Review: HPI Baja 5SC

In 2006, HPI wowed the world with the release of the Baja 5B. This big ol’ girl was the first 1/5 scale, mass produced gas-powered buggy to be successful in the US. In 2008, HPI released yet another Baja; the 5T. This truck incorporated quite a few upgrades including a powerful 26cc engine, bigger tires and a sick-looking truck body. Jump forward to present and HPI has stepped it up once more, creating yet another Baja vehicle wrapped in the skin of the uber-popular short course truck. Is this the beginning of a new, hot 1/5 scale class? My Magic 8-ball is saying “Without a doubt!”

WHO MAKES IT: HPI
WHO IT’S FOR: Everyone
HOW FAST: 40.71mph
HOW MUCH: $1,340
BUILD TYPE: RTR
VEHICLE TYPE: 1/5-scale 2WD short course truck

THE BOTTOM LINE
If you’ve been looking to get into big scale, the SC version of the awesome Baja is the way to go!

NEED TO KNOW
• Even though most of the underpinnings on the 5SC are the same, this Baja has been given a completely new visual identity. The body is much larger than the 5T’s with the fenders extending over the front and rear tires. The front bumper is now more of a short course style, while the rear is large and extends the entire width of the truck. HPI even included a cool set of mudflaps!

• A full set of Hot Bodies new Rodeoo tires are included with the 5SC. These sticky compound tires have an aggressive tread pattern that adds a ton of traction to both ends of the truck. They are mounted on a sharp-looking set of HPI’s new TR-10 wheels that are interchangeable with the current 5T wheels. The heavy duty beadlock rings remain unchanged.

• The 5SC’s suspension is also carried over from the 5T. Thick, molded upper and lower suspension arms swing from all four corners and are held up by HPI’s long-stroke, WC/HD threaded shocks. Aluminum arm-mount plates not only provide a durable platform, but are interchangeable with current Baja tuning plates.

• The rear hubs have been updated from the intricate multi-piece design to a single, molded piece. These hubs are more accurate and they remove the enormous amounts of flex that the previous versions had.

• The front wheel hubs were assembled using a large e-clip to keep the axle in place. That design made for a pretty delicate part, so HPI did their research and modeled a new hub that utilizes a screw and nut design. This removes any reliability issues the front of the truck might have had!

PROS & CONS
+ Killer looking short course body
+ High-traction HB Rodeoo Short Course Tires and new TR-10 wheels
+ Powerful (and torque) 26cc engine
+ Realistic front and rear short course bumpers with mud flaps
+ One-piece rear hubs takes a lot of the flex (and complexity) out of the rear end
+ Heavy duty drive shafts, diff shafts and drive axles

– Fully-enclosed truck body tends to kick all the mud and dirt into the chassis
– Hard and cumbersome to carry

DESIGN ANALYSIS
1. HPI kept the balance of the truck pretty spot on. All the electronics, fuel tank and motor are mounted down the center of the chassis and as flat as they can be. This helps squeeze every bit of performance out of a vehicle this size.

2. The 5SC comes with HPI’s powerful Fuelie 26cc engine. This gas-powered 2-stroker is capable of pushing the 5SC to speeds over 40mph in stock form! That’s pretty impressive for a 30 lb. vehicle.

3. Lots of power typically means lots of drivetrain failures, but HPI has given the 5SC an all metal gear transmission complete with a alloy-cased, viscous torque differential. This is a proven gearbox, as I’ve run this gearbox in my 5B and 5T for quite some time now.

4. A large, 700cc fuel tank will easily feed the thirsty Fuelie for approximately 45 minutes. During a test session, we got about 52 minutes on the tank until it completely died.

5. As with all the Baja vehicles, the 5SC comes with a sealed radio box that helps keep all the debris out. Nestled inside the radio box is the 2.4GHz receiver and 3000mAh NiMh rechargeable receiver pack. A separate charging lead extends to the top of the radio box for charging purposes.

6. While the 5SC is now a full-bodied truck, the full-length dirt guards are even more important. These guards help deflect dirt, water, rocks and mud from entering the chassis and creating a rolling flower bed.

PERFORMANCE
Test Condition: Wet track, dry track

STEERING: Understeer
The steering on the 5SC is very similar to the 5T: it’s a bit pushy on initial turn in, but carves a good corner coming out. Most of this is the immense weight of the truck overpowering the tires, servo and stock suspension. The new Rodeoo tires do a much better job of getting the 5SC around the track than the older Dirtbuster tires, but a little tweaking on the suspension is needed to really get this behemoth to actually turn. I tightened up the servo saver a bit and adjusted the front caster (using the easy-to-adjust front clips system) and the 5SC did hold a line better at higher speeds. At low speeds, the 5SC is wonderful, in the wet and the dry.

ACCELERATION: Very Good
The one thing, in my opinion, that the 5T needed was a better set of stock kicks to dig into the ground when the big 26cc engine came to life. The addition of the Rodeoo tires helped harness the power and allowed me to get to full throttle much quicker. This allowed me to jump farther (turning certain singles in double-jumps), and gain more speed down the straights. It’s a nice change to actually pull the throttle and not worry (too much) about doing donuts!

BRAKING: Very Good
Nothing has changed in the braking department with the 5SC. It still uses the standard dual disc system attached to the transmissions output shaft. It does a great job of slowing the 5SC down, and is adjusted by tightening or loosening the thumbscrew. The soft compound Rodeoos help keep the truck under control, but it still gets a little sketchy when trying to brake hard at higher speeds.

SUSPENSION: Very Good
In stock form, the 5SC suspension does a great job of soaking up almost any terrain you drive it on. Being as big as it is, there’s not much that will stop it, and it’s actually quite fun watching the big suspension parts doing their job over some pretty bumpy terrain! For track use, however, you’ll want to work a little with the shocks to really bring the performance out. While there’s not a lot of tuning options, the main ingredients are there to get the 5SC that much closer to your driving style.

JUMPING: Excellent
If it’s one thing about the Bajas, they like their hang time! Give it some go and head for the jumps and the Baja will gladly perform. Be aware, however, that as the body is now quite a bit larger than the 5T, it does sometimes act like a giant sail, catching air and causing some spectacular crashes. Learn to jump with the nose level (or down) and the 5SC will soar like an eagle. Even the landings are less-than dramatic thanks to the well-designed suspension.

DURABILITY: Excellent
On the day of the test, the track had been covered in quite a bit of mud from a previous rain storm (yes, it DOES rain in California, kinda).

SPECS & TUNING OPTIONS
DIMENSIONS
LENGTH: 14 in. (900mm)
WIDTH: 7.3 in. (440mm front,460mm rear)
WHEELBASE: 8.1 in. (570mm)
WEIGHT: 34 oz. (964g) 27.9lb

SUSPENSION:
• Shock position— F: 1 hole on tower, 1 on suspension arm, R: 2 holes in tower, 1 on suspension arm
• Toe—F: turnbuckles, R: replaceable rear hubs
• Camber (F&R)— turnbuckles
• Caster—clips on front upper hinge pin

DRIVETRAIN
• Diff stiffness— grease or silicone diff fluids

MAINTENANCE AND TUNING TIPS
• Check the inside of all 4 tires after every run. Dirt and mud can get caked in the backside of the wheels and throw off their balance.
• I recommend putting the batteries in the front position, to help keep the front end down and get it to steer just a tad better.
• It’s a good idea to check your pullstart for debris every so often. It’s an even better idea to get a cover, like the one from Outerwears, to just keep that debris out.
• As the 5SC weighs so much, there’s a lot of stress on the tires when it drives through the corners. Check the beadlocks after every run to make sure they’re still holding strong.

THE LAST WORD
Before its official release, I saw a few photos of the 5SC but was a little unsure that the market would be ready for another Baja that didn’t have a full makeover. Boy was I wrong. This is, in my opinion, how the 5T should have looked in the first place. Tubular bumpers, key upgraded parts, tons of power and a proper Short Course body make it a no-brainer if you are looking to get into the 1:5 scale scene.

LINKS
HPI, hpiracing.com, (888) 349-4474
Kraken RC, krakenrc.com
PowerMaster, powermasterfuels.com, 210-635-7755