STEPHEN
executive editor

HOT BODIES VE8 ESC SETTINGS UPLOADED! Mar 06, 2010 - 06:36 PM

FINALLY!  My apologies for the delay—-I’ve received dozens of emails/requests for the settings (as promised in the article) of our Castle Mamba Monster ESC used in the Hot Bodies VE8 track test. 

The settings are now uploaded and ready for your perusal.  Remember, you can also download our VE8 chassis set-up by clicking “TECH” in the menu above, and clicking “SETUP SHEETS.” 

Enjoy!

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN! RACE SEASON 2010 Feb 16, 2010 - 02:42 PM

It’s tough to believe, but the official 2010 R/C race season begins this week with The Dirt Nitro Challenge in Arizona at The Nitro Pit.  It’s certain to be an exciting season this year, with many new vehicles on the horizon, pro drivers racing on new teams, and the IFMAR 1/8-Scale Off-Road Worlds in Thailand looming 9 months away.

We will be on hand this weekend at The Pit, providing nightly updates on the racing action.  Make sure to check out our “Who will win?” poll on our front page as well, and send in your vote for the racer most likely to win.

I usually ask YOU questions in my blogs, so here’s my question for today: Which R/C races do you want to see covered this year?  Send me an email and let me know: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) 

Obviously we can’t cover all of the races this year—there seem to be multiple races each week, 52 weeks a year—but we will be on hand at the big events.  Campaign for your favorite by emailing me and letting me know. Meanwhile, make sure to check out our race coverage this week and sign up for our Newsletter; we will announce which events we plan to attend only in our newsletter!

BALD TIRES ON A RACE CAR Jan 19, 2010 - 06:31 PM

Surely one person out there wonders where my Blog updates have been (well…?), but there’s an ever so slight method to my madness.  I’ve received more emails about my last blog (Pro Drivers signing contracts) than I could have ever guessed. 

I received a multitude of answers to my question: Do you care about Pro driver contracts?

Some of the finest included:
* Yes, I do care, tell me more. (I got a few of these.)
* No, who on Earth would care about toy car driver contracts?  (Most of you said this.)
* You have serious mental problems and should seek
  professional help (I get this one all the time rarely). 

Anyhoo, here’s my next bloggerific topic: How much run time do YOU try to get out of your tires?  I ask because I see some racers using a set of racing tires for a few weekends, and then giving them away to a sportsman in need or tossing them…and occasionally I find guys who run their tires until they are completely bald.  I’m talking as bald as a cue ball.

Why my question?  Here’s my take on things, being a guy who has purchased more tires than I care to remember: Why spend all of your precious time prepping your vehicle, spend $35/gallon on nitro fuel, spending 8 hours at the track, and countless dollars maintaining your race vehicle only to run bald tires and completely defeat your vehicle’s performance potential?  Doesn’t it seem like a colossal waste of time to have nice R/C car, only to run bald tires?  Isn’t your time worth more than that?  Isn’t there a sense of cutting off your nose to spite your face when you “save” $50 on tires only to have your $1000 1/8-scale buggy slip-sliding away on the track?

It’s like owning a Ferrari and using the tires for 100,000-miles when they only last 20,000 miles. 

No, I’m not posting this at the suggestion of Pro-Line, AKA, Panther or any other tire manufacturer.  They will sell plenty of tires whether you run bald ones or not, and we all know how little influence I have.  I’m just curious.

Let me know what you think at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

RC DRIVERS “SIGNING” WITH SPONSORS? Dec 17, 2009 - 03:14 PM

We are, at this moment, debating in our office whether R/C drivers actually “sign” contracts with their sponsors.  I find it humorous that we are talking about 50%-off drivers or even full-blown pros “signing” anything as though they are professional athletes signing huge contracts.  Do any of you readers keep track of this stuff, or even care?  I received 4 press releases this week about drivers “signing” with companies.  How about saying “Driver X accepts Company Y sponsorship.” 

I’m joking (mostly) since this is an issue of semantics…but do you have the itch to know when drivers “sign” with a company to race their free products?  Let me know: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) 

DO YOU RACE BRUSHLESS 1/8-SCALE BUGGY? Dec 08, 2009 - 01:37 PM

I’m a big fan of new technology.  In fact, I’m sitting here right now sparkles a new Hot Bodies VE8 brushless buggy, if that’s any indication.  New technology takes us places we never thought we’d go, especially in the R/C hobby.  5-10 years ago, if you had told me I would sparkles a 1/8-scale buggy without a .21 nitro engine, I’d have said you were crazy.  In our new February issue, I write about brushless buggy technology, the size and speed of the cars, and how accessible this technology now is to consumers. 

Still, I’m sitting here eyeballing this Hot Bodies car and wondering to myself how many “early adopters” there are out there…how many of you have decided it was a good idea to drop $1000+ on LiPo batteries, competition chargers, brushless 1/8-scale motors and ESCs, and brushless buggy kits?  I ask not because I don’t support the class, but because I’m simply curious—are you a 1/8 brushless owner?  Let me hear from you.  The speed, power and ease with which a 1/8 brushless buggy can be operated repeatedly is undeniable.  I’m fortunate because I get to play with this technology, test it, evaluate it, and write about it every day.  But I’m wondering, if I were a consumer on the sidelines eyeballing my Visa statement, would I be one of the brave ones and jump into a class that hasn’t quite “made it” yet?  Let me know what you think—email me at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)