THE Cub Report – Upcoming Madness
Here we are folks, yet another Monday, yet another Cub Report, thanks for reading. This time of year is a busy one within the industry. After coming off some slow summer months, everyone is now ramping up for the Christmas sales season. The holiday sales season is famous for being a make it, or break it, time of year in various industries, rc is no different.
If you haven’t worked in the rc industry, there are two “busy” seasons, at least for most shops. The first each year is tax season, the time when millions of Americans get money back from the government. This is around March/April, and is also when outdoor racing season gets going here in America. The holiday season lasts roughly from October through December. Those important new releases for the holiday season are being announced hot and heavy right now, last week was a prime example.
Perhaps the biggest release last week was the Losi 3XL-E monster truck. Horizon did a big live release on that one, although the info had gone live on most websites (including ours) before the live show even started. The 3XL-E is a new truck, or at the very least, highly revised, and looks like it has everything to be a hit. It has a giant form factor, it has huge power, and AVC electronic stability control comes standard. Another of the interesting features on the truck is an optional FPV camera mount. I tell ya, every day we get a little bit closer to FPV going mainstream in surface.
The second biggest release was the Traxxas Tactical TRX-4. First shown on a small Facebook page, it was weird to see that a lot of people didn’t think it was real until we confirmed via talking to the guys at Traxxas. Since when did BigSquidRC become the source to confirm such things? I don’t know, but it’s cool to think that we’ve come that far. Any which way, with me not being much of a “scale guy”, I really dig the look of the Tactical. I also feel like it gives a nice option to casual hobbyists. While the hardcore guys are looking for the most scale authentic everything they can get their hands on, casual enthusiasts tend to buy trucks that simply look cool, and that Tactical TRX-4 sure does have a tough/bad-ass look to it.
Oh ya, we can not forget the freshly updated 2018 ARRMA Talion either. It is strange to me that ARRMA actually seems to be listening to their core base, something that you don’t see enough of in our industry. ARRMA knows that most of their customers are hardcore bashers, so they set up the ’18 edition of the Talion to go even faster, and be even more durable. I also dig how it looks with a much lower body and new wheels/tires. They also claim a top speed of 70 mph. We have one on the way, can’t wait to see if it blows our socks off or not.
On a different subject…
A few weeks ago I posted about the Rocky Mountain Hobby Expo. We had not heard from them for a while, so we were starting to worry if the show was even going to happen or not. Well, we’ve talked with the expo people and the show is indeed going to happen. The BigSquidRC Bash Crew will be there in full force (October 28 & 29) and we hope to see a bunch of readers there. If you are interested in attending, whether it be walking the show or getting a booth, hit up This Link.
Don’t forget that we’ll also be out west for the Pro-Line/BigSquidRC Monster Truck A-Palooza on October 14th. For all you readers that live in Southern California, Monster Truck A-Palooza is going to be a first class bash. There are going to be a ton of different events with LOADS of free prizes. If you live in the area, and are up for attending your first (or second, or one hundredth) bash, hit This Link to get signed up.
Lastly, It Is Officially On Like Donkey Kong! That’s right, we are just now starting our RTR Scale Shootout. We are including trucks from Vaterra, RC4WD, Axial, and Traxxas, so you just know it is gonna be a barn burner. All four companies have outstanding products, even we can’t wait to drive them side-by-side to see which is truly the best.
So there ya have it folks, that’s all I have for you this week. Until next week support your local hobby shops and bash spots when ya can.
YOUR Cub Reporter
