premium features. Specs include a specially-designed 6061-T6 aluminum chassis plate, machined alloy suspension hangers, machined aluminum bulk heads, 15mm Big Bore shocks, aluminum shock caps, and a hub/steering assembly that's fully ball-raced. To save on weight to the rotational mass, it uses composite cross shafts and inserts, while the composite spur gear boasts reduced wear rate and improved acceleration.
No word yet on exact release date or pricing, but the Team Durango DEX408T Truggy is expected to be in stores soon.
[Team Durango]
by sunny on April 27, 2013
Looking for a new stadium truck with enough punch to give you a competitive edge, but don't really fancy building a new one from a kit? You might want to wait for the Team Associated T4.2RS, a new ready-to-run vehicle based on the world-class RC10T4 that's been previously available strictly as a Factory Team kit.
Shipped fully assembled, painted and decaled, the electric 2WD truck is based completely on Team Associated's 8-time ROAR National Champion. As such, the 1/10-scale stadium truck shares many of the same parts, along with a few upgraded features to get you running neck and neck with the best in the tracks.
The Team Associated T4.2RS RTR runs on a Reedy 3300kV brushless motor, paired with an XP SC500-BL brushless electronic speed control and an XP 2.4 GHz 2-channel radio system. Details include an Interceptor-T polycarbonate body, a molded composite chassis, heavy-duty sealed gear differential with an adjustable clutch, blue anodized aluminum V2 coil-over shocks, white hex drive wheels, high-traction compound tires, and rugged steel turnbuckles. Of course, the vehicle can be upgraded as your skills improve with the existing line of hop-ups available for the race-winning RC10T4.
We can't find an exact availability date for the Team Associated T4.2RS, but it should retail soon, priced at $259.98 from the Team Associated website.
[Team Associated]
Specifications
Power Source: Electric
Terrain: Off-Road
Body Style: Truck
Scale Size: 1:10 Scale
Length: 390mm (15.35in)
Width: 316mm (12.44in)
Wheelbase: 288mm (11.34in)
Weight: 1756g (3.87lbs)
Drive: 2WD
by sunny on April 24, 2013
Team Associated is releasing a good load of new vehicles under their novice-friendly Qualifier Series set. One of my favorites in the new line is the Qualifier Series Rival Mini Monster Truck.
While it's far from a menacing monster at 1/18-scale, the truck does look beastly next to similarly-scaled rides, especially with those chunky monster truck tires. Line up a few 1/18-scale cars in front of this thing and it will just be like destroying a fleet of sedans in a monster truck derby.
The Qualifier Series Rival Mini Monster Truck comes in RTR form, with a factory-finished body and all parts shipped pre-assembled. Details include a Super 370 electric motor, an XPS micro electronic speed controller, XP 2.4GHz radio system with XP micro servo, symmetrical lower suspension arms, and full-precision ball bearings. Designed for offroad terrain, the 4WD truck features four fluid-filled adjustable coilover shocks for managing the suspension. To ensure novices can get up and running as soon as they crack the box open, battery pack and charger are both included. Like other vehicles in the Qualifier Series line, it's compatible with other 1/18-scale performance parts and accessories from Team Associated, so you won't have a shortage of upgrade options.
No MSRP is available, but the Qualifier Series Rival Mini Monster Truck should hit stores in June.
[Team Associated]
Specifications
Scale: 1:18
Power: Electric
Length: 225mm
Width: 188mm
Weight: 605g
Wheelbase: 154mm
Drive: 4WD
by sunny on March 28, 2013
Kyosho has announced availability of a new 1:10-scale monster truck. Called the Kyosho DMT VE-R, it combines the offroad talents of a big-tire vehicle with the handling and control of a beefy racing machine.
Armed with full time 4WD, long span arms and double wishbone suspension, it boasts precision surface tracing and superb handling, regardless of whether you're riding over paved, gravel or rough road surfaces. Kyosho claims it brings driving mechanics "never before realized in a monster truck." Given that we've tried some really good monster RCs in our time, that certainly sounds like something to be excited for.
Core specs of the Kyosho DMT VE-R 4WD Monster Truck include a 4-pole sensorless Orion brushless motor, a Vortex R10 ESC, and 3S-compatible battery slots, allowing it to push the pace at up to 60 mph and perform wheelies right out of the box. Details include double wishbone 4-wheel independent suspension, interchangeable suspension arms, big bore shocks, low center of gravity, an aluminum motor mount, and high grip tires.
It features multi-point setting adjustments for flexible operation, allowing you to revise chassis height, camber, track width, front and rear toe-ins, and more. It's sold as a "readyset" and comes fully assembled, complete with a prepainted body and all components thrown in (just add batteries to get it up and running).
While the 1:10 scale and mid-size profile doesn't make it a beastly monster that can run over your lot of short course racers, the Kyosho DMT VE-R 4WD sure is quite the chunky vehicle. It's available now, priced at $379.95.
[Kyosho America]
Specifications:
Size: 1/10th
Length: 485mm (19in)
Width: 385mm (15.1in)
Height: 212mm (8.3in)
Wheelbase: 320mm (12.5in)
Gear Ration: 16.34:1
Weight: 2,780g
Motor: KV2400 Vortex 10 Brushless
Battery: 7.2 – 8.4volt NiMH or 7.4 – 11.1volt LiPO Battery Type with Deans Plug
ESC: Vortex R10 Sport
by sunny on January 30, 2013
You've been into this RC thing long enough that you can build, pretty much, any ride you want from the ground up. If you're into Jeep's rugged off-roaders, you'll find plenty to love in the Axial Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Kit, which lets you build a scale version of one of the most iconic SUVs ever made.
Being an off-roader, a beefy suspension is a must-have. To ensure that, Axial partnered up with Icon Vehicle Dynamics to create a custom set of aluminum shocks for guaranteed performance and reliability. How good are the shocks? According to the product page, they feature precision-machined pistons for smoother performance, tight tolerances, consistent reactions, and a threaded main body for quick ride height adjustments. They're also rebuildable and tunable for your specific riding needs.
The Axial Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Kit comes with an officially-licensed Jeep body that's clad in clear polycarbonate, along with a stock set of plastic accessories and decals. It features Maxxis Trepador tires, Walker Evans Racing wheels, Poison Spyder Rock Brawler bumpers, Poison Spyder Crusher Flares, and threaded aluminum steering and suspension links.
If you love the building process, you'll love the amount of custom work you can do with this. You can decide on paint scheme, shock oil weight, spring rate, and link setup, among all the rest of the hop-ups you can throw in. It comes with no electronics, of course, so you'll have to pair it up with your choice in motor/servo/radio system combo.
Want one? The Axial Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is available now, priced at $329.99.
[Axial]
SPECIFICATIONS
Width:9" (229mm)
Length21.25" (540mm)
Height:9" (229mm)
Wheelbase:12.3" (313mm)
Ground Clearance:2.7" (68mm)
Weight (no electronics)3.4lbs (1.54kg)
by sunny on July 29, 2012
Team Losi has announced a new short course truck -- it's the kit they've been teasing the past few weeks. The vehicle is the Team Losi 22SCT, a 1/10-scale short course truck designed from the ground up to be a serious competition racer.
Based on the ROAR National Champion 22 Buggy, the vehicle is being billed as one of the most innovative and durable racers to ever enter the category. While time will prove that to be true or false, there's no denying the specs sheet sounds like they really dropped a load of some serious power its way.
Looking to make a serious dent in the 1/10-scale short course world, the Team Losi 22SCT Kit borrows heavily from the field-tested elements found in TLR's championship-winning 22 platform, leading to one of the most unique short course racers currently in the market. Most notable are the flexible motor placement (either rear- or mid-mounting is accommodated), multiple spur gears and two full sets of tires (8 wheels total), allowing drivers to tune their vehicles for best performance, regardless of track style and surface.
It features all metric hardware for easier maintenance, along with a laundry list of high-end components. Details include a 2.5mm hard-anodized aluminum chassis, full ball bearings (including steering), heavy duty 4mm turnbuckles, dish inserts for the wheels, slide rack steering, an optimized suspension package, gullwing-style front arms, maximum front nose clearance, molded gear cover, steel drive shafts and more.
No word yet on release date or pricing for the Team Losi 22SCT Kit, but the car has reportedly debuted at events for demonstration during the last week. Expect this to be a big seller.
[Losi Racing]
Specifications
Type: 2wd SCT Truck
Scale: 1/10
Length: 21.65 in. (500mm)
Width: 12.99 in. (330mm)
Height: 5.63 in. (143mm)
Wheelbase: 11.3-11.41 in. (286-290mm)
Weight: 66 oz. (1870g)
Chassis: Aluminum
Drivetrain: Rear Wheel Drive
Kit/RTR: Kit
