If you could ask Gene Hustings...

[WebSteve]

Steve,

Thank you for taking time out of your undoubtedly busy schedule to join us! I think the question I would most like to ask you and your father would be:

What prototype vehicles and parts DIDN''T make it to production? (Pictures please!!!)

Thanks again for your time!

Here's an answer from Gene Husting after I sent this question to him via email:

1st Question. What prototype vehicles and parts DIDN'T make it to production ?

The only Prototype vehicle, that didn't make it to Production was the RC400 1/8 gas car.

After making the 1st RC100 car, I upgraded it to the RC 200 car, and then
the RC 300 car. All three of these cars won the majority of major races around the World.

Then I decided to upgrade again, with a new RC 400 car. I made a prototype RC 400 car,
which featured a new suspension front end.

As luck would have it, the first place I got to try it out, was in a race, I believe in Arizona.
It was on an old, unused aircraft landing strip. It was the worst track I'd ever seen.

They had these popular, yellow, 2 foot, steel cones, as corner markers,
which is what most tracks used. Normally you could cut the corners pretty close,
because even if you misjudged by a couple inches, it didn't throw the cars off too much.

But, when I looked at the cars running around the track, everyone was on a line, at least
3 feet away from the cones. In a few moments I found out why. The track was so bumpy,
that the bumps were throwing the cars every which way. The only safe way,
was to stay away from the cones, or watch the cones throw your car 3 feet in the air.
Pan cars don't really like that.

So, when I got unpacked, and got on the track I did the same thing. I remember watching
my car go around the track, and I started laughing to myself, because the suspension front end,
was glued to the ground, and going exactly where I drove it, but the rear end was bouncing
along every which way, just like the other cars. But, the car was following my instructions,
and was on a smooth line, even though the rear end looked like it was trying to throw the car offline,
just like the other pan cars.

This was one of those races for me, that you could only dream about.
I could put one tire on the cone, and it didn't even affect where the car was going.

I used my head, and took it easy, winning the race by 3 laps, over the fastest racer in the world,
at that time, Bill Jianas, who was 2 laps ahead of the 3rd place finisher.

This showed me the difference, visually, in what a suspension car could do, versus a pan car.

So, I didn't want to make the RC400 car anymore, I wanted to make a full suspension RC500 car,
and that's what I did.

The other part of the question was " What Parts Didn't make it into production?"
Offhand, I can't answer that question too easily. Because we'll try a number of different type
tires on the front and rear, and then decide on which tires would be best for most circumstances.

And, at the same time, after testing the car, we may make some minor alterations, on shock angles, shock oils, shock springs, etc. And then, "Choosing the right body is very critical".

Gene Husting

[WebSteve]

Hehehe, I have an easy one.

I want to know the original history about Associated seeing Roy Moody's electric Jerobee run on the west coast and how that monumental idea developed into the long and prosperous life of Associated Electrics.

Here is Gene Husting's reply after I sent the above question via email:

2nd Question. I want to know the Original history about Associated seeing Roy Moody's
electric Jerobee car run on the west coast, and how that monumental idea developed into
the long and prosperous life of Associated Electrics?

The first time I heard of 1/12 electric on road cars, was when it had started to grow in the Midwest. Here in So. Calif., we raced outdoors all year round. However, in the Midwest, they get snowed in, during the wintertime, and they still want to go racing. So, someone in the Midwest started promoting 1/12 scale racing, on indoor portable tracks.

It grew to the point that ROAR made a set of rules for the cars. I was in the midst of designing
the RC500 4wd gas car, at the time, and I couldn't stop, so I told Roger that we need to design
a 1/12 scale on road car. He said, "Get me a set of the Rules." , which I did.

Roger then designed the famous RC12E car. It was just a straight forward basic car,
according to the rules. And we could race it outside, too. When we had the first chassis done,
Roger went around asking our 1/8 scale drivers, if they would like to go 1/12 racing.
They asked " How fast does it go?". He said about 30 miles per hour. They all said,
"That's not a race car, it's too slow.", and no one wanted to race it.

My wife, Midge, heard Roger asking these gas drivers, and she said she would volunteer
to test the car at races, at the Briggs Cunningham Car Museum track.

She'd never driven an RC car before, and Roger wasn't going to do the testing,
so he said OK to Midge. So, I told my wife that I would go to the track, and help her.
She said, " I don't want you to go to the track and watch me, you'll just make fun of me."

At the time, we had Beginner, Amateur, and Expert Classes. So, she could run as a beginner,
and we could see what parts could break. So, it worked out quite well, and then we went into
production. It wasn't long before Mike Lavacot and Kent Clausen, became the drivers to beat in So. Calif., and everywhere else, with their new RC12E cars.

Gene Husting

Note from Steve:
Talking with my Dad about this, he said that the Jerobee and 12e car were in development at about the same time. But because the Associated car was cheaper, Gene thinks it put the Jerobee company out of business.

[WebSteve]

Hello Steve!

One question: Where are all the Stealth Cars (from 1991)now? It´s possible to get one for a report in a RC-Magazine here in Germany?

Thanks!

Michael

There were only two hand-built Stealth cars developed. Both are now in Gene's possession.

Steve H

[adam lancia]

That's really cool info Steve, please thank Gene for all of us!

[m_vice]

Yes, thanks Steve for this, I love to read these stories… thank Gene for us.

[Erich Reichert]

Hey there Steve how are things. We (Brad Geck, Josh, me and Stealth Lube) were all talking about your dad this weekend sharing a lot of great stories! I'm glad to see you finally found our little end of the world. Hope you enjoy it as much as we all do.

[markt311]

My question:

How did it make you feel that most companies prototyping their cars in the early 90's were "borrowing" your concepts and parts for their use? Traxxas used Stealth trannies for all their prototypes and their production trans wasn't far from it. their team drivers even ran it on their race buggies along with AE shocks. Most new cars in 91-94 really resembled the stealth car (trx3, triumph) Does this make you proud that your company not only made it through but actually became stronger through it? 90% of the cars at my track are b4's and I've always thought " yeah associated may take a bit longer to come out with a new car but usually its lower priced and works better"

Sorry to ramble but you get the idea

And thanks very much for making this available for us Steve and Gene


Mark

[Dr. Robotnik]

Hi Steve,

Welcome to the board. I have one question that maybe Gene could help with, though it is about Roger Curtis...

Do you have any more pictures or info on Roger Curtis's 4wd car in this picture?



Warm regards

Ed

[Bugle]

There were only two hand-built Stealth cars developed. Both are now in Gene's possession.

Steve H

2 different prototypes, but there were several of each, all the team associated drivers seemed to have them

[WebSteve]

Steve, glad you could make it to the forum. One thing I did not get a chance to ask was, Do YOU have any addictions in the hobby world? If so, care to tell us?

Everything I've contributed was through my employment at Associated over the last 20 years. That means all the instruction manuals and catalogs from the RC10 C.E. up to the B3 and T3, and the web site.

The earlier manuals included photos of a complete car, shot backwards step by step, from completely assembled on backwards, removing a part at a time, and text. I shot the photos and Topper did the text. I created blank spaces for the photos and typed the text into PageMaker. We did not scan photos in those days. The printer created negatives (negs) of the photos and dropped the photo negs into the blank spaces in the PageMaker page negs.

Later, when R&D got into CAD, I received the pictures and text from R&D as digital files and assembled them into pages laid out in Micrografx Designer. This allowed us to get the manuals done earlier, since we did not have to wait until all the parts were made first.

By the way, the early exploded drawings (before CAD) were drawn individually in Designer after hand-measuring each part.

I've done a smörgåsbord of work including photography, manuals, catalogs, decals, ads, digital tuning guides, RC magazine articles, press releases, Team Associated Insider's Newsletter, and, of course the web site. I don't do everything by myself of course - it's a team effort. The variety of work here keeps things interesting.

I have not been involved in racing. I used to bash around with my B2.

Steve H

[Tadracket]

Sounds like your addiction is pretty much technical. I love me job. But it took me 15 years to get to this point. It must be grand to work at something you are passionate about. I like computers but after working on/with/around them all day, the last thing I want to do when I get home is jump back on one.

Do you think the constant relationship you have with Rc cars on a technical basis has hindered your desires to run them? I may be wrong but it sounds almost like you don't run them much. Or maybe your are like the majority of us and don't GET to run them due to time constraints.

[WebSteve]

Do you think the constant relationship you have with Rc cars on a technical basis has hindered your desires to run them? I may be wrong but it sounds almost like you don't run them much. Or maybe your are like the majority of us and don't GET to run them due to time constraints.

I just like writing and graphics over actually racing RC. I'm more of a bookish person. I've written several Christian books, for example.

[Tadracket]

Do you think the constant relationship you have with Rc cars on a technical basis has hindered your desires to run them? I may be wrong but it sounds almost like you don't run them much. Or maybe your are like the majority of us and don't GET to run them due to time constraints.

I just like writing and graphics over actually racing RC. I'm more of a bookish person. I've written several Christian books, for example.

That is awesome. I am not much of a reader myself. I loved Shakespeare and Homer's The Odyssey is my favorite.
My office pal has talked me in to reading A Divine Revelation of Hell by Mary Baxter. She is trying to increase my desire for reading as well as my interest and participation in Christianity. I am having mixed feelings. I'm curious but at the same time, I need my sleep and I may never sleep again after reading that book

[WebSteve]

If you loved Shakespeare, you would do better to read C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity, rather than Mary's book.

[WebSteve]

Hi Steve,

Welcome to the board. I have one question that maybe Gene could help with, though it is about Roger Curtis...

Do you have any more pictures or info on Roger Curtis's 4wd car in this picture?



Warm regards

Ed

Gene Husting's reply:

This is a 4wd RC10 that someone overseas sent to us to try out. I can't remember exactly who at this time.

I didn't have time to spend on it, so Roger volunteered to help.

We were at a big RC car race and Roger asked Jamin' Jay Halsey if he would race it. Of course Jay said YES!!!

It never even finished a qualifying run, even tho it was going fast enough, because the 4wd chain kept jumping off. We never did anything with it after that.