Is the rear-motor B5 already 'dead'?

[Bottom Feeder]

Greetings. All I see nowadays... actually all I've ever seen about the new B5- series is about the mid-motor B5M. That's all the websites talk about, that's all the magazines show, and obviously that's what most if not all of the AE-sponsored or AE-loyal racers are running. I know that carpet/turf off-road racing is now king which is what the B5M was designed for, but does anyone who races AE cars nowadays still buy and use the rear-motor B5? It just seems like it was created for a type of high-level racing that no longer exists, and it's too a little too high-end for a basher. Good thing is that it's relatively cheap at only $200-ish, but it's the original release while the B5M has been upgraded twice(?) now. I guess I don't understand why it exists, basically.

Just wondering and thinking out loud...

[RC104ever]

I wondered the same thing when they both came out.

[mk-Zero]

I never see b5's at my local track (high traction indoor clay), only m's. The couple guys I know that bought b5's originally quickly sold them and bought b5m's after driving one lol

[slotcarrod]

I run on a low traction bumpy out door track, with the correct set up my B5M if much better than my R. So the R was restored with new parts and put on the shelf!

[RichieRich]

I have a B5 and haven't driven it much. I was wondering the same thing too. I suspect this is cyclical.

[Bottom Feeder]

I'm a bit of a old-school purist, so to me, a 2WD off-road racer has its motor in the rear just like the RC10's and JRX's which I loved (yep, I'm living in the past here ). But even to me, the B5 just seems... I dunno... pointless? I'm sure there were many years worth of engineering and sweat put into that car but it seems like it hit the shelves at the exact moment that buggy racing in the dirt dried up. Kinda sad in both regards, actually.

All that said, I'd love to own one, maybe because there are so few buggy kits available out there nowadays. I'd actually like to buy an original (read: cheaper) B5M just to have one but apparently the more expensive Factory Lite is the only one available now. Shame.

[alien3t]

yes standard b5m is disc, b5mfl out sold the b5m by far. the b5mce is a limited run. but i have seen the factory pilots. Brent T, Ryan C and some others will pull out the b5r for outdoor use.

[slotcarrod]

Sadly also the B5M Championship Edition is gone now. It has been sold out at AE and is now discontinued (happy I have one MIB). The reason some of the top guys at local or no frill races will still run a B5 "R" is to try to boost sales of stale/dead stock. AE still has left over "R" kits from initial production runs. They need to move them on. I know that when they finally sell out, we will not see the B5 "R" again. If an IFMAR Worlds or ROAR race was on the line on a bumpy low traction track, you would only see Team drivers run the B5M cars! Yes the B5M is that good!

[yellowdatsun]

I really love my B4, but my buddy got a regular B5M second hand, and I can honestly say it drives like a dream. I'd love to own one but there are two problems here, I can't afford it, and I just absolutely hate those cab forward bodies with a passion. I have various RC bodies from the RC10, to a B3, and two different B4 bodies, and none come close to fitting the B5M.

Maybe it's because I raced RC10's in the 80's and early 90's, and that's what I think buggies are supposed to look. I'm probably holding myself back, but ugh, I can't swallow that pill yet. I must say though, I've gotten that B4 to handle like a champ. It now, unfortunately, smokes my RC10T buggy.

Maybe things will come around, and one of the next gen cars will look better, because they certainly can't look any worse.

[DomEOD]

I love/hate my B5M. Takes the fun out of driving because it's too easy to drive, and I love it for that same reason. My B5R still is my choice for the loose, dry, and outdoor tracks. It just feels better in that stuff.

Then there are the mid motor SC trucks.. What!? Too much control. Stadium truck is still there for a reason. SC should be slipping and sliding.

[yellowdatsun]

I love/hate my B5M. Takes the fun out of driving because it's too easy to drive, and I love it for that same reason. My B5R still is my choice for the loose, dry, and outdoor tracks. It just feels better in that stuff.

Then there are the mid motor SC trucks.. What!? Too much control. Stadium truck is still there for a reason. SC should be slipping and sliding.

I found the same thing when driving my friends B5M, it's TOO easy to drive. Kinda takes the fun out of it. It was like a slot car, with mind reading capabilities, it just went wherever you thought.

This can be good, and bad, for the sport. Newcomers won't learn the car control associated with the sport if they start out with a B5M, and it gives the people who can afford it a HUGE performance advantage, like nothing the previous evolutions could offer.

[egalsim]

I really love my B4, but my buddy got a regular B5M second hand, and I can honestly say it drives like a dream. I'd love to own one but there are two problems here, I can't afford it, and I just absolutely hate those cab forward bodies with a passion. I have various RC bodies from the RC10, to a B3, and two different B4 bodies, and none come close to fitting the B5M.

Maybe it's because I raced RC10's in the 80's and early 90's, and that's what I think buggies are supposed to look. I'm probably holding myself back, but ugh, I can't swallow that pill yet. I must say though, I've gotten that B4 to handle like a champ. It now, unfortunately, smokes my RC10T buggy.

Maybe things will come around, and one of the next gen cars will look better, because they certainly can't look any worse.

This is the exact reason I will NOT buy any new kits. Cab forward bodies are just plain fugly. I was already disappointed when the dish wheels came out for racing, on the original yz-10 I think, but this cab forward thing just killed any enthusiasm for any new race cars, regardless of performance for me. I have relegated to putting old bodies on newish racing chassis. As far as I'm concerned, the last "cool" looking RC race car was the Losi 22 2.0, not the fugly 3.0.

My Team C TM4 with a "standard" body.

[slotcarrod]

Now that Team C car looks great! Nice YZ10 add art copy!

[Coelacanth]

That's a very eye-catching car, egalsim. I don't think rear-motor offroad racing will be back unless they return to the track surfaces of decades ago. With real loose dirt, bumps & ruts, sane jumps that don't pitch cars 3 feet in the air and such, rear-motored cars performed well. Today's modern-surfaced tracks that aren't even offroad anymore, just turf with huge jumps, don't favor rear-motor cars.

[yellowdatsun]

I'm a bit of a old-school purist, so to me, a 2WD off-road racer has its motor in the rear just like the RC10's and JRX's which I loved (yep, I'm living in the past here ).

It's not just you, I like the rear motored cars. Real race buggyies, like full size, after all these years *STILL* have their motor in the back (think Class 1 Buggies). So I agree, the mid motor rwd cars seem pointless.

Plus, since the B5M is SOOO easy to drive, I also feel like it's cheating. I'll quit if all the cars become this easy to drive, or *gasp* even easier. You loose so much driver skill when the cars become that easy to drive.