› Starting Line
IT’S RARE THAT SOMETHING TRULY NEW IS INVENTED. Like, really new. A thing that never existed before in any way, that you can’t describe a version of something that already exists. For example, try to imagine a new flavor that is not on the spectrum of salty, sweet, sour, or bitter (or umami for you foodies). Or a new, never-before-seen color that cannot be described as some blend of red, yellow, or blue. If you can, you’re probably not from this planet. 99.9% of the time, anything new in the world is really a remix of something that came before, and that’s certainly true of new RC cars, wherein the latest design can always be described as some breed of car/truck/tank/boat and is likely to have at least a few parts that have been used on other models for years (which is fine, FYI).
What got me thinking about this was the short-course and stadium-truck comparison sidebar in this issue’s guide, and the Axial Dragbolt project. Short-course trucks are really just stretched and redressed stadium trucks, but that didn’t stop short-course trucks from exploding as a huge category. As some of you already know (because you’ve built them), installing monster-truck tires on a short-course truck makes for a highly entertaining, ultrabashable off-roader; Pro-line even offers the Monster Fusion body just for these hybrids. Monster-shortcourse could be a thing—should be a thing, really. Those trucks are fun. Imagine Traxxas, Losi, Arrma, or your favorite brand going beyond a tire and body swap to really optimize a “monster short-course” platform. I could get into that remix.
On the Deadbolt front, seeing the crawler platform slammed and streetified was entertaining, and got me thinking about how much solid-axle trail-truck chassis are constructed like traditional body-on-frame chassis before unibodies took over—think ’32 Fords and every other type of ’50–’60s roadster ’rods. Would you be into a realistic deuce coupe that builds just like the full-size version? Complete with a multipiece decorative engine to hide the motor? Imagine being able to choose a flathead or nailhead Ford, Chevy small block, or [insert your favorite]. And there would be wheel and tire options galore, of course, from ’50s-style skinnies and whitewalls to tall-sidewall slicks and flattop steamrollers. I’d love to see that happen.