THE Cub Report- Jump, Crash, Wrench, Repeat

Whoop, here it is, this week’s Cub Report. If you are new, welcome aboard for the ride, if you are an old schooler, nice to see you again, if you are a hater, you aren’t the first, nor will you be the last. Lets get started by jumping right in…

Yo, March Bashness is getting super close. As I mentioned last week, March Bashness is where you, our faithful readers, vote on your favorite bash machines bracket style. We will open up voting on the first match-ups in our sweet 16 later this week, so be sure to vote, as well as spreading the word to your bash buddies. Are you and your friends hardcore ARRMA fans? Or perhaps Traxxas, or ECX, or, or or…? Yes, March Bashness really boils down to being a popularity contest, so gather up like minded bashers just like yourself to help make sure your favorite brand takes the big win. Oh and, we “normally” give away the winning truck to one lucky reader, so you could possibly win a new vehicle out of the dealio.

So… Associated “officially” announced the B64 today. Yes, everyone knew this one was coming for months, but now it is finally “here”. If you are a typical basher, you probably have no idea what a B64 is or why you would ever want one, but it is a racing 4wd 1/10th scaler, with this particular model being aimed at the carpet racing crowd. Yes, I know bashers could care less about the B64, but I bring it up because something weird happened while I was watching its introduction video. For starters, I actually watched the entire video, and secondly, I actually turned up the sound when Cliff Lett made an appearance. When Lett talks, people stop what they are doing and listen, and I certainly listened to what he had to say about the new B64. He was exceptionally well spoken during his part of the video, making me wish that we see/hear more from him in the future. The guy is pure legend, if he had a weekly “This Week At Associated” column I would be the first to sub.

Anywhos… on to a subject that bashers might actually care about.

Did you read our interview with Pro-Line’s Paul Willhite? It was an interesting read, with one of the best parts being about the Pro-Forge wheels. Yup, I’ve read all the internet comments about them being “too expensive”, which I find rather odd as I don’t have a set (yet!), so I highly doubt every person out there hate’n on them has even tried them. And yes, it is poor form to bash on something you haven’t even held in your hands before.

I like to look at the Pro-Forge wheels this way… they are a premium product made for premium buyers. There are aluminum wheels at a wide variety of price points, no different than wrist watches. When I crack open my watch closet, I have everything from Hublots, to Tags, to Nixons, to old school calculator Casios. In rc it seems like many companies have been racing the price points lower to accommodate entry level buyers. I am not an entry level buyer, nor are a lot of other people, there is a lot more room for truly high-end gear. Hey you, Mr “I Got A Dozen Fully Modded 1/5th Scalers In My Garage”, you are not an entry level buyer either. My highest end Hublot does NOT tell time much better than one of my mid priced Tags, but I know I sure appreciate my best Hublot a lot more. And ya sure, I could search eBay for the cheapest aluminum wheels I can find to put on my Vaterra scaler (or a knock-off Hublot for that matter), but I have some extra cash, so I would rather spend it on some high-end, American made uber wheels. Oh and, I am not knocking the guys that do buy the cheapest wheels they can find, I know for their particular circumstances it is what they want to spend their cash on. This isn’t about who has the most money, it is about respecting people at a different price point, both higher and lower.

BTW, I know the guys at P-L, they don’t play for second when they race, nor do they put out second rate gear. I know when I cut that check for my Pro-Forge wheels that they are going to be worth every penny based on past experience. What if I buy some no-name aluminum wheels off eBay for $50 and they just plain blow? What if they are warped? What if they are sloppy on the wheels hexes? What if they don’t even look like the ones in the picture? I have gone through all that before (first hand), and if I have the extra cash just sitting around, why wouldn’t I want to just go ahead and buy a product I know I can count on? Haters gonna hate, but I hope they realize that not everyone on this planet is sitting at a $49 price point on wheels.

So there ya go peeps, I am worded out for this week. Don’t forget to vote later this week in our March Bashness contest and get out and support your local hobby shops and bash spots when ya can.

YOUR Cub Reporter