The Mugen name is a synonym for high performance nitro racing buggies for nearly two decades now. Becoming 1990 World Champion in the hands of Mugen’s Kohji Sanada, the Super Sport started the long line of winning buggies with the like of the aforementioned Super Sport, the Athlete and nowadays the MBX range of cars starting from the MBX-4 that hit the market at the end of the 1990’s to the all-new MBX-6!
After publishing the review of Traxxas’ Slash CORR racing truck last week now it’s time for an even madder machine: the Team Associated SC8. Developed during 2008 at Team Associated’s so called ‘Area 51’ and released towards the end of the year the SC8 is probably the most authentic race truck so far. Based on the Associated RC8T chassis it not only offers a very scale looking CORR truck body but also (according to Team Associated) “… scale specifications of the full-size short course race trucks. It’s all there, from the scale suspension travel, to the roll-cage tube diameter, to the functional mud flaps.”
Incorporating all the latest technology, the O’Donnell Z01-B Team Limited Edition kit offers modelers two kits in one – at no additional cost. Focusing on a completely new front end design with longer wheelbase and lighter weight materials, this Limited Edition kit features new front arms, caster blocks, steering knuckles and shock tower. Lightweight extended front wheel hubs and a redesigned carbon front fibre top plate are part of the package. A revised carbon fiber servo tray, Ackerman steering rack and lightweight large diameter 83mm x 43mm dish wheels are included. Add in a compact battery box with carbon fibre support plate and two lids (one for LiPo and one for NiMH), a compact receiver box and an extended wing mount for improved stability. The Z01-B Team Upgrade Kit will be packaged together (for a limited time) with the original Z01-B, giving modelers a choice of building options.
We pictured them during our coverage of last week’s Nuremberg toy fair but Team Orion have now officially released information on the two new starter boxes that have been added to their nitro product range. Complimenting their new Alpha range of engines, their is a choice of a Race Version or the larger Pro Version. Both are powered by a powerful 775 motor with the main differences apart from the visual look being that the Race model is make of rugged plastic while the casing on the Pro version is made of metal. The other key difference is the Pro starter box can be powered off a 12V battery. Both are available to suit both onroad and off road engine configurations.
Click here to view the other starter box
Serpent have unveiled further details of their new 966 1/8th scale chassis, which will first be made available as an upgrade set for current 960 owners. The kit includes the new 7075 T6 aluminium chassis plate, which has been heavily machined on both sides including recessed areas for both the carbon fibre battery plate and front stiffener plate. The set also comes with the beautiful looking rear end assembly, which includes the braking system we showed you yesterday. The anodized aluminium rear end keeps everything aligned and perfectly true and makes maintenance and adjustment much easier. Finally the set comes with the new carbon fibre upper wishbone mounting brackets as well as new rear shock tower.
From Traxxas, with an aggressive new look, the 2wd Nitro Sport is the easiest & most affordable way to get into nitro power with a full-featured, high-performance RTR model. Factory assembled it includes their EZ-Start push-button electric engine starting system, which gets you running just minutes out of the box. The supplied TRX Pro.15 engine delivers proven power and reliability, and features a precision two-needle carburetor that delivers high output over a wide range of conditions. The wide tuning latitude makes this motor very forgiving so it stays running and idles smoothly as you learn how to perfect the tune and optimize the performance.
Click here for the feature list and more photos
Xray have sent us this image, which is also on their website, outlining that three cars in their range will be getting an update to 2009 specs. Cars getting an ugrade are the XB808 buggy which was released at the Nuremberg toy fair last year, the NT1 200mm touring car which hasn’t had many updates since its release 2 years ago, and finally the XT8 which has been updated since its release back in early 2007. We expect some details to leak out prior to their unveiling at the toy fair in 2 weeks, and we will bring you that information as we get it.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
Team Associated are close to releasing what appears to be a 1/10th scale version of their popular SC8 CORR series truck. Promoted on their site at the moment, they are only displaying the new SC10 logo seen above, but we’re sure that more information will come soon. Stay tuned.
Source: RC10 [rc10.com]
