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March 13, 2015, 8:56 p.m.
By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com
For a small boutique manufacturer, X-Factory's kits and accessories have made a remarkable splash since the original X-5 4WD buggy hit the scene ten years ago. The Ohio-based brand is the product of two father-and-son teams: original founders Charles and Paul Sinclair, and Arizona residents Chris and Alex Krieg. The foursome have been staples of electric off-road races for a long time now, and especially the Cactus Classic. Having just churned out a new SCX-61 prototype replacement for their short course truck kit (about which Paul granted us an exclusive interview and close-up photos just over a month ago), and launched their new Infinity line of hop-ups for other vehicles sparked by an optional B5M chassis last August, they've brought even more new stuff to SRS Raceway.
Using the experience gained on the SCX-61 preproduction short course truck, Chris assembled a new X-61 stadium truck mock-up to show off at this year's Cactus Classic - it's the first time the truck has been seen, and they haven't started running it yet for testing. The chassis is 2.5mm thick, rather than 3mm like the X-60, but that loss of rigidity is supplemented with side rails that can be configured in different ways to adjust front-to-rear and twisting flex. The battery brace covers a large area that can accept saddle packs, square packs, even a full-length stick pack, and offers tons of weight distribution options with a shorty pack. The slots in the brace can be used to affix battery stops for a wide variety of mounting options. The space in front of the battery has tons of room for electronics. The front suspension is lifted straight from the Team Associated T4, and the rear end is the same as the its X-60 predecessor.
Based on the Infinity B5M chassis, Chris also cut an original prototype of a new T5M chassis - obviously they haven't had a chance to test it yet, since the truck hasn't been released. It's shown here with arms bolted in place to give viewers an idea of what it will look like. Based on feedback that Chris received from customers who've purchased one of the B5M chassis, he has re-designed the side rails with more adjustment options to stiffen the platform for high-bite tracks.
Because users have asked for more adjustability for the B5M Infinity chassis, in order to make it stiffer for grippy surfaces, Paul Sinclair drew up and 3D-printed new chassis inserts that can be bolted between the bottom plate and side decks. The decks have an additional hole for further stiffening that cannot be accessed with the first generation siderails without drilling your own holes, but that will be a running change to the Infinity side decks moving forward. The car in this photo belongs to the Day One Stock Buggy TQ Alex Krieg, who is not running the inserts but instead using a turnbuckle-style brace that runs from the transmission from the battery mount, which is what the team originally tried in order to reduce the flex.
The small Infinity pit ornament was also 3D printed. Alex's buggy (show here) has a piece of Lexan attached to the chassis to provide a surface on which he stuck Velcro to secure the body. Otherwise, that gap is completely open and would accept the chassis insert.
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