VERY interesting subject - and one that is very near and dear to my heart.
Like everyone, I have a theory on why the SC trucks are so popular - and it's a two bladedd sword.
(a) They look realistic and drive very much like their full scale counterparts on TV. IF you go back to the roots of our hobby/sport/addiction (pick one!), early r/c builders went to great lengths to create vehicles that LOOKED like something that was actually being raced. As we entered the mid '80s, function began to over run form and the r/c worrld of 3 years ago was the result. Vehicles that really didn't resemble the 'real world' too much. Traxxas introduced the Slash and began to generate some numbers and from that point, IT WAS ON! And to this day, Traxxas is the king of cross promotion of our hobby to those who follow full scale short course racing. PLUS, they are resourcefull enough to drag product and create tracks in the same enviornment as the full scale vehicles that they emulate. DO people make $200 - $300 'impulse purchases' in these times?? Traxxas would NOT be going to this much trouble if they didn't, now would they?
The same 'realistic' approach is driving a number of other types of racing/vehicles too. VTA is getting bigger by the month - why? They look real and drive closer to scale speeds and don't require the 'technology' of traditional sedans.
(b) They're relatively inexpensive and are durable. With full bodies and rugged construction they don't require a lot of maintenance and therefore can produce more track/bashing time. In some cases, they are competitive right out of the box!
Now, fast forward to 05/11 - and look what's on the Horizon (yes, pun intended):
NOW, this will probably have a HUGE effect on folks who want to race buggy - in a realistic sort of way!
For those who don't know, most parts are shared with the XXX-SCT and are currently available (or as available as any parts are right now). I will be most interested to see a couple of things with the SCB - # 1 is will it spawn imitators???? # 2 Will it be popular??? There was a LOT of talk about it when it was announced several months ago (when the traditional indoor season was still in full swing) but there hasn't been a lot of talk (that I've read/heard/seen) as the release gets closer.
Am I on board? You betcha'!!!! WHY??? I like realism and have lotsa wheels and tires that will work just fine on it!
How will it impact the 'traditional' buggy class??? It will be interesting to see. I know that from my perspective, 1/10th scale buggies tend to be a bit finicky, a bit hard to drive when not set up perfectly and somewhat fragile (when compared to SC trucks). My thought is that it will probably spawn another class in a many parts of the country - at the expense of what? Traditional buggy??? Could be, the folk who populate the B & below mains may look at this as a whole new class; one which isn't populated by sponsored and heavily funded drivers. One that they can be competitive at a lower cost and a lower level of technology....
Agree or not, it's going to be an interesting racing season for the balance of 2011!
