ASK Cubby- Here Comes The Questions, There I Go Out The Door

“iHobby 2016….train edition?

Cubby,

What was the deal with iHobby this year? Kudos to Horizon for coming out, but literally everyone else but parma was a no show, including you guys.

What gives? I had a few trucks in my car waiting to see if there was a place to run, but nothing.

I was so excited to see all kinds of new stuff, but nope.

Lame.

Mike”

Cubby- Yo hey ya Mikeee, thanks for the letter and we’ll get ya the hook-up on a BSRC sticker pack to plaster your trucks with.

About iHobby the 2016 edition… ya, iHobby has lost a lot of luster. They didn’t hold one at all in 2015, then reset the location to New Jersey. Hey, I like Jersey, I go there a couple times a year, but most industry types would rather spend the weekend in Dallas, or Orlando, or pretty much anywhere warm, than Jersey in late winter.

And like your title states, iHobby 2016 was primarily a train show. Hey, I like trains too, but rc needs and deserves a truly kick ass trade show that is open to consumers. And no, it didn’t help that RCX on the left coast was scheduled on the same weekend. Most of the companies in rc are small and doing two shows on one weekend, especially separated by thousands of miles, is simply undo-able.

Yes, props to Horizon, Parma, and the other surface companies that supported iHobby, hopefully they felt like they got a good bang-for-the-buck. As you know, we have been HUGE supporters of iHobby over the years, but sadly there just weren’t enough rc companies showing to make it worth our cash to cover this year. Maybe, hopefully, in 2017 we’ll be there in full force.

“X-MAXX Question

Hi Cubby,

What are your thoughts on the Traxxas X-MAXX now that it has been out a few months? Do you think it will take over the hobby like the T-MAXX did?

Dan L.
Lakeview Oregon”

Cubby- Thanks for the letter Dan, shoot me your snail mail for a sticker pack, and I hope Oregon is as beautiful as I remember it.

So… do I think the X-Maxx is going to take over the hobby? Well, it hasn’t thus far. Yes, it is still a bit early in the game, and yes, it has gotten a decent amount of attention from the aftermarket (with MUCH more coming soon), but T-Maxx fever took off like a rocket right out of the gate and lasted for solid half decade. I think the X-Maxx is far more polished and a better overall vehicle than the T-Maxx ever was, but it just doesn’t stand out enough to completely take over. There are already a number of really big monster trucks on the market, many of which are very durable, many of which have crazier powerplants inside.

IMO the X-Maxx is a solid vehicle and Traxxas will sell a bunch of them, but I don’t expect them to completely take over the like T-Maxx did.

Once again you’ve made it all the way to the bottom of ASK Cubby. I get a crazy amount of email, but now days I’ve made it a point to actually read and keep up with it. If you are an industry type, feel free to start up a conversion with me via email, whether it be on your normal email or anonymously. And no, industry stuff will not become public, but I’ve had some great thought provoking email exchanges over the years in this manner. The same goes for consumers/bashers, feel free to shoot me an email. The addy you want is thecubreportrc at gmail dot com. Make the front page, win some free stuff.

YOUR Cub Reporter