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I love the world of radio control. Every day, something new comes out—new tires, new batteries, new motors … new vehicles! Today is no exception. I started with my usual daily routine: I turn on my laptop, pop open my low-carb energy drink (got to watch those calories), sit down and get ready for the day. Along with the 100 requests to be added to the RC Driver forum (are you signed up yet?), I noticed an email with a subject line of “Spy Image.” It was sent anonymously and had a pretty hefty file attached. I don’t usually open these (for obvious reasons), but this one caught my attention. I decided to flip a coin … heads I open it, tails I delete it. The quarter landed on the floor tails up. Oh, well. Delete.
BUT, what if it was something really cool? So I pulled it out of the trash and opened it anyway. The message read: “Handle with care. Attached file name: xxxx”
Yes, that’s it. Nothing else. I opened the attachment and, as you can see on this page, I’m glad I did. This truck IS cool!
The picture is pretty dark, but with the aid of my state-of-the-art graphic program, I was able to lighten it and gather a few more details about the truck. They’re not dealing with an amateur here! Time to pick this bad boy apart.
At first glance, the mysterious tape job reminded me a lot of how the automotive industry attaches “covers” to their prototype cars during testing. This helps to hide body lines, and it keeps people from knowing whose vehicle it is. This picture was definitely taken by a professional.
The body resembles a CORR-Style (Pro-2 Division) race truck similar to the Slash and SC10. I’ll go out on a limb here and say it will be 1/10-scale. This could mean another entrant to this popular racing class. It appears to have an integrated roll cage, large fender openings and some interesting flaps near the front (possibly front mud flaps). I’m excited to see whether the paint job will be modeled after an existing CORR Race Team or something fresh and new. I’m assuming that the body will probably be released unpainted so you can come up with your own cool race designs.
The wheels have a rough look and seem to still be in the prototype stage; they look very much like a standard CORR-style beadlock racing wheel. I assume they’ll come in silver, black and maybe even chrome. Tires are very hard to see, but I’m sure that their tread pattern and compound will be comparable to what’s available today. From the look of the wheel nuts, it seems as though the wheels might be interchangeable with those of the current CORR-style racing trucks. And, since the front and rear wheel nuts appear to be the same, this brings up the question of 2WD or 4WD! Let’s just take a moment and think about THAT one!
If you look closely (I had to squint), you’ll just faintly see front and rear tubular bumpers—must-haves, judging by the current crop of scale-realism trucks! They look beefy and should help protect the truck during crashes. The mud flaps hanging off the rear bumper are a nice touch and will most likely be made of a flexible material. It’s impossible to tell whether there are any lights or accessories added to the front or rear. I guess we’ll know soon enough!
I’m eager to learn more about this truck. I’m excited that manufacturers see a future in scale realism. And, yes, I will be scouring the Web looking for additional pictures. In fact, since the photo was sent to me, I’m hoping for another email with more photos. Oh, and Mr. Anonymous, I will be waiting for the UPS truck to drop one off, too.
