What a time to be a part of the RC hobby! Each week brings new parts and vehicles that vie to raise the bar and the pace seems to be picking up quickly as we approach the summer outdoor season. This week saw new releases from Team Associated, Traxxas, JConcepts and Arrma, plus we have a new How To featuring build tips for the Team Associated RC10T7 and RC10SC7. Let’s dive in and see what’s going to be in our carts soon making our credit cards beg for mercy!
TEAM ASSOCIATED
Racers that use Factory Team diff fluids in their gear differentials now have more options when it comes to tuning thanks to the release of seven new viscosities that fill gaps between existing FT fluids. New 8,000cSt and 9,000cSt options fill the gap between the already proven 7,000cSt and 10,000cSt offerings while the new 12,500 and 17,500cSt options span the 10-20,000cSt range currently available. A 40,000cSt gives an in-between option for times when the currently available 30,000cSt is too thin and the 60,000cSt is too thick. Finally, the 300,000cSt and 400,000cSt fit right in with the previously available 200,000cSt and 500,000cSt fluids. With this range of viscosities tuning your diffs for any surface just became much easier!
Item #5445 8,000cSt
#5449 9,000cSt
#5466 12,500cSt
#5467 17,500cSt
#5468 40,000cSt
#5462 300,000cSt
#5464 400,000cSt
TRAXXAS
While not entirely new, the Traxxas Slash Unassembled Kit has been updated to include the 2.4gHz TQ radio system, a high-torque metal gear servo, BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A tires conveniently pre-glued to chrome 5-spoke wheels, Extreme Heavy Duty suspension components as well as Traxxas’ clipless body mount system, A full-color assembly manual makes the build process a snap while window masks, detail decals and custom paint masks are also included to finish out the clear body shell. While the XL-5 brushed ESC and Titan 12t motor are included the battery and charger are not; as the included ESC is not the Xl-5 HV this truck is limited to 2s power.
Item #58214-4 Traxxas Slash 2wd Unassembled Kit https://traxxas.com/58214-4-slash-2wd-unassembled-kit
JCONCEPTS
JConcepts is definitely bringing the heat this week with the release of their REACTOR retro monster truck kit, available in two wheelbase options (both 10.75″ “Clod” length and 13″ for more stability). This kit is aimed at retro monster truck racers and fans of the early days of full-scale monster trucking. The kit incorporates features not usually seen in solid-axle monster truck racing such as bellcrank steering; the REACTOR takes lessons learned from many years of 1/10 off-road racing, applying them to a style of racing that usually features direct-link steering that often requires user-fabricated parts or, worse yet, Tamiya style push-pull steering that is more slop than steering. The bellcrank system provides smooth, consistent steering and also has adjustable steering ackerman for increased handling ability. Composite steering blocks are housed in aluminum caster blocks that offer caster adjustment to dial in steering response and stability for any course. The motor-on-axle solid axles feature gearboxes filled with a mix of steel, aluminum and composite gears that are touted to run as smoothly as a 1/10 race buggy and allow each motor to rotate the same direction; this allows timing setting to be the same both front and rear for better performance. Anti-roll bars front and rear keep the chassis level in corners and an old-school leaf spring suspension system retains the vintage feel. The leaves themselves are steel and are attached to teh chassis with dual aluminum pivoting shackles and plastic rod ends that allow the gearboxes to move freely throughout their travel. Like many early full-scale MT’s the REACTOR is designed to utilize eight dampers and the included shocks are all-aluminum units with bottom loaded cartridges, dual o-ring seals with injection molded spacers, aluminum bottom seal caps, Injection molded upper caps include a bleeder screw, as these shocks are built emulsion style, and thankfully the pistons are secured with M2 nylon nuts instead of e-clips (tuning pistons are included as well as a bottle of 30wt shock oil). Being a kit the REACTOR does not include wheels, tires, a body shell or electronics, instead leaving those preference items to the users discretion.
Item #9008 REACTOR 10.75″ Wheelbase Chassis Kit
#9009 REACTOR 13″ Wheelbase Chassis Kit
Link: https://blog.jconcepts.net/2026/04/jconcepts-new-release-reactor-monster-truck/
JConcepts also now offers 13awg wire to complete your electronics project. While this is a universal application product JConcepts touts it as being perfect for the REACTOR chassis kit as the 1m length makes the trip from front motor to rear motor easily. This silicone jacketed copper wire offers great conductivity while still remaining flexible and easy to route. Each kit includes 1m (3’3.37″) of each red and black wire and doesn’t break the bank at $20 per pack.
Item #5267 13awg Silicone Wire, 1m length, Red and Black https://blog.jconcepts.net/2026/04/jconcepts-new-release-13awg-wire-1m-black-1m-red/
Did you just drop a fat stack on a new REACTOR chassis and a set of JConcepts 2.6″ wheels and tires and need somewhere to park your truck in the pits or on the bench at home, keeping those tires from flat spotting the foams and ruining themselves prematurely? JC has you covered with the new REACTOR truck stand, a molded piece that was designed alongside the chassis kit itself. Molded in stealthy black, this stand fits all three wheelbase options of the REACTOR and includes M3 hardware for assembly. As a bonus these car stands are styled to look similar to a 1:1 jack stand, although these won’t drop your truck on your chest at the most inconvenient time like those cheap Chinesium jack stands we both know you have sitting in your garage right now!
Item #5272 REACTOR Truck Stand, Molded https://blog.jconcepts.net/2026/04/jconcepts-new-release-reactor-vehicle-stand/
ARRMA
Arrma is replacing the 1/8 Infraction 3s with an updated version utilizing their 223s brushless power system as well as a few other upgrades to make the truck an even better performer. New to the 1/8 Infraction are steel input gears for the differentials, 37T steel ring gears front and rear, a transmission decoupling system that saves the drivetrain from damage should extreme stress be applied while also eliminating the need to tune and maintain a slipper clutch (this system uses a system of fingers that engage the spur that can “ratchet” should the drivetrain experience binding or an extreme shock), DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) equipped receiver with four pre-programmed drive modes, a Spektrum 3400kv motor paired with a Spektrum Firma 100 V2 ESC, a S662 metal-gear waterproof servo, dBoots Hoons tires in a medium compound and an SLT3 radio system to keep all the fun under control. The refreshed Infraction 223s is available in either a patriotic red, white and blue, a green, black and orange scheme or a sinister looking black with true-fire orange motif.
Item #ARA4315V4T1 Red, White and Blue 1/8 Infraction 223s RTR
#ARA4315V4T2 Black and Orange 1/8 Infraction 223s RTR
ARA4315V4T3 Green, Black and Orange 1/8 Infraction 223s RTR
SITE UPDATES
This week we have a helpful How To featuring the new Team Associated RC10T7 and RC10SC7 kits. There are a few steps that can benefit from a little clarification in our opinion so we took some notes and now we’re passing them along to you. Both of these kits are excellent builds and I would recommend them to anyone looking to get into racing; the instructions are very good, the parts organization is nearly spot on and the parts quality is second to none. We will post a full review once we get a change to run some packs through both trucks so stay tuned!
Those in the know will remember that I got my RC journalism start writing for RCShortcourse.com, doing news and reviews for their forum section for nearly 10 years. I love short course trucks and having the latest and greatest when it comes to SC chassis is usually not necessary to have a good time but with the new SC7 I feel like I can make a concession. After experiencing the RC10B7 I knew I wanted to try a proper mid-motor SC and I am very glad I did. This truck is simple to build, easy to maintain and and has every tuning option needed to suit most any surface. While short course is my comfort zone my real start in RC came with stadium trucks. There was a hobby shop in our local mall back in the mid-90’s called Hobby Haus where I saw my first RC10T2. The owner had painted the body just like the box art and had it displayed in a lighted display case right up front. That truck brought me in that store a thousand times before I finally saved up the money to buy my own first hobby grade RC. My first truck wasn’t a T2 but rather a Traxxas Rustler RTR with the clear body from 1996. It had a 20t Stinger brushed motor, a mechanical speed control, the 27mHz TQ radio with its mile-long antenna and the plastic gear 2018 servo that cranked out around 20oz-in of torque. That truck got driven every day; I remember sitting and staring at its timed charger waiting for the 1300mAh Piranha NiCD pack to finish heating up… I mean, charging, and hitting the track again. I built a small track in my backyard and I’d bet I turned 10,000 laps with just this truck alone. i still have that truck; it hangs in my office as a reminder of where i came from and to never forget how driving that slow, fragile, 3-minute run-time having, tires hard as rocks bundle of awesomeness made me feel. Now sitting here typing this and looking at the T7 sitting just a few feet away I feel that excitement all over again, 30 years later. That is what RC can do; it will make you feel like a kid again every time you charge up a battery, every time you head out to the track or your favorite bash spot, or even just heading into your local hobby shop to bench race with like minded kids… I mean, tax-paying, drivers license carrying, definitely not refusing to grow up adults. Life says we have to grow old. It does not say we have to grow up.
Thank you one and all for tuning in again for your weekly gathering of RC news; your continued patronage is greatly appreciated. Until next time, be good to yourself, be good to each other, be good to your RC.