ASK Cubby, Version- Intelligent Questions, Questionable Answers

“Stadium Trucks

Hi Cubby,
What is your read on the 1/10th scale stadium truck class? Some companies are still trying to keep it alive, should I invest in a new one?
David C.”

Cubby- Hey ya David, I am a long time lover of stadium trucks myself. For the vast majority of my rc life, that’s pretty much all I drove- 1/10th buggy and 1/10th ST. However, the mighty Traxxas Slash hit the scene and since then stadium trucks have been on the endangered species list. Today pretty much the only people driving stadium trucks are racers who are looking for another class to get in more track time, or bashers who have one and refuse to lock it in the closet.

So… is a new ST a good investment? Are you kidding me? No, absolutely not. I wish someone would stick a fork in stadium trucks like they did with 1/10th gas trucks and just kill them off completely. There are too many classes the way it is, and more coming every day. If I were you, and I am not so do what ya want, but if it was my cash I’d cut the check on a 1/10th buggy (which are still very popular) or a short course truck.

“Dear Cubby,

I have been reading on all the on-line forums that Lipo batteries are the way to go except they are really dangerous. I don’t want to burn my house down but want some performance. Can Nimh batteries go fast or are they really slow?

Jeremy M.”

Cubby- Hey now Jeremy, thanks for the email.

Ok, let me bust out some knowledge here.

If you are a noob, yes, NiMH batteries can still provide plenty of speed and runtime. No, they don’t have the energy density of a Lithium based pack, but with today’s brushless powerplants, they still hold enough voltage under load to crank out decent speeds.

If you have been in the hobby a while and know how to drive properly, then yes, LiPO batteries are the way to go. They will make any car instantly feel faster, and not just be a tiny amount, but by a very noticeable amount over a NiMH.

About LiPOs being “dangerous”. I was both an “early adopter” of using LiPos in my cars and I worked for a company that was one of the first importers of Lithium packs for surface use, so I hope you trust me with what I’m about to say as I will only be speaking from first hand knowledge.

During all my years of bashing and/or hitting races every weekend since LiPOs hit the market (roughly 2002’ish for surface vehicles), I’ve seen perhaps 2 dozen packs “go up” by consumers in the field. Every single instance was caused by user error, not by the LiPO just deciding it wanted to catch fire. I have seen them go up by physical damage (getting a corner crushed when endoing a jump/crash damage, someone accidentally sticking a hobby knife in one, etc) and by overcharging (people accidentally charging them as NiMH and by racers overcharging them on purpose for more voltage). I have never seen a pack go up by a consumer when used normally with common sense. Therefore, if you have half a brain in your head, and you can follow some simple rules, I can personally say that you won’t have a problem. If you aren’t very smart, like, not smart enough to make sure you hit the LiPO button instead of the NiMH button on your charger, then yes, you should stay away from them (and probably should not even be in the hobby).

That’s it until next week ya freaks. If you are a consumer and have a question hit me up at my personal email addy thecubreportrc at gmail.com. If you are an industry type and just want to talk shop, feel free to do the same. If your letter hits the big time you’ll win a free sticker pack and if I proclaim yours as “Letter of the Month” we’ll give you the hook-up on a new BSRC t-shirt (in your size even!).

YOUR Cub Reporter