Meatball Racing

Radio Control Blog

Body painting inspiration

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When I first registered MeatballRacing.com in 2006, I had an idea to write a post called “Ban the Stratus” – here’s an excerpt:

For a while the Dodge Stratus seemed to be the body of choice for 1/10th scale radio controlled touring cars. It is the body that every company makes that all R/C racing sanctioning bodies approve of. While many racers have recently sought alternatives, I will not be happy until the Stratus is gone entirely.

To quote one rulebook: “Bodies used in ROAR-sanctioned events must resemble vehicles used in full scale racing for the type of event being conducted.” But you’re more likely to be hit by a Stratus in a car crash than you would see one on an actual race track. If everyone’s going use the Status body, why not paint them faded Chrysler burgundy and require torn cloth interiors, as they’re seen in full scale?

There are several other sedans that could be approved by racing bodies that are actual race cars, why not them? Admittedly, I must give props to those racers who have already switched to the Mazda6 body, which can be seen in the Speed World Challenge Touring Car series.

Bleh, I’m glad it’s gone! That’s why I like the Vintage Trans-Am (VTA) and USGT racing series. I want to see race cars like this:

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Left Handed RC Transmitters

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My daughter is left handed and she also loves to drive R/C cars with dad and her brother. To make sure she has a good experience, she needs the appropriate tool – a proper left handed RC transmitter. I’ve seen several lefties use standard right-handed transmitters. They hold the grip in their right hand to work the trigger, and the steering wheel faces away, so they reach around the front to work the steering with their left hand.

My left-handed daughter instinctively did just this with a normal transmitter (Tx). Even at only 5 years old, her brain told her to steer with her dominant hand. While it works for many, it’s unfortunate. Left-handed transmitters are not widely available for people entering the hobby, so they try to make it work with a right-handed Tx. By the time they can afford a model that can be converted to left-handed, they’ve already gotten used to contorting themselves, so what should seem natural feels strange.
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How to marshall

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Marshalling

To ceremoniously guide, conduct or usher.

In R/C club racing, similar to 1:1 scale club racing, the drivers must also help as a corner marshal after they race. This means helping out cars that get stuck, crash, or flip so they can continue their race. It’s a dance as you help crashed cars while other cars are still racing on the track. I’ve picked up a couple of tricks here and that help me – and maybe they can help you be more adept at marshalling. And since every driver is also a track marshal – there’s a section for drivers too. You should read both. 😎

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Short Course Trucks – decidedly not obsolete

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Introduced as the Traxxas Slash in 2008, 10 years later many racers are asking, “Is it dead yet?” Check out this recent episode of Radio Impound Podcast. The chatter about Team Associated’s new releases start at the 19:30 mark and you’ll hear them ask about the Associated SC6.1, “Isn’t it that class obsolete yet?”

Short Course Truck

Also known as SCT, Short Course Truck is going to be a mainstay class. I’m talking about the staying power of something like 1/10 scale buggy, which has been around for multiple decades. SCT has already stood one decade, and it will continue the trend. Let me explain… In a sea of increasing costs to get into the hobby, anyone can get into off-road racing for around $200. When others are spending $1000 to get into racing, I was looking at getting into on-road for half of the cost. But how does getting into off-road at 1/4 of the cost sound?

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200mm TC6

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I did this mod to my TC6.1 because it’s a dedicated VTA racer. To be honest, 99% of the people out there racing VTA are using 190mm touring car chassis’. However they’re all also running 200mm bodies on them, which can sometimes look a little weird with the wheels tucked way up underneath.

Many of the 200mm VTA bodies that we use today were created by HPI in the early 2000s before the USVTA series existed. They were originally intended to be used with their RS4 chassis which included settings for both 190mm touring car bodies (The chassis actually measured 180mm), and 200mm for their wider bodies. The rear vintage wheels and tires have an offset so the 200mm bodies don’t look too bad on a 190mm chassis. But a select few bodies like the ’70 Charger and ’68 Camaro have an extra-wide 210mm rear. This is when the wheels tucked under look a little silly. Let’s fix that…

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