New Academy 2wd Buggy!

[Claymore5150]

Has anyone seen this bad-boy yet? Probably not. It hasn't hit the US yet...the kits are literally "on the water" and enroute to the USA.

Pricing for this kit is probably gonna be in the $180-$205 range.

I know there are a few Academy 4wd drivers in our midst...just wonder what everyone thinks about this new 2wd.

This has to be one of the most tunable buggies I've ever heard of.

I'm really really really thinking about ordering one to race with, but I'd like to have some radio-time with one before I do.

http://www.modelrectifier.com/search/product-view.asp?ID=8103

There are a couple of places online that are taking pre-orders...Amainhobbies and Stormerhobbies.

What do y'all think? (besides the fact I just said Y'all and I am from Tennessee LOL)

[Synergy]

I'm not sure about the styling of the body but the chassis looks tops

[MOmo]

At my local track, one of my buddies just scored a sponsorship from MRC. He's been running the SBV2 4wd buggy for a while, and racing a borrowed B4 from a sponsored AE driver. He's awaiting his new 2wd buggy and he was told he should have it in a couple of weeks. Im interested in seeing it. The chassis looks Losi. Close inspection of many of the parts, they look beefy, which should make for a more durable racer.

The only drawback i can see are the HEX wheel adapters. Call me a purist, but I really like the AE rearend. Id probably do a little hybrid action and try to get B4 CVDs and hub carriers to fit. We'll see. I'll try and get to the track and get closer inspection once my friend receives his.

None the less, it adds another buggy to the competitive mix. For ages it was AE and Losi. Now Kyosho is making a strong comeback and the new MRC car looks promising as well.


MOmo

[Brandon G]

I can imagine the Swedish chef throwing a B4, a XXX, and the new ultima in a pot, mixing it up with parts flying everywhere, and voila.....

Seriously, the more we have available in the class, the more design work happens to make sure they have the best. How much further can 2wd buggy design go anyway?

I was looking at a MRC 4WD a while back before buying a ZX-5, and I had problems with getting parts.... Nobody seemed to carry them... ?

[TUCRACEMAN]

I love the look of the new buggy. I think I'll be picking one up sometime soon.
~D

[terry.sc]

Has anyone seen this bad-boy yet? Probably not. It hasn't hit the US yet...the kits are literally "on the water" and enroute to the USA.

I've known about it since July
A lot more details on it from the product manager of MRC are in this thread http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4341 Page 3 has most of the extra info. It was actually designed by MRC then sent to Academy for production.

The only drawback i can see are the HEX wheel adapters. Call me a purist, but I really like the AE rearend. Id probably do a little hybrid action and try to get B4 CVDs and hub carriers to fit.

Not a problem as it's designed to fit AE and Losi rear wheels just by removing the hex adaptor. The different offset in the Academy wheels means the rear end is the same width whether using B4 or the Academy hex drive wheels. If you like the B4 rear end then you should be happy with it the way it is.

They should be arriving at MRC in two weeks.

[Mr. ED]

I didn't think you guys would have been interested: I 'd have posted the pics I made at the worlds if I'd known.

So late but anyway: some detail shots.
I liked the flexibility on the wheels, aluminum arm mounts all around and the adjustable swivel point of the carriers on the arms (see pics) which allows you to change the offset without changing the width of the car. Overall it looks well-designed and with competion in mind. Even the battery space is ready to accept the solder tab on the side-by-side packs all pro's use.

2 thumbs up and let's hope the plastic is good.

and the english page of their website:
http://www.academy.co.kr/eng/ssCartimate/itemDetail.jsp?cid=18&iid=367&orderBy=iid%20DESC&imgMode=N

[RichieRich]

Looks like a winner. The body does look a bit weird but I think it's due to poor execution of a good idea. The long hood and small cockpit area reminds me of our RC10s. I don't really like the "cab forward" body craze going on with current 2WD buggies.

[Mr. ED]

I also like the shell actually, just don't like the current craze for paintschemes.
I think it'd look much better with a paint design that accentuates the shape rather than something which whirls all over the place. It's allmost like the zebra stripes they use on protoypes.

[FlyinGN]

sure does look nice..... Priced right too..