ASK Cubby- More Of Your Questions, Less Of My Answers
“Traxxas still king, can they save on road? LHS issue
Hey Cubby,
It’s been a while since a wrote in, but I wanted to share some thoughts. First, the quote “support your LHS (local hobby shop)”. Well, I am not into this hobby to support my local hobby shop. In fact, if it wasn’t for the Internet, I would not have 90% of my RC parts, cars, batteries, tires, wheels, bodies, etc. Call me cheap, frugal, whatever, but when the local hobby shop is selling a pair of tries for MSRP 25.99, and online they are 18.99, that’s a $7.00 savings, $14.00 for a set, and since online shops often offer free shipping, it’s a no brainer. I will support them (online) and save. Unfortunately the owner of the shop does not pay my bills, so why should I pay 20% more? Oh yeah, when I go to the LHS to check out and ask them match Tower, they say they cannot. What is your take on this?
Traxxas: Wow, A new Rally car- old chassis, new cool body, $300!!!??? Marketing genius, priced right. Basically a Brushed Slash 4×4- and comes with battery and charger! Deal of year! A great way to get newbies in, and sell them your branded brushless system later on. Heck I might buy one just for that awesome body.
Is Traxxas single handily gonna change the rc world in 2017? Then they announce 4tec 2.0, Ford GT! Time stood still when I saw that. It took all these years for them to finally come out with a 1/10 on road car- but it looks worth they wait. Patent pending optional sliding body mounts for all manufacturer bodies, two position rear camber link adjustability- what will X-ray learn from this- jk. Did VTA and on road racing just get the boost in needs? Will there be an only Traxxas class? Will the 25.5 motor go away, and good ole Traxxas 550 take its place? I hope so. Cannot wait to see the brushless version come out. Awesome and good job Traxxas.
Axial- look out!? By the way, 1/18 scale seemed to be the rage and the end of 2016, Axail comes out with one, but yet i never seen a review of it from you or anyone else? What gives?
Team associated- really F6??!! Does the RC world need another one on the market. I like F1 and all, but CRC, Xray, Tamiya-the original, and others have that market, and I predict massive discounts soon on that one.
Keep up the great work on the site!
Jimmy D.”
Cubby- Yo MTV Raps top Jimmy. You know how this works, a snail mail for a sticker pack.
Oh and yes, there is a lot to digest in that War & Peace, I mean that email of yours. I mean that in a good way (or maybe not). /s
Ya know, a few years ago I started adding the qualifier “when you can” to the whole “support your local hobby shop” thing. I know that a lot of people simply can not support a LHS. The biggest reason is that they don’t even have one to support. Sometimes that is because their nearest LHS is two hours away, sometimes that is because all their local hobby shops have gone out of business. I also know that a lot of hobby shops are all about trains, or Dungeons and Dragons, or jewelry beads, and the part of their store that contains surface rc products is very poorly stocked. I also know that some local hobby shops do price their product well above MAP. In those cases, ya for sure, it is really hard to give your LHS any money.
However… there are a LOT of hobby shops right next door that have a great selection of surface products that are set at MAP pricing. And there are a lot of people that order on-line despite that fact. Those are the people that I wish would actually support their local hobby shops, and this is why. I am an ardent believer that a hobby such as ours has to have “people on the ground” for optimal longevity. Remember your very first rc car? Your very first one. Maybe you didn’t know how to adjust the diff, or maybe you just couldn’t keep your nitro engine running. Sure, you can look that stuff up all day long on the web, but a real human being across the counter is a billion times better resource. The easier/better time a first time buyer has with their product, the more likely they are to stay in the hobby. I can read all about how to set a diff on the internet, there are thousands of threads and videos about the subject, but a knowledgeable LHS worker can help a noobie sort things out soooo much more quickly and easily. And even more importantly, a real human bond/friend can be made out of the deal, thus also helping to keep a noobie in the hobby. As I have always said, rc is a LOT more about people than about the actual cars. Establish a real person-to-person relationship, keep a person in the hobby.
About the new Traxxas Ford GT. Oh heck ya, that is what on-road needs, although local racers and track owners are just too stupid to know it. A spec class featuring bone stock cars like the Traxxas and those from Vaterra would be great for getting new faces in the door. Sadly, that will never happen. Track owners are more concerned about winning Snowbirds and racing against the same 10 guys locally that they’ve been racing against since the 90s instead of actually helping to growing the sport. Nonetheless, Traxxas will sell a Lot of Ford GTs to the basher crowd, who will no doubt enjoy driving the tires off the thing.
About the Axial 1/18th scalers. I don’t know why you haven’t seen many reviews of them, but I do know why we haven’t tested one. I said something in a Cub Report about a year ago that torqued them off. We reached out a few times. It is quite sad really, they had some good stuff and some good people, but just like them, we’ve moved on and have more RC4WD, Vaterra, and Traxxas products to test than we have time for.
And finally, about the Team Associated F6. Ever notice how AE like to jump in years late? For instance, look at their 1/10th 4wd buggy. Or their 1/8th scale buggies. Yes, the F6 is still about a half decade late, but that is a VAST improvement in time delay compared to several of their other product segments. And as most people know, I am a huge F1 fan, but I would rather have a very trick/scale F1 bash car than some uber racer. The F1 class at your local track is just as messed up as all the rest and I don’t feel like cursing that much. I am into rc cars for the fun of it, Not The Frustration.
help picking a basher
Hi, my name is jarid, I know you guys are probably really busy so first thanks for taking the time to read this email ( if you do lol). I wanted to get your advice on which truck would be a more fun backyard durable basher, I have come down to the 2wd slash or the new bigfoot no.1 classic. I read your reviews on some similar trucks and by the way awesome reviews! But I wanted to get a real opinion from someone who has a lot of experience with rc trucks and bashing. This will be my first truck to get in a long time so I really want something tough that can go almost anywhere with and easy to work on if I have to. Thanks again for taking this time to hear me out and I hope to hear from you soon, hope all is well.
Jarid”
Cubby- Hey ya Jarid, thanks for the email, don’t forget to send us your mailing address so we can hook you up with one of our ridiculously uber sticker packs.
So, you can’t decide between a Traxxas Slash or a Bigfoot No.1. Here is how I see it.
The Bigfoot loves to pop wheelies. It also comes with larger diameter tires, making it easier to drive over rough ground and grass.
The Slash steers better and its suspension is tuned in a way that it works very well on a large variety of surfaces, even on outdoor rc tracks.
Both use many of the same chassis parts, both have incredible parts support at most local hobby shops, and both are quite durable. Although… I would give a slight edge in durability to the Slash thanks to its large bumpers.
Which should you buy? I think that comes down to looks. Do you like the authentic MT look of the Bigfoot, or the looks of a wide bodied SCT? Both are solid trucks that are extremely fun to bash. Also, when you start getting used to them, there are a zillion hop-up parts already on the market for both, making them easy to mod out. Whatever you end up with, shoot us a pic, we’d love to see your new rig.
There ya go internet tough guys, another ASK Cubby is a wrap. Have a burning question? Have you been banned from every forum? Have a rant on your chest that you just have to get off? Email me – thecubreportrc at gmail dot com.
YOUR Cub Reporter
