Welcome to the September 2015 edition of The List. As always, there were quite a few cool items hitting the interwebs this month. We picked out top 5, and here they are. Congrats for making this month’s List.
Scale accessories for crawlers are quite abundant right now, most being molded out of plastic or even 3D printed. Those parts are great but will have the same look and will never show signs of wear that real, aluminum pieces would. That’s where Integy’s Alloy Recovery Boards come into play. These 2-piece ramps are machined from billet aluminum and feature a high-traction center section for maximum grip while slots in the side allow you to secure them in place. I think they look cool and best of all, they come in multiple colors to match your rigs paint scheme. A must have item that combines function and style. I have the red ones and they look great on my SCX10.
Link: www.integy.com
While these are not the first set of shocks from the A-Team to feature the FOX Kashima coating, these dampers are set to run on the new RC8B3 and RC8B3e, both leading cars in their respective classes. They are direct replacement bodies for the stock parts, and the resulting Kashima coating makes them EXTREMELY smooth. Not only that, the coating also protects the inner surface, meaning extended life. The gold-ish coating is a signal that you have high-end shocks on your car, a potential mind-trip to your opponents. I like using parts like this to get a mental advantage; hey, whatever works, right? Definitely parts you should consider, and parts that deserve a spot on The List.
Link: www.teamassociated.com
If you’ve done any rock racing, you’ll know that the Yeti is an extreme beast that can conquer almost any terrain. I say almost because the one section of a track that can sometimes be tricky is any large rock garden. They hi-gear transmission can cause quite a bit of wheelspin, making slow, controlled ascents a bit tricky. Well, not any longer. Axial has released a hi/lo transmission conversion that allows you to shift your Yeti into low gear for slow crawls and high gear for speedy sections of track. First gear has a 2:1 ratio, great for muscling up and over bigger rocks while the 1.08:1 (or optional 0.93:1) high gear gives you a boost in top end performance. All of this is controlled from the 3rd channel on your radio. If you’ve got a rock garden track that needs taming, this is the performance kit you’ve been looking for. Keep an eye out for an install on my Yeti soon.
Link: www.axialracing.com
Here’s something from RC4WD that is not only new, it’s also pretty ingenious. The Ambient Light Logo is designed for Tamiya 1:14 tractor trailers like the Mercedes Benz truck. The metal Benz logo is designed to insert into the grille of the truck and has leads that feed back to a box that controls the lighting system. It can be set on or in a strobe mode. This simulates the same look that you see in full scale, lighted Mercedes Benz grilles. Very unique idea, and this opens the door for quite a few more applications. The price is reasonable as well, and will certainly set off the front end of your Tamiya big rig.
Link: www.rc4wd.com
Gmade’s Komodo is a 1:10 scale trail truck that is shooting for scale dominance. Just sitting there, this thing is absolutely beautful. Features include a steel C-channel, ladder frame design, dust-proof receiver box (in the shape of an actual engine cover), adjustable battery plate, 4-link suspension and aluminum-bodied shocks. On the outside, the Komodo truck body is pulled Lexan and comes loaded a ton of molded features including a front grille, heavy duty front and rear bumpers, light buckets and a roof rack with hook. There’s so much going on here that you’ll have to visit their site for all the info, but this is certainly one of the most feature-packed scalers out there, and one deserving to be on The List.
Link: www.rcmart.com
