While still in the clutches of Mother Nature’s grasp here in the mountains of West Virginia we are happy to report that things within the industry are heating up for the year with a few new releases to bring your way. First up will be the new Team Associated RC10B7.1 and B7.1D and following that will be the Vanquish Products VS410 Origin Classic; each of which are sure to be game changers in their respective genres. Let’s dive in and se that these rigs are all about.
TEAM ASSOCIATED
This week has been another big one for racers with the release of the new RC10B7.1 and 7.1D from Team Associated; giving carpet and dirt racers alike thee leg up on the competition thanks to a slew of updated chassis and suspension components. These small evolutionary changes are indicative of the rapid pace of racing development. Look at the RC10, RC10B2 and RC10B3 generations of cars; each generation lasted for a relatively long time, ranging from 11 years (RC10 to B2) to six years (RC10B3 to RC10B4). Back then, chassis development was less crucial as the tracks were more natural and surfaces changed so much during a run making tire technology much more crucial than having the latest in tuning options available. When the B2 was introduced many racers still used their RC10for a time before blue groove tracks became more popular; thanks in part to the fact that the B2 wasn’t a huge departure from the RC10 and would have most likely been called an RC10..2 today.
The RC10B7 includes new features such as new 78mm long arms with corresponding drive axles for the rear, two rear shock tower standoff options allowing the use of inverted rear shocks, the T7’s 3-gear laydown transmission that places teh motor in the same position as the original B7’s 5-gear arrangement while reducing drivetrain mass and increasing acceleration, new steering and caster blocks that reduce weight and assembly complexity while maintaining strength, a new -2mm ball stud mount and top plate (original locations are included as well), a front hinge pin brace that aims to reduce strain on the inner pins, and finally, new 1 degree C-block option, The same hard anodized a 7075 T6 aluminum chassis is included in the kit as are aluminum weight plates for tuning chassis balance. Steel plates are available as Factory Team options, should the track surface and drivers’ style necessitate that change. The same low CG body and 7″ wing are included, while wheels, tires and electronics are not.
New standout features on the RC10B7.1D include new 81mm rear suspension arms with corresponding 71mm CVA bones, front and rear -2 shock towers and shock mounts for a lower center of gravity and TA’s smooth as butter ball differential. Aside from these differences (and the exclusion of sway bars) all of the 7.1’s new features carry over to the “D” version as well.
Item #90046 RC10B7.1 https://60years.associatedelectrics.com/rc10b7-1-team_kit/
Item #90047 RC10B7.1D https://60years.associatedelectrics.com/rc10b7-1d-team-kit/
VANQUISH PRODUCTS
For those whom may have missed out on the original (no pun intended) Vanquish is now offering the VS410 Origin Classic Pro; a premium, top-spec version of their proven VS410 platform. Included int eh box are a stamped steel chassis, new inner fenders with integrated shock towers, universal joint equipped axle shafts, aluminum F10 straight axle assemblies (available in either black or clear anodizing), officially licensed Battle Born X-Ray wheels fitted with .475″ SLW hubs, the venerable VFD transmission and overdrive transfer case as well as the Origin full cab body. This truck represents the best of the best in RC scale crawling without resorting to an LCG chassis and the price reflects that; MSRP is set at $849 for the kit. This places it above the cost of the Team Ottsix Wizard which is an LCG performance style crawler that will conquer more lines that the Vanquish while costing less. All in all this is a very beautiful truck, stuffed with American machined aluminum goodness that is a true representation of the caliber of product that Vanquish sells.
Item #VPS09026B VS410 Origin Pro https://vanquishproducts.com/products/vs4-10-origin-classic-pro?srsltid=AfmBOoqZLZ3QmvISJGfGCbyC0SHfHWYDj7_6CZoXPZDbQ3TE76YGjATO
THIS WEEK’S RANT
I’m usually not one to air my grievances on this site as that’s not the message that I want to convey to my audience, but this week is a little difference. I want to share my experience so that other’s may not have to suffer the same fate as I did, and hopefully someone who can do something about this problem will. On December 9, 2025 I placed an order on Horizonhobby.com for a Pro-Line 1/12 Silverado NASCAR Truck Series body that was shown as in-stock and ready to ship. I couldn’t find one in stck anywhere else on the web so I placed the order (to the tune of right at $50) and waited for shipping confirmation. The next day the item was relisted as “On Backorder” with no estimated shipping date. I waited until the second week of the new year to reach out to Horizon to see if there were any updates. I tried calling the main Champaign IL headquarters; no phone system to reach anyone. I tried the Banning CA Pro-Line location; phone system is now the same as the Horizon main phone tree and no live person is reachable. I gave up on speaking to a human and tried the chat. The AI is not helpful in the slightest and what could have been a 2-minute phone call turned into a 45 minute typing marathon on my smartphone. This was frustrating enough but, alas, it was all for not. The AI could not give me an answer on when my body would ship, nor did it offer any form of real assistance such as transferring me to a human who could understand the issue. This left me feeling dejected and pining for the way things used to be. Before the takeover of PL by HH anyone who needed tech support with their PL products could call the Banning facility and talk to an expert. Now there’s seemingly no way to reach a human at any point withing this “Customer Service” process.
Fast forward to this past Saturday, the 17th of January, when the body randomly showed up at my front gate. I walked down there and immediately saw how destroyed the box was. It was flattened with a boot print visible on its top, each side had large puncture holes and the end was not only ripped but also crushed flat. The body? Roof caved in, nose dented, scratches through the overspray film. This thing is destroyed. I tried to contact both Horizon Hobby and FedEx (as they were the shipping company that was inevitablly responsible for the package during transit. Neither place was reachable via phone, FedEx would not allow a message to be entered and offers no chat based support, while Horizon said they would assign someone to the case in 48 hours but offered nothing in the way of immediate phone support. I still have not received the email confirmation that a support ticked was created (their site say they will email you immediately with a copy of the support ticked) and to expect another email from the support team in a few day nor has anything updated on my Horizon account.
I’ve worked with Pro-Line for nearly 15 years now and to see what has happened to that company truly makes me sad. I have a bright blue 35th Anniversary PL hoodie that I wear quite a bit in the colder months and I’m extremely proud to have been a part of that history, but I now fear that Horizon is shifting its focus away from the core clientele that they have established and are instead chasing profits for their investors. Customer service at this (and the other Horizon brands as well) has nearly gone away. I hope there is still time to right the ship before it sails over the edge of the world but at this rate Horizon isn’t adjusting course to safer waters, they are increasing the throttle straight toward the iceberg.
CONCLUSION
I apologize fot he rant but I felt it necessary to share this with you all. My goal is to get the attention of someone at HH who can do something about this. Without letting these companies know what they’re doing right or wrong we as a community cannot expect them to change; so, fill out that product survey or leave a review with the companies you do business with. Be nice, and, who knows, you may be part of the solution of making this hobby better than it has ever been. Thank you for stopping by again this week and we wish you all the best in the coming seven days. Until then, be good to yourself, be good to others, be good to your RC.