ASK Cub Reporter- 06.09.2011- Oh The Questions, Oh My Garsh The Answers

cubby,
when i first seen the losi scb i knew i had to have one so i ordered one from horizon. but they keep missing release dates and it seems it is never going to come out. do you have any inside news on when they are coming?
thanx,
dean

Cubby- Well Dean, you are not the only person waiting on the uber new Losi SCB, you can count me on that list as well. Losi’s Rich Trujillo has posted over on rcshortcourse.com that the SCB’s are shipping to dealers this week, and Rich isn’t know for pulling anybodies leg, so that should be pretty solid info. I know they’ve pushed back the release date several times, but things come up, and I for one can’t wait to get mine.

But, if you don’t feel like waiting any more, or don’t think the SCB is gonna hit for a while, might I suggest you simply buy a Kyosho Ultima DB buggy. I haven’t personally driven one, so I can’t vouch for how good it is, but it’s quite similar to the Losi SCB. Now normally, I’d post a link to a certain hobby shop on the right coast who’s name starts with “A” and ends with “Main” (and has them in stock right now), but… the previously mentioned hobby shop seems to think print media is the only way to go, so I’m going to recommend you buy directly from Kyosho America. You can buy the Kyosho Ultima DB HERE, or try your local hobby shop.

Cubby
What do you think the best upgrades are for the Traxxas Slash? Cheap upgrades only.
John

Cubby- Hey what’s up John? So what are the best cheap upgrades for the Traxxas Slash?

Well, the Slash is a dern good truck to start with. It drives well on low bite surfaces straight out of the box, and can take a good beating. The TRX team spent a lot of time getting that truck right, and it’s obvious they did a great job.

But… the first low buck mod I’m going to recommend is to install Traxxas aluminum shock caps. The stock plastic caps are the weakest link on the truck, the uber Traxxas aluminum caps are rock solid and will set ya back less than $15. You can get these from your LHS and the part number is TRA 3767A (for blue) and 3767X (for red).

Next on my list would be the ST Racing Concepts hinge pin set. The stock Traxxas hinge pins like to back out on their own, and they bend far too easily. The STRC hinge pins are tough as nails and never back out. They are worth way more than the $17 they charge for them. The part number you need for these is #ST3640BK.

The stock tires look scale and wear forever, but some new Pro-Line shoes will yield a lot more traction, making the truck easier to drive and faster. For general bashing look for Pro-Line Trenchers, for pavement use Street Fighters, or if you run on a prepped track Calibers are generally a great choice. You’ll be looking at under $40 for a set of four.

There are tons more mods available for the Slash, but honestly the truck doesn’t need a whole lot to be fun, at least not at stock power levels.

That’s it for this week, submit your letters, questions, answers, hate-mail, and pretty much anything ya feel like to Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com!

YOUR Cub Reporter