June 1, 2009

Diggity Designs XLR8-V2 Conversion

Diggity Designs XLR8-V2 Conversion

Diggity Designs new XLR8-V2 is a carbon fibre and aluminium conversion kit for the Associated TC3 and TC4. The V2 has a newly designed chassis, top-plate, LiPo brace and battery strap for optimzed LiPo and brushless racing. The chassis is narrower with the weight on the battery side moved back to level out the balance of the motor and electronics. The motor cutout is open to allow mounting of any brushless motor, while the LiPo brace can be mounted in one of three positions to help balance the kit out from left to right without adding lots of weight on the battery side. The V2 has a 2.5mm chassis, top-plate, LiPO brace and battery straps (instead of 3mm that is included with the original XLR8) along with 3mm front and rear shock towers. The new chassis and top-plate will help improve performance for asphalt but still keep its performance at top level for carpet racing.

Click here to see more photos


May 24, 2009

Kyosho Mini-Z F1-GTR Team Schnitzer

Kyosho Mini-Z F1-GTR Team Schnitzer

Kyosho have released their new McLaren F1-GTR Le Mans Team Schnitzer Mini-Z chassis. A low centre of gravity and high agility are the trademarks of the MR-02 chassis and it is combined with zippy performance and stunning scale looks. The combination of low height, low centre of gravity with mass concentration delivers the critical factors needed in an advanced racing machine.

Source: Kyosho [kyoshoamerica.com]


May 16, 2009

HPI Racing 1/32nd Scale racers & HB D8 Flux

HPI Racing 1/32nd Scale racers & HB D8 Flux

The Shizuoka show is on this weekend in Japan, and as usual the Japanese companies are out in force showing their new products at their home show. HPI Racing have released a number of new items, the most interesting of which being the new Racing 32 H-01 and H-02 chassis’, which as the name suggests is a new 1/32nd scale racer. The H-02 chassis shown above, is a full race spec version with carbon throughout and is essentially a tiny Cyclone 12X pan car, complete with foam tires. The H-01 is the RTR version of the same car and features lightweight plastics throughout and will come with a beautiful scale body and is supplied with a 2.4Ghz radio system, as well as a charger / workbench. Also new on the same stand from Hot Bodies is the Flux powered version of the World Championship winning D8 buggy. This brushless car is still only a prototype, but from the pictures you can see that it retains the mechanical brake system, has a composite plastic chassis and a forward mounted motor.

Click here to see the other products


May 15, 2009

Associated RC10R5-Oval Factory Team Kit

Associated RC10R5-Oval Factory Team Kit

Team Associated have just announced the new RC10R5-Oval Factory Team Kit, due for release in June. The 10R5-Oval is built on a 2.5mm woven carbon fibre chassis that utilizes a T-plate and 3-shock setup to suspend the newly designed rear pod. Optimized for brushless, the new rear pod features a 3-point upper pod plate with an aluminium stand-off that increases stiffness and dissipates heat by transferring the heat from the motor mount to the left rear bulkhead, keeping the motor cooler throughout the run.

Click here for more information and photos


May 15, 2009

Tamiya F104 Pro Formula chassis

Tamiya F104 Pro Formula chassis

We showed you the images of the Tamiya F104 chassis just over a week ago and now Tamiya USA have released details of the car in English. The first edition of the F104 chassis kit will come in a Pro spec, using top-quality carbon fibre parts for a beautiful finish and light weight. The car features front & rear wings and an original body, which along with the tire size and body dimensions produce great scale realism. As was obvious in the first images of the car, the battery is longitudinally-mounted, allowing for a slim body design, while the 2WD direct drive system claims to offer excellent acceleration qualities and is very reliable. The front suspension features a link-type coil spring with the rear suspension having a friction plate and a T-bar set up with a TRF damper. A part of the new design is the aluminium diff housing which even if your wheels are removed the differential will hold together allowing easy maintenance. The height adjustable rear gear case has been designed to match the new tire dimensions and the isometric steering rod links up well with the longitudinally-mounted steering servo for excellent control.

Click here for more photos and a video


May 13, 2009

SpeedMerchant Rev5 LiPo 1/12th scale

Speed Merchant Rev5 LiPo 1/12th scale

We previously brought you photos of the new line of LiPo friendly chassis’ from SpeedMerchant and now they have released images of the final version of their Rev5 LiPo 1/12th scale chassis. The company has been doing a lot of single cell LiPo testing and thinks everyone is really going to enjoy it. The cars are easier to drive, more nimble, and less work. By taking the weight out of the cars, there is less tire & mechanical wear also. The new kits come with black anodized, laser inscribed aluminium bulkheads, and the new black Teflon coated HPS micro shock.

Click here for more photos


May 8, 2009

Tamiya F104 Pro chassis

Tamiya F104 Pro chassis

Tamiya have released details of the follow up to their ultra successful F103 chassis, with the release of the F104 Pro. Following the theme seen in HPI’s launch of the Formula Ten, the F104 pro, has an ultra realistic body shell and front and rear wings, and it too is based on last years F1 cars. It is of course a rear wheel drive, with drive direct from the motor and has the battery pack mounted along the centre line of the chassis and the whole layout seems very compact. The car features a carbon upper deck and rear shaft and has lots of blue anodized TRF performance parts as standard, including the car’s centrally mounted shock absorber. Another great looking entry into this class.

Source: Tamiya [tamiya.com]


April 28, 2009

TOP Racing Photon TC

TOP Racing Photon TC

We’ve written about the new Photon TC from TOP Racing before in depth, when we showed you the first CAD images of the car as well as the first photos of the car, and now we have the first photos of the final production car. The Josh Cyrul penned chassis has plenty of nice features, including super low centre of gravity, a system for balancing and weighting the car when using LiPo packs and diff pulleys that utilize 3-point triangular diff ball slots. The car will be available in and around June.

Click here for more photos