I’m fairly certain the top of the thermometer has exploded given the heat wave we’re having here in Southern West Virginia this week. The heat and humidity have been nearly unbearable for me (medication induced heat intolerance) keeping me inside and working on projects in the background. One of those projects gets its own rant below which I hope you will find humorous despite the level of frustration it is causing me (in the grand scheme I’m not aggravated at all, this is a hobby that we all do for fun and, at the end of the day, if you’re not having fun, it’s time to hang up the transmitter). As hot as the weather is currently the industry has cooled a bit this week with only a smattering of new releases from JConcepts and Pro-Line to report on. Finally, I want to take a bit of time to give my opinion of the recent Team Associated Retro releases and what that means for the company and the industry as a whole. I promise, this is something you won’t want to miss. Let’s see what’s new and coming to a shopping cart near you soon!
JCONCEPTS
New this month from the fine Floridians at JConcepts are four new off-road buggy tires, including the Kosmos, Frizzy, the X-Bite and Silent Rage, as well as a set of tire bands for gluing any of JConcepts’ 2.6″ MT tires.
First up we have the Kosmos, a tire that is aimed at outdoor racers, and excels in loose, dusty and even rocky conditions. This tire is the slightly downsized little brother of the 1:8 Kosmos that has proven itself quite competent in those long outdoor mains. The rounded carcass and larger size of the tread block provides smooth steering response (for the 4wd front) and increased forward bite, both attributes important to outdoor racers. Molded in JC’s famous green compound and do not include foam inserts.
Item #4182-02 Kosmos 2.2″ Rear Buggy Tire
#4183-02 Kosmos 2.2″ Front 4wd Buggy Tire
Link: https://blog.jconcepts.net/2026/06/jconcepts-new-release-110th-off-road-kosmos-tires/
Next up we have the X-Bite, a mini-pin tire that lends itself to we, loose and natural outdoor surfaces. Inspired by the 1:8 Dirt Bite tire, this tread pattern begins with a center “X” pattern flanked by square pins that radiate outward toward the shoulder that provide a balanced traction profile JConcepts themselves state that this tire also performs its best before there is discernible rubber buildup on the track surface. Molded in the magic “works most anywhere” green compound the X-Bite is available to suit both 2wd and 4wd buggies, front and rear, and do not include foam inserts.
Item #4195-02 2.2″ Buggy Rear X-Bite Tire, Green Compound
#4196-02 2.2″ 2wd and 4wd Buggy Front X-Bite Tire, Green Compound
Link: https://blog.jconcepts.net/2026/06/jconcepts-new-release-110th-off-road-x-bite/
JConcepts has a history of coming up with some truly great names for products and the Frizzy finds itself near the top of that list. Designed to look retro but work like a modern tire the Frizzy features medium height rounded pins that radiate outward from what JC call a “walking bar” center tread that connects the center pins, a design that should excel in loose, loamy conditions. The Frizzy is available in standard buggy rear and 4wd front fitments, are molded in the soft, sticky green compound and include Dirt Tech molded, closed-cell foam inserts.
Item #4185-02 Frizzy 1/10 Buggy Rear Tire
#4186-05-02 Frizzy 1/10 4wd Buggy Front Tire
Link: https://blog.jconcepts.net/2026/06/jconcepts-new-release-110th-off-road-frizzy/
Finally, rounding out this quartet of buggy traction is the Silent Rage, a slick tire that is a tribute to the late Chuck Norris. Unlike other slick tires in this class the Silent Rage features an asymmetric carcass design with an inner “Silent” portion that is a lower profile section of the carcass while the “Rage” section is a standard Smoothie/Dirt Web profile, each noted on the sidewall of the tire. This dual profile shape allows the tire to remain lightweight as well as excel in both forward and lateral bite on clean, wet clay and high-bite grooved surfaces as well as for dirt oval duty. Unlike the previous trio of tires the Silent Rage is molded in the grippy yet long wearing Silver compound. Fitments are available for 2.2″ buggy rear and 2wd front and include Dirt Tech foam inserts.
Item #4094-06 Silent Rage 2.2″ Buggy Rear Tire
#4095+06 Silent Rage 2.2″ 2wd Buggy Front Tire
Link: https://blog.jconcepts.net/2026/06/jconcepts-new-release-silent-rage/
Finally we have the new Satellite rubber tire bands for 2.6″ Monster Truck tires, making the job of guing a fair bit easier and ensuring a firm glue bond around the entire wheel once the glue dries. The bands feature a number of finger hold options around their circumference for a secure grip and are available in either bright blue or stealthy black. Each pack contains four pieces meaning you don’t have to wait for the glue to dry to swap the bands to the second pair of tires.
Item #5268-1 MT Tire Bands, Blue
#5268-2 MT Tire Bands, Black
Link: https://blog.jconcepts.net/2026/06/jconcepts-new-release-monster-truck-satellite-tire-rubber-bands/
PRO-LINE RACING
New this month from Pro-Line is an updated version of the classic Chisel crawler tire, this time called the Chisel II, and available in both 1.9″ and 2.2″ sizes (the original was only available as a short 2.2″). The large blocky siped lugs are arranged in a quasi chevron pattern that promotes cleanout as well as grabbing both jagged rock and loose surfaces alike. The 1.9’s can be had in either G8 or Predator weather while the 2.2’s are only available in G8 (2.2’s generally weigh more and the added ground pressure will make up for the firmer compound in most situations). Each tire is fitted with soft, open-cell foam inserts and are sold in pairs. Make sure you have the fender clearance for these big lugs as the 1.9’s measure in at 4.85″ tall while the 2.2’s are a towering 5.75″ in height.
Sown above are the 1.9″ Chisel II’s, while the 2.2″ version is pictured below
Item #PRO1036114 Chisel II, 1.9″, G8 Compound https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/pro-line-racing-1-10-chisel-ii-tire-g8-front-rear-1.9-crawler-tire-2/PRO1036114.html
#PRO1036103 Chisel II, 1.9″, Predator Compound https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/pro-line-racing-1-10-chisel-ii-predator-front-rear-1.9-crawler-tires-2/PRO1036103.html
#PRO103621 Chisel II, 2.2″, G8 Compound https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/pro-line-racing-1-10-chisel-ii-tire-g8-front-rear-2.2-crawler-tire-2/PRO1036214.html
1i-RC PROJECT UPDATE
This week I’ve been working on a new crawler chassis built on gen 1 SCX10 axles and it has been a fight every step of the way. Somehow this truck managed to kill two servos without having power plugged into its ESC… both the steering servo and dig servo went out and had to be replaced! I have had servos die on me before but it is usually due to my bad driving or some kind of electrical failure but this time they both went toward the light without being plugged into the receiver or having power applied to them. I picked up a new 40kg HV steering servo from Amazon during Prime Days for $14 and threw a cheap RCXAZ half-height onto the dig transmission’s bracket and called it fixed. We’ll see how well this combo works once the truck is done but for now I’m pretty happy with my less than $20 investment. We’ll have more on this project soon; currently I am wrapping up some of the final details and awaaiting parts from brown Santa.
MY THOUGHTS…
Recently Team Associated has introduced a pair of retro kits that aren’t just RC10 re-re’s, they’re “inspired” by previous releases from other manufacturers. The Ultra Champ and Ultra Fox are “inspired” by the Tamiya Buggy Champ and Novafox kits of the 1980’s but why Team Associated is doing retro kit versions of them is where the problem lies. TA has been at the forefront of race chassis development since the early days, namely the RC10 and its variants, but now it seems that they are relying on nostalgia instead of innovation to keep the lights on. While I love seeing the cars of my youth making a comeback I’d like to see more kits like the RC10B7, T7 and SC7 (each of which I have recently built and am thoroughly enjoying behind the scenes). Associated’s parent company, Thunder Tiger, has all but left the US market after the success of their 1/8 offerings of the mid 2010’s and instead have relied on TA to fill the gap. Vehicles like the Rival MT10 and Apex 1/10 touring chassis are examples of TT’s efforts to continue to sell their designs under a brand that has built-in recognition and credibility. Unfortunately, a few outstanding RTR’s aren’t going to keep the doors open and race teams funded so the next big money maker had to be found.
Enter the return of the RC10, and subsequently all of its variants. Initially there would be a lengthy amount of time between releases; keeping hobbyists wondering is there would be another new re-re or what it would even be. Now we are seeing a new/old release every fortnight. In the first half of 2026 TA has released 10 retro models to the lineup with rumors of an 11th being right around the corner (unfortunately another Tamiya-inspired model from what I’ve heard).
Interestingly enough, TA does not come out and mention Tamiya by name. Each of the kits are merely described as “inspired by” retro models. Interviews with employees inside Tamiya mention that no one is happy about TA doing this, inspired or not, and feel that Associated is merely using Tamiya’s brand identity to sell kits.
It is my hope that if we see more vintage kits from TA it will be the RC10B2/T2 or a fantasy SC version based on that platform (the original SC10 was based on the T4 so a retro version would be an interesting, albeit niche, truck. When I was doing research for my first RC the local hobby shop had an RC10T2 in the display case; the truck belonged to the shop owner and he was clearly a fan of Team Associated. The truck had a box art paint scheme on it, a set of Pro-Line tires, a Tekin speed control, Futaba radio gear, a Trinity motor and a handmade six cell NiCad battery that looked so trick sitting in the chassis. This truck obviously made an impression on me as the first time I saw it was more than 30 years ago. While I didn’t end up with a T2 as my first hobby grade RC (my Dad felt the truck was a little too advanced for a beginner and I needed to build my skills before moving up to something that advanced) I still considered the T2 to be the peak of performance at the time. I also felt like TA was (to quote professional wrestling terminology) the babyface while Team Losi were the heels in racing; a notion that I’ve left in the past but still understand why I felt that way. The JRX-T and XX didn’t interest me the way the T2 did. and, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t have a desire to pick up a Team Losi kit until the XXX-T, XXX-T Matt Francis Edition and the Dirt Spec XXX-T came along. To me, that was the Golden Era of RC. I feel like TA needs to return to that mindset: beat Team Losi at all costs.
Now, here’s where I may lose some of you, and that’s okay. I believe the reason TA is falling back on retro kits and retro remakes of other brands is that TLR (Team Losi Racing, formerly Team Losi) stopped their factory support at all levels, leaving a vacuum on the grid at tracks worldwide. Horizon did this as a cost-cutting measure shortly after the Pro-Line acquisition (in my opinion; I no longer have contacts at either Horizon or Pro-Line Racing) and in doing so many club level racers shelved their TLR race vehicles in favor of TA cars and trucks, as those still had factory drivers out there developing setups and pushing the envelope week in and week out. Without this decades-long rivalry TA seems to have taken their foot off of the gas and is coasting; instead of moving forward they are taking the safe route and going back to selling what has sold well in the past. Without a new 22 chassis, like a 6.0 version of the buggy, truck and SCT, what does TA have to aim for? Kyosho hasn’t been pushing their racing program as of late while XRAY and Schumacher don’t have the foothold in the American market that the big two of TA and TLR had.
So where does that leave my opinion of TA? Do I still consider their cars to be the pinnacle of race chassis? Yes, I still do, hence why I’ve bought all three of their latest race chassis’ just to experience them as I don’t race competitively. I even have one of the RC10DS Classic Kits, a build that I enjoyed but feel that was overpriced for what was included. Team Associated still builds the best but using other brands’ vehicles as “inspiration” cheapens that brand value in my mind. Tamiya builds quality pieces, there’s no doubt about that, but as far as race quality cars it’s no comparison (unless you’re talking about a TRF kit, that is). Associated can produce throwback versions of so many classic models in their catalogue that doing something akin to “copying” another brands’ car doesn’t need to be on their radar.
Again, these words are merely my opinion. I have a bias, I’m not trying to hide that fact, but even though some may say that I’m a TA fanboy I believe that things are going down a dark path for the slot-car racers turned RC icons; one that could present legal issues should intellectual property laws come into question, patented parts and likenesses get a little too close to being copies, or something as simple as other brands merely calling out TA for what is going on… none of these events would do the Team any favors.
I thank you one and all for joining us for this week’s TWIRC, your continued support is greatly appreciated. Until next time, be good to yourself, be good to each other, be good to your RC.