Cub Report: The Week That Was 07.20.08

Something really cool happened this week, which seems to be rare in this era of big-buck corporate rc companies. And, no, the cool thing wasn’t a hot new car, yet another piece of blue anodized bling-bling, nor a new “super dope” high voltage lithium based cell. It was simply a piece of advertising.

I’m sure many of you remember the classic old Associated ads- like the one where a gang of fans are standing on their tip-toes just to get a glimpse of Jammin Jay Halsey and his life size RC10 buggy. Or how about some of those classic ole’ Team Losi ads? Well this week, Thunder Tiger/AE released another one of those classics that won’t soon be forgotten. This is simply a statement ad- a throng of fans, a race helmet, half a CORR truck, and the words “Stop dreaming, Start driving”. At the core of every hobby rc driver, is the heart of a racer, one who dreams of being loved by a crowd of adoring fans, one who lives for competition, no matter what level it might be on.

You can thumb through the endless pages of ad, after ad, after ad, in the archaic tree eating print magazines, but only a few times every decade do you see a work of art like the new “Red Bull” Thunder Tiger/AE ad. Each month, dozens of rc companies pay between $800 to several thousand dollars a page (for a cover) to promote their products, yet most of this advertising goes unnoticed and therefore wasted. Michael Glass, the man behind the “Red Bull” ad certainly earned his paycheck this month, as that one will be seen by millions, and will be remembered for decades.

Now, down to the product- obviously AE is hyping a CORR type truck. Myself, like most people, would like to see it be a 4wd. Why? Because 4wd is simply easier to drive, making it more friendly to the masses. No matter if it’s an electric or a nitro, 4wd just makes for a much easier to drive vehicle. And if it does indeed turn out to be electric, here’s hoping that it comes with a BL/Li-po “friendly” drive-line (ie- lots of metal gears!), one that can live through the enormous torque that a 3S Lithium system can dish out. Now days, it just doesn’t make any sense to release any new product unless it was designed from day one with BL/Li-po in mind.

That’s it for this week rc fans, as always, support your sport! Buy some new gear! Buy it from your local hobby shop! Put some laps in at your local tracks, and as always, check BigSquidRC.com on a daily basis!

Cubby