Horizon Hobby Blade MQX Micro Quad-Copter

BLADE MQX

Here is a great review for all interested in the new Blade MQX Quad-Copter. I will be posting some additional pic's when I receive mine.

For now check out the review from RCGroup.com MQX Review

A Must Have Racer

Kyosho has done it again; and it is awesome!

Mini-z Moto

Kyosho America

Source - Kyoshosan

Mini-z to Slot car conversion!

So I was reading my RC feeds in Google reader the other day and my to my surprise up pops a post on a Mini-z to Slot car conversion I did last year; LOL!

I don't remember where I posted it but someone likes it. Do I get a royalty for that.........


http://kyoshosan.blogspot.com/2012/01/mini-z-mr-02-slot-conversion.html


Source - Kyoshosan

New Racer DXR-500

The Duratrax DXR-500 is one of the latest entries into to the RC Bike market and it looks great. This bike is based on the Anderson Racing M5 on-road bike, a unique feature is the rear-wheel gyro which is not common in the on-road bike segment. I am tempted to purchase one to see if it is the real deal or just a basher?

From Duratrax:

Lean in and lay on the throttle. . .

Whether you're battling for racing position or just barreling down the road, the DXR500 on-road motorcycle is easy to drive. An ingenious flywheel gyro holds the bike upright at low speeds and through turns, so you can start slow — and gradually build the skills for full-throttle fun.

• Factory-assembled and generously equipped — just add a battery and charger.
• Includes a 3800kV brushless motor, 75A brushless ESC and Tactic™ 2.4GHz radio system.
• Factory-finished, race-inspired body and driver — available in 4 colors.
• Great for both new and experienced drivers!

DTXD04**
Length: 16.75 in (425 mm)
Width: 4.25 in (110 mm)
Height: 11 in (280 mm)
RTR Weight: 5.5 lb (2.5 kg)
Requires: 7.2V NiCd/NiMH or 7.4V LiPo battery & charger

Hold the press....... an option bike is also available and it looks track ready!

Finally Got My Motorcycle...

THE GPV-1

As a kid I always wanted to ride motorcycles and I have been obsessed with motor sports in general, F1, MotoGP, and NASCAR and so on; anything with a motor and wheels has my attention. The short version of the story is I did have an opportunity to ride dirt bikes when I was younger, it was for a summer and that was it. So when I saw the Venom GPV-1 it was love at first sight and I had to have one.

I have been in RC for quite some time mostly in the traditional forms of it like off road, touring cars and air planes. RC bikes are new to me and very interesting as to their scale details compared to the 1:1 version. After much research and forum surfing I ordered the GPV-1 last October; I know it is almost October again and I am now writing this...

Ok, when I ordered this bike I know the stock electronics weren't going to cut it so I ordered the Team Novak Mongoose Brushless System and a Venom 2S Lipo battery pack. This setup was selected to keep current with today's RC trends for run-time; low maintenance and I have always had success using Team Novak systems throughout the years. Racing the GPV-1 is not in the cards as there is no organized racing series (or tracks for that matter) in NY for RC bikes, so this will be strictly for the parking lot. 

Testing - Sunny & 70 deg:

Since this is my first opportunity to sample the GPV-1, I am convinced that going brushless was the right move, what a bike it accelerates like a missile with the Novak system. On my second battery pack I made a few adjustments and it was a much better session.

The bike accelerates nice and smooth (after making a few radio adjustments expo, endpoints, throttle speed), and the Novak system is “SWEET” (did I mention this already). The first adjustments were thicker shock oil and 1+ mm of droop. The rear end settled down nicely with more grip in and out of the corners.

The front end has been my challenge; trying the track strait lead to a few adjustments on the steering-link springs. After finding the sweet spot, I gained a much better feel coming off the corner onto the straits. My test track was a clean blacktop with corner dots to make nice infield with two sweeping corners (I should have mentioned this first).

The only downside was changing the battery pack for the next run; "too much work Venom". So since I has the bodywork off I decided to make a rake adjustment to 64 deg. This setup proofed to be great on the sweepers but a little slow on the infield left and right turns.

Overall I am happy with the GPV-1's performance and the fun I had, it brought back that first time RC feeling and "I like that".


My addition for RC bikes is growing and I don't want it to end!

    

STRC Slash Conversion, is it a winner?

STRC

This entry is for the STRC Slash 2WD conversion kit and it is sweet. I received and installed this kit last October and the installation is easy.


Here's what you need for the conversion:


Slash 2WD Kit (you should have this already)
STRC Conversion
Rustler Lower Chassis
Rustler Upper Chassis
Rustler Battery Hold-Down

With the above you have every thing you need to complete this conversion, STRC also has detailed instructions on their site. I am very impressed with this kit and I recommend anyone racing their Slash in stock class and looking to move into the modified class, give this kit a serious look as it is a winner in my opinion.

From the first pull of the throttle the chassis rolls out low and smooth, ready to attack the track. Jumping with this new chassis setup is also much improved over the stock setup as it flies level and is very responsive to your throttle input while in the air. I was able to get a full hour session on track with this kit and what a difference, there is no comparison to the stock Slash at all. Everyone at the track was was impressed with the quality, fit, finish and drive ability of this conversion. One top racer said "it handles like a pro kit" and to be honest, "I think so too". 

Here are some photos:

So whether you are racing on track or bashing around the backyard, do not hesitate to give this kit a try as it will take your stock Slash and make it a precision machine!

Traxxas goes LIPO

Traxxas has just released a new line of LIPO batteries to compliment their product line. The new LIPO cells will be available in 2-cell (2S) and 3-cell (3S) configurations and a wide range of capacities.

The batteries will come with the new TRX high current connectors and 12awg wire. The one thing i like is that they include a standard JTS plug for balancing your cells. Traxxas has test fitted these cells to their line of vehicles so the question of "will it fit my car" can be answered using their handy battery selector on their website.Traxxas has truly revolutionized the RC industry for the better and these new cells come with the Traxxas lifetime battery exchange program; now that is sweet.

I will post a review on these new batteries when they are available at my local hobby shop, in the meantime if you have these cells please do  not hesitate to post your thoughts...

The New Solar Middlemen - BusinessWeek

The New Solar Middlemen - BusinessWeek

The next step into the way business is getting done in our new world...

Cannondale SuperSix HI-MOD

Cannondale

Sweet bike, check out the vid...

The Google Cr-48

My new life in the cloud!

When I arrived home on Friday there was a pleasant surprise waiting on my door step. Upon opening the box I found my new Google Cr-48. A big surprise for me because as of Tuesday when I received the email that I was eligible for one, I thought it would be a long shot for me to receive one!

So there are a few un-boxing and first impression reviews already on the web so I won't bore you with those details. I could not wait to fire this thing up and start kicking the tires to see for myself how living solely in the cloud would be.

Setup:

So once I installed the battery and opened the lid the Cr-48 started right up and prompt me to setup my network connection, as easy as one, two, three. Then the login screen for my Google account info was next, the Cr-48 has a webcam built in and it opened to take my account picture (wasn't ready for that at all).

The system then downloads the latest updated for Chrome, once complete you are in the cloud!

First impressions:

After the setup was complete and I was online it was seamless working with Chrome; sort of like talking to an old friend. I was able to pick out a few things that seemed strange and cool to me and many others as well.

1. The touch pad - looks like an apple touch pad and works similar but the right-click option take a little getting use to as well as left-clicking and dragging.

• Right-click is using two fingers to tap on the touch pad and it doesn't always work when you want it to. This feature works best as you are working and not thinking about it which comes in pretty quick once you are flowing.
• Left-click works two way, 1. pressing the touch pad or 2. one tap on the touch pad. Left-click and dragging takes some getting use to as you need both fingers to accomplish this task.

I found myself again familiar with the touch pad once I stated to flow with my work and not thinking about what to do. I also plugged in a USB wireless mouse which the system recognized but no on screen prompt as with most conventional systems. The wireless mouse setup will work best for most.

2. At the top of the keyboard the traditional F1-F12 keys are gone and replaced with the cloud browser controls; I like this feature and seems right for this cloud computer.

3. Shutting the the Cr-48 is also a strange and cool feature. When you press and hold the power the screen shrinks and signs out to the login screen, press and hold again and the system shuts down. By closing the lid of the Cr-48 the system goes to sleep and once you open it again it wakes up immediately continuing where you left off.

So far I am impressed and like the new Chrome OS but it does take some getting use to being in the browser 100% of the time. I found myself looking to close the browser when I was finished working but no need to.

I believe that most people will like this system as many of us use the web 100% of the time when we are on a computer for personal use. I know all of my non-browser application use is done at work and after work I favor working with Google docs and Office live so this system works for me.

This is my first report of many to come as I get more engrossed with Chrome OS and the App store. I already sent Google a feedback list of six item I think will help improve some ares of this system.

http://www.google.com/chromebook/