TQ R/C & Hobbies

Ielasi Tuned have introduced their all-new .21 Rally engines in the form of the 9CL and the 7CL. The 9 and 7-port long stroke engines both feature new cooling heads with Ielasi Tuned logos, rear ceramic bearings, new design conrods and they are hand-modified by Daniele Ielasi himself. The EFRA-legal engines complement the IFMAR-legal 5CL GT Rally and they become available very soon.

Following a first teaser Serpent have now released full details on the new Cobra GT 1/8th on-road kits. Coming as nitro and electric variant both feature new front and rear aluminium suspension mounts to optimise the suspension geometry by making for flatter A-arm angles which suits on-road racing better. The kits also include 6 degree aluminium C-hubs and rear uprights to further improve the suspension package while new aluminium shock absorber risers allow for optimised shock angles to further up the on-track performance. The suspension package is rounded out by a set of redesigned 4.5mm carbon fibre shock towers.

Protoform have introduced their highly awaited LTC 2.0 190mm touring car bodyshell. The next generation of the ultra-successful, but 8 years old LTC-R offers an updated front fascia design with a large, striking front grille for looks while on the functionality side of things, deeper headlight recesses have proven on the track to create more steering and downforce, increasing rotation and change of direction. At the rear of the body, the lower fenders are redesigned to be stiffer and less prone to body tucks. Included is Protoform’s popular wing design first seen on the Pro-TC kit and Dodge Dart, now featuring two trim lines for tuning to a specific class or track condition. Another feature of the body are mounting marks inside the scrap Lexan in the front wheel wells. Mounting positions are marked for 0 (neutral), +2mm, +4mm and +6mm to allow for easy body positioning, a feature widely used by both pros and club racers. As a rule of thumb; the more forward the race body is mounted, the more aggressive the handling will feel. The LTC 2.0 complies with the Global Body Spec rules, it is fully EFRA and ROAR approved and comes in regular .030″ and lightweight .025″ variants.

HRC Distribution have introduced two new low profile servos. The HRC Racing 68112DL (0.09s/12.0kg-cm) and the 68113DBL (0.07s/13.0kg-cm) both utilise nylon fibre and aluminium cases, they feature double ball bearings and a sturdy metal gear drivetrains, with the 68113DBL also coming with a powerful brushless motor, making for even swifter transit times and increased torque. The servos are usable with 4.8V to 6.0V input and they use standard 25T spline servo arms.

Team Losi Racing have introduced the latest incarnation of their successful 8ight-T platform, the 8ight-T 4.0. The 1/8th nitro race truggy received a subtle make-over with the vehicle sporting a new suspension geometry and drivetrain refinements. The updated suspension geometry makes it easier for drivers of all experience levels to turn faster lap times with fewer mistakes, particularly during brutal, hour-long mains while the engine has been repositioned to reduce the front centre driveshaft angle so more power makes it to the front wheels. Another change to the suspension are shorter suspension arms that narrow the track width by 5.5mm on each side. This benefits handling on tight sections of the track by making the vehicle more dynamic and allowing it to transition from one direction to the other more quickly while new, machined aluminium shock towers have new camber link and shock location holes that give racers more tuning options for changing track conditions.

Following yesterday’s teaser Losi have now officially introduced their new Ten-SCBE 1/10th scale electric 4WD RTR buggy. The vehicle builds on the proven Ten-SCTE 4WD short course platform and it features a tough 4WD drivetrain, fully adjustable long-travel suspension with aluminium big bore shock absorbers and it is decked out with short course rims and tyres as well as an aggressively styled bodyshell. The factory-assembled buggy utilises a Dynamite Fuze 3800kv brushless motor, 130A speed controller and a genuine Spektrum DX2E radio system with AVC vehicle control technology and it will become available with orange or green body and wheel details.

Hot on the heels of Reds Racing’s R7 Evoke V3.0 engine comes the release of the R5T Team Edition V4.0. Representing the company’s highest performance 3.5cc engine the R5T Team Edition excels especially in high-bite conditions and ion tracks that require that little extra bottom end power. New for 2016 comes a special sealing system for the combustion camber insert that keeps dust and dirt away from the redesigned internals. Also new is the Gen2 venturi for improved milage and tunability. Another feature is the low centre of gravity design thanks to redesigned parts such as the crankcase, cooling head and combustion camber insert. The engine also features Reds Racing’s renown Black Diamond backplate for reduced friction and it is hand-made, hand-tuned and hand-assembled for the highest possible quality and performance.

Taking all of the performance engineering developed for the RC8B3 nitro and RC8B3e electric buggies, Team Associated have finally announced their new nitro powered truggy, the RC8T3 Team Kit. Sharing many parts with the RC8B3, offering the perfect solution for multi-class racers, it uses a unique proprietary hard anodized 7075-T6 aluminium chassis specifically designed for optimum weight distribution and superior handling, making the RC8T3 drives like a champ. The RC8T3 has received an updated suspension that features a pillow-ball front upright for maximum steering and durability. Refined 16mm Big Bore hard-anodized aluminium threaded shocks and 3.5mm alloy shock shafts provide plush suspension travel, while precision universal drive shafts front and rear keep suspension travel free through the entire stroke.

Tamiya have introduced the Racing Fighter 1/10th scale 2WD entry level buggy. A facelift of the Neo Fighter, the vehicle, based on the DT-03 chassis, features a long travel double wishbone suspension, oil-filled shock absorbers, a gear differential as well as a new polycarbonate bodyshell. The easy-to-build kit is rounded out by front rib and rear pin tyres on black rims.

Coming from Futaba is the S9372SV high-voltage standard size servo. Developed with 1/8th competition racing in mind, the servo features tough titanium gears, dual ball bearings, a torque of up to 24.6kg-cm and a speed of 0.06s while it is also programmable, with many different, adjustable parameter settings. With the S-Link servo programming software, users can customise servo travel, torque and smoothness to satisfy any application or personal preference.