Toy Fair 2012 – Serpent
Starting the first day of the toy fair at the Serpent stand, we were shown around the huge number of new products in their booth. First up is the new 747 1/10th scale 200mm chase which features new geometry front and rear as well as a front flex system that through the use of two tie rods connecting the front blocks to the radio plate can help adjust the chassis flex. A new radio plate retains the configuration of the 733 but with the radio box removed. A nice feature of the car is the new symmetrical chassis plate that sports an area for mounting weight to the centre line of the chassis which can be moved forward or rearward to influence the cars balance. Other new features include new RCM shock absorbers that now feature membranes again instead of the foam inserts.
An all new chassis the 747 sports new uprights and shock rod extensions on the lower rear wishbones for additional mounting options. A new centax clutch true motion sports a tapered flywheel as seen in some of its competitors cars and a the gear diffs have been updated with smoother running gears and smaller shafts for lighter weight. We are told that the car will come in at close to the proposed new weight limit by EFRA.
There will be a team edition of the S411 touring car which comes with the new RCM shocks, new foam front bumper, LiPo pack holders as standard, flex top plate and also with an improved gear diff. As with a lot of the cars in the line there will also be a Sport version with cheaper materials at a lower cost and an RTR version, in this case with Savox servo and Hobbywing electronics.
Seen for the first time here the F180 gets a revival with the introduction of the F180 BL. This is loosely based on the gas powered car but has a full carbon fibre chassis and is set up to accept electronics including up 4S packs. The version on display will receive some tweaks, getting wider front wishbones and and updated front and rear wing.
The Cobra buggy gets a team version with lightweight aluminium shock towers, new transmission parts withe different couplers and bearings for improved durability. New larger bearings in the uprights and steering blocks aim to improve the lifetime of the parts, while hard anodized shock caps and a new lower rear wing complete the package.
There will be a sport and RTR version of the Cobra buggy available with both featuring plastic suspension brackets, pressed aluminium shock towers, simpler shock absorbers and a different quality steel for the transmission parts. This is similar to the new Cobra E Sport and RTR cars.
Seen prior to the show the Cobra GT gets its debut here and it is a high end competition Rally game car based heavily on the Cobra buggy.
Finally the 966 gets a Team Edition update which includes the true motion clutch and RCM shocks. The S411FF front wheel drive chassis gets a sport and RTR version with glass fibre parts and simpler shocks and the S100WGT gets a 235mm update kit to convert it to this popular class.
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