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No kidding, it feels like the TA-02 has been around as long as 4WD TC has been a class. I came across some of the stuff people are doing with the Associated RC18s. Holy crap the RC18B looks like a lot of fun, especially if I swap it out to a brushless / lipo setup. Maybe build a few ramps and run it in the greenbelt across from my house...just to bash around...yeah, just to bash around...
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# ? Apr 28, 2009 22:21 |
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# ? May 11, 2024 16:18 |
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Argh they're loving 4wd that is so goddamn cool. And they have an upgraded kit version! Does anyone else dig the angle that some manufacturers are taking to bring them back into scale replicas? I love the look of the HPI club racers. And I think all the short course trucks are loving awesome, especially the SC8. God I want an SC8 bad, it will be over when they release a kit version and I won't have to buy their stock radio.
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# ? Apr 28, 2009 22:32 |
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kuffs posted:Does anyone else dig the angle that some manufacturers are taking to bring them back into scale replicas?
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# ? Apr 28, 2009 22:41 |
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Why are there so many 4WD remote controlled cars? Seems like it would add a bunch of expense, but I guess it is very hard to countersteer from the third person perspective. Are pretty much all the 'racing' RC car chassis 4WD? I'm hunting down local model shops that will offer the HPI Cup Racer - although I suspect that since I won't be running it very often, I should instead try to locate an unmoving scale model of a 240Z.
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# ? Apr 28, 2009 22:46 |
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I really wish that the rally class had taken off. I remember reading an article in RCCA where they took a few 2wd buggies and turned them into rally cars. They used stiffer springs and fuel tubing on the shock shafts to limit suspension travel. Then they installed a front bumper from a touring car to get more appropriate body mounts. I forgot where they got rims and tires from. And then they capped it all off with an appropriate touring car body. This would be even easier now that a few 4wd buggies share so many parts with their touring car brethren. Shortly after this, HPI released an RS4 Rally with a lexan underbody to keep out dirt. They would pretty much require a special track though. You would need softer jumps because of the reduced suspension travel. And you'd probably want to put a couple different track surfaces in the course.
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# ? Apr 28, 2009 22:51 |
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kuffs posted:I really wish that the rally class had taken off. Don't forget the TC3 Rally kit. I bought it because it made the track width 200mm, and all the cool bodies are 200mm. Will post some pictures later.
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# ? Apr 28, 2009 23:05 |
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kuffs posted:Does anyone else dig the angle that some manufacturers are taking to bring them back into scale replicas? I love the look of the HPI club racers. And I think all the short course trucks are loving awesome, especially the SC8. God I want an SC8 bad, it will be over when they release a kit version and I won't have to buy their stock radio. I've never raced nitro or 1/8 scale and yet I want that SO loving MUCH. There's even apparently quite the 1/8 Nitro offroad scene going on locally, with tracks like The Nitro Pit apparently having some pretty drat nice turnouts. Mcqueen posted:Don't forget the TC3 Rally kit. I bought it because it made the track width 200mm, and all the cool bodies are 200mm. I remember that! Yeah, you could just run the long arms and not worry about most of the rest of the kit. Kuffs is absolutely right, though - it's a great concept in theory but few places exist to run it. All but the nastiest parking lot tracks can be prepped well enough that you can still take them better with a paved setup than anything set up for big bumps. Almost all offroad tracks have been built with the suspension travel of proper offroad cars in mind. Even if you have a dedicated facility, you probably have more people who want to run onroad than rally, and even if you ran a mixed-surface track (which would be so loving cool, half dirt, half tarmac) you'd have to clean it off again for your onroad racers, so you probably wouldn't want to run them the same night.
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# ? Apr 28, 2009 23:24 |
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kuffs posted:Shortly after this, HPI released an RS4 Rally with a lexan underbody to keep out dirt. Oh gently caress me that is tempting. Nobody around here races them, though I could run at the local track, I'd just have to take the jumps carefully.
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# ? Apr 28, 2009 23:40 |
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Those realistic cars are getting very popular. The slash, sc10, slayer, sc8, etc. Some of the biggest turn outs at the local races.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 00:10 |
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Hypnolobster posted:Oh gently caress me that is tempting. Well, they don't make them anymore, so you don't have to worry so much. You could still make your own, or dig up a tc3 kit.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 00:37 |
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Why are there so many 4WD remote controlled cars? Seems like it would add a bunch of expense, but I guess it is very hard to countersteer from the third person perspective. Only pan cars (1/12) and Mini (2WD FWD) are the only popular 2WD classes about, at least in Australia, these days for on road.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 00:41 |
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You guys are a bunch of assholes, I just went out and spent $350 on a goddamn crawler, drove it around for an hour, then tore it apart to put in the locking front diff and crawler gears. This is insanity. What I ended up with, Axial AX10 and a nice battery and charger... http://www.ckrccrawlers.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24_59&products_id=321
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 01:19 |
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The AX10 is a very good choice, mutt2jeff. Plenty of stuff available to hop it up and spend more of your money. Put weights in your front wheels and mount your battery on top of the front steering servo for vastly improved crawler performance. If you have not yet, lock the rear differential too. This thread is definitely for me. I've worked in the RC industry for a long time. I currently am a project manager for a RC car manufacturer. I found a few things I've developed in some on the pictures in this thread, which I get a real kick out of. Anyone have any questions about the industry? Would be happy to answer as long as it doesn't violate my non-disclosure agreement with my employer. IVnic8or fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Apr 29, 2009 |
# ? Apr 29, 2009 02:02 |
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IVnic8or posted:The AX10 is a very good choice, mutt2jeff. Plenty of stuff available to hop it up and spend more of your money. Put weights in your front wheels and mount your battery on top of the front steering servo for vastly improved crawler performance. If you have not yet, lock the rear differential too. Am I correct in assuming that there is huge markup on some of this stuff?
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 02:15 |
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YAY! I just got an email from the senior editor of a popular RC magazine, guess my Vette posted above will be in a future mag. I won the Concourse competition in the IGT class at the MONTONICA GRAND PRIX in vegas over the weekend. Sadly the racing didn't go so well. IVnic8or posted:The AX10 is a very good choice, mutt2jeff. Plenty of stuff available to hop it up and spend more of your money. Put weights in your front tires and mount your battery on top of the front steering servo for vastly improved crawler performance. If you have not yet, lock the rear differential too. Hey that's awesome! So I have a question for ya. Where do you see the industry going in the next couple of years? A few years ago the big thing was 1/10 scale electric racing, now it seems to be 1/8 scale nitro truggies and buggies. But even that is heading into electric with the new associated RC8E and Losi 8IGHT-E. Plus the realistic cars like the Slash are really exploding in popularity. I'm just curious what you think because as someone who paints bodies for a living I'm constantly trying to keep up with whats popular. And things change so quick. Last season lots of guys were running the RC8, now it's all about the Losi 8IGHT 2.0 and Hot bodies D8. Plus trying to keep on top of the truggies, monster trucks, and on-road stuff.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 02:19 |
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IVnic8or posted:The AX10 is a very good choice, mutt2jeff. Plenty of stuff available to hop it up and spend more of your money. Put weights in your front wheels and mount your battery on top of the front steering servo for vastly improved crawler performance. If you have not yet, lock the rear differential too. What happened to that fat kid who was unbeatable back in the nineties. He drove for associated, I think. I was so jealous of him, back in the day. Brian something? I happen to have a tamiya tlt-1. I had long forgotten why I bought it, until this thread came up! I am really glad that there is a trend toward a sort of scale realism. At least they are making more than "stadium trucks" and "buggies" now. Those short course trucks look pretty awesome!
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 02:22 |
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Here's pics of my RC cars. Sorry about the poo poo quality of some of them Tamiya Mini M03 with Chevron Monster Mini shell. I guess if I ever get the onroad racing bug again, it would be this car I would race. Very basic, doesn't require a lot of suspension setup, and low maintenance. Kyosho Mini Z Honda NSX. Got this second hand, kinda cool car to run around the house. Quick little thing. Originally it was a Tamiya TRF 415MSX. TRF is Tamiya's specialist racing arm, usually producing some of the best racing chassises you can lay your hands on. The EVO series are shaft driven AWD, the 41x series are belt driven. Most racers go for belt driven cars. This car has been highly modified from its original spec, I have installed the MSX MRE top and lower chassis plates, EVO V steering and EVO V short arms (which are stronger than the standard 415 MSX arms). As you see, I had an accident with it in its last race and haven't got around to replacing the broken front arm. The shell is from another friend, who was getting rid of his RC kit. This car is very very fussy with suspension changes, even something as small as toe in/toe out. Not a chassis for a beginner, and something that took me around 6-12 months to get used to. Tamiya Sand Scorcher. The grand daddy of all off road electric RC. Sold in the late 70s/early 80s, it is a highly sort after chassis kit due to its detail in both the body and shell. This one had copped a bad life from its previous owner (sons of a business partner my dad with with in the 80s) but still works fine. I have replaced the old mechanical speedie with an electronic one, but have the replacement parts to rebuilt the old mechanical one.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 02:25 |
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stizu posted:What happened to that fat kid who was unbeatable back in the nineties. He drove for associated, I think. I was so jealous of him, back in the day. Brian something? Brian Kinwald, and I think he drove for Trinity and Losi.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 02:31 |
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kuffs posted:Brian Kinwald, and I think he drove for Trinity and Losi. That kid was (still is?) a total cocksucker. Rude and very unfriendly. Almost as bad as Dustin Diamond. I just spent 4 years in Japan and wished r/c was bigger over there. They've got a raging hard on for drifting and touring cars, but nearly nothing for off road. I really wish there was something other than a dirt oval track near where I lived because I'd love to race spec Slash. That looks like all kinds of fun.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 02:51 |
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mutt2jeff posted:You guys are a bunch of assholes, I just went out and spent $350 on a goddamn crawler, drove it around for an hour, then tore it apart to put in the locking front diff and crawler gears. This is insanity. Yeah because of this thread, I have an irrational desire for Tamiya's RC 1/14 King Hauler. My favorite part of RC cars was always building them and this is the ultimate expression of that. My fiance thinks that I am nuts for wanting to drop close to $1k on a RC tractor trailer rig. Part of me thinks she is right! The machine in question: http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=56301
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 02:59 |
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antimatt posted:I really wish there was something other than a dirt oval track near where I lived because I'd love to race spec Slash. That looks like all kinds of fun. It really is a goddamned blast. I got to participate in 3 races over the winter at a big indoor carpet track. It was really, really fun, and the local dirt track has a series that has an enormous turnout every year.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 03:26 |
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antimatt posted:That kid was (still is?) a total cocksucker. Rude and very unfriendly. Almost as bad as Dustin Diamond. That's okay, Masami Hirosaka was a better driver anyway. I looked him up the other day on wikipedia and he's loving unstoppable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masami_Hirosaka Arden posted:Yeah because of this thread, I have an irrational desire for Tamiya's RC 1/14 King Hauler. My favorite part of RC cars was always building them and this is the ultimate expression of that. My fiance thinks that I am nuts for wanting to drop close to $1k on a RC tractor trailer rig. Part of me thinks she is right! Those things are cool as hell, I just like going fast. I remember the kickass scale models that someplace like 'Davidson'? I think? made. They were 1/14th with metal chassis and body. There was some dump truck that had working hydraulics and could easily tow a dude around in a wagon.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 03:55 |
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I do like the idea of a RC tank..... Must drive out bad thoughts. That can be after the 2 glider kits I have to build...... And the 2 racecars in parts..... And the pocketbike.... And the AT-1.....
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 04:00 |
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Loving the idea of a RC car. I'm heading out to the local club meeting tonight to have a look. I've heard some bad things about it (overly competitive and elitist) but hopefully it'll be a bit of fun. I'll be using my goverments stimulus cheque to buy an electric road car and a E.S.C for it.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 04:20 |
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tobu posted:Loving the idea of a RC car. I'm heading out to the local club meeting tonight to have a look. I've heard some bad things about it (overly competitive and elitist) but hopefully it'll be a bit of fun. Most clubs aren't bad. There are some stuck up drivers at some clubs, but in most cases everyone is pretty social and easy to get on with*. *this does not cover NSW racers, who are possibly the worst form of human being most other state racers have come across.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 04:28 |
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Hypnolobster posted:It really is a goddamned blast. I got to participate in 3 races over the winter at a big indoor carpet track. It was really, really fun, and the local dirt track has a series that has an enormous turnout every year. I've seen a couple of guys running them around the oval here in town (they've got like two or three jumps in the middle of it just for shits and giggles) and it's uncanny how realistically they handle and look. My father used to wrench for a couple of big Trophy Truck / Stadium Truck teams during the late 80s/early 90s and it's really cool to see stuff like in my childhood.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 04:46 |
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God drat I want to dump a gigantic gently caress-off brushless setup into a 510/AE86 and just shred tires so so bad right now. and I just sold $400 worth of EP tourers You Am I posted:Most clubs aren't bad. There are some stuck up drivers at some clubs, but in most cases everyone is pretty social and easy to get on with*. Im from NSW and I agree with you. I went to an open/practice day at liverpool offroad track and there was a guy there that screamed at my younger brother for close to 5 minutes for nudging his car during a turn. There was no timing, it was his first day, and the guy thought he owned the track for personal testing or some bullshit. I mean, it was an advertised open day for newcomers to try out circuit racing, what did he really expect? He had a ridiculous mustache and a red sweater so our group nicknamed him the red baron. Laserface fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Apr 29, 2009 |
# ? Apr 29, 2009 05:33 |
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SGT. Squeaks posted:YAY! I just got an email from the senior editor of a popular RC magazine, guess my Vette posted above will be in a future mag. I won the Concourse competition in the IGT class at the MONTONICA GRAND PRIX in vegas over the weekend. Sadly the racing didn't go so well. So that is really you who is painting those fantastic bodies. I sheepishly admit that I was skeptical that those pics were really your models - I see too many people present the work of others as their own but by the tone of your posts, it's pretty apparent it's you. I'm a big fan of your work. It's VERY bold and perfectly clean in it's execution. Want to design a trim scheme for me? I'm serious. You're one of the top designer/painters out there right now. It's great that you're getting your work into one of the magazines. If you are looking to increase your notoriety and the amount of business you get coming in, offer to paint a few bodies for one of the magazines for free to gain some national exposure. If I really knew what's going to happen in the industry in the next few years, I'd be in a position to make some serious coin for my employer. I do have access to some of the best sales and marketing information on the industry and that puts me in a position to know what products sell well even if I don't exactly understand why. There are a few trends that I see; The first of which is the dominance of brushless motors and Lithium Polymer batteries. For the first time in the history of this industry, electric power is on par, or superior to fuel power in terms of power, speed, and runtime. The popularity of electric powered vehicles is going to increase. This is particularly true with 1/10 scale or smaller. 1/8 scale electric powered vehicles have some technology hurdles to get over - namely costs for the necessary batteries, motor controller (ESC-Electronic speed control) development, and some heat issues. Another trend is obvious to you as well: the trend towards scale or at least scale-looking vehicles. Performance has trumped scale looks for years. The industry is well developed now and it's technical progress is measured in terms of refinement rather than revolution. No longer are rather unattractive, but top performing vehicles going to sell because one manufacturer doesn't have much of a performance edge over the next. The dividing factor is now how it looks. Who doesn't want their RC vehicle look like something that you see driving on the street or full-scale racetrack? Especially if it's something you couldn't possibly afford in full scale, like a Formula One car or a off-road racing truck. For your perspective of which specific vehicles are going to be popular, it's always going to change. Newly designed product is what sells, whether it's the first vehicles in a new class or the next version of an existing type of vehicle. The real challenge to manufacturers is how to keep your product line fresh and new given the massive costs and huge amount of time required to design, tool, test, and manufacture them.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 07:08 |
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I've been wanting to pick up a Mini Z for a bit, I spent many evenings wrenching on 80's R/C's and would love to pick up a car or two to screw around with. Other than bearings, are there any essential parts that need replaced or reinforced? What is the difference between an MR-02 and an MR-015 chassis for a casual driver? And, of course, would you recommend one instead of a regular 1/10 car?
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 07:12 |
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SGT. Squeaks posted:YAY! I just got an email from the senior editor of a popular RC magazine, guess my Vette posted above will be in a future mag. I won the Concourse competition in the IGT class at the MONTONICA GRAND PRIX in vegas over the weekend. Sadly the racing didn't go so well. Can we get some pictures of your work? so those of us not in the know can have a look? Since we are talking about scale, I guess I should speak up. I bough the AX10 as a starter to see how I liked RCing, but my real plan is to start working on some custom scale crawlers. I have seen some amazing stuff out there, and am fortunate enough to have the equipment and knowledge to really build some cool scale stuff. One area that really seams weak in a lot of the builds I have been looking at is the frames, usually just a few pieces of alum rivited together. I can do way better than that. Next step is going to be a Unimog kit, it will probably get most of the ax10's guts.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 07:22 |
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Atom1klad posted:I've been wanting to pick up a Mini Z for a bit, I spent many evenings wrenching on 80's R/C's and would love to pick up a car or two to screw around with. I think the Mini Z's are really cool. I have one that's many years old and I have not ran it for a long time. Be aware that the only suitable places to run them are indoor and a perfectly smooth garage or basement floor. It has so little ground clearance and it's tiny amount of suspension travel (will not take anything more than a slight bump) keeps it inside for the most part. If you want to run it outside, I'd look at a larger scale, say 1/18th or bigger. Besides bearings, I don't know enough about them to tell you which parts break easily and need upgraded. I'm guessing that most people would put in a ball differenial, tighten up the steering, and buy a faster motor. I generally hear that they're pretty durable in stock form FWIW. The MR-02 is their second generation chassis. The MR-15 is a new chassis and is more adjustable to fit different sized bodies. There's some info here: http://www.kyoshoamerica.com/miniz/index.php?category_id=16
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 07:43 |
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IVnic8or posted:There are a few trends that I see; The first of which is the dominance of brushless motors and Lithium Polymer batteries. Brushed motors, especially in mod, were relatively unreliable, throwing winds or cooking the comm. The hateful days where you needed a comm lathe to cut a comm and put in new brushes are long gone. Plus the motors would not last for long, so you would go through motors a bit if you were racing weekly. Lipos don't need to be discharged, and as long as the battery has had a chance to cool down, all you need is one pack. There is no memory on the battery, and it can be left charged for around 12 months, and still be at the same peak power. No more having to get matched packs for the best performance or run time. Same with brushless motors, less maintenance, no winds, so no throwing winds. Sure the motors do need replacing eventually, but are cheaper than the equivalent brushed motor. Although I do not miss RC racing, I can see how this is going to push electric racing, especially in the US where I have the perceived view that nitro racing is more popular.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 08:52 |
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You Am I posted:Although I do not miss RC racing, I can see how this is going to push electric racing, especially in the US where I have the perceived view that nitro racing is more popular. Word. Sunk in when I was tuning my ESC throttle curves and timing settings via USB. between electric and gas powered vehicles I really think nitros days are numbered as RTR/entry level vehicles.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 09:46 |
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Someone pointed me in the direction of this thread from the SAS F1 thread. Interesting to see so many RC goons! I've been into RC since I was 14 or so, have been working in the industry for nearly 12 years now. Used to race buggy (RC10 Worlds), then truck, then was in the second wave of touring car racing, which I did for years and years. Lately I have built a crawler and am getting a couple more cars to play with but I haven't raced seriously in a long time - kept most of my high-end gear though.IVnic8or posted:This thread is definitely for me. I've worked in the RC industry for a long time. I currently am a project manager for a RC car manufacturer. I found a few things I've developed in some on the pictures in this thread, which I get a real kick out of. What's your company's initials? hell, we may know each other IRL...
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 10:35 |
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Laserface posted:Word. Sunk in when I was tuning my ESC throttle curves and timing settings via USB.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 10:43 |
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You Am I posted:I know in Australia that a lot of local councils hate the noise they make, and fear they are more of a public liability than electric cars. Plus throw in the greenies and the "pollution" the nitro cars make (forgetting the chemicals in the Lipo batteries), you can see gas cars slowly dropping out of interest except for the big 1/5th stuff. Nitro will probably drop out of favor, but I can't forsee it really going away, not in the US at least. Related; I've had a hardon for the HPI Baja SS for When I first got into RC stuff, I looked loving ENDLESSLY for a 1/10 electric that had the shape that always said "buggy" in my head. The closest I found was the Losi XXX-CR (which I'd already have, but I want to get a slash for spec racing first). The Baja is EXACTLY the shape I think of as a real racing buggy, and it reverts me back to a 10 year old kid marveling at my grandfathers Tamiya Grasshopper that made me dream about being a buggy racecar driver I'm a little more tempted every day to sell all my RC stuff except my tx/rx and just go buy the Baja SS, but I know they're useless around here. Hypnolobster fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Apr 29, 2009 |
# ? Apr 29, 2009 14:34 |
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krushgroove posted:What's your company's initials? hell, we may know each other IRL... I certainly didn't expect to see another goon in the industry. It's entirely possible that we've met. It's a small industry in many ways. I'd rather not say who I work for to protect my honesty. I'd like to help out a goon or two with product advice and since there's plenty of excellent equipment that I/we don't make, I'd like to be able to recommend it to goons. I do not want to be perceived as a shill for my employer and one way is to not say who it is. I post as 'the company guy' in the RC forums. Here I'd like to be a regular Joe with a decent amount of product knowledge that you can take advantage of. I'm not particularly well-known unless you are into a niche category or two that I do. Are you going to be at the show in Shanghai in June? Perhaps Chicago in Oct? Maybe we can find a way to meet up. What do you do; R&D, marketing.. ** I don't think that Nitro will go away, particularly in 1/8 scale off-road. It will still have it's ardent fans. The US 1/8 off-road nationals filled all 350 slots in less than two days this year. I don't recall a sell-out of any 1/8 Nats. This is also a 'down year' since it's not a World's qualifier race this year. Noise issues are getting more serious, especially in Europe. IFMAR is trying to make new exhaust noise rules - something like 85dB. The current regulation is 92dB.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 14:44 |
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I hear ya I'm in marketing for what I guess could arguably be called the #3 worldwide car manufacturer (I'm guessing you'll be able to figure it out from that ). I used to go to the Chicago show when it was popular, then RCX but I moved to the UK a few years ago to work for the EU branch of the company. Used to run and attend all the one-make RC races that I organized for the company as well. I post on RC Tech and a couple other RC forums as myself, won't be going to Shanghai as the folks from my branch only go to Nuremburg every year. I don't have plat (yet, will in a few days) but feel free to PM if you want. If you've worked in SoCal for more than 5 years or so you probably do know me, or at least know who I am.
krushgroove fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Apr 29, 2009 |
# ? Apr 29, 2009 15:00 |
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Did any of you guys ever play that RC car racing sim for the Playstation 1? I've been trying to remember the name.
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# ? Apr 29, 2009 15:23 |
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# ? May 11, 2024 16:18 |
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Pretty Little Rainbow posted:Did any of you guys ever play that RC car racing sim for the Playstation 1? I've been trying to remember the name. There was a Losi-branded one that was more of a plain arcade racer. And then there was one that was still arcade-like, but the tracks were actually paths through houses and lawns. The tracks always featured different driving surfaces with realistic effects. Switching from tile to asphalt in the middle of the track was awesome. (I can't remember the name, sorry) kuffs fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Apr 29, 2009 |
# ? Apr 29, 2009 15:39 |