The List – November 2014

Welcome to the November edition of The List. This month’s cool-factor award includes the Team Associated ESS Engine Sound System, the Integy Billet Machined 6X6 High-Mobility Off-Road Truck, Yeah Racing’s Long-Span Suspension kit for the Tamiya M05/M06, HPI Racing’s Q32 Baja Buggy and Axial Racing’s Yeti in kit form. Ok, let’s get to it.

1. Team Associated ESS Engine Sound System
While not the first sound system to hit the market (Traxxas Audio was the first), the Team Associated ESS system offers a lot more in the way of functionality and adjustability. This programmable system lets you choose one of 25 different engine sounds as well as over 20 auxiliary sounds (horns, sirens, etc). On top of that, it comes as a full Plug and Play system; all you have to do is mount the box in your car and plug it in! With a footprint of only 3.9″x1.88″, it is easily mounted in almost any 1/10+ size RC car. I’ll have my hands on one of these in the next week or so and will test it in my Rally, SC and even my crawler!
Read more about it here: Team Associated ESS-One Engine Sound System
Link: www.RC10.com

2. Integy Billet Machined 6X6 7T GL High-Mobility Off-Road Truck
There are quite a few scale vehicles out there right now, but nothing comes close to the absolute bad-ass-ness of the Integy 6×6 7T GL High-Mobility Offroad Truck. At first glance, you’re probably like me and just about drooled on the keyboard looking at this thing. Besides being almost 100% billet aluminum in construction, the 6×6 7T also features cool things like working LED lights, a functional winch, full-metal cab and cargo bed with working tailgate, alloy step rails, skidplates and bumpers, full bearings, an alloy transmission with metal gears and a oil-filled dampers … and that’s just a short list. I’m looking at getting one just for the fact that it looks like a go-anywhere machine that and, being almost full billet, should be able to tackle almost any terrain. Love it!
Read more about it here: Integy Billet Machined 6X6 7T GL High-Mobility Off-Road Truck
Link: www.Integy.com

3. Yeah Racing Tamiya M05-M06 Long Span Suspension Kit
The Tamiya M05/M06 Minis have been out for quite some time. While fun little cars, the handling has much to be desired. The main focus of the handling revolves around the tires and not the actually suspension … until now. Yeah Racing has released a long-span suspension kit that turns the suspension into what you see on competition, 1/10th scale touring cars. The width stays the same, however the length of the arm is longer. In addition to new arms, you also get new steering and caster blocks, new rear hubs, turnbuckles, hinge pins and a host of new hardware. It’s currently only available in blue, but keep an eye out for a few other colors as it’s popularity rises. I haven’t tried this new system yet but one is on the way and I’ll be sure to keep you posted on how this new suspension system works.
Read more about it here: Yeah Racing Aluminum Long-Span Suspension And Performance Upgrade Kit for Tamiya M05/M06
Link: www.YeahRacing.com

4. HPI Q32 Baja Buggy
HPI has developed some of the most popular vehicles on the planet; the Savage, the Baja and even the Pro series of touring cars. Now HPI is looking at putting a super affordable micro-sized buggy on the market, the Q32 Baja. Designed to look like their 1/5 scale gasoline beast, the Q32 is a 1/32 scale 2WD buggy that should put a smile on the faces of everyone from seasoned drivers to the first timer. It comes with a 2.4GHz radio, a folding cardboard jump and a few road dots, allowing you to make a course pretty much anywhere you want to. A buddy of mine asked about this car for his two young sons and, while I haven’t played with one yet, I can’t imagine it not being a blast! One of the high points is the Q32’s “Real Steer” function, meaning even though it’s super small, it’s still uses a fully proportional steering system. I smell a perfect stocking stuffer!
Read more about it here: HPI Baja Q32 1/32 Scale 2WD Buggy
Link: www.HPIRacing.com

5. Axial Yeti Kit
I’ve not been a huge fan of RTR’s simply because if something breaks (or you need to replace something), it’s always a chore figuring out how to pull them apart the most efficient way. Thankfully, Axial has released a kit version of their Axial Yeti! This will allow me to build it from the ground up, learning how it goes together (and comes apart), and also allows me to stuff whatever electronics I want into it! Because of that (and the fact that the Yeti is pretty cool to begin with), it’s makes the final spot in my Top 5 of November 2014!
Read more about it here: Axial Yeti Rock Racer Kit
Link: www.AxialRacing.com