THE Cub Report’o, version 02.14.09

I’ve droned on and on about how the future of the rc print rags doesn’t look too bright. Further evidence to support this comes via the latest issue of RCCA. If the name of your magazine includes the words CAR Action, then why include a BOAT section? Page numbers are down, readership is down, advertisers are down, do they honestly think adding a boat section will reverse these trends? Do you think it would be a good idea if Taco Bell started selling hamburgers? Do what you do better than anyone else, and success will be yours. Selling out your soul only makes you look worse while on that downward spiral.

Hottest new product on the market? Hands down, the guys over at Thundertech Racing hit the nail on the head with their new Traxxas Slash Outlaw chassis. While a “stock/spec” class for the Slash was THE class to be in for the last 6 months, racers (and bashers) have grown tired of stock performance and screwing around with the Slash’s stock brushed motor. On top of that, with the AE SC10 looming on the horizon, many Slash drivers are ready to make the plunge and bring their Slash’s up to full potential. The Thundertech chassis is gloriously simple, yet a thing of beauty, bringing the Slash’s cg way down, and doing it in a strong, simplistic manner. This is something the average Slash driver is exactly looking for. This chassis has quickly become the number one lusted after Slash hop-up, and it’s only been on the market for a week! Expect a full BigSquidRC test any time now.

Does Traxxas have a couple more winners on their hands with their new 16th scale mini-Slayer and mini-Revo? The 16th scale Revo might have a slightly tougher time leaving showroom shelves due to it’s roughly $300 price point, but I think most industry insiders expect their 16th scale Slayer to be a Huge hit. Traxxas showed working models at the hobby show in Germany last week, so expect them to be shipping to your favorate LHS shortly.

The Consumer Safety Protection Improvement Act. Ever heard of it? Well, it was something passed by our beloved government to protect children under the age of 12 from excessive exposure to lead in toys. Remember all those crappy toys being shipped in from China with high levels of lead? This act is supposed to cure all that. But…… Did you know that because of this act, every motorcycle dealership in America has had to pull every motorcycle, atv, accessory, replacement part, and article of clothing intended for users under the age of 12? Yes, they did. Why did they do that? Because, everything I mentioned was included in the act, and the motorcycle industry did not get exemption, nor did they pass the required governmental tests to prove high levels of lead were not present. By not doing either, they were forced to pull all that inventory last Tuesday, as that is when the CSPIA went into effect. Also, many motorcycle race promoters are considering eliminating under 12 racing at all their events until their industry can come up with some type of exemption.

So where does the rc industry stand under the CSPIA? I attempted to contact 3 big hitters in the rc industry, all three from car manufactures, to see if they’ve either tested “safe” and allowed to sell product intended as “toys” to youth ages 12 and under, or gotten some type of exemption to allow the continued sale of their products. The results of my requests for information? Two of the three had never heard of it, and the third did not reply to me before my deadline this week. So just what happens if “Brand X” is selling a truck intended for youth, but contains lead levels higher than the government now allows? Honestly, I don’t know what the penalties are, but here’s to hoping the rc industry has their act together (and legal teams ready) about the CSPIA. This is a litigation happy age, I’d rather my favorite chassis manufacture be around a few more years instead of losing it all because they had their heads up their asses on this new law.

Thats it for this week ya dirty freaks. Support your sport, go down and say “hi” to the guys at your LHS, and get by your local track more often!

Your Cub Reporter