Latrax and Traxxas's motivation for bringing it back part 1

Well there has been a lot of chatter about the new Traxxas brand Latrax and there LaTrax Rally – 1/18 Scale 4WD Rally Car and the purpose of this new brand is pretty well summed up on the about Latrax page.http://latrax.com/about.htm

Now the important part to me of this mission statement if you will is this : 

Today, LaTrax is powered by Traxxas and is staying true to its heritage by offering fun, high-quality, radio-controlled models that are backed by world-class Traxxas customer support, and priced under $200. LaTrax delivers the perfect combination of great value, leading performance, ease of use, and award-winning support that make radio control fun for everybody.

Now this statement has lead me to wonder if Traxxas is planning to use this line to retire some of the older Traxxas models and rebrand them under the Latrax name as they fit in this category and would be a easy way to fill the lineup. I mean you can't have a RC brand with just one RC.

Now bear with me here some of the vehicles that I think would be retired are some of the most popular RC's of all time but most are some of the oldest RC's still in production today, only being beaten by several tamiya models.

The vehicles I'm referring to are the  Traxxas Bandit , Rustler , Stampede 2wd , and even the Slash 2wd .

Now why do I think these fit in the Latrax lineup: The Xl-5  Bandit currently has a Suggested Sale Price of $199.99 the Rustler XL-5 is currently at $224.99 the Stampede is currently at $229.99 and finally the 2wd Slash XL-5 is suggest at $209.99. A $30 dollar price cut is all that would be required to get them under the $200 price limit and as I count it this would add at least 13 part number to the Latrax vehicle lineup. 

Then comes the question why make a whole brand just to move a few models .Well the simple answer is the most obvious the cars still make a lot of money for the company and as they have a huge following because of their reliability and aftermarket support this makes them the #1 recommendation for the first time hobbyist . All this makes taking them out of production a bad business move even if there replacements are just as good or better there will be public outcry. 

So you're asking yourself why not keep them under the Traxxas name . Well Traxxas has slowly been changing their image over the years and It seems they are taking new technology and racing more seriously  and the big 3 don't really fit in to this  image well . Now I'm not saying  any of their other cars are top of the line race machines but most are or were at the top of their Category . 

Now to those of you who disagree about the taking Racing seriously all I can say is just look at the LCG Slash 4x4 conversion kit . If they didn't care about racing it wouldn't exist let alone the Slash 4X4 Ultimate or the Slash 4x4 platinum edition Granted they may not be the top of the line racer but they are competitive.

Now if nothing else you should be able to admit Traxxas has always kept themselves

in the spotlight or right at the edge of it and its always been a mixture of  innovative / inventive products that have kept them there . 3 new vehicles from traxxas would be a huge deal 

I really do mean every word I have Typed hear as I love Traxxas and I really do see this as possible direction and motivation for Traxxas to bring this brand back .

So if you have read this far I'm sure you are wondering what I think the replacements may be .

All I feel I can predict on this matter is that the Stadium truck would probably be based loosely on the Traxxas Jato  as most of suspension would already be in production and the front bulkhead would be easy to adapt. A replacement for the slash would probably be similar but with a stretched chassis and new control arms .For a 2wd buggy I could see using the jato front bulkhead with new control arm found all the way around and new shock towers . As Losi has brought aluminum chassis back to 1/10 2wd racing I could see Traxxas implementing one also on the new models . When it comes to the Transmission I don't claim to  know what they might do but i would like to see quick differential removal like the Jato has as I think that would be a nice addition .

Now on the new vehicles I don't see brushed power at all . I see a RTR Vxl brushless powered trucks and buggies and hopefully some highly optioned rollers similar to the Slash 4X4 Platinum Edition some time after the RTR releases.

Granted they have always specialized in RTR models in the early years they were also successful at producing competitive off road racers . Can you imagine if Traxxas had a win in a Nationals championship today with a buggy or stadium truck . It would probably be the biggest news of the year . If you want a small history lesson and to look at some of the old Traxxas ads referencing different wins follow this link.http://www.rc10talk.com    

Now you're thinking I left the Stampede out and to be honest I'm not sure they would add a new 2wd monster truck. To me a 2wd monster truck is a beginner RC and it really wouldn't fit into the Traxxas line up any more as the remaining Vehicles would be targeted at the more experienced Hobbyist. Think of it as a Latrax would be your first car and a Traxxas would be your second or Third car. 

Tires for your 1/16th scale ZD Racing RC trucks and buggies

Well This post was inspired by a person who asked me a question on ebay about whether I had any tires for the 1/16 RC cars for sale . Since I have put all of mine to use I decided to pass on some places to get tires cuz well im a nice guy and I'm going to pass this on to you as well .


Ok tires for the MT and Truggy.

http://www.amainhobbies.com at the time of this writing has a few of the stock rims and tires left.

Monster Truck Wheel 6107
Truggy Wheel 6113

Tire Set Monster Truck 6106
Tire Set Truggy 6112



                                                                                                                                                                   

http://www.gotnitroonline.com/ has lots of compatable parts.

Wheels White 2pcs 32150

Truggy 1/16th Scale Tires 32160

Truggy Tire Set Mounted 1/16th Scale 33186










White Rear Dish Wheels (Rims) 2 pcs 30734W

White Front Dish Wheels (Rims) 2 pcs 30732W

Vulcan, Photon Yellow Front Dish Wheels (Rims) 2 pcs 30732Y

Yellow Rear Dish Wheels (Rims) 2 pcs 30734Y

Vulcan Photon Rear Tires 2 pcs 30737

Front Tires 2 pcs 30731



Rear Tires Mounted on Rims for Buggy 1 16th Scale B1036
   
Front Buggy Tires Mounted 1/16th Scale Buggys B1035

Front Tires 2 pcs 30731



                                                                                                                                                                   

Hobbyking.com also has sever compatable parts

monster beetle tires

monster beetle rims

1/16 buggy front tire
1/16 buggy rear tire

1/16 front buggy wheels yellow
1/16 rear buggy wheels yellow

1/16 front buggy wheels white
1/16 rear buggy wheels white

Well one more Item for the list of stuff I would buy right off the bat for a RC10B4

Well RPM just announced a new product for the RC10b4 SERIES of Team Associated buggies and its Just in time for me to put it on my list of things to buy IF I BuY a RC10B4.2RS that is .

Here's a link to it on there web page


Here is there description 


B4, B4.1 & B4.2 Front A-arms & Bulkhead
RPM A-arms for the Associated B4, B4.1 & B4.2 were designed to solve several customer-related complaints about the stock A-arms. Foremost is durability. Our B4 front A-arms are designed to withstand some serious abuse! We’ve redesigned the entire front end, replacing the stock front bulkhead with a version that helps spread impact forces over a larger area at the inner hinge pin mounts. RPM front A-arms are wider at the inner hinge pin by nearly 3/16” without altering suspension geometry.
We also focused on the hinge pin retaining system used on the stock A-arms. Using a small screw hole so close to the hinge pin like the stock arms do creates structural weaknesses. We moved the hinge pin retaining screws in-line with the hinge pins, significantly strengthening our A-arms in the process. By eliminating the smaller 2-56 hinge pin retaining screws, we’ve also eliminated the problem of the hinge pins falling out due to varying screw head diameters.

Our final focus was on slop elimination. Our strict quality control allows us to tighten up all of our tolerances without fear of binding the suspension system. The final result: a smooth, free moving suspension system with minimal slop. Our tighter tolerances on our A-arms allows other critical adjustments such as camber and toe angles to be much more consistent, which provides better and more consistent control of the B4.

RPM B4 A-arms come with all necessary mounting hardware and instructions. RPM B4 A-arms are sold in pairs and include the front bulkhead.

Tech Notes: RPM B4 Front A-arms require the use of the bulkhead we supply in the kit. Stock or any other aftermarket bulkheads will not work with RPM A-arms.

73732

Front A-arms & Bulkhead for the B4, B4.1 & B4.2 - Available 07.31.13

Suggested Retail
$14.95 pair w/ bulkhead


hehehe

The list I posted

Now the list a couple postt before this may lead some to think that this is exactly what I would do but thats not entirely true as I have said before I haven't really  raced before and I don't know If I would really like it . So in reality I probably would not end up placing that order to hobbyking for at least a little while as I don't have a instant need for a new brushless system . I do have a sensorless system and even though it isn't as smooth as a censored system it will still get me around the track fast enough to be competitive.I also have a couple servos that would be overkill or just good enough so I don't need one immediately    The Tower hobby order would be just like I showed it. A few parts to tune and a few durability upgrades to save me money down the road . Now one kink is that Rpm has added a new product that will be on list now and I'm sure if I placed this order something else new will come to the market with in a day or 2 but thats the way it works.