Saturday, March 29, 2008

Second Time Around....



We had another good run today, with a slightly smaller crowd. The weather held out, and we made the best of it with a few solid hours of driving. Catalyst made the trek out, and we got a chance to check out his tricked out RC10T4 and his soon to be "shelf queen", RC10T3 (Both pictured below, right).


Thanks to those who came out! -Can't wait to do it again!

Stay tuned to the boards for the latest discussion on when and where we will meet next. If you haven't done so already, join the discussion in the forums and share your ideas/suggestions with the group.


For more pics of today's run, click here.

Reminder: Meet-Up Today at 10:00 AM

The weather held out and things look good, so see you all at 10:00AM.

- B-Dog

Friday, March 28, 2008

Confirmed: Meet Up this Saturday (3/29) at 10 AM

With all of the positive feedback from last week's run, we just can't wait to do it again! Assuming the weather holds out and tomorrow is clear, we are full steam ahead for a meet tomorrow morning. You can jot down a 10:00 AM start at Mother's Raceway in your calendar.
As usual, to keep track of the latest news regarding meet-ups, check the boards.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

First Offical Meet Up a Success!!

Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday!! We had a successful first run of mostly casual driving with a turn out of 8 drivers and a few significant others (oh, and 1 dog). Most of the group didn't end up leaving until 3:00, so it was obvious that we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

We learned a few lessons about how we want to tweak the track. Overall, the pvc worked pretty well. To stabilize it a bit and help keep the track in one piece, we are thinking of strategically placing some sandbags (or something similar) that will help weigh down the pipe in vulnerable areas/corners.

The parking lot surface was not bad at all, considering... Of course, there are always things we can do to help improve the conditions. RCRookie volunteered to bring a heavy duty blower that will help clear the track of dust and debris. We had a small push broom on hand, but having a larger one, or even two, might be a bit more useful.

It was obvious that some of us hadn't gotten our cars out in quite some time, thus some fine tuning was in order. The driving skills were a bit rusty, but it was a blast nonetheless!! It was pretty awesome to see both on and off road cars running together (in 1/10 and 1/18 scales, no less). It's not something you see everyday, for sure! Of course, in future meets, we can set up specific classes for people to run in depending on how many people show up and the class of vehicles they are sporting. Some of our cars took a bit of abuse...(I can count at least 2 shocks that were spewing oil and one car whose tires just didn't want to stay on). Needless to say, some of us will be working on and repairing our cars to get them ready for next time. That's all part of what makes this hobby fun, right?!

We will continue to look for ways to help accommodate our off-road cars, with more jumps and "bumps". The ramp worked surprisingly well, and hopefully we can get some more things going in that department. One of our members had a hard time keeping his powerful nitro trucks on the course, so we will also look for additional spots to set up for off-road.


Again, thanks to everyone for coming out and helping out! It was really appreciated. Please let me know if any of you have any additional comments, feedback, etc. about how it went and how we can make the experience better for everyone. I have heard a lot of positive feedback so far, and I'm ready for another round whenever everyone else is interested in doing so. To find out when our next meet will be, or to propose a particular time/day, check out this thread on the 'boards.

- B-Dog

Click here for more pictures of Saturday's run.

Here's a short video of a impromptu race that was interrupted by a certain driver who decided to trash part of the track!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Reminder: Meet Up Tomorrow Morning: 10 AM

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to put out a reminder that we will be meeting at Mother's Raceway tomorrow morning at 10:00 am. If you would like to bring anything for the track (i.e. jumps, ramps, wood, etc.) please feel free to do so.

I was able to construst one ramp about 4 feet wide and 10(?) inches tall or so. I would love to be able to make a ton of them and transport, but it's a bit much for one guy and vehicle to do. The layout of the track will be a work in progress as we tailor it to suit our needs and taste.

Again, there will be coffee and donuts/cookies available. If any of you would like to bring something else for the group to enjoy, that would be fantastic.

I look forward to seeing you all there and meeting some new faces!

Until then,

- B-Dog

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

New Store and New URL!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that there is a new store for the RC Club which you can find here: www.cafepress.com/baprcc.

Also, the club has a new easy to remember URL. After thinking about it for a bit, I thought to myself, "what can I do to help get the name out there?" - and a new, easy to remember URL is what I came up with. With that said, please bookmark www.baprcc.info.

You may not see me out there this Saturday, but always remember I am working behind the scenes to help out with the club.

"Knytemare"
-M2 Hobbies

First Official Meet-up this Saturday....


OK Folks....We are "a go" for our first "official" meet-up - and Saturday morning it is (3/22). We will be meeting at RCRookie's work parking lot, hence forth known as "Mother's Raceway", located in South City, just off 101. Why is it called "Mother's" you ask? Come down and you will definitely figure it out.

We will be arriving at 10, and will hopefully have some coffee/donuts available. :) We will also (most likely) have access to some power, but if not, our Full scale vehicles are right there for us to grab a little 12 volt action.

At this point, it looks like I may be the only one who might have time to put some jumps together, so if you have anything that might work, please feel free to bring it out.

Here is a map of "Mother's Raceway".

Monday, March 17, 2008

First Impression: Delta RC Hobbies & Race Park


I headed up to Delta RC this weekend to take my new B44 for it's maiden voyage. It's in Antioch, about an hour of driving from SF, where i live, so it's a bit far for me to do on a regular basis, but after being there i would totally do it again!

Delta RC's primary focus seems to be the 1/8 scale buggies and truggies - the store is filled with these amazing looking machines and pretty much every customer there had one or was buying parts for one. Although i felt intimidated by these gas-guzzling beasts, there were only two of them on the track, so i gave the track my best shot and tried to stay out of their way.

track pano
The track is great! I enjoyed the size of the track, but did feel like my car was a tad small on it. It's a hard clay surface that was a little dusty so they watered it down an hour after i got there. It has a lot of jumps and a nice long straight where i could really put my new brushless motor and LiPo packs to the test. The track is a fully covered outdoor horse arena with a large pit area and nice driver stand. I found out that in the winter months, they get to use the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds horse arena.

pit pano
Then in April and March, they move out of the horse arena and will have two non-covered off-road tracks: one for 1/8 scale and the other for 1/10 scale gas and electric vehicles.

They have a schedule on their web site and seem to have open race days on most Sundays. The hobby shop is well stocked with all the nitro parts. they also carry parts for the 1/10 scale off-roaders, but didnt carry much for the B44.

The First Attempt...........

While the location was anything but ideal, we were able to get out last Sunday and lay some pipe....pun, anyone? ;) We chose to go back to the location we ran at last week (San Mateo High) and became stuck between a rock and a hard place on where to lay the track out. Either too much grass, or too much loose dirt. Also, since we were running 1/18 scale, we made the track a bit smaller/tighter. We did have leftover pieces that could have made the track larger.



Having a track cut out of the dirt by the pipes proved to be awesome, however, the EXTREMELY loose dirt made it quite a task to complete a lap going anything more than 1/3 speed. Needless to say, the hunt for a spot continues. We may find that running "off-road" cars on an asphalt track (with all terrain/on-road tires and jumps, ramps) may prove to be a nice compromise if a suitable dirt location can not be found.



In other news, "RCRookie" (my Father) has informed the group that we can use his work's parking lot on the weekends for setting up a track. The lot is located in South San Francisco, just off 101.



For more pictures of Sunday's run, click here.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

The Track Has Arrived...

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you all know that the pvc-pipe has been purchased and cut into 5ft sections. Some of us will be meeting up tomorrow morning - at a location yet to be determined . It will be our first attempt at setting up the track, so we'll see how it goes. Progress is being made, my friends! To find out where we are headed, keep an eye on the boards or contact us directly at bayarearc@gmail.com

Our next step will be to construct ramps and jumps to use on the track, so look for that to happen in the next few weeks.

COMING SOON! Merchandise!


Coming soon will be a full selection of merchandise that feature an all new logo for the Bay Area Peninsula RC Club. All sales will go towards paying for the web expenses as well as accumulating track hardware for a portable track and other supplies.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

News: Cheap brushless is upon us!

Castle Creations, makers of sweet brushless speed controls and motors, is having a 25% off EVERYTHING sale during the month of March. Word is they were recently in a lawsuit regarding the validity of their claim that their products are made in the USA - Therefore, to "apologize" to their customers, they are offering the discount to make up for their alleged "wrong doings". I don't care much for the details; my main concern is that I can now save a grip on brushless motors! I'm thinking about a new 1/18 and 1/10 setup. The sale runs until the end of the month, so stock up.

1/18th combos are going for $90
1/10th combos are going for $128

available at www.castlecreations.com


-DigitalFlyer

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

New Product: Team Losi Speed-T


Team Losi recently released a very impressive and innovative product to the market; dubbed the "Speed-T". This is not your ordinary 1/10 scale truck. The Speed-T is a RTR (ready to run) truck designed for those who want to go fast......very, very fast.

What really makes this truck unique and sets it apart from others in the industry is that it comes equipped with a brushless system out of the box. The Losi XCelorin brushless system included with the kit includes a high-speed 4800KV motor and a programmable ESC that includes a Quick Programming Card. This provides the driver with selectable ESC settings that are preprogrammed, meaning you can change the truck's settings with the push of a button. Also important to note, the truck comes with a Losi MTX Pro Radio System with Spektrum 2.4GHz DSM Technology which is almost unheard of in Ready to Run kits.This is further evidence that the RC Car industry is one step closer to fully accepting and embracing brushless motor and Spektrum 2.4GHz DSM radio technologies. As more and more brushless systems enter the market, I predict the demand for nitro vehicles will decrease.

Depending on the type of battery pack you plug into this bad boy, you can be flying down the street at speeds in excess of 65+ MPH!! Just be sure to let everyone else know before doing so....that way we can all steer clear and avoid broken ankles. :)

The MSRP on this beast is $549.99, but don't let that scare you away. It is currently available for $329.99

You can find out more information about the Speed-T on Losi's official site.

The video below is a tad lengthy, but has plenty of information about the Speed-T:

Monday, March 10, 2008

Announcement: M2Hobbies Joins the Club


Bay Area Peninsula RC Club is proud to announce that we have officially partnered with M2Hobbies. The head of M2Hobbies, "Knytemare", once headed up a National's level racing team known as 51-50 Racing. He has worked in the RC industry for years and, thus, is one of the most knowledgeable guys I know when it comes to RC.

M2Hobbies will be powering the club's message boards and will be a regular contributor to the blog - sharing industry insights, reviews, and many other interesting and insightful posts.

Like Bay Area Peninsula RC Club, M2Hobbies is committed to spreading the word about RC and the sense of fun, community, and competitiveness it brings out in people. We are proud and humbled to have them aboard and look forward to this fantastic partnership.

-Bay Area Peninsula RC Club

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Ideas for a Temporary Track...?



We are currently in the process of scoping out a way to put a temporary track together (perhaps from pvc pipes, old fire-hose....portable jumps...??) that we can easily move from location to location depending on where people are interested in meeting up. If you have any favorite track designs, we encourage you to share them with us! If any of you have past experience in what designs/materials work well, we would love to hear them!

We are also hoping to have the temporary track accommodate most of the popular scales (1/10, 1/18). Since it's temporary, it should be fairly easy to make it larger or smaller depending on the scales being driven.

***Update - Through various sources, I have been able to secure old 5 inch wide fire hose from a local Fire Dept. It looks like it will be about 1-2 months before we can secure it, so I will continue to investigate pvc piping (or some other alternative) in the mean time. You can track the status of this project on our boards.

What I am envisioning is something along these lines: (...but bigger)



.... we could use it for both on-road and off-road (and make it larger for 1/10 scale). One last thing....can someone PLEASE get those kids off the track!! ;)

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

New Product: Team Associated RC18R Foam Tires

For all you mini on-road drivers out there, Team Associated has released new foam tires/wheels for carpet and indoor asphalt racing.