Quick Look at Team Associated’s New SC10B

Last week I was over at Team Associated and had a chance to drive their new SC10B on the track. As suspected, this new buggy handles alot like their SC10 but without the dreaded kiting effect of a Short Course body. The first few laps were all about learning the buggy and the track, but after that it pedal-to-the-metal. I was able to drive it pretty hard and never really felt like it was out of control. The buggy comes with a set of new, narrow front tires and wheels that are similar in design to the SC10’s stock kicks, and the A-Team has included a set of JConcepts Subcultures on the rear. This is a great combo on the SC10B and really allowed me to man handle it around the track. The steering response was surprisingly quick witht he S1903MG XP steering servo, a testament to the grip of the new front tires. Never once did the buggy feel out of control though, and I attribute that to the grippy rear tires.

Power comes from AE’s waterproof XP SC700BL ESC and Reedy 3300kV brushless motor. The SC10B I ran had one of the Reedy WolfPacks in it and it was plenty fast for the track we were on. I was able to clear the huge jump in front of the driver’s stand each time, even if I didn’t get a good run off the huge berm leading up to it.

After the run, I had a chance to sit down with Rich Spatz, the designer of the SC10B, and pick his brain a little about the car. He told me that almost all of the Factory Team SC10 parts will fit on the B, and that they’re shooting for a $300 price tag. That’s seems pretty reasonable for a truck that already has a proven heritage, comes with brushless/waterproof everything and a great set of tires to boot.

This is going to be a pretty sick addition to the AE lineup, and will definitely give the L-car a run for it’s money. I smell another AE/Losi rivalry a-brewin’! Check out the full review of the SC10B in an upcoming issue of RC Driver Magazine!

Here are some of the feature shots of the new SC10B along with that info:

The SC10B is based on the SC10 chassis and comes fully equipped with racing cage, driver, window nets and new XP 2.4GHz transmitter.

The XP3 SSi 2.4GHz transmitter is included with the SC10B. This system has been in use for quite some time in almost all of AE’s RTR’s and has proven itself to be a great setup.

Now really, how trick does the SC10B look without the bodywork??? The cage on the SC10B is a work of art. Rich told me that the cage was a pretty difficult part to design to make it easy to install and remove but still provide enough durability to protect the rig. The cage is held in place with 2 bodyclips and 2 ‘clips’. To install, you have to line up the body mounts and ‘click’ the cage into place. To remove, place your middle two fingers on the clips (on each side) and, while press in, down and pulling upward on the side bars, press in on the clips. Sounds a bit confusing and was a little difficult the first time, but after doing it 3 or 4 times I got the hang of it. Oh, and don’t forget to take the body clips off first (a bit of an embarrasing moment when I forgot this step – “Hey Rich, your cage doesn’t want to come off”…”Remove the body clips, Tony”. Yah, duh.)

A good look at the cage itself including the lexan driver and flexible window nets.

To help accomodate the new front body panel, the front shocks had to be relocated slightly. This meant the designing of a new front shock tower and suspension arm. Kinking the arm, removing the shock tower riser mount and mounting the shock lower provided excellent steering after the new tower was in play. A new front bumper is also included.

The new front tires are slighly narrower than the stock SC10 tires, as are the wheels. The wheels and tires have been narrowed from the inside, allowing the front track width to remain the same as the SC10. The front tires worked really well and when asked what they would be called, Rich said “the front tires”. I was really hoping for something cool like AE Skinnies or something. As long as they work, I don’t really care what they’re called.

The rear bumper is also new and has been designed to incorporate lexan buggy panels. The bumper ties into the rear tower much like the SC10 bumper, and wraps down and around the motor mount.

The SC10B uses the same chassis as the SC10. The only major difference is the ‘lock’s on the side that help clip in the cage, but thankfully those locks use the same mounting holes as the SC10 side nerf bars. Yes, I did say nerf.

The receiver sits in a nice, waterproof capsule so if you’re feeling the need to run the buggy inclement weather you should be able to without any fear of killing your equipment.

The rear tires are JConcepts Subcultures and are a welcome addition to the SC10B. These tires had incredible grip on our test track and should work good on almost any surface you run. They are a bit on the soft side so repeated runs on asphalt or concrete will probably wear them out pretty quick. Stick to the dirt and you’ll be good.

The molded lexan driver’s seat features a pair of radiators mounted right behind it. No, they’re not real and won’t keep you components cool, but this little bit of added realism, I thought, was pretty cool. The lexan driver figure attahces to the inside of the cage and removes when you remove the cage.

While it may not look like it, this is my ‘WOW I’m having fun’ face. I think. Not sure when this was even taken.